• Chapter 1
    I stopped in front of the tiny, ugly green house. On the lawn I can already hear the screaming. They must have broken a window because the house was completely soundproof yesterday. That’s another $150 from my bank account… I walked up the sidewalk into my battleground of a house that I live in.
    “You never can be sober can you? Always have to drink the money out don’t you? I swear one day I‘ll take this frying pan…”
    Oh mom. How much I love coming home to hear your complaints.
    “You damn woman! Will you just shut up and bring me the remote? Now where did I put that bottle…?”
    And dad. My loving drunkard father who will be on your side as long as you give him beer and leave him alone… I’ve been on his good side for a long time.
    “Hey guys, I’m home.” I shouted out. “If you want me I’ll be at work or in my room. Either way you know just to call Joey’s cell.”
    Joey is my best friend ever. She is always with me and since I can’t afford a cellular device on my salary I use hers. It’s really nothing to her since she is the richest girl in town. How did we get together? A summer camp. My parents wanted me out of the house and got the cheapest thing they could find and she wanted to experience how the “poor helpless people” lived. We got stuck sharing a bunk and just kind of attached.
    “What’s that smell?” She grimaced.
    After the summer camp she really got used to how the lower class lives and really she doesn’t complain half as much as you would think. But everybody has their limits.
    “It’s probably dad. Well come on. I have a lot of work to do before we go to work.” I tell her as we jump over the crap that laid in the hallway. Then we stumble ourselves into my little closet of a room.
    “Hey Bella,” Joey looks at me sheepishly, “I need to tell you something and I think this is the best time to do it…” her voice trails off.
    “Sure. Fire ahead,” I bravely said. I know whenever she uses this voice the news isn’t something good.
    “Well,… I don’t know how to put this-“
    “OMG! Are you pregnant? OMG! It’s going to be okay. Umm… first we need to know who the father is then we have to decide on whether or not to keep it-”
    “Okay! Hold it right there. I’m no prego. I’m changing schools. My new one is a private academy… in England.” She stops when she sees that I don’t believe her.
    “Ha. Okay, sure. And what? You’re gona marry a prince. Sweety I know you are smart and rich but a private school? In England? If you are going to joke with me come up with some better material,” I stop when I see her face, her eyes slowly getting glassy. That’s not right, she never cries. “You are serious,” I say reluctantly because somehow I knew it was true. “You can’t! You can’t leave me. Why? Are you going to those rich brats?” I scream out to her, starting to hyperventilate.
    “I’m so sorry but I have to. You know I can’t bear leaving you with this mess. And then with you having no other friends-“
    “What! I have plenty of friends. I can take care of ‘this mess’ I don’t need you or anyone else. Get out. Just leave me. Its better now than later so just go.”
    She looked like I had punched her. Well good. Leaving me to be with her other rich friends! Who does she think she is? She deserved to feel bad. I turned by back towards her and soon hear the door close behind her. Then I broke down. I never cried harder. My crying would put all the 16 year olds to shame. I ran to my bed to cry and didn’t come out for food or work.

    Chapter 2
    I woke up and got dressed like I’ve been doing everyday for the last two months. Walking to work in the chill of the winter air, or as winter it can get in Texas, I get annoyed by all the bright Christmas lights. I haven’t been very joyful since she left me. But a couple weeks ago a letter in the mail came from her. I have no clue what it said but you can ask the trashcan if it knew how to tape paper together. As I was walking I heard a rustling behind me. I looked over my shoulder but saw nothing so I just kept going. Then I hear it again and speed up. I hate walking to work so early morning, its way too dark and last week I didn’t have much fun getting shot at. I turn the corner into an alley and I stop dead in my tracks.
    Oh no! My whole body went cold as I looked at the figures huddled together and shake to see them with the blue bandanas of the Kewls on their heads. The Kewls is the worst gang in Dallas and five of them are in front of me. The rustling was getting closer behind me so I ran to hide behind a trashcan and tried to keep my pounding heart from giving me away. Then more people turned the same corner but instead of blue they had green bandanas. Great its just my luck to run into the Kewls and the Haz, their arch gang. Oh goodness. They see each other. I couldn’t get a good look and I didn’t want to. A Kewls guy walked over to a Haz and they start fighting. Out of nowhere they just started throwing punches. OMFG! A blue guy shouted out and all I can hear are shot from guns all ricocheting around me. It sounded as it is was pouring iron all around me. All of a sudden it got quite and I risked a look from behind the can. There was blood everywhere! There green guys were on the ground and two blues were dead. I tries to slowly slip away but I slipped on a pile of bullets and fell with a loud bang. Without thinking I got up and ran as fast as I could down the road. I heard a lot of banging and yelling but I kept on running. I ran till I saw a major highway. Oh good I10. I ran out to the middle of the road and waved my arms like a maniac.
