Where Roads Converge

i.

Welton Academy was the crown jewel of the state of Vermont. It was easily the most revered school in the country, with its century-old stone walls and upstanding record commanding esteem. It prided itself on its plethora of influential alumni as well as its honor code that brought up each generation of young boys into mature, well-prepared young men. Well... at least well-prepared for Ivy League universities and white-collar occupations.

Its name was constantly plastered in the papers and in the news as another Welton graduate found their way into groundbreaking medical research or in a seat in Congress or winning a major civil case that won their client millions. And it was all thanks to the exceptional, rigorous education they received.

But what very few knew about was the equally upstanding Henley Hall. Henley was like the annoying little sister of Welton Academy, seen but still blanketed in the older's enormous shadow. Just about four hundred girls, ages five through eighteen, were enrolled at Henley Hall(fifty-five of which made up the current senior class).

Allison Swift and Diana Mitchell sat with their relatives as close to the front of the chapel as possible, though not by their own accord. They would have rather been hidden at the back of the room where few of the adolescent boys could catch sight of them. The gawking and winks caused them to roll their eyes. The testosterone levels were like an unlit bomb before the girls entered, but their presence had not only been the striking of the match but the complete explosion.

"One hundred years ago,"Headmaster Nolan began his yearly speech in his typical calculating, prideful tone, "In 1859, 41 boys sat in this room and were asked the same question that greets you at the start of each new semester. Gentleman, what are the four pillars?"

The girls jerked in surprise, caught off guard by the dozens of boys that suddenly stood around them with expressionless faces and rigid postures, "Tradition, Honor, Discipline, Excellence." It seemed that the other girls that were spread across the pews were also taken aback.

Diana glanced up at her brother, who was standing amongst the boys, like he personally insulted her. His eyes were hardened, his posture rigid but straight. This behavior was so unlike her twin as he was never so cold looking, not even when he was upset.

"In her first year, Welton Academy graduated five students. Last year, we graduated 51. And more than 75 percent of those went onto the Ivy League. This, this kind of accomplishment is the result of fervent dedication to the principles taught here,"Nolan had his chest puffed out in pride. Allison and Diana stared at each other with a clear shared distaste for the man. He was making Henley Hall out to be so much more inferior to Welton than it was. "This is why you parents have been sending us your sons. This is why we are the best preparatory school in the United States."

"As you know,"Nolan continued to drone on, "Our beloved Mr. Portius of the English department retired last term. You will have the opportunity later to meet his replacement, Mr. John Keating, himself a graduate of this school and who, for the past several years, has been teaching at the highly regarded Chester School in London."