❝She's one of those girls you just can't walk away from. One of those girls you will never forget, no matter how hard you might try.❞
BOOK ONE OF THE SCARLETT CHRONICLES |
After being kidnapped as a young child, seventeen year old Scarlett Grey is...
After another month of studying with her from eight in the morning until dinner, I had achieved an academic level that rivalled most other seventeen year olds.
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My fork hovered half way to my mouth, the bite of salad on it slipped off, falling back onto my plate.
It was a Saturday, meaning both of my parents, who I'd grown accustomed to calling Mum and Dad, were present at the dinner table.
And they'd chosen that opportunity to drop a Texas sized bomb on me.
"School? As in, public school? With other people?" I mentally picked my jaw up off of the table before Mum could make a comment about etiquette.
"Heaven's no!" cried Mum. She looked rather offended by my comment. "We would never send you to a public school, where just anybody could get to you."
"Okay..." I trailed off, waiting for an explanation.
My father cleared his throat. "We've booked you for an entrance exam to a prestigious private school nearby. One to which our family has donated to quite generously throughout the years. You'll write the exam on Monday, and they'll determine what form you'll begin in."
I just stared at him.
"You can't stay cooped up in this house forever, Sweetheart. It's not healthy. We're worried about you. So are our friends. You've hardly met anybody yet," Mum frowned.
I sighed. My parents had been understanding in the beginning, not pressuring me to go out in public or meet anyone I wasn't comfortable with, aside from tutors, who were paid handsomely to make sure I was comfortable.
Mum had tried to get me to go to tea with her once this past month. I'd made it as far as the country club before erupting in a full scale panic attack.
She hadn't tried since then, only briefly mentioning the odd function she'd thought would be "fun" for me.
"You'll be the only student writing the exam, seeing as you're the only new student they've accepted this year," Dad clarified.
I let out a tiny sigh of relief.
He smiled and continued. "And it's a small school, very elite. I believe there's only 200 or so students enrolled. And we've been assured nobody will be bothering you. You can go to school and be an ordinary girl, just like you asked."
That was exactly what I'd told him I'd wanted before they brought me home. A normal life.
What I hadn't been anticipating was an irrational fear of strangers. Or the extraordinarily inconvenient social anxiety. But you know, whatever.
They were trying to keep me happy, and give me what I'd wanted. I couldn't blame them for that. So, I sat up straight, plastered a smile on my face and continued pushing salad around my plate. "So, tell me about this school..."
