I had been accepted into a prestigious science school and it was my first day. There were some familiar faces, including some of the kids I taught in alternative school and others from the school where I teach. I was older than a lot of the students, but I didn't feel as older in the dream as I really am. We were all on different science tracks and had different classes. The hundred or so students in my program met in a central location before and after classes. It had a vaulted ceiling and was sort of a dining/study/resting hall. The more experienced students mostly ignored the new students. It was unsettling, but I got it.
My first uncomfortable experience came during a dissection class. I had been having some back pain, so I used my own body as the cadaver. I was both able to be the cadaver and be standing over myself looking in. I cut myself open and peered in. There were no organs, just a hollowed out carcass with a skeleton and a thick layer of meat on the outside. I felt so helpless that I couldn't locate the source of the back pain, even with all the organs out. I was also really concerned that I might not be able to put my body back together enough to continue living.
I was in a large room and the professor was teaching a huge group of students. Many left, and those left were scattered, so we tried to gather together closer to her. She was going to have us do some kind of hand clapping game in a circle, but it never came together. We had been excited about it and were disappointed.
I went back to the central location with the high ceiling to wait until school was dismissed for the day. I smelled a horrible stench and noticed a Japanese girl, probably a senior, smoking at one of the tables while reading. I looked around and nobody seemed to think it was strange. I realized then that we were in Lexington, and I was pretty sure that Lexington had a no smoking policy. I told her she needed to get rid of a that cigarette, and she told me that it was allowed. I was horrified. I found the dean of student affairs, who is one of the district administrators at my school, and asked her about it. She confirmed that smoking is allowed in the halls and the central location, but not in the classroom. I told her I was allergic to smoke, and that was a problem for me, and she didn't really have a response. I didn't know if I would be able to stay at this school.
I was walking through the building on my way home and I realized that the carpet in the halls combined with my leather soled shoes made it very easy to slide. Once I put my mind to it, I was able to slide everywhere, continuously. I thought the hallway must be slightly sloped, but I was able to slide many hundreds of yards, around corners, steering, without stopping. I realized people were knowing me as the sliding girl. I didn't know if I liked that or not, but it wasn't too bad.
I was going to my car and driving to my lodging. Another younger student was with me, I was offering him a place to stay with my mom and me. Another student showed up and punched him really hard in the face twice. I yelled at the other student and told him, "You are absolutely forbidden to conduct any violence within the boundaries of my vehicle!"
We drove across a couple sets of train tracks and came to a campsite. I was sort of like a small camper, and didn't have a lot of amenities. The student thought it would be too cold in the winter. I thought he was probably right, but I also thought Marie would get a hotel room for any really cold nights. I realized that we were actually exceptionally close to the train tracks. I stood out back to watch the train. It wasn't as loud as I thought it would be. The train drove in a giant loop, all behind the campsite (not around). There was a giant island of earth that moved also, maybe the size of a football field, with rocks and trees. There was also an old train wreck that moved with the island - several cars wrapped around and smashed into trees that they couldn't clean up on the island. I thought it was cool to see. I walked over to the train crossing and hopped onto a car while it was stopped. Suddenly the train started up again, but I was able to jump off before my station platform got out of range.
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