Linda was disappointed with the building she was brought to. Without new prospects, she would have felt unsteady in her legs, but now she was only a little intrigued, which soon gave way to indifference. At first they tried to persuade, and then they pushed.

"It's no use you don't want to help us, Lindik" Said the officer who worked with her: "The gold sold with your participation has unique physical characteristics. By refusing to cooperate with us, you are harming the interests of the country. But she raised you, gave you an education!"

"My parents fed me, but they gave part of their salary for everything else" She said with displeasure: "I don't owe the state anything, and if I have debts, I will work them off when I graduate from school. As for the gold, I don't know anything, I only remember that I went to see some man with an old woman".

Linda was already tired of being treated psychologically, this process had already lasted for four whole hours, so she did not try to hide her irritation.

"You shouldn't behave like that" He said, shaking his head^ "If you're not going to help us, then why should we give you any help?"

"And what exactly can you offer me to help?" She asked.

"If our work brings real results, we can discuss the possibility of settling you with your relatives. It won't be difficult for us to exchange an apartment for them at all" He replied.

Linda didn't hesitate for a moment. Even in the event of her possible removal to an orphanage, she was not going to stay on Earth for long. The police will not be happy with the lack of information - they tried to grab everything they could. The ability to read the minds of others completely destroyed all her illusions. In this world, no one needs her now, and it was pointless to try to negotiate, since no one would pay lip service to the agreement.

"Don't think that we won't be able to make your life more difficult" The officer warned her threateningly, refusing sweet promises: "There may be different conditions in orphanages. Somewhere decent educators and more or less normal children work, and somewhere the staff is disgusting and the students who have already been in prison. Our state does not have the strength and means to create order everywhere. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Will you be an obedient girl, will you get a treat?" Linda smiled ironically: "And if not, they'll put you in a dark closet, right?"

"There are other methods..." He began, but Linda was already tired of listening to repetitions.

"Let's get this over with" She said" If you think you can confuse me, then it's in vain: "I don't have anything to tell you anyway, because I don't know! So take me to the orphanage already. By the way, I've been hungry for a long time. At least the police gave me tea and biscuits yesterday, and you don't even offer that. Greedy people!"

To speed up the resolution of her problem, for the first time this time she gently directed the policeman's thoughts in the right direction for her.

"Well, if you don't want to, I won't force you!" He slammed the folder shut, got up and left the table: "Come on, come with me".

There were two people in the office on the floor below.

"What's new with you?" The owner of the office asked a question.

"The way she talks, she can be given all twenty years" Replied the guest with the colonel's shoulder straps.

"You haven't seen her in person yet" Grinned his interlocutor with one star less than the title: "Physically, she is well developed, and by feminine signs she looks eighteen years old. And just a year ago, she was thin and visibly exhausted from hunger. We talked to the doctors who examined her immediately after she lost consciousness after seeing her stepfather's body".

"I believe that she would have acted differently at the moment".

"I think so too. Tell me, Smith, why is your management so interested in her? Or is it a secret?"

"It's a mystery, of course, but not for you. She helped an elderly woman sell gold coins to a private collector, who gave one of them to an expert friend for verification. The expert found something unusual in the coin, and the study showed that the gold has an alien origin. Perhaps this metal does not belong to our universe. The characteristics of isotopes and atomic weight differ from those we are familiar with. In addition, gold has superconductivity already at minus one hundred and fifty degrees. If you just make a wire out of this metal and dip it in liquid nitrogen, then after that it can store a huge amount of energy. This gold is a significant achievement in various fields. This discovery could lead to revolutionary changes in well-known science. And we think she seems to know something about it".

"Why do you think that?"

"You and I listened to her conversation with that captain together. When he offered her to live with her aunt, Jordana did not hesitate at first, and then for some reason became confused. Apparently, she has reasons to distrust us. We need to understand the reason why she doesn't believe me".