    “Its better I get run over now then caught by them later.” I muttered to the air. Luckily enough somebody I knew drove on the empty road and slammed on their brakes.
    “Bella! What the hell are you doin’ out in the middle of the road in the middle of the night?” Oh great, Sam.
    “Hey Sam. I need to get to my house ASAP. I’ll explain later, lets just get going please.” I ran past him into the car and we were on our way to my house.
    I walked inside my home and all the lights were off so that meant they were either asleep or out of town. Good. I ran to my room and got out a duffel bag. I stuffed as much of my clothes and hair and make up stuff that I haven’t used in a while into the bag. I put that by the door and grab my huge purse Joey gave me for my birthday and I filled it with my scanty supply of jewelry and stuffed it with my wallet and Ids. I also shook out all my change from out of a can, my debit card, and all the money I had plus what was in the couch. I grabbed all my stuff and locked the door behind me. Glancing over my shoulder to the empty rode I headed out to the car where I told Sam to stay. I got in and slammed the door behind me while telling him to go to the airport.
    “Why? What’s going on? You said you would explain. Plus I’m wanting a little sugar, baby.”
    “Sam I don’t have time for this. Just get me to the airport. All you need to know is I ran into a gang fight and I am leaving. I can’t tell you where I’m going but I would really appreciate it if you start going,” I rant. He just looks dumbly at me for a minute then puts the car into reverse. I grab his cell phone and take out the number I wrote down before I left the house. I take a deep breathe and dial it in. I get impatient when the phone keeps ringing but then I feel a sigh of relief as I hear the voice on the other end.
    “Hello?”
    “Hey Joey…”

    Chapter 3
    I walk out onto the platform and stretch, yawning widely. My back was hurting so bad from sitting on that long plane ride, at least the train was comfortable. I look around stretching on the tops of my toes in search of my friend.
    “Bella? Oh, Bella!” I heard somebody call out from behind me. I turned to see Joey running to me pushing past annoyed walkers.
    “Ouch,” I said as she ran full force into me. “Hey Joey girl. I’ve missed you so much.”
    For a while we just stood there looking at each other with our arms wrapped around us. It was so good to see her that it felt unreal.
    “So are you going to explain to me why you are here now? Not that I’m not totally excited, I’m just worried.” Hmmm. Her voice was taking on a slight accent. I like it, it’s… sexy.
    “I’ll explain it in due time Miss Ta ta. Can we get something to eat and a bed for me to lie down in cause I am extremely tired.” I asked her pointedly.
    “Sure thing.” I looked at her and saw that she had changed a bit. Her short black hair was lighter and there was a flow to it instead of the old spikiness. I could tell she wanted to grow it out. Her bright green eyes were the same though. It was too little time to have anything but happen like she was still 5’4” and her cup size looked the same old B. She was still the same Joey I hung out with all these years.
    “Hey. A quick question, are you trying to grow your hair out? And have you grown at all anywhere?” I asked innocently.
    “Yes I am trying to grow my hair out and that was more than a quick question,” She said stiffly. I took that as pertaining to the growing question, “No I haven’t grown anywhere, but it has only been two months.”
    I knew her so well….
    “So what have you been up to in this short amount of time?” I asked while we started walking. I looked down at her to see that she was staring at me intently.
    “Nothing much. Studying mostly, though there was a couple parties. Nothing big cause I’m new here.” Wow that accent is getting stronger, me likey.
    When we got to the road I stopped but she kept on going.
    “Hey!” I call out as I jog to catch up with her. “What? Are we walking?”
    She just laughed. “Yes. Ever heard of it? There aren’t many cars around here. What? You didn’t know that? I thought you knew everything!” She laughed at me and we walked in thoughtful silence for a while.
    “You know what? I’m not that hungry. Can we just go to your dorm or whatever you live in- mansion?” I asked after a second.
    “Sure. And I don’t live in a mansion, it’s a mixed dorm. I got to choose if I wanted all girls or not. Of course I picked not, but there are tighter rules. They barely allowed me to let you stay for a while.” She sighed a huge breath for some reason.
    “What’s wrong? And how much farther my legs are hurting!”
