The Alpha Drive

Chapter 1

Emery watched as her mother scurried back inside the house. Through the window, she could see her rummaging through the drawers of the coffee table. A minute later, she returned, holding a small tin box with a yellow bow plopped on top.

"What's this?" Emery asked as she turned the box over in her hands. She didn't mean to sound ungrateful, but her family wasn't exactly the gift-giving type.

"Open it," her mother urged. She glanced over her daughter's shoulder, almost as if she were expecting someone.

Emery narrowed her eyes. "Are you alright?"

A wave of calm washed over her mother's face as she shifted her gaze from the street. "Yes, dear. I'm fine. Go on and open it."

Emery shook her head, trying not to read too much into her mother's behavior. She had her quirks, that was for sure, but Emery hadn't seen her this frazzled in a long time. She slid the bow off the box and lifted the lid to reveal a silver ring, an outline in the shape of a fish staring back at her.

"I've held onto that for quite some time, but I want you to have it now. It represents new beginnings." Sandra's lips curled upwards, but the smile didn't reach her eyes. "I want you to take good care of it."

Emery stared at her mother, trying to hide her confusion. "I will," she said as she slipped the ring over her right index finger, admiring the tiny diamonds embedded throughout. "It's beautiful."

A familiar look crossed her mother's face, one Emery hadn't seen since they'd received news of her father's permanent assignment. It was a look of uncertainty, confusion even, but there was something else laced in her expression.

Fear, maybe?

Sandra cocked her head to the side and stepped in for another hug. The embrace was longer this time, but Emery didn't mind. She wanted to soak up the moment for all it was worth.

"Go on now. I don't want you to be late for check-in."

Emery squeezed her mom's arm one last time before walking to the car. She lowered herself into the driver's seat and positioned herself in front of the steering wheel. Even though she'd had her driver's license for a month already, the freedom she felt when putting her hands on the wheel never got old. Emery reversed out of the driveway, then shifted the car into drive. Her eyes locked on the rearview mirror as her mother waved goodbye, the comfort and security of her home slowly disappearing behind her.

Alexis chatted away as she messed with the playlist, jumping from one song to the next, but Emery's focus was elsewhere as her mother's expression drifted across her mind. The furrow along her brow. The doubt lining her eyes. Why had she looked so frightened? The question plagued her as she drove along the freeway, the music humming softly in the background.

Alexis turned in her seat with a whimsical expression on her face. "You look nervous," she teased as she playfully poked Emery's arm.

"You caught me," Emery admitted with a smile, even though her nerves felt like ticking time bombs. As a transfer student, she had absolutely no idea what to expect. After hearing so many conflicting things about boarding school, it was hard to choose what to believe.

During her two years at public school, Emery had joined the track team and chemistry club-the latter due to her mother's influence-but finding a group she fit in with had been almost impossible. Seeing as her mother was a single parent, it was no surprise that Sandra had taken a "mother hen" approach when it came to raising both of her daughters. And so, both Emery and Alexis's lives revolved around academics.

Social outings were limited to gatherings after track meets and homecoming dances. From what Emery had heard, boarding school was a sort of punishment-a place where the bad eggs went, yet she wasn't one of them. She was as good as they came, and yet, she was still being sent there. All because of her legacy status at Darden.