Chapter 1

****Eight Years Later***

"Alassandra! Alassandra! It came! It came!" my sister Lillian shouted as she ran into the house.

After my parents died, Yadhira took me in and raised me as her own, but I was old enough to know that was not true. On the other hand, Lillian was six years younger than me then. It didn't take much to convince her that I was her sister, and I didn't mind. I needed a friend at the time. Lillian and I did everything together, as close as siblings should be. She was my best friend, and I never felt like she was anything other than my sister. We were inseparable, and to this day, we remain the same.

"What came in?" I asked as Lillian ran into the room, looking like a hot mess.

Her long black hair, tied in a bun, fell out while running from the mailbox upstairs. Her bright green eyes glowed with excitement, and her ordinarily ivory-colored skin was flushed.

"Your acceptance letter," she said as she took off her pink cashmere sweatshirt and tossed it on the bed before handing me the mail.

"Wait, really? Well, give it here!" I said, holding my hand out impatiently.

My father's death inspired me to pursue a law degree. I wanted to follow in his footsteps and be one of the best lawyers. I worked hard to keep my grades up and even did part-time volunteer work as a receptionist at a local law firm.

In the months leading up to graduation, I applied to all the best Ivy League universities. I hadn't heard from any of them since I applied, and now that the letters had come in, I was nervous.

"I hope one of them is from Harvard or Yale," I said as I waited for Lillian to hand me the letters.

"Which would you prefer?" she asked as she opened her backpack and pulled out three envelopes.

"Harvard would be nice," I said, my voice just above a whisper.

In my heart, I wanted to attend Harvard. It was the only way I could be close to my father's memory since he went to Harvard.

"Well, open them, and let's find out," Lillian replied with a smile, handing me the letters.

My hands trembled as I took them from her. I glanced down at the first envelope and then looked at my sister. "It's from Harvard," I said.

"Well, open it!" Lilian replied with excitement evident in her voice.

I nodded and took a deep breath as I ripped the envelope open. My heart dropped as I read the words on the paper.

"Please accept our sincere apologies for the denial of your application to Harvard Law School," I read aloud.

"Oh, Ala, I am sorry. I know you want to go there. But there are still other schools, and you have two more letters to open," Lillian said. I smiled at her.

"I know, and you're right," I said with a small smile. Although deep down I was heartbroken, I knew I had other options. I set the letter aside and opened the second one from Princeton Law School.

"We regret to inform you that your application to Princeton Law School has been rejected," I read. "This is bullshit," I said as I crumbled the letter and threw it across the room.

I was filled with a sense of disappointment and anger. I had worked so hard to get into school and felt completely and utterly let down.

"We still have another letter. This is the one I promise. Come on, third time's the charm," Lillian said as she hugged me tightly.

I shook my head, "I'm sorry, Lil, I can't," I said, pulling out of our embrace and sitting on the bed.

"I can open it for you and read it first. I-If you want?" she said.

"Sure," I replied, grabbing a pillow and hugging it. I watched as she opened the envelope and read the letter.

"What does it say?" I asked worriedly as Lillian read the entire page with blank eyes.

"Lil, what does it say?" I asked again.

"Unfortunately," she said, pausing momentarily, "you have been accepted into Whimsic Law School. Congratulations." She yelled, jumping up and down.

"WHAT?" I exclaimed as I stood to my feet and grabbed the letter. I had to read it for myself. I couldn't believe it. My heart had dropped when Lillian said I had been accepted. I thought I had been denied a third time, but there it was in black and white.

"We are pleased to announce that you have been accepted to Whimsic Law School." I was so excited and relieved. I had been accepted! I couldn't believe it. Tears welled in my eyes as I reread the letter. Even though it wasn't Harvard, I was still following in my father's footsteps.

"Why are you crying?" Lillian asked. Her voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Oh, I-I'm just so happy," I replied.

Keeping the truth from Lillian was bittersweet, just another secret to add to the list of many I kept hidden. The truth wouldn't change anything if I told her, but Yadhira had asked me to keep it between us.

"I'm so happy for you, Ala, but sad because y-you're leaving," Lillian said softly.

"Oh, Lil, I won't be that far away, I don't think," I replied, furrowing my brows in confusion as I looked at the acceptance