• Madeline looked outside of the big truck her father had insisted on renting. Her Daddy insisted that buying a monster truck would upset her Mother; he had that shiny behemoth in his garage. They were going through a divorce, a rough one that was full of fighting, jealousy, doubt and hatred.worse of all Madeline found herself in the middle of it. Daddy and Mommy did not want her in the house anymore. It was not that they did not love her, they said. It was just that Daddy was being remarried and would soon start a new family, how could he start a new life if Madeline was always there, reminding him of his old marriage? Mommy decided that she was sick of staying at home to care for Madeline. “It is for your own good and mine, dear” said Mommy. “I was never able to travel like I wanted to, I was bogged down my marriage and having a child. I need to find myself and besides, this is how you can be independent!” Madeline did not say anything, her head was down, and her eyes could not meet the gaze of her parents.
    “You shouldn’t have said it like that, Pearl!”
    “Well, you tell me how I can tell our daughter something like this, Harold! You are so controlling!”
    Before Madeline knew it, she found herself a witness to the vile that her parents spew at each other, instead this time some of the venom hit her and sent her away.
    Madeline looked back at the white house that she was born in. Sure, this place was full of anger and sadness, but then again this is where she learned to ride a bike, where she had holidays and birthdays, now someone else would sleep in Madeline’s room overlooking the rose arbor. Now, Madeline would only be a part of the house’s past.
    Madeline and her father did not talk the entire drive, nor did they talk during the plane trip the day before. Her father was looking foreword to marrying a younger woman and starting a family, he felt awkward with his teenaged daughter, while Madeline just wanted to get away. Start somewhere fresh and knew and not be reminded of the pain she felt with her parents.
    The truck drove onto a long winding highway, surrounded by lush greenery and a pond was nearby. Finally, over the horizon a grand, great stoned building was formal and spoke of Gothic architecture. There were frightening gargoyles perched and a tall bell tower. There were rows of cars with families piling out, girls were laughing and hugging one another while boys barely acknowledged each other. Madeline looked uneasy at her father; she did not want to talk to him, as she was hurt but a part of her wanted to hug her Daddy as she did when she was a little girl. “Welcome to Mt. Van Hosen Academy, dear.” They parked and said in an absent tone, “Your stuff is already there, all you have to take into your room is your overnight bag. Here is your information.” He gave her a folder full of paper.”I would talk to your teachers, but I am sure you are smart enough to do that.” There Madeline’s father gave her a brief hug and drove away, leaving his little girl alone.
    Madeline fought her way through the crowds and finally, she was near her dorm house, which was a big place that looked like it should not belong on a campus. Madeline looked at the red brick home covered in ivy. All of the sudden, there was a push and the girl fell to the floor, holding her head. Nearby, there was a football. Madeline stood up angrily and yelled out, “Hey! What is the big deal?”
    Suddenly a chubby girl with beautiful brown hair and eyes came running out of the door, yelling “Tommy Gillis! I am going to pound you for that!” She looked at the rather slender red haired girl with thick glasses, holding her head in pain.”Gee, I am sorry you were hit in the head. That Tommy Gillis thinks he is the top gun for being on the football team, it looks like he needs help if he is beaming freshmen. Hi, I am Nancy Manson. Do you belong in the Halcyon dorm?” Madeline gave a stunned nod before Nancy helped her with the overnight bag. “Welcome to Hell, ha-ha, just joking, but seriously you are going to need to wizen up if you are going to stay here. “
    Madeline entered a Georgian styled home that was full of girls maligning, joking, and sometimes fighting. Nancy helped Madeline go up the stars to her designated room. “Jeez, you must be rich to afford your own room. You got the best one!” Nancy opened a big mahogany door to reveal a big dormer room that had a single bed and bathroom. “I’ll help you unpack. I am the class President and it is important that you know everyone. Be careful for the Iris girls though, they can be snakes.” Nancy pulled in her mouth to show that she must have been a victim of these girls. She bounced out of the room and said in a cheery voice “Oh. Welcome to the Academy!”
    Who was the person who hit her? What will happen next week? Find out!