Wilting Violet (Part 1)

Chapter One Heirs

Dedicated to MajenBeos02, Babyalex34, bethansarah, 
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August 17, 2015, 8:30 am, Violet's POV, Leonard Age 17

    "Let this be a good year!" The administration staff choruses, and I smile as the audience cheers and the JV football team whoops. I turn the corner and head toward Upper Class Dorm A, 'Every summer when I come, we stay centered in Upper Class Dorm B to be all together, but the ones that attend the school year have always said that there is something more luxurious in Dorm A.' I heave my duffel onto my shoulder and try to roll my suitcase in a straight line despite the fact I'm pretty sure one wheel is out of alignment. Thank you, TSA. A bunch of girls race past me to the Dining hall, and I sigh.

    'It is my fault. I wanted to spend the weekend with Aunt Sophie instead of moving in on time. I grumble as I get halfway there, and Duffel begins hurting my arm. 'Father said I didn't need this much stuff, but I wanted to be prepared. There are Upper Class Parties and Elite Dinners. The dress code is high-end for both, but in vastly different ways... one almost night and day.'

    "Do you need some help?" A girl in front of me asks, and I try to swat my falling hair scarf out of my eye to take her in.

    "Yes, please," I say, and she laughs as she takes my bag and swings it onto her right shoulder.

    "I'm Francesca, Italian side." She says, and I smile. 'It is a well-kept secret that the school has Mafia ties, but there are tells that others know. Mine would be the Wolf insignia patch on my luggage. It is the Elite stamp for the school. To my knowledge, there are five schools just like this one. But this is the only one in North America. There are two in Europe, one in Australia, and one in Asia, so not quite Global... not yet, at least. But they all share one trait, they are No man's land where Mafia tension is not allowed. Making this the perfect place for my Father to stash me when tensions heated at home.'

    "Upper Class or Elite?" I ask, and Francesca smiles.

    "Both, in a way, it's complicated." She says, and I nod. There are five Tiers at these schools. Elite, which means Mafia Made men and women or Mafia children. Associate, which means Mafia affiliated or they have Mafia connections. The distinction is rarely used because the power of an Associate can be more than that of the average Mafia child, like me.'

    'Then there is the Upper Class which are just Trust fund babies with parents that can afford the sixty thousand tuition with pocket change. They have power in the school but never as much as any Elite student. Next are the Academics. They come here for schooling or sports because though the tuition nearly breaks the bank, the award of the college of their choosing is well worth it. Then at the very bottom of the Socialite pyramid are Scholarship kids. their tuition is usually covered by an Upper Crest family looking for a tax right off and the pat on the back to look good.'

    'To the Scholarship Kids, this school is a way to change their future. Graduating from this institution will get them admission into top institutions, but almost a payout from the school—a secondary 'Scholarship' payout in the form of the tuition for each year they attended. So from freshman year to senior, they could potentially make two hundred and forty thousand dollars. It is worth it to the school because the Scholarship kids keep the school's academic prestige alive... plus they must graduate... despite the Elite and Upper Class torment.

    "This is Dorm A," Francesca says after we make it the rest of the way over. I look up at the building and laugh, making Francesca smile and laugh too.