"I have a theory, but it's so fantastic that I can't share it with anyone but you".

"Tell me your reasoning".

"I talked to her first of all. Something about her behavior immediately began to alarm me, and first of all, how confident she was in herself. And so, when I finally understood, I couldn't believe myself. She knew exactly what I was thinking! She was betrayed by the reaction of her face. Maybe she doesn't have enough experience in this, or she just doesn't see a reason to hide it, but she responds to thoughts that I didn't have time to express out loud. To check it out, I remembered a not very respectable, but funny anecdote. And you know, right after that, she could barely contain her laughter, looked confused and looked away. If we're really as transparent as glass to her, why would she believe us? She understands what we promise, but others will fulfill or not what we promised".

"And what do you propose to do after that? Is it possible to send her, so confident in herself, to orphanage number three?"

"Have you been thinking too long? This children's institution is no good. If it were up to me, I would shut it down altogether and send the director straight to jail. Believe me, he would have received what he deserved. A third of the students live there, who are not suitable for an orphanage, but rather for a penal colony. When I have to meet with such a person, I am extremely sorry that the era of iron gloves is already over. And you're suggesting that we put this girl there! I have a daughter of her age myself. I am sure that threats and pressure will not lead to success, but will only worsen the situation. If you start insisting on your idea, you can take her case away from me!"

"Why are you so excited? I was just making a guess. If you don't want to go to the third boarding school, then you can send her to the first one. It will be easier for her to live there. Make up your mind as soon as possible, she will be with us now".

As soon as he said that, there was a knock on the door, and Linda and the captain who had worked with her earlier came in.

"Well, Lindik, do you remember anything new?" A high-ranking officer asked her.

The girl shook her head negatively, then suddenly seemed to come to her senses and looked attentively at the owner of the office and his guest. She did not linger on this for long, just smiled with visible gratitude to the major and lowered her gaze to the floor.

"Now you will be fed in the officers' mess, and then you will be sent by car to the orphanage number one. Please, if you can even remember anything, be sure to call this phone number. This is very important for us, and not only for us, but for the whole country. The phone is in the office of the head of the Internet, we will warn him just in case. I hope to see you soon" The officer said goodbye to her.

"Goodbye, Mr. Major! Thank you!" Linda answered, turned around and left the office. The captain followed her out.

"Did you notice?" The major asked.

"She quickly realized that you intended to protect her, and therefore thanked you specifically. But when she looked at me, her face immediately became unfriendly. It was only for a moment, but I still managed to notice it. Everything says that you were right, and she really knows how to read minds. Listen, I have an idea. Just don't rush to judge, listen. After all, your daughter, Tilla, is also fourteen years old, right? Let's arrange for her to spend a month in the same orphanage? She has already been to scout camp, and she has more than a month before the start of the school year".

"Yes, she will figure out my Tilly even faster than she did with us, besides, they will arrive there at almost the same time, and Linda may suspect something".

"Then let's wait, and whoever she makes friends with, we'll talk to. Not all children are so skeptical of the authorities. I think Linda doesn't constantly look into other people's heads. It seems to me that she is not very comfortable doing this in constant communication with someone, and she seemed to me to be a good enough person. She won't get into her friend's mind unless she has to".

"It's best to wait a bit, and then we'll try your plan".

*****

"This is your place to sleep" The mentor explained to Linda: "Come on, I'll help you get the bedding. If you have nowhere to hurry, you can sit down for a while, relax after the road. My work day is coming to an end, so if you have any questions, you can solve them with my partner. Your outfit needs to be changed to a school dress. You can hang it in your closet and wear it only for going out into the city. You will be given a school uniform for lessons".

"Where are the other students?" Linda asked, surprised at the absence of anyone nearby.

