"Okay dear, where are you supposed to meet Landy?" Mrs Chan asked.
"Seven-forty-five at the control station, Mum," Janice, replied. She had never felt anything like this before. There were butterflies, snakes and lead weights in her stomach. Wild thoughts were running in her mind. How the heck was she supposed to get to that wretch platform? If we don't succeed in getting to that platform, Landy and I are as good as dead. Janice thought.
At the station, Janice felt oddly separated from the rest. Even though she knew
that she was supposed to be waiting for Landy, she felt as though she was waiting
for her death sentence.
"Hey look who's here? Aren't you supposed to be in RGS? Huh?" someone strangely familiar sneered.
Expecting to be Landy, Janice turned around. But whom she saw next made her jaw drop. "You! Lawrence Yeo Chai Hock! What are you doing here?" Janice shrieked. The last person she needed was actually right in front of her, sneering.
" What am I doing here? I ought to ask you this question instead!" Lawrence shot back.
Knowing that this would sound utterly stupid, Janice summoned up her courage and merely said, "I am here waiting for Landy so that we can catch the train at platform one and a half."
Expecting to see Lawrence snort with laughter, she looked down to the ground, but what Lawrence said next made her almost fell over with shock.
" Are you going to Yap Ee Chian?"
" Why.... how did you...." Janice spluttered, surprised at what Lawrence had just said.
" I'm also accepted at Yap Ee Chian too. Not just me alone, but my whole family used to study there. We are a wizarding family. But you are just a muggle! How did you get yourself accepted to Yap Ee Chian?" Lawrence enquired.
"I really don't know. I just got a letter which says that I've been accepted. Landy's been accepted too. If you are a wizard, why did you study in a primary school then?" She added.
"My parents insisted that I get a 'normal' education before I set off for Yap Ee Chian." He drawled, as though he had memorized those words by heart.
"Hey guys!" someone chirped. It was Landy, who had finally arrived.
"Sorry I'm late, Janice, got caught up in a traffic jam, Hey Lawrence,
why are you here? Aren't you going to school?" Landy said quizzically.
(Lawrence, Landy and Janice used to study in the same primary school together)
"Actually, I am catching the train at platform one and a half to get to school." Lawrence replied dryly.
Like Janice, Landy's eyes bulged to the size of saucers before she squeaked " Yap Ee Chian?"
"Exactly. He's been accepted too." Janice replied.
"But he.... accepted...?" Landy mumbled.
"We'll explain everything if we get in to the train succesfully" Janice finished lamely.
They had now reached the platform where they were supposed to catch the train,
but there wasn't a train that looked as though it could take them to school.
"Now what are we supposed to do?" Janice hissed.
"Why is it that there are so many muggles around at this time? Darn it, we might be seen!" Lawrence cursed.
"Muggles?" Landy squeaked.
"Non- magic people. Just like what I thought of you all in the past." Lawrence mumbled absentmindedly.
"Is this an insult?" Janice mumbled.
Just then Lawrence said something that made both Landy and Janice look at him incredulously. "We have to jump down the middle platform to catch the train."
"Jump down? Are you trying to get us killed?" Landy mumbled, so as not to alarm the muggles.
"Trust me. Look, I'll jump down first, okay? If I don't come up, then you guys jump down, okay?" With that, he walked towards the middle platform, which was usually used for emergencies to the muggles, and jumped.
"Now what? He has already jumped. Do you think that we should jump? " Landy asked.
"Oh… all right then. Okay, from the count of three, both of us will jump. Okay?" Janice said.
"Sounds fine to me."
"Okay, one...two... three!"
With that both of them jumped. Janice expected her to land on the railway with a thump, but it never came. Meekly, Janice opened her eyes. A huge navy blue train greeted her the moment she opened her eyes. On the platform she was standing in there was sign above that showed that she was in platform one and a half. She had done it. She had managed to catch the train.
"We did it! I don't believe it!" Landy shrieked and hugging Janice at the same time, that Janice almost choked.
"Well. I can see that you guys have actually managed to get past the platform."
someone replied. It was Lawrence. There was also someone else with him too.
"Boon Kee and Chee Hao? You mean..you guys are actually wizards too?"
Janice stuttered.
"Yes they are. In fact our parents are very good friends with each other."
Lawrence said.
Before Janice could reply, Lawrence did something that Janice almost never expected him to do; he actually invited them to join them in the compartment. Unconsciously, Janice agreed and Lawrence actually helped her and Landy carry their trunks.
"Gee, thanks a lot. Janice replied sincerely.
"It's nothing really." Lawrence mumbled.