Addie was nudged awake by Harrison at the ungodly hour of six am, ready to leave by seven thirty. Addie was confused why they needed a whole hour and a half to get dressed and eat breakfast, but she dutifully got out of bed anyways.
She stumbled into her bathroom, eyes squinted shut and washed her pale face and teeth before dragging a brush through her hair. She decided on a simple style of hall up-half down, just to keep it off her face. It was also the only thing she could be bothered to do in her current exhausted state. She had little energy anyway, never mind now on a Monday morning on her first day of school.
Trudging back into her bedroom she pulled her shirt, pinafore and jumper on. The window in her room gave sight to the November weather, which was blustery and cold with a thin layer of frost on the ground.
A familiar grumble in her stomach alerted Addie of breakfast, her favourite meal of the day. With her bag in one hand and her blazer in the other, Addie set off to find her troublesome brother's.
None of them were in the large spotless kitchen when she entered it, in fact no-one was in there and she was aware how quiet the kitchen felt compared to the usual bustle of the house when her brothers were cleary around.
Her questions were answered when Elijah clapped a large hand onto her shoulder, startling Addie out of his thoughts. He was dressed in his school uniform like Addie, except the white colour of his blue striped shirt was undone and his sleeves were lazily rolled at the sleeves to his elbows.
"What ya doing?" he queried as if she didn't look completely lost.
"Where is everyone for breakfast" She asked peering up at the towering figure.
"We eat in the back kitchen on school day's. Come little girl." Addie grabbed her pillbox that said 'Monday' from the drawer nearest to her before she followed her brother in confusion as he walked towards the wall.
Her eyes widened as he opened a door she wouldn't even know existed if he hadn't led her directly to it. Elijah just laughed at how adorable his little sister looked with a shocked expression.
Inside there was a huge kitchen, with large stainless steal tops that looked like they were from a restaurant. Addie noticed less than a quarter of the kitchen was being used although it looked like it could cook food for two hundred people plus. There were probably twelve chefs around the room, chopping and preparing things.
"Why'd you have such a big kitchen?"
"We don't normally use all of it. Only enough for forty people daily"
"Who do you have to feed?"
"Guards, cleaners, us."
"Why do you need 200 then?" Either Elijah was bored of her questions or he didn't want to answer them, as he ignored her and instead led her over to a table big enough for eight people in the alcove under the stairs. It had a homely feel with a worn wooden table and scuffed chair's from years of use. The older twin's were already at the table along with James. They were eating a mixture of things from cereal to a full English Breakfast. Who eats a full English Breakfast on a Monday morning?
The boy's were all in their uniform's in various states of undress. James had his shirt tucked in but his tie loosely done, Riley didn't have a tie and his shirt was all over the place whereas Thomas had no shirt or tie insight.
Immediately a large plateful of food was put in front of her from a young chef, he offered her a smile before returning to the oven. She delved into the cereal, pastries and yoghurt before her, never having had such a wonderful breakfast. Addie would have been perfectly happy to pour her own cereal and put yoghurt in a bowl, she was still weirded out by the people waiting on her at all hours of the day. It was like living in a hotel.
It was almost six forty-five when Harry appeared and took Addie's dreading form upstair's to check Jackson was ready, he informed Addie that he would accompany them to school today so that he could speak to the headteacher and get her schedule. Addie was grateful for that, she didn't have to speak to him alone or god forbid with Thomas in tow.
**********
Addie and James were stood outside the front door of the house, waiting for their brother's to hurry up. Riley had lost his football kit whilst Elijah couldn't find his keys. Thomas was just in a generally foul mood.
"Is that your bodyguard?" Addie asked James. A man was standing nearby, stood next to Jackson and Addie was curious.
"His name's Alex, he's pretty cool. I told Harlan I don't need one but he says I have to have one till I turn at least sixteen. Tom and Riley are only just allowed out without them." The older twin's had turned sixteen just a day before Addie landed in America with Harlan. "Thomas managed to lose his at least ten times, and he kept trying to get them in trouble" Addie still didn't feel comfortable with the fact that someone was following her, but she let it be. Too intimidated to protest.
