Soul-Mates

"Seraphina, come downstairs this instant!" her mother yells from the first floor of their extravagant home.

"Coming," Sera responds, putting her books away. It's never a good sign when her mother calls her by her proper name. She gathers her papers, stacking them neatly on her desk, and slips her pen into her desk drawer. She quickly looks around her spotless room, making sure nothing is out of place...her bed is neatly made, the closet door is shut tight, and there are no clothes littering the floor. Satisfied her room will pass inspection, she glances in the mirror at her reflection. Her round emerald eyes, offset by her wavy dark brown hair, make her look enchanting and exotic. Her full lips and small, perfectly shaped nose lend elegance to her statuesque appearance, but all she sees is gangly awkwardness. At six feet she is very conscious of her height, and at 120 pounds, her weight. Her mother is always quick to point out her flaws, "you're too skinny," "for God's sake, stand up straight," "nobody wants a girl that towers over them." She blows a strand of hair off her face before turning to exit her bedroom. 'Well, nobody has ever wanted me, so I guess it doesn't matter,' she thinks morosely.

She starts down the hallway, heading toward the stairs when she hears her mother yell again. "You know I do not like to repeat myself Seraphina. Get down here now!"

"I'm here," Sera says, racing down the stairs. She miscalculates the last step and ends up sliding on the waxed hardwood floor, careening into the wall. Her knee cracks into the table by the front door, brining tears to her eyes.

"God dammit Seraphina, what is the matter with you? Can you, for once, stop being so clumsy?"

Sera knows if she sheds a tear from the pain radiating through her leg, her mother will subject her to more unjust punishment. No dinner perhaps? Maybe she'll have to walk to school tomorrow? Scrub the house from top to bottom again? She breathes in long and slow through her nose, crossing her hands in front of her and lowering her gaze to the floor. "I am sorry, Mother, it will not happen again," Sera says tightly, trying to keep the pain out of her voice.

Satisfied her daughter is paying attention, Elizabeth turns to her with fire in her eyes, "What is this?" she hisses, holding a large envelope and waving it in her face. "Do you think for a moment we would give you one cent for a college education? You are not worth the money we spend to feed and clothe you, let alone the $60,000 a year it would cost for you to get a bachelors degree," her mother sneers at her. Elizabeth takes the envelope between her hands and rips it into shreds, throwing the pieces into the air. "Clean that up, you're not smart enough to get into college anyway."

Sera nods her head in misery and bends to pick up the shredded pieces of a future she will never have, placing them in her pockets. She brings them back to her room, closes the door softly and pads over to her desk. She empties her pockets and gently smooths out the pieces of the letter that was mailed in the envelope. She finds the letterhead, turns it over, and begins to painstakingly put the letter back together, taping the pieces when she's sure she's got the right ones aligned. In a little over an hour she holds her breath as she turns the letter over and begins reading it.

"Dear Ms. Rowan,

"It is with great pleasure that we offer you admission to the incoming class at Stanford University!

Your thoughtful application and remarkable accomplishments convinced us you have the intellectual energy, imagination and talent to flourish at Stanford. Please find the enclosed information on your scholarship..."

Sera beings to cry softly, feeling trapped, lost and alone. She wonders how she's ever going to escape this house, her parents, and her torment. She lays her head on her crossed arms and begins to sob in earnest.
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