    “Just about a block. You can see the tops of the dorms now. And nothing is wrong, just… when are you leaving? I mean how long do I have with you? I have missed you so much and I don’t want you to leave. It has been torture without you. And then you come out of the blue and you look so pale and so sickly! It has worried me a lot,” By the time she was finished we were coming to some big, black iron gates. She walked over to the intercom and buzzed the button.
    “Yes?” came a thickly accented woman voice.
    “It’s Joanna with a guest Isabella.” Joey talked into it. Joanna?
    “Was that her real name?” and then I felt stupid for not knowing that. She always said Joey so I just accepted it. I like Joanna though. It’s very nice. Very proper, but nice.
    “Joanna?” I whispered into her ear as the gates opened. She blushed a little. Whoa! I didn’t know she could do that.
    “Yeah, I kind of go by that now. Just to let you know. They thought Joey was a little boyish.”
    “Isn’t that why you used it? Can they honestly tell you what your name is?”
    “Yeah they can. Ummm, never mind.”
    “Uh. You know I hate it when you do that. What are you thinking?” I went on when she looked scared. “You really think what ever you say is going to upset me? You know me better than that. Come on, ‘hit me with your best shot’.” I taunted using our old quote to bullies.
    “I was thinking that maybe after you have been here a while that you might want to stay? I think you would like the people and place.” She asked hesitantly.
    “That sounds great. But I don’t have the money or the GPA to come here.”
    “Well I could take care of the money part, and we could help each other out. You are so good at history and I at math. The only thing is that if you could stay you would have to… act more proper. If you know what mean.” I looked at her a little disbelieving but I didn’t want to rain on her parade. She seemed so happy.
    “That sounds okay. But one step at a time. Okay?”
    She looked a little disappointed but other than that she was content. Just then we came to the front doors and she opened them up wide. She then looked at me with a smile on her face as she read the astonishment in my eyes when I saw the entryway.
    “Wow.” Was all I could say.
    “This is nothing,” she said with a smirk. She walked ahead of me and when came into what I called a huge freaking thing but what she said later the ‘drawing room’.
    “Hello everyone! I am back from the station and I brought a friend back with me. Everyone this is Isabella Marie Angel.” Then she turns to me. “Isabella,” she looks at me pointedly and pleadingly. “These are some of the residents who live here along with me. This is Marcus LeBerge, he comes from France,” she says pointing to a really hot guy with dimples. She frowns a bit when she sees my admiration. He started to get up for some reason and I immediately thought that I did something wrong but then he walks towards me a holds out a hand. I looked to Joey for guidance and her renewed smile of encouragement was good enough for me. I took his hand and he shook it warmly with a smile. Oh of course! A greeting, duh. Now I knew why she was smiling. “And this is Serena Rodriguez from Spain,” she came up and shook my hand also but stiffer and colder. I briefly thought of the difference then thought about how smooth Marcus’s hand was until Joey interrupted my thought process. “Lastly this is Kevin Chan from Japan.” He came to me and I held out me hand but instead of taking it he bowed. I looked up confused but they just smiled, even Serena.
    “Hey everybody!” I said trying to be friendly. Joey looked embarrassed and I knew I did something wrong. Serena just looked cold again and I knew I was going to have some problems with this chica. But Marcus, he just smiled widely. Everyone went back to what they were doing and Joey started walking upstairs. I began to follow after her but I was stopped by a soft, sweet, heavily French accented voice calling me to him.
    “Miss Isabella? I would like to introduce myself without the company of others. If that is suitable to you?”
    “Yeah. Uh, I mean that sounds fine to me.” He just laughed at my sorry attempt to be ‘proper’. He walked over to the other end of the room and sat on a couch and motioned for me to sit on the chair across from him.
    “My name is Marcus Harris LeBerge, but you can call me Mark when we aren’t around others who want us to be proper. I come from a long line of aristocrats and my main goal in life is to marry a beautiful American woman and become a musician. What about you? What is your history?”
    Wow!!!! I am so in love. I was so excited I didn’t even think about what I was saying.
    “My name is Bella. I just want to live a life where there isn’t yelling and things breaking all the time, then I’d have to pay for it out of my already scarce funds.” I had enough sense to quit there, but he just slimed at me warmly.
    “Isabella? Where have you gone?” I heard Joanna coming down the stairs. I got up and met her at the bottom of the stairs with Mark following behind.