"Two groups of girls with another mentor and a scout counselor went to the cinema, and the boys are in another wing of the building. You will only be able to see them at lunchtime, in common areas and in lessons, you are not allowed to enter their bedrooms. And here comes Maya. Listen, Maya, we have a new student who has just arrived. Take her under your care and explain everything. See you later!"

"Hi" A woman of about forty greeted Linda, with an inconspicuous face, but with thick, beautifully styled hair: "You've already been told what my name is. What's your name?"

"Jordan's Lindik" Linda Replied.

"Do you always say so little?" Maya smiled: "Come on, I'll show you everything before our girls come back, and you can get your new things".

The teacher took Linda through the toilets, showers, dining room and classrooms, while she talked about the schedule of the day.

"We have two groups of girls" This is how Maya explained, accompanying Linda to the head of the household: "You will get into the senior group. We have almost twenty girls in each group, and the number of boys in our boarding school is twice as large. There are always two teachers on duty in the girls' room. There is a library in the boarding school, but now it is not working yet, because its head is on vacation. She will start working again soon. We also have a medical center, but it only works until four o'clock in the afternoon and does not accept on weekends. The school is located nearby, just off the road.

I want to tell you right away that there are different personalities among our wards. Many of them are kind guys, but there are also those who cause some problems. Sometimes there are thefts, so it's best to put a more secure lock on your locker so that no one can steal your clothes. Almost adult teenagers are already studying in the senior group, and you are a sweet girl, so get ready right away that some of them may start making obscene suggestions. Try to stay away from such situations and you can ask for help from me or the administration. The main tutor at the boarding school is a man, and the rest of the staff consists of women".

Before the arrival of new friends, Linda had already managed to put the bed in order, having received the linen and tucked it in. After that, she changed into a dress that fit her almost perfectly. After Linda hung the suit in the closet, locked it with a padlock and put a protective spell on it against possible theft. Now there is no way to open the cupboard with a key, as the spell will work and let the hostess know if someone tries to crack it.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Linda changed her shoes for the slippers provided by the storekeeper and sat down on her bed. The beds in the bedroom were made of a metal frame with a sturdy mesh and comfortable mattresses. They were arranged in pairs in two rows, with bedside tables in front of each bed. There were no other furniture items in the room except for these beds and bedside tables.

She heard the arrival of a group of girls by their noise and screams when they had just entered the orphanage building. The younger group screamed and made noise, while the older girls calmly discussed a recently watched movie. When the new Linda entered the bedroom, everyone fell silent and looked at her carefully. The older girl came up to Linda, looked at her defiantly and laid out her verdict.

"You are very beautiful. What is your name and how old are you?"

"My name is Linda, you can just call me Lindik, I just turned fourteen years old" Linda replied without any fright.

"You're not telling the truth" The girl said in disbelief: "I would say that you are my age, and I will turn seventeen in two months. Have you been spoiled already?"

"I don't quite understand what you're talking about" Linda replied: "What do you mean, ruined?"

"The village!" To the general laughter of the girlfriends, the girl said: "Okay, I'll ask you differently. Have you dated men?"

"Why on earth are you interested in this?"

"So there were, after all" She summed up: "My curiosity will become clear to you later. My name is Megan, I'm the oldest here".

The first meeting was quiet, and Megan was surrounded by all the other girls. There were questions.

"Where did you come from?"

"I'm from here, I was born here".

"Are there any living relatives?"

"Mom is alive, but she was imprisoned, and there is still an aunt".

"So why didn't your aunt take you in?"

"She already has a huge family and a tiny apartment, and her children are all boys. In general, they are cramped, and they don't live well".

"They won't help you stink" Her new friends concluded.

After that, the interest in the new student decreased somewhat.

"What grade did you graduate from?" A girl, about thirteen years old, asked her.

"I was in the sixth grade".

"Great!" A new acquaintance exclaimed with joy: "I was in the sixth grade too. Therefore, we will go to the same class together! We even have beds side by side. Do you want us to be friends? My name is Olivia".

