Hans drove up from the village. Marcia sat quietly, as she watched Naomi look at the school. Naomi's eyes widened, as they approached the castle gates. Hans stopped the limousine in front of the school. Gustaf, the headmaster, walked down the stairs and greeted Naomi. He escorted her into the castle. "Hans, will you take Naomi's bags to her room? Marcia, will you join Naomi and me in my office, please?" The Headmaster con...

Chapter Two - Nick “So where did you go to school before you came here?” Oasis asks me politely as we head towards our maths class. “I was home-schooled,” I say as we reach the room. As I open the door for her to the classroom, she pauses in front of me and looks at the earnest look on my face before going into the room and taking her seat. I quickly head over to the teacher's desk and hand her the slip I have to get sign...

Cricket and Gustaf were unaware if the transfer passed through the courts. It was Christmas week and not much moved. The school buzzed about the concert in the village with a big Christmas tree. Every Christmas Eve, the village celebrated with a concert and mass. The buses left the school filled with jovial students. The headmaster drove the Land Rover with Marcia as company. As they turned the corner down the main villag...

It was the day after Thanksgiving. Marcia wore her new dress the day before in her classes. For her and the school Thanksgiving was just another day, nothing special. She got several comments on her appearance. As she sat at lunch, a somber Hans approached her. "Excuse me, Cricket. The headmaster requests your appearance in his office, when you finish lunch." Hans said with somber sadness. "I will be there shortly, Hans,...

Amber and Bruce both had a restless nights sleep due to the recent events. Each agreed and swore that if questioned they would respond with the answers they had rehearsed. If asked if he was the father he would say yes, and Amber would respond the same way. If she was questioned about her one time affair in Greece she would admit to it though she hoped it would not be brought up. Both had slow starts come morning and it w...

A week passed, since Chantel asked Marcia to steal the exams. After the time at the dress shop, Marcia felt good and did not want to talk about the trap. However, at breakfast Chantel made it a point to sit close to Marcia. Marcia's spirits sank and a knot developed in her stomach. As Marcia walked out of breakfast slowly, Chantel caught her in the hall. "Have you gotten the exams yet?" Chantel demanded softly. "We are wa...

Chapter One I sit on my front steps waiting for my sister, Maggie, to pick me up for school. She has to pick me up because she stayed at a friend's house finishing off a school project. I am so cold that my hands start to feel numb. I dig around in my backpack until I find my black school gloves and quickly pull them on. I'm just pulling out my copy of the giver to read before my afternoon English class, when Maggie shows...

Marcia looked back at the school, sensing someone watched her leave. The man watching remembered their meeting in the woods near her house. He took care of the mother wolf after someone shot her with a pellet gun. When they met, he felt an instant link. He knew they would meet again, but the time was still not right. He watched her from afar and waited. As Marcia approached the forest, she felt more at ease. It reminded h...

As the sun rose, its light poured brightly on Cricket's bed into her happy face. She slept happily dreaming of the dress in the milliner's shop. She wanted to return and buy it or at least try it on. Her hazel eyes shone brightly as she got out of bed to face another day. She twirled on the floor imagining she wore the dress. As she twirled and spun, she hummed the song "I Feel Pretty" from "West Side Story." She bathed q...

When Cricket returned from dinner, she stood looking in the mirror. What she saw did not impress her. She was about 5'5" tall; slim with an almost boyish figure. Her long straight blond hair hung limply, just touching her shoulders. Her smooth pale complexion was almost ghostly. Her eyes were a soft hazel green color, but plain with no radiance gleaming from them, until excitement grabbed her. Her smile was pretty, but se...

Marcia left her sad friends behind. She walked slowly down unfamiliar halls. She looked at all the doors she passed. None of them had names on them. Only gold painted numbers emblazoned each door. After walking what seemed a mile, the door she wanted stood out. She stood in front of the door feeling very small. Fear caused her heart to beat rapidly. Her palms sweated and sweat beaded on her forehead. She wiped her hands o...

Cricket unpacked her clothes and put them away. She stood at the window and watched the village below. Smoke curled up out of all the chimneys. It reminded her of pictures she saw on Christmas cards her family had. She relaxed and smiled. A voice in her head said, "This is not so bad. You will have fun here and learn a lot." As she looked around her room, the castle outside evoked dreamy feelings. The castle made her feel...

Cricket sat staring out the window watching the clouds move past. Her mind was flooded, as a plethora of emotions bombarded her. Her stomach was in a knot, which made her feel, as if she would be sick. She felt lonely, excited, sad, adventurous, cautious and lost. She watched the clouds because she never thought or dreamed she would watch clouds from above rather than below. She had many sleepless nights when she made her...

Chapter Eight When Draco arrived at the magical academy in Veleron he took one look around him and decided he didn’t like the place. But he kept to himself, as he and many other children all a year or two older than he was, toured around the school. A few of the children talked among themselves but most stayed quite through the whole tour. This was the first school Draco ever attended and seemed nothing special to him. It...

As the girls sat in Marcia's room, they talked about the party. Marcia asked, "I wonder what happened when the glitter bombs went off. Also how long did they wait until they discovered we left?" "I don't know, but I bet you will hear about it from Sarah. She must be humiliated by now. I hope she was in the room when the glitter fell. That will be a nice mess to clean up." Naomi said. The girls watched a movie and went to...