    “Sup? So can I see you’re bed because I’m pooped?” She looked like she was going to have a heart attack. I looked at Mark but him face was unreadable. “So can we please just go?”
    With that she went up the vast, spiral stairs and down the elegant hall to the third door on the right. She stopped there and turned to me coldly.
    “The left is for the men and the right for the women. This is our dorm and only ours. We do not have another roommate and there will be no one else in here. Also you will not go in any others. Now for the room.” She turned the knob and stepped in. It was immaculate. I walked into it and stared at the high ceilings and walked over the rich, dark, floral carpet. I looked at what seemed a family room with its deep red, velvet couches but instead of a TV there was a gigantic bookcase dominating the wall space. It was filled with every book imaginable! I pulled my eyes away from the enormous volumes to see two doors across from me that drew me in. “I’m going to the kitchen to get you some tea. Please don’t come out of here. We need to talk when I get back, okay?” Then she left me to my self. I took to the first door that looked like the entrance to the bedroom. I opened the door and stepped into the vast room. On one side of the room there were sitting chairs and on the other there were lots of dressers and a door to a walk-in closet. But in the middle of the spectacular room, there was a huge, white bed. It looked so soft and squishy. I could not wait to sleep on that. I walked over to the closet and swung the door wide open. Taking a quick peak I walked in and closed the door behind me. It was so huge! It was about the size of my room back in Texas. What amazed me the most was that she had enough things that it was almost full. I would never accomplish the task of going through everything. It was different clothing that I was used to seeing being worn but that’s probably because it was a poor neighborhood and these had French tags. I actually liked this kind of stuff! I went and opened a draw to see it full of lingerie. I slowly started to take off my raggedy clothes and I put on a fresh pair of underwear. I was a little frightened at how revealing some of them were so I put on an innocent, ivory satin, matching pair. I went over to the back of the closet and pulled down a silky lavender dress. It didn’t look as expensive as the rest so I thought it would be safe to try on. I slipped into it and pulled up the straps. I turned to the full length mirror and saw myself for the first time in a long time. My brown hair was short, puffy, and tangled. My dark skin was ashy and my cheeks were very red. The dress went down to my ankles though there was a slit halfway up the thigh. There wasn’t much to the back except for some criss-crossing straps. Overall I was pleased that it fit so well. I looked around for the shoes and found yet another door! I walked through it and came upon a wall covered with more shoes then a store has. I found some nice, matching lavender, high heels with lots of straps. Then I walked to the next wall were there was expensive jewelry and settled with a small gold necklace with a heart pendent and a gold pair of dangling heart earrings. I tried to ignore all the rest of the nice sparkly jewelry and moved on to the next wall. This wall had brushes, hair stuff from tiaras to rubber bands, and a huge palette of makeup with a mirror that was truly amazing in the middle. I combed a brush through my unstable hair and put it up with a bow since it was about the only thing I could do with it. I walked over to the make up. I never really wore any, once I went to a mall with Joey and she had a lady do my face. There was a lot of plucking and brushing. I tried to repeat what was done to me and when I thought I looked a bit okay, I got up to walk out and explore that other room I’d all but forgotten. I was frightened for a second because I thought I would have to be stuck in there all night if someone didn’t help me but then out of the corner of my eye I saw a small movement. I whirled to see a well dressed man behind a rack of clothes.
    “Where did you come from? What are you doing here? Who are you?” I rushed in a flurry of words at him.
    “I used the door, I’m here to welcome you and to make sure you don’t get lost in here, and my name is Terry Jackson.” He answered without accent. But there was something different about his voice it was almost angel like.
    “Why are you hiding behind those clothes? Come out. Let me see you.” When he came out I gasped in honest surprise. I thought Mark was hot but Terry is the most godlike creature I’ve ever met. His skin was dark and every feature perfect. I could tell that he knew the exact reason for my gasp because he smiled broadly. His curly golden hair was a mess but in a way that looks to be the style. “Do you go to this school?” I asked him dumbly.
    “No. I am more of what some would call a butler.”
    “You don’t look like a damn butler. What are you doing in here? Does Joanna know you come in here? I thought nobody was supposed to be in this dorm but her and me.”
    “Joey doesn’t know I’m here. I doubt anybody here does. I would appreciate it if you didn’t tell anybody of this. The way out is straight behind you, left, and then out. Good luck and welcome to England.” I blinked and he was gone. I was sure that I was seeing something caused by my loss of food and sleep. I walked out the way the mirage told me and soon found myself looking into Joey’s angry face.