The London Paradigm (book 4 of Adopted by the Josephs)

16. Samantha

"Samantha?" Uncle Mark said, coming into the TV room where I was watching a movie with Benji and Emma and Beth. "I just spoke with your dad and they have some band business in California to attend to that's just come up. They were wondering if you'd mind staying here an extra week."

"Mom's going with Dad?" I asked. That was odd. Mom usually stayed home if Dad had to go to California.

"She wants to bring Rosie to see your friends who live there," Uncle Mark said.

"Oh. Bummer. I'd have loved to go with," I said.

"They have to leave tomorrow, evidently. So you wouldn't be home. It's only a few extra days."

"Okay," I said, frowning. Dad hadn't mentioned anything about it when we spoke yesterday.

"Fantastic. Unfortunately, that means you'll have to accompany us on some rather boring excursions to get your cousins outfitted for school."

I shrugged.

"That's fine," I said. 

We went back to watching our movie.

After the movie, I was tired, so I went upstairs to bed. Emma and Beth were having a sleepover and Benji poked his head in my room.

"Wanna have a sleepover, too?" He asked.

I lifted the covers on my bed and he ran over and jumped in.

We talked for a little while before we both dozed off.

In the morning, Mark woke us all up and we went down for breakfast.  We were having eggs and toast and beans. It was really good.

After breakfast, Beth took her overnight bag and went home while we piled in the car to get Benji and Emma their new school uniforms.

In the store, Aunt Carol was showing me all the different uniforms for the schools in the area. It was amazing that they had stores here just for school uniforms.

"If you were going to school here," Aunt Carol said. "This would be your uniform."

She showed me a uniform of a grey skirt, white shirt with a maroon tie and a maroon blazer with grey piping on the sleeves and collar and lapels. There was also a maroon sweater with grey piping on the cuffs and collar.

"You should try it on. Just for fun," Aunt Carol smiled.

"Nah. It's not like I'm going to school here," I said.

"Indulge me," Aunt Carol said. "I just want to see if you'll look as cute as I think you would."

I rolled my eyes but agreed to try on the uniform.

"You look adorable!" She said when I came out of the change room. Aunt Carol took a bunch of photos and then let me go get changed back into my jeans and t-shirt.

"Does she need alterations?" I heard the shopkeeper say. "Saint Sebastian's is quite strict on their uniform policy."

"Oh, no," I heard Aunt Carol say. "No need yet."

Weird.

I came out of the change room and saw Emma in her Saint Sebastian's uniform and Benji in a pair of grey pants and. Blue and red sweater with a blue and red crest. He was going to a school called Thomas Battersea's. I wasn't sure why they were going to different schools.

"This year," Emma said. "We get sleep-ins!"

"What's that?" I asked. "Later starts?"

"No. We get to spend Thursday nights in the dormitories. It's so when we're older we can go to the boarding program if we want. And I do. Saint Sebastian's is a really good school and a lot of the girls go on to Oxford!"

"Oh," I said. I had no clue about any of that.

"It really is a good school," Aunt Carol said. "Very academically challenging. Someone like you would blow them all away."

I shrugged. Who wants to go to boarding school.

"My high school is a really good one, too," I said. "I'm in an accelerated program anyway."

Once Emma and Benji had been outfitted and their uniforms sent to the tailor's, we went and had some lunch and then went to get some of their school supplies.  They had stores that sold school notebooks and bags and everything.  It was crazy.

The rest of the week was a little more laid back. We didn't go running around as much for school stuff. Although Uncle Mark and Aunt Carol talked about Saint Sebastian's an awful lot.

They were probably really proud of Emma for going there. She was a smart kid.

Throughout the week, I just relaxed, wandered the neighborhood with Emma and Beth, sometimes with Benji in tow.

We spent a lot of time at the playground and at the library.

I'd also met a few girls my own age. They also went to Saint Sebastian's but we're not boarding students.

"Does everyone here go to that school?"

"Most girls around here do," Taylor said. "If not, they might go to Thomas Battersea or they might board at Avondale."

Does everyone in England go to private school?" I asked.

"Of course not!" Taylor said. "It's just that in England, public schools have uniforms, too. State schools don't. And then there are private schools like Saint Sebastian's, Avondale, Eton and the like."

"Huh," I said.

"Will your school have a uniform?" Brittany asked.

"Oh, god. No." I said, laughing.

"Only if she goes to Saint Sebastian's," Taylor said.

"That's not happening," I laughed.

A while later, I went back to Aunt Carol and Uncle Mark's for tea.

Even though my vacation was extended by a week, I was now ready to go home. I missed Mom and Dad. And Rosie.