"I want to!" Linda replied: "Listen, why did Megan ask me about men and get so upset when she found out that I was only fourteen?"

"So she has her own interests in this case" Olivia explained: "Some girls over the age of fifteen already have a need for condoms. They may not be sold at the pharmacy, so Megan buys them herself. Well, yes, of course, the price for this turns out to be higher".

"And why do they buy condoms?" Linda didn't understand.

"Don't you understand?" Olivia asked in surprise: "If you start dating guys without protection, you risk getting into an unpleasant situation. Is that what you want?"

"I don't need any guy from your school!"

"Oh, how obstinate you are! To give up such pleasure!"

"So are you visiting any of the guys already?"

"I'm not allowed to do that yet" She explained to Linda: "The goblin threatened to send to a convent those who would make love to guys in violation of the rules. But those who are older than us are being watched with all eyes".

Having got into such misunderstandings, Linda thought: "The Major, it seems, did not choose the worst boarding school for me. I'll have to give him some gold to thank him for his kindness. He's the only person there you can really talk to. The rest are more concerned only about themselves".

"Listen, Olivia" Linda said to her friend: "Can't our girls live without these guys? Better advise me, do you have at least one tutor who knows English?"

"The goblin understands, but why would you do that?" The neighbor answered.

"Who is this Goblin anyway?" Linda asked.

"This is our senior tutor. He was given this nickname because of his appearance and severity" Olivia explained.

"So he's as terrible as they say?" Wondered Linda.

"You'll see him for yourself. He will definitely be interested in you".

Before dinner, Linda got to know other girls, talked to them on various topics. They even told her the plot of a recently watched movie, and Linda became incredibly bored. She suddenly wanted to go to the cinema, at least to see something. After all, before arriving on Earth, she had never had to suffer from the lack of books and films due to magic, and now she realized how much she missed the already familiar entertainment from the new world. And even the familiar music from her home world was no longer enjoyable.

"If I have to stay here for a while, I will need to solve this problem somehow" Linda decided: "How can I have fun without electricity?"

Then everyone gathered for dinner in the spacious dining room. The girls came in first, and after they had eaten, a younger group of boys entered the dining room.

"Get ready" Olivia said as they headed to their precinct: "Today all the boys will be making noise about the new girl. And if any of us go to the guys, they'll definitely start gossiping. The older guys will probably be interested in this news. Our girls think with their heads on their shoulders, and the boys - well, you know, they have brains in that head that hangs between their legs..."

"Don't worry" Linda snorted: "I don't care what they think there".

"Well, let's see" Olivia replied: "Don't you want to read something? I hid "Quentin Dorward" under my pillow. I got it from the head of the library before she went on vacation. If you're interested, you can read it".

Linda was engrossed in reading the book until lights out. At ten o'clock in the morning, the nurse on duty turned off the light. Her group of girls lay quietly, only two of them were talking in the corner, and the younger group could not sleep for a long time behind the wall. After spending some time in bed, Linda ordered herself to sleep and had a good night's sleep until morning.

Everyone was woken up at seven o'clock in the morning. Linda carefully made her bed, dressed, washed and brushed her teeth, and then plunged back into reading a book before breakfast. On the way to the dining room, the older guys had already started crowding around her. Linda studied the thoughts of some of them, and she felt uneasy. Absolutely everyone was paying attention to her. One of the boys tried to stop her to talk and get acquainted, but she pushed him away and went into the dining room.

On the way back, only the younger children were crowded at the door, and a huge man with expressive features stood next to them. His mustache and beard merged into one, completely covering the entire lower part of his face.

"Goblin!" Olivia whispered.

"Jordan?" The teacher asked her in a hollow voice: "Let's go to the teacher's room, I need to talk to you".

When they arrived at the room where he took Linda to talk, there was no one but themselves.

"Sit down, Jordana" He gestured to a chair: "Listen to me very carefully. I've studied your profile, you're only fourteen years old. Are you familiar with our rules yet?"

