There I stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon. I watched the sunrise from behind the mountains, closing my eyes, taking in the warmth. I lifted my right foot in front of the left, prayed, and jumped.
One Week Earlier

I awoke to a strange noise. I sat on the edge of the bed, looked around the room, and noticed pictures of a girl. I blinked three times hoping I was dreaming. I felt a presence enter the room, I slid back into the bed and under the heavy fiber blanket. I pulled the covers just up to my eyes. I saw a girl hovering over the hard tile floor. She picked up a picture of a man, examined his cross necklace, and sat it back down.

She then floated over to the bedside and sat down at my feet. I got scared and pulled the covers gently over my head even more. She rubbed her left hand over the covers. The look on her face told me that she was thinking of someone who she’d once loved that slept in this same bed.

“Ahhh,” I said.

The girl jumped to her feet and I jumped to mine.

“Who? What? Why are you in this bed?” she said with a confused look on her face.

All I did at that very moment was stare at her with a blank empty face. The girl extended her right arm and moved closer to me. I became frightened, so I ran towards the door and into the hallway. I stopped and turned back towards the room where the girl floated in my direction. I bolted down a hallway that seemed like a never ending trail. I finally reached the door and pushed it open with all my strength. I fell to the ground and the door closed behind me. I noticed the building had distinctive features. The building was covered in various sayings and drawings.

I stood up and walked back to examine the building. One saying I read was “Do not fear what you can overcome.”

“Ughhh…”

The voice of belonged to a man. Something grabbed me by my shoulders, and when I turned around, there stood a man dressed in a formal black and white suit.

I blacked out and awoke in a room that looked like an office setting. I rubbed my forehead and there he was, the man in the tuxedo. He had blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. My eyes rolled down his suit: his name tag read: “Mike.”

“What am I doing here? What happened?” I said.

Mike’s head lifted from a monitor screen.

“Oh good, you’re awake. You’d blacked out, and I caught you,” he said.

He picked up the phone.

“Sir, she’s here and awake,” Mike said.

He hung up the phone and focused on me again.

“The boss would like to see you,” he said.

“Boss?” I said.

“Just head straight down the hallway, turn left. One the right hand side will be a black door. You will enter this door and then come across another door. Knock three times and enter,” Mike said.

I started my journey straight back down this dark creepy hallway. Once I reached the black door, my heart felt like it had sunken into my stomach. I entered the room that held another door. I took a deep breath and knocked three times just like he told me too. I took a step back and the door opened slowly by itself. I peeked my head in and saw no one. So I then walked fully into the room. The door closed behind me.

“Are you Peppa?” A man stood before me.

“Uhhh… Yes. You told the man at the front desk to send me back here?” I said.

“Yes. I am Ralph. Head of the S.I.A.S.- Supernatural Insane Asylum School.”

“Insane Asylum?”

Ralph stared at me, his face, blank.

“Yes. It was once an insane asylum for confused immortals. But now it’s a school. The S.I.A.S. was founded by the first vampires, Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah. It was founded over a thousand years ago.” Ralph said.

I took one last look at the man and fainted. I awoke the next morning in the same bed. I sat up trying to recap everything that had happened yesterday, but it all felt like a dream to me. The girl from my nightmare floated in the room in the exact same outfit as yesterday: an all-white gown.

“I’m sorry for scaring you like that yesterday. I didn’t mean to. I’m Samantha. Your roommate. Sometimes when I’m alone in the dorm, I sit on the edge of the bed and rub the covers gently, remembering the girl that I grew to love. She slept here in the bed that you’re in. But she passed away now.”

“It’s all right. Don’t worry about that. I’m Peppa. But how did your friend die?” I said.

“She died in a terrible accident. Her name was Claudia. One day she came here as a newbie, just like you. She wanted to know her place, and she wanted to find her true destiny. She thought she could fly because she always talked about dreaming of floating on clouds. So she went to the top of the building one night, looked down, and jumped. I tried to save her but it was too late. She was already gone after that,” she said.

“I am sorry for your loss,” I said.

I walked out of the room, looked down the hallway, and headed for the door. I then stopped outside and saw a beautiful sight, one I had only seen in a movie. I hiked up the mountain and stood on the edge of the Grand Canyon, just at the right time in the right place as the sun rose. I closed my eyes and took in the warmth. I thought about what Samantha was saying about her friend Claudia leaping to her death. I wanted to know my destiny and but the only way to do that was risking everything I own. Which is my life. I lifted my right foot in front of the other, prayed, and fell off the edge.

Just before my body splattered all over the bottom floor, I flew back to the top.

“How did I do such a thing?” I said, wondering aloud.

I had no answers to my questions. I jumped again and flew myself back up. After the third time, I ran back to the office.

“Mike, where is he?” I said.

“In the back. He’s busy. Can I take a message?”

“No you can’t. Well, I’ll just pay him a little visit,” I said.

As I walked toward the back, Mike tried to grab me, but fell over the desk, so I ran down the hall and into the room. I burst through the doors in anger.

“You didn’t knock,” Ralph said.

“You didn’t tell me why I am here. You knew, but kept these secrets hidden from me. Didn’t you ever think I have the right to know who and what I am?” I said.

“I didn’t tell you because I thought it would be best for you to figure it out on your own. Me telling you would’ve been defeating the purpose of you finding yourself. It’s up to you now to find your place on campus. If you want to stay, you are welcomed to. But if you want to leave, then you’ll have to endure obstacles to free yourself. Getting here is the easy part. But leaving is the hardest challenge of them all,” Ralph explained to me.

I stood there in the room thinking about what he said. I walked out and back to the girl’s dorm. I sat on the edge of the bed thinking of my destiny, my future, and my place here on campus, and in this world. The sound of Ralph’s words echoed in my mind.

Samantha entered the room. I told her everything that happened today. She sat and listened. Talking out loud helped me gather my thoughts about my place in the world. I figured out I belong here at the S.I.A.S. for a reason. Sometimes when I was younger I thought that I can solve my problems simply by floating on the clouds and clearing my mind. Now I can. But I am determined to figure out my main purpose here on campus.