Lenore almost had everything she wanted.
In just a few short months, she'd graduate early from high school, start an internship at her father's new startup in San Francisco, and then head off to college in the fall on a full scholarship. Everything...
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The curtains were pulled back, and sunlight flooded the dark room. In her bed, Lenore groaned and pulled the purple comforter over her head.
"Lenore," Amelia said, crossing the room. She yanked open another curtain, letting in even more light. "You have to get up."
"Why?" Lenore groaned from beneath the covers.
Her mother marched over to her bedside and pulled off the comforter, exposing her daughter's hunched form. Lenore rolled over and shielded her eyes with a hiss.
"Did you just hiss at me like some kind of vampire?" her mother said with a sigh. "Okay, you've been in your room for too long. You're definitely going today."
"Going where?" Lenore groaned, propping herself up. The dark shadows under her eyes really could have her mistaken for one of the undead.
"School," her mom said, sounding exasperated. She dropped the balled-up comforter at the foot of the bed. "Obviously."
School? That sent a jolt through Lenore, and she shot up. "No!"
It had been over a week since Lenore had arrived in Eden, and she had so far avoided school. She had been making excuses, claiming that she needed more time to adjust to the new situation before she dove into classes.
In reality, she was still hoping that her dad would find a last-minute solution and save her from that hell. But that hadn't happened. And Lenore was finally starting to realize that it might not.
That didn't mean she was ready to give up, however.
"I-I n-need—" Lenore sputtered, clearing her rough throat. "I need a bit more time to settle in."
"You've had a week."
"I need more."
"Lenore," Amelia said, frowning and crossing her arms. "I can't keep making excuses for you with the school administration. If you don't start today, you risk failing."
Lenore rolled her eyes and shrugged. Failing no longer sounded like the worst thing in the world. Nothing could be worse than actually going to that school.
Her mother's frown deepened. "What is this?" she said, motioning to the sad little lump of a girl sitting on the bed. "What are you doing? Your dad said your school was academically advanced. You even skipped a grade! And what, now you're just going to give up?"
Lenore just shrugged again.
Her mother's pale skin began to redden like it did when she got really angry. "Oh, I see. So, you're going to tank your future, to, what—get back at me?" her mother snapped. "That's so stupid. Ruining your future will not hurt me, Lenore. It will only hurt you."
Lenore turned away as if she could pretend her mother wasn't there, as if not seeing the problem could make it go away.
"You know, if you fail, they're not going to ship you off to your dad," her mother continued, her voice sharper. "They're gonna make you stay here and take the year again. Is that what you want? Another year? Here?"
