You decide to sit alone
"Hi. Mind if I sit next to you?"
You glance up, startled, and see a girl about your age with green eyes
and reddish hair almost exactly like yours, except that hers is longer
and more red than brown, unlike yours, and she doesn't wear glasses.
She, too, has a book, so hoping you're about to meet a fellow
bookworm, you say,
"No, I don't mind. By the way, my name's Maria. What's
yours?"
"Bridget--Bridget O'Dell. Guess you can tell my ancestors came
from Ireland, huh?" she jokes.
"Yeah--mine came from Scotland--my last name's McConnell. Say,
what are you reading?"
"The Staircase, by Ann Rinaldi. You ever heard of her?"
"Are you kidding?" you laugh. "She's my favorite
author!"
"Wow...so, where are you headed? Boarding school, I bet."
"Right!" you say. "Ellen Brown's School for
Girls."
"Oh, me, too, but...I've heard things about that school. The
teachers are supposed to be really mean, and the classes are supposed
to be really hard, and..."
Just then, the train screeches to a stop, and a conductor calls out,
"Next stop...Ellen Brown School for Girls!"
You and Bridget look at each other. You don't know how you look, but
she looks distressed. You squeeze her hand.
"What if we go in together?" you propose.
"OK." Bridget nods. "On three." You step out of
the train and mount the steps of the imposing stone school.
"One...two...three!"
When you enter, you see...
You're actually a little shy, and since you don't know any of these
kids, you think maybe you should sit alone, so you find an empty seat,
take it, and open the book you've been reading lately. You're just
getting into the story when you hear,