"Move it runt" Thomas says as he pushes his brother out the way of the door.
"Ey, I'm not the runt, she is" James exclaimed, pointing an accusatory finger at Addie, who only glared in response.
"Nope, she's the baby and you're the runt." Tom said before ruffling his brother's hair "Suck it up and deal with it" Harry, Elijah and Riley followed Thomas out the door before each climbing into their car's.
The drive was a pleasant one, they would normally take three car's to school, which Addie thought was a waste of gas. Elijah would take his fancy sport's car and the older twin's would take another car. Harry said the younger twins could go in either car. The bodyguard's travelled behind them in a black van. Harry and Addie were in the car with Elijah whilst James chose to go with the twins.
Once the convoy pulled up at the school Addie jumped out. Once again she marvelled at the building, these things would never get old. It was an eighteenth century school building with white pillars and a large trim green grass front.
Addie followed her brother's into the school. Only a few student's were milling around outside the school, it was almost half an hour before school was supposed to start.
Adeline followed her older brother into the office with Jackson hot on her tail. Elijah, the twins and James were all waiting outside, despite a few complaints from a certain someone.
Addie's mind wandered as she stared out the window, she couldn't be bothered to listen to how Jackson would follow her or the seating arrangement's in class, or her lack of availability for gym class. She only started to listen when they moved onto more normal things, like her timetable and locker.
They had taken so long in the office that it was almost time for the school bell to ring. Harrison planted a kiss on Addie's forehead before reminding all the boys to watch her, to which Addie rolled her eyes.
She watched as Harry left the building before turning to her unofficial tour guide, her twin.
"So where are we going?"
"You're in 7B, I'm in 7A, but Isaac's in 7B. Gracie and David are in 7C." James informed her as he scanned her timetable. "So you have all the core subjects like Maths, Science, English, World History, Art etc. in your form group and your 4 electives with a mixture. We have American History, Classics and Economics together, but we have different Spanish classes."
"Hmm" Addie wasn't really listening and was trying more to memorise the route they were taking so she didn't get lost. She had a large feeling that she was going to fail school. She had never taken American History, World History, Classics OR Economics. The only history she had taken was British History which would be absolutely no help to her.
"Homeroom's in the Kingston block" That drew her attention.
"Kingston?"
"Yer, Harlan paid for it to stop Tommy getting expelled after beating up three eighth graders." he said nonchalantly. Addie was horrified that her elder brother could do that.
"Thomas" Was all he said, correcting his name, not even acknowledging what he did. A glare was shot at James with a sharp clip upside the head.
"Ow"
"A tenth grader beat up eighth graders?" Addie jumped when a hand was clapped down on her shoulder and a face appeared next to her's. Thomas' had a menacing smirk on his face, trying to scare his sister.
"I was in the sixth grade."
"You beat up three fourteen year-olds when you were eleven?" Addie asked incredulously.
"Yep. Great achievement" he said with a proud look on his face, her insides shuddered at the pride he had for violence.
***************
As they neared homeroom more and more student's were entering the school as it was getting closer and closer to the bell ringing. James informed Addie that his class was next door but led her to her's anyway. Addie was concerned that everyone would stare at her because of Jackson but James assured her that around twenty people at school had bodyguard's with them and everyone, except Addie, was used to men in dark clothes trailing twelve year olds. Another way you could tell it was a school for posh rich kids.
Immediately James introduced Addie to Isaac, who quickly welcomed her with an overwhelmingly stifling hug. Isaac was James' best friend, son to Maximus and Sarah Archibald. He was the sole heir to a huge economic empire. All the girl's had crushes on him with his charming looks and engaging personality. According to James he was very smart but still know's when to have fun.
Isaac and James started a conversation as Addie absentmindedly listened to, far more engrossed in looking at all the people milling about.
When the bell did finally ring loud through the now crowded hallway, James dashed off leaving Addie left alone to the full attention of Isaac.
"I suppose you don't remember me? James talks about you all the time though. He was really happy that you're home" he said with a smile, when they entered the classroom, her homeroom teacher Mrs. Woodrow introduced Adeline to the class. There was a round of gasps and shocked faces from around the room when her last names was announced, it seemed everyone knew about the kidnapped Kingston.
