Beyond the Veil

ONE : Before the Storm

SONG RECOMMENDATION: Rollercoaster by Bleachers

MONDAY

Ruby Wilson had been afraid of failure for as long as she could remember.

Maybe it was genetic; her father had always been something of a perfectionist, especially when it came to his research. Maybe it'd been destined from the start for her to second-guess her every move, or maybe it was merely a side effect of her anxiety.

When Ruby was ten, she'd spent two hours crying over her ELA project because it wasn't exactly the way she'd pictured it in her head and she was afraid Mrs. Norris was going to give her a bad grade for it; when she was twelve, she had a meltdown over chair placement in orchestra; when she was fourteen, she cried when she got her first B. It was an 85 in Biology. She'd always hated science.

So now, staring at the manila envelope in her trembling hands, her mind raced. She'd been waiting on her letter from Brookewell Academy for Talented Youth for months, and now it was here and her mom was watching her expectantly and she could barely breathe and she was sure she was going to faint.

"Ruby. Open it," her mom prompted, and Ruby squeezed her eyes shut and broke the seal on the packet and unfurled the paper inside. Her eyes flew open, scanning the page, and she caught her breath.

Dear Miss Wilson,

It is with great pleasure we'd like to inform you that you've been accepted to the Brookewell Academy for Talented Youth on a full scholarship...

"Mom," Ruby breathed, "I got in."

Her mother did a little dance on the spot before nearly tackling her in a hug, and Ruby felt her heart soaring.

Ever since she'd read an article on the prestigious boarding school in eighth grade, it had been her dream to attend it. It sounded like something out of a fairy tale or a J.K. Rowling book; a secluded boarding school nestled in the mountains of North Carolina designed for the best and brightest in the nation. Teens
like her with open minds and wild dreams. Ambition. Drive. Confidence. When she turned sixteen, Ruby had immediately begun preparing a series of classical pieces to submit for her application.

Now, she was elated. She read on in the letter, her heart thrumming at a steady tempo in her chest.

We'd be thrilled to welcome you to our campus as soon as possible; classes officially begin on Friday the 17th. Remember to bring an open mind and your passion for learning!

Friday of next week was on short notice, but Ruby understood. Heck, Brookewell could have told her to pack her bags and make the drive this minute, and she would have complied without hesitation.

Ruby sighed contentedly, and felt all of the anxiety leading up to this moment drain out of her system. A weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she could finally breathe again. She'd done it. She'd gotten in.

After hugging her mom one last time, Ruby bounded up the stairs and grabbed her phone. She'd made it into Brookewell, but now came the tricky part-- telling her friends.

--

The way Ruby saw it, it wasn't entirely her fault she'd kept this from her friend group.

Bree, Emily, and Mara had been the only constants in her life (besides her mom) for ten years; they'd all met in first grade. Ruby had gotten into trouble on the second day of school for punching a boy who was picking on Bree, and Emily and Mara had joined her in time-out instead of going to recess. Apparently, she had inspired them, and they, too, had punched the bully (Ruby was a fantastic influence). After a recess of sitting inside, they'd tracked down Bree and offered to eat with her at lunch. Just like that, they became inseparable; they were their own constellation: RubyandMaraandEmilyandBree.