Split Personality

A Letter?-Year One

   "Scarlet!" The shriek from the hall is the sign that my sister, Lanie, is home. I smile as I put down my book and slide off the bed. "Be there in just a second!" I make my way down the stairs, careful to skip the last step, as it makes a horrible squeak every time we step on it.
        Wait, let me introduce myself. My name is Scarlet Westbrook, and I'm eleven years old. I live in Texas, but I'm most certainly not a cowgirl, nor is anyone that I know personally. I don't know where all of those stereotypes come from, but we're just normal people... well, most of us are, I have a friend named Sadie that rides horses any chance she gets, and always wears cowboy boots. Huh, I guess some of us are like that, but not the majority.
         Anyways, I'm at the top of my class, but I'm a little harsh, awkward and altogether kinda strange, so people tend to stay away from me. I don't mind, I've got a good group of friends, and I prefer a good book to people any day.
        My sister Lanie is two years younger than me, and we tend to get along, but the thing is she's way more outgoing and bubbly than me, so we have trouble from time to time.
        My parents are supportive of pretty much whatever we do, but they're not around that much. I don't mind. My mom takes trips to different countries for her job, and always brings back cool stuff for us. Well mostly books for me and clothes for Lanie, but that just shows our different personalities. My dad teaches at the local high school, so he's always up there doing something. Most of the time we just stay at home by ourselves, but Dad makes sure to always be home for dinner, and if he can't he sends over our cousin Emerson, who is fourteen and goes to some boarding school in another country. She doesn't talk about it much, but she's lots of fun. My life is great, but I've always sensed that there was something... off about me. Oh well, it doesn't matter.
        I see Lanie jumping up and down in the living room. "What's got you so excited?" I ask as I walk up to her.
        She stops jumping, takes a deep breath and lets it out as she squeals, "You got a letter!"
        "A letter?" I'm confused at this point. Who would send me a letter? No one from school would send me a letter, they could just text me, my relatives only send letters on birthdays and Christmas, and neither are close, so why in the world would I be getting a letter?
        Lily only grinned and handed the envelope to me, saying, "Addressed to Miss Scarlet Westbrook."
        I opened the letter and read:
                                                                                                             HOGWARTS SCHOOL
                                                                                                of  WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY
                                                                                                      Headmaster: Nora Braswell
        Dear Ms.Westbrook,
                We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.
        Yours sincerely,
        MINERVA McGONAGALL
        Minerva McGonagall, 
        Deputy Headmistress
        
        My first thought was, how do they expect us to deliver by owl? My second thought was, school of magic. I'm magic. I'm going to a school for magic people. Then, well, I did what any normal person would do. I screamed.
        Lanie grabbed the paper out of my hands, "Is this for real!?" she shouted.
        I knew that I should probably not believe that it WAS real, but I had a feeling in my gut that it was. 
        Just then Emerson came in the front door, and asked, "Is that screaming I hear? Oh by the way, your dad had something come up, so he sent me over. It looks like I'm going to spend the night." That's when she saw the letter in my hands. She put down the tray she was carrying, and reached for the letter,"Is that what I think it is?" Her face lit up with a smile as she read the letter. "Yes!" she shouted "You're coming to Hogwarts!"
        "Wait," I stopped her, " You've heard of Hogwarts before?"
        "Have I heard of it?" she exclaimed, "I go there!"
        It took a moment to process, but then it all clicked into place. She never talked about her school because it was a magic school! She knew spells and magic and all sorts of other cool stuff, which is why she didn't like to talk about herself. She couldn't without mentioning magic!
        "Oh wow!" she said, a big smile still stretched across her face, "Well, we better take you to Diagon Alley tomorrow, and you can use my owl... wow, this is going to be great!"
        I grinned right along with her, though I didn't understand most of what she was saying. It looks like this whole 'magic school' thing is going to be fun.