"Is it true you were kidnapped?" a short boy said from the front of the classroom. Isaac looked at him with an exasperated look.
"Seriously Simon, I said don't ask her that" he just grabbed her sleeve and dragged her to the back of the classroom where there were two empty seats. Jackson followed her, Addie wasn't sure if he was going to sit down or stand stiffly for half an hour.
Addie felt the day dragging on and was relieved when after fourth person English, Isaac dragged her toward's the lunch hall. The lunch hall was in the centre of the school with a huge buffet style area and a coffee shop right next to it.
Lot's of wooden tables were scattered around, each with a group of student's hunched over them laughing, talking and chatting.
Addie could easily pick her brother's out of the sea of navy and light blue, their table seemed to be making the most noise as she peered through the crowd. There was probably ten people crammed tightly around the table; six boys and four girls.
"Ise" James called through the bubble, alerting the pair to a nearby table, Addie snapped out of looking at her brother's when she felt Isaac drag her off again. James was sat around a rectangle table with two other people. Addie knew it was Gracie and David from the picture's she had seen.
"Hey Addie! This is Gracie" Addie was met with a face of long hair as Gracie wrapped her arms around her as if they were the best of friends.
"Hey" she breathed, her eye's sparkled and she looked the epitome of health, Addie could only imagine how awful she looked next to these people. After she met David, they all went to the lunch que, that was slowly inching forwards.
Gracie was tall and slim, but muscular. Everything Addie wasn't. Slightly blue tinged lips and pale skin compared to red lip's and pink shining cheeks.
The group took a seat in the left of the lunch hall amongst the other sixth and seventh grader's.
"What's your favourite lesson?"
"Maths probably" Gracie turned her nose up in disgust before interrogating Addie on numerous other questions.
Gracelyn Rutherford. Her grandmother was the widely famous designer Liliana Rutherford, she was already following in her grandmother's footsteps, modelling in her children's line's and well as helloing her design a few pieces. She was tall and tanned with thick chestnut hair and honey eyes. Whilst not as academic, she excelled in the arts. Addie could see herself becoming firm friends with Gracie.
She boarded at the school as her mother was often in another country and she preferred it to staying at home with a nanny. Addie also found out that she had a thing for a boy in their grade called Scott Preston, Isaac and James thought he was an insufferable git.
Next was David. David was the class clown, he loved to make people laugh and was entirely successful at it. He also had a thing for Scott Preston, mostly because of his looks than his actual personality (which was apparently as dry as overcooked chicken according to James) and he and Gracie loved talking about hot boys and ab's. He also boarded at the school on weekdays, whilst going home for the weekends.
*************
Addie arrived home exhausted from the long day at school, it seemed to have dragged on for ages. Everything had gone well and she was glad she could finally meet Isaac, David and Gracie. The three of them were happy to see her at school, the latter forging an instant friendship.
As soon as she entered the kitchen a large glass of chocolate milk and a muffin was practically shoved towards her, and she instantly delved into it's soft goodness. She only looked up when Harlan prowled into the kitchen and lent against the counter with as much friendliness as he could muster. Addie wasn't sure if she should speak to him or pretend he wasn't there.
"How was your day?" he asked casually pulling a mug from the shelf to make a coffee.
"Good, thanks." She didn't elaborate, Addie doubted Harlan wanted to hear about her maths teacher, the lunch que and the girls bathrooms.
"I have made a doctors appointment with a top cardiologist, he treated you when you were very small." Harlan had made an appointment with the cardiologist (heart doctor) who had treated Adeline when she was a baby, he was still treating James. It normally took weeks to get an appointment but with as much money as Harlan had it was safe to say things get done a bit quicker.
Addie was glad, she could finally get a repeat on her prescription for medication's before it ran out.
After the awkward encounter with Harlan in the kitchen Adeline climbed the stairs and flopped down on her bed. She pulled her homework out of her backpack and started on the maths worksheet.
Time flew by and she went downstairs for dinner, before she knew it she was climbing back into bed and falling into a deep sleep