Different Worlds [Rewriting]

Chapter I

Chapter One

 

            Have you ever felt so thrilled in your life you just want to drop dead at that exact moment; like, your body is about to explode with all the excitement and happiness, that you just want to beg the Almighty to kill you right on the spot, just to die happy? Yes, that’s what I exactly feel right now. I, AJ Galloway, am in the peak of happiness.

            I hold the letter tightly onto my chest, as I run as fast as I could towards the sister’s office.

            “Sister Anna, Sister Anna!” I repeat again and again, shrieking in excitement, passing all the people in the hall. As I reach her office, I see her friendly face, smiling, looking at me.

            “AJ,” she says softly. “What is it my dear?”

            “I got the letter!” I screech, sitting down across her as I hand her the letter.

            Sister Anna’s face glows as she reads the fine print on the back of the envelope. “Imperial Academy,” she whispers admiringly. She looks at me and gulps, “what does it say?”

            “I don’t know. I want you to be here with me when I open it, Sister.”

            She hands it to me quickly and beams. “Open it, quick! I know you got it, AJ! You’re the smartest child I have ever known.”

            I grin as I slowly open it with the envelope cutter. I look at Sister Anna as I take out the parchment, which is quite old school but it makes it elegant-looking, from the envelope.

            “Read it, dear,” she says.

            My fingertips trace the folded paper, and as I open it, I admire the ink written on it. I start reading it, “Dear Ms. Galloway,” I pause and turn to look at the Sister.

            She smiles at me in assurance, “Go on.”

            I clear my throat and read again, “Dear Ms. Galloway, congratulations! I am very pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Imperial Academy and we are delighted to have you in our campus community.” I can feel my heart beating louder and louder as I continue to read the letter to Sister Anna. I can just feel my blood being drained. I can just die right now.

            “Ah!” Sister Anna screams as she stands up from her seat and let me up, dancing. I dance with her in happiness as tears stream down my face.

            “I am so proud of you dear!” She expresses.

            “Thank you, Sister,” I reply hugging her tightly. “Thank you for supporting me as well.”

            “Oh, nonsense dear; I do hope that the rest of your brothers and sisters are going to be adopted soon.” She sighs. “I don’t want them to have no home.” I frown. I fairly know the situation at hand. We’re losing our shelter, our home for all our lives because of a selfish daughter. I don’t really have any brothers or sisters; they’re my family even if we aren’t blood related. See, the shelter we live in was donated to Sister Anna for the orphanage she always wanted - to save children, and Mr. Johnson, the donator, was compassionate about it. But the only problem is, when Mr. Johnson died, his daughter has been fighting to get it from us. And we have no hope since Mr. Johnson and Sister Anna never had any paperwork to make it legal. Well, I am not very sure. I still am confused about it. I’m only fifteen!

            “If I can find some way to work near the school, Sister, then maybe I can send the money. It can help, right?” I ask gullibly.

            Sister Anna just smiles at me and say, “Go on now, you have to pack up. It did say in the letter that you have a flight to catch tomorrow morning.”

            I want to talk about it, but somehow I find myself obeying to Sister Anna, and walking sadly to my room I shared with my best friend, Kalpana Khan, the most beautiful human being I have ever seen in my life. There is just something about Indian girls that makes you want to be them.

            “Kalpana, guess what?” I tell her, disturbing her from a book she is reading.

            “Yes, AJ?” She asks.

            “I got in,” I smile cheekily.

            Kalpana drops her book and launches herself at me. “Oh my! Congratulations AJ! I knew you could do it!”

            “I’m leaving tomorrow,” I announce gravely.

            She lets go off me and sighs. “Oh,” she looks down on her feet and then smiles softly. “It’s okay, AJ. There’s the internet. And we still have 24 hours or less to spend together. It’s still seven in the morning after all.”

            I grin at her and hug her tightly. “I’m going to miss you.”

            “As I will too, A. As I will.”

            I have never thought it through. Like how I would miss them so badly that I would be homesick for quite a long time. I never thought about how I would contact them again. Internet, sure. But, I want to talk to them and I have no mobile phone, nor do I have money. We don’t have money at all. But yet I’m still going to Imperial Academy. Well, this is for my own good. And once I finish in IA with top honors, every prestigious college will give me the attention, and would possibly give me a full scholarship, and after I finish a program, then what? Work, that’s all - work until I can take my family with me and we can live in one big house.

            I sigh deeply as I hold my bags tightly waiting for the boarding of my flight. I think I just drained myself from crying all day yesterday and earlier as I realized what I was going to do. But I can do this. I’ll try to fit in as much as I can even though I will possibly be the only commoner in there. Positive vibes, AJ! Positive vibes! We can do this!