"Yes, they told me. And why do you allow sex between teenagers?"

"I understand. But what exactly is the problem?" The teacher chuckled: "I also do not approve of such behavior. But what to do? If you ban it altogether, the situation can only get worse. I had to have four abortions in a year, and one of the girls will not be able to have children after that. The guys are doing it so much..." He did not find the right word to describe it, but continued: "They hide at night in the dining room, stay alone in the living rooms, climb the eaves, one even fell and crashed to his death. When you try to stop them, they threaten the teachers, and in our team, except for me, there are only women. I can't react to it physically, after all, they are children. If there was any violence on the part of the guys, I would not think about anything and would drive into the ground up to the balls, but you can't stop the girls, they want sex themselves. They will try where something tasty is and pester the guys. You're not happy with me, but what do you advise me in this situation?"

"Is it really such a problem everywhere?"

"To varying degrees. Somewhere this almost never happens, and somewhere the situation gets even worse. Do you understand what I'm talking about?"

"Don't worry, Stanley, I don't need guys like that".

"Okay, you're a sporty girl, of course, but you can hardly handle guys. How did you know my name?"

"The girls told me".

"Haha, haven't you forgotten yet? They've only been calling me Goblin for three years now".

"I was also told that you speak excellent English".

"These devils, and who tells them just that? That's right, I can communicate and read almost without a dictionary. But why would you do that?"

"I would like to ask you to help me learn it perfectly a month before school".

"Is this a joke?"

"Oh, I beg you very much! I still have a great memory, and I will put all my strength into it!"

He somehow waved his hand, but this small effect of hers has already begun to work.

"Okay, I'll prepare a lesson plan for you tomorrow. I will give you daily tasks, monitor your progress. First we will work on the vocabulary, then we will start with the grammar. Let's gradually move on to conversational practice. I hope you're really as talented as you tell me you are. Just don't brag to others: they might think you're weird".

"Yes, I don't pay attention to them at all" Linda snorted: "It's better to let them think anything, as long as they don't interfere".

"Your business" The Goblin shrugged indifferently: "Tomorrow after breakfast you will come for the list. Can you read transcription well? Although I'll show you an example of correct pronunciation anyway. Go ahead, and if any of the guys start bothering you, let me know right away, don't wait for words to get to the point".

"What did our goblin want from you?" Olivia asked: "Just trying to find out from all sides?"

"Yes, he met me, and explained your order of things to me, I asked him to help me with English. He promised to help".

"Oh, really!" Olivia stared at her in fright: "What do you need all this for? Nothing else to do? In a month, your English teacher will fool your whole head anyway".

"I set myself the task of going to America!" laughed Linda: "Don't take it seriously: everyone has their own dreams".

She went to the toilet, locked herself in a stall and entered the courtyard of her mansion through the gate. Although it was still early in the morning, everyone was already on their feet. Exchanging greetings, the girl returned to the mansion and burst into the mentor's office. As agreed, the flask with the miraculous infusion is lying on the table. Linda found her and immediately left the office and headed back to the women's bathroom stall. Sitting down on the toilet, she stretched out her hand to the lidless drain tank and put a flask of magic decoction there. Then she went back to her room, and she read a book until lunch. Olivia disappeared somewhere and didn't bother with questions.

At lunch, there were clashes with the male half again, but this time the guys were ready to go beyond a simple inspection.

"No need to hurry, eat in peace!" She was met on the way by a short boy of strong build, he was about sixteen years old: "Let's get acquainted".

"Okay" Linda agreed, preferring to avoid conflicts: "You come on in, Olivia, I'll catch up with you. And what topic do you want to talk to me about?"

"My name is Oscar" The guy said: "Do you still avoid people who wear pants? I suggest you stop this farce and communicate with us without fooling around. No one will touch you if you don't want to. There are not those who would risk messing with a Goblin and ending up in jail or offering you something inappropriate".

