Our eyes met for about a split second, and it was like a total replay of my shivery footprint moment. We both quickly looked away again and walked on, side by side.

　　This is going to sound bizarre, so please don't ask me to explain it. But somewhere inside, I just knew Lola was the friend I'd waited for my whole life.

　　It wasn't how she looked (although her clothes were lush). It was more like I already knew her really well. And I got the definite feeling she felt the same way. We kept giving each other startled little glances as we hurried along. Like, what is going on?

　　Melanie, get a grip, I told myself. Do you seriously imagine a girl this cool will want to hang out with you?

　　By this time, there was so much happening inside my head that I'd split into at least three or four Mels. First, I'm trying not to dwell too closely on what I'm doing here. Second, I've just run into a total stranger who seems like she's my all-time best buddy. Third, we are speeding through these school grounds which are getting more amazing by the minute. And I mean AMAZING! It was all I could do not to squeal like a little kid.

　　Obviously I still wasn't too impressed to find myself hanging around some strange school in the holidays. But I was starting to see how the right person just might get something out of a set-up like this.

　　At first, I thought I'd gate-crashed one of those really fogey institutions. The ones that call homework "prep" and have their own weird little school song on speech days. But parts of the Academy were incredibly futuristic. Plus they had all this water everywhere - trickling along little channels and into pools, bubbling out of fountains. It sounded wonderful, like some kind of dreamy, delicate music.

　　We even passed a spiral staircase which wound around a real waterfall. I'd never seen anything so lovely as those shining stairs, twisting and turning through crowds of tiny glowing rainbows. It was magic.

　　But there was no time to admire the scenery. The kids were practically running by this time. We seemed to be heading rapidly for some impressive wooden doors. Carved into them was the same little angel logo I kept seeing everywhere.

　　And at that point I went into a full-scale panic attack.

　　If l go in there, something's going to happen, I thought. Something which will change me for ever.

　　But before I could make a run for it, I was swept helplessly through the doors into a vast sunlit hall.

　　我们又仔仔细细地打量了对方一眼，就在这个时候，我的身上又传过一阵震颤，就是刚才一脚踏进脚印时感受到的那种震颤。

　　我们同时掉转了头，继续往前走。

　　真的是好奇妙，不知道为什么，在我的内心深处，有一个声音不停地在大声说：“美兰妮啊，罗拉就是你等待了一生的好朋友！”

　　怎么会这样呢？

　　是因为她打扮得漂亮吗？不错，她的衣服确实时尚有型得要命，但这不是主要的原因。

　　实际上，我觉得自己好像早已经非常非常了解她了。

　　她一定也是这么想的吧，因为她一边走，一边用睁得大大的眼睛看着我，好像在问：到底是怎么回事呢？

　　我提醒自己：美兰妮，不要自作多情了吧！像她这么有品位的女孩子，怎么会和你一起手挽手地出去逛街呢？

　　这个时候，我的脑袋乱哄哄地塞着一大堆事，只怕是三四个小美才想得清楚:

　　首先，这个学校到底是什么学校呢？

　　其次，我在这里碰到的陌生人，怎么会让我觉得，是等待了一辈子的老朋友呢？

　　还有，正被我踏在脚底的石头路，简直是透着十二万分的古怪，古怪得差点让我像个没见过世面的小屁孩那样，尖叫起来。

　　现在我的心里惟一的答案是：

　　这一切，一定是被人安排的吧！

　　一定是这个神秘人在操纵一切！

　　不然我才不会在暑假里，跑到这样的学校来呢！我是知道这种学校的，他们管家庭作业叫“考试前的预热活动”，他们还有自己的古里古怪的校歌，专门在给优等生颁奖的时候唱。

　　当然，这个学校看起来并不像我想的那么老古板，相反，还非常前卫呢！校园里到处都是丁冬的泉水，顺着小沟小渠流进水池，然后咕嘟咕嘟从喷泉里喷出来，那种声音，听起来简直像梦幻一般，美妙极了。

　　这里，甚至还有一个真正的瀑布，有一座螺旋式楼梯顺着它蜿蜒而上。我从来没有见到过这么闪闪发亮的楼梯，它横跨在道道明亮夺目的小彩虹上，漂亮得像仙境一样。

　　突然，大家开始奔跑起来，发生了什么事情呢？

　　我来不及欣赏美景了，也跟着跑了起来。

　　他们好像正在朝一扇木门跑去。木门非常精致，非常醒目，上面也有一个天使标识，奇怪啦，这个学校怎么到处都有这个标识？

　　我不由得寒毛倒竖。

　　看起来，我一定得开溜才行，不然的话，谁知道接下来会发生什么可怕的事情？

　　可是已经来不及了。

　　我被人流推进了木门。