The phone call came on a Tuesday, right after I’d given up hope. Stella Mason, top student from a struggling orphanage in Ladale, had just accepted that her SAT score wouldn’t get her into Zuart University. Then a stranger arrived with papers proving I was the long-lost heiress to a wealthy family in Uzlekstan. I packed my bags and said goodbye to my friends.
They warned me, “In novels, rich parents always side with the adopted daughter no matter what. You better be careful. ” I laughed it off, telling them I only cared about the educational resources. “Once the exams are over, I’m coming back.
”
The Dobson mansion was overwhelming. But the second I walked in, I felt the cold stares. Vera, the girl who’d been raised in my place, started crying the moment she saw me. “Mom, Dad, please just let me go.
I don’t belong in this family. ”
Her parents rushed to comfort her. “Don’t be scared. She’s nothing compared to you.
” I heard my birth mother whisper, “If Stella treats you right, we will put up with her. If she doesn’t, we will kick her out the day she turns 18. ” My brothers stood there with the same icy expression, making it clear I was an outsider. Then the butler handed me a list of rules.
Rule one: never speak loudly around Mr. Cody Dobson. No eye contact. Bow deeply.
Rule two: have spring water ready for Mrs. Ruby Dobson’s soup by 6:00 a. m. Rule three: Miss Vera Dobson’s favorite food must always be prepared.
I almost laughed. “Are these people for real? Who do they think they are? Royalty?
”
I told them straight. “I didn’t come here to serve you. If I’m unwelcome, I will leave. ”
They backpedaled, claiming the butler made a mistake, and offered me anything I wanted.
I asked to attend the same prestigious school as Vera. They agreed, but on her terms. Vera kept crying, offering me her room, offering to leave, making me look like the villain while they all rushed to comfort her. “I’m sorry I took that title from you,” she sobbed.
“No one could ever take your place, Vera,” they assured her, practically ignoring me. The school only made things worse. They placed me in the regular class because Vera claimed my foundation was weak. Students whispered, “Any prestigious families with that surname?
” and “I heard everyone from Ladale is just a boring bookworm. ” Vera’s friends mocked me for studying, calling me a crammer. Her brother Josh sneered, “Just think about what you’ll do if you end up with the lowest score in the class. ”
I kept my head down, memorizing grammar rules, focusing on the mock exam.
“A modifier must clearly refer to the word it’s describing,” I repeated to myself. “If you put it in the wrong place, the sentence becomes confusing. ”
They all thought I was a charity case from a rural orphanage. They didn’t know that back in Ladale, I was ahead of most students.
And when the exam papers were placed on my desk, I checked the questions. They were easier than anything I’d studied. The exam began, and I smiled.
They were all about to discover just how good this bookworm they looked down on really was.
