I began to drift casually towards the gates with the others, hoping I didn't iook as lost and panicky as I felt.

　　All the other kids seemed really chilled, kidding about and flirting, which I found quite reassuring. I remember thinking that if I HAD been worried about it being a school for actual angels (which obviously I wasn't), the flirting would definitely have put my mind at rest. Also their clothes, which were totally up to the minute. There wasn't a long white nightie in sight.

　　I did notice that everyone's cool fleeces and other stuff had that same little angel logo. Imagine that, Mel, I thought. A designer tag you don't know about!

　　One of the girls had this big throaty laugh, which started down in her boots. She was a real daddy-long-legs, like me. Everything about her zinged with energy: her springy black hair, her tough-girl walk.

　　I sneakily attached myself to her, trying to act like I just happened to be going the same way. But on the other side of the gates, I nearly blew my street cred once and for all.

　　I ought to explain that my old school was pretty much your standard comprehensive hell-hole. But this was practically a palace, with gorgeous gardens and domes and spires.

　　Yeah, but it's still school, I thought darkly.

　　We were hurrying along a shady walkway. You could see it was really ancient. The stone slabs had actual hollows worn into them by centuries of passing feet. One of my shoes accidentally slipped into a shiny long-ago footprint, and a shiver went through me. It fitted exactly.

　　The girl gave me a funny look. "Angel vibes," she said. "You get used to them."

　　But I didn't really register what she said because suddenly I'd got the strangest feeling.

　　"Do I know you, or something?" I blurted.

　　The girl froze in her tracks.

　　Now look what you've done, I scolded myself. She's going to have you down as some needy little groupie.

　　But she was staring at me with a stunned expression. "Weird," she whispered. "1 was just thinking the same thing." She took a big breath. "I'm Lola."

　　"I'm Melanie," I whispered back.

　　我跟在其他孩子后面，向校门口走去！希望没有人看到我胆小鬼的表情。

　　那些小孩子似乎都很开心，他们一边开着玩笑，一边打打闹闹。

　　我终于可以放心了。

　　看来这里不是天堂，这些孩子也不是天使。

　　天使可不会像他们这样疯闹。

　　天使也不会像他们一样，穿着最时尚的衣服，天使都是穿白长袍的啊！

　　不过，奇怪的是，在他们的衣服上，都有一个小天使的标识，就跟刚才我在校门口看到的标识一模一样。

　　我安慰着自己：

　　别大惊小怪了，小美，这不过就是一个服装的牌子而已，只是你以前不知道罢了。它根本说明不了什么问题。虽然你很时尚，但是这个世界上，总有你不知道的品牌，对吧？

　　离我不远的地方，有个女孩在那儿大笑，笑声都快把地面震动了。

　　她和我一样，双腿修长，浑身上下充满了活力：一头乌黑卷曲的头发，走起路来就像男孩子一样，帅得要命！

　　我悄悄地靠近她，和她并排走着，装出碰巧同路的样子。

　　一进学校大门，我不禁“哇——”地叫出了声，眼前的情景，让我太吃惊了，甚至都忘了摆我平时上街最爱摆的莆士。

　　现在，我有必要插播一下我原来学校的情况，那个学校，简直是人间地狱，其程度远远超过你能理解的范围！

　　与原来的学校相比，我眼前的这个简直就是一座皇宫，它居然有着超级漂亮的大花园，还有像童话中那样或圆或尖的屋顶。

　　“不过就算像皇宫，它总还是所学校。”

　　我撇了撇嘴。

　　我还是和那个女孩并排走着，我们的脚步迈得很快。

　　脚下的人行道，看得出来非常古老，一定有好几百年历史了吧！来来往往的行人已经把地面的石板踩出了一个个的脚印。

　　我的一只脚，一不小心滑进了其中一个锃亮的脚印中，顿时浑身一颤，就像通了电流一样。

　　怎么回事，感觉好舒服好奇特！

　　旁边的女孩朝我看了一眼，说：

　　“这是天使电流，你被它给电到啦，不过以后你会习惯的。”

　　她的话，怪怪的，不过我来不及琢磨，因为在看清楚她的样子后，另外一个更奇怪的感觉抓住了我。

　　我牢牢地盯着她，冲口而出：

　　“我一定是认得你吧！我觉得，以前肯定是在哪里看到过你！”

　　女孩愣住了。

　　我后悔得肠子都快青了：小美，瞧你都干了什么啊！怎么这么冒昧呢？她肯定会看轻你，把你当作那些随随便便喜欢跟人套近乎的女孩吧！

　　谁知她目瞪口呆地看着我，低声叫了起来：

　　“不会吧，我也在想同样的问题呢！我也觉得你看起来很面熟，这可太奇怪啦！”

　　她深吸一口气，接着说：

　　“我呢，叫罗拉。”

　　我轻轻地说：

　　“我叫美兰妮。”