"I don't have time to talk to you, Oscar. I won't eat for you. I have to study English with Goblin every day. My plan is to learn the language and only then have fun. Do you agree? If yes, then everything is fine!".

Passing by the surprised guy, she entered the dining room, where Olivia had already set the table for both of them. Today there was pickle for the first, and pasta with cutlets for the second, as well as apple compote.

"What did this kid tell you?" Olivia couldn't resist: "Did he ask you to become his girlfriend? This Oscar, he's in charge of the third group".

"It's not his question that matters" Linda replied, devouring a delicious lunch: "And my answer is. I told him that until I thoroughly learn English from Goblin, I don't have time for guys".

"And his reaction?"

"He was amazed".

"I would also be shocked by the way you answered! How could you blurt it out like that? And who do you talk to like that? With Oscar, whom all the girls adore!"

"Finish about it, please, I already have a headache from this. I'm tired of this. If you don't want to ruin our relationship before it really starts?"

They finished their lunch in silence, and also came to their room without talking, and then lay down on their own beds, busy with their own thoughts.

"Okay, so be it" Linda thought: "Less distractions are better for classes".

However, it did not work out to lie in bed for a long time, the effect of the spell imposed on the locker lock began. Someone wanted to open it in vain. The girl got out of bed, put on her slippers and went to the room where there were personal lockers for the pupils' belongings. The door was slightly open, and Linda, assuming the form of Olivia, looked inside. A middle-aged man was standing by her closet with keys in his hands, and a large sports bag was lying next to him.

"Are you looking for something, girl?" He asked when he heard the floor boards creak.

"I was just curious, what exactly are you looking for here" Linda replied, already knowing the whole point of what was happening.

"I'm on the job of the caretaker repairing the lock on the locker, so you're really bothering me. If you need to pick something up, do it quickly" The man replied rudely.

"Okay, I won't distract you, keep working. I'll be back later" Linda said, leaving the room and removing the spell from the lock at the same time. The man was an employee of the Committee and came here to pick up her costume. Although it was a pity to part with the suit, but an unsuccessful attempt to open a simple lock, especially by a professional, can lead to unpleasant conclusions. Moreover, there was a hope that after checking the suit would be returned to its place.

When Linda returned, Olivia had already stopped being angry and started chatting again, as always. The rest of the day passed quietly, and the next morning, as soon as breakfast was over, Goblin took her with him, and they studied English for an hour and a half in an empty classroom at that time. At the end of the lesson, he gave Linda a list with a hundred words written on it.

"I suggest you learn irregular verbs in all their forms at once" The teacher explained: "So there are more than a hundred words in the list. I have selected the most commonly used ones. I qualify your degree of knowledge as average. We've worked on the transcription, and now I'm more or less sure that you'll remember everything correctly. Tomorrow we'll check the words and how you pronounce them. If you answer the dvoka, then your training will end there. You'll come here again tomorrow, as soon as breakfast is over. I don't want there to be gossip that I'm crazy and flirting with a young girl".

After saying goodbye to the Goblin, Linda went straight to the toilet stall, where she pulled a flask out of the tank. Despite the fact that she was suffering from vomiting spasms, she was able to drink half of the contents. After that, the flask returned back to the tank, and Linda, having come to her bedroom, began to mumble words on her bed. Helena's new memory and drink did their job: the entire vocabulary from the Goblin's list was mastered in just an hour and a half.

"I should tell Stanley to double the number of words" She thought the next morning, rechecking the words from the list with Olivia's help: "Then maybe I'll be able to learn the language in a couple of weeks. I've heard that a lot of Americans speak only three thousand words. I can easily remember about the same amount".

"I absolutely cannot believe that you memorized all the words in one evening!" Olivia was surprised: "You're just playing around with your training, but you probably speak the language as well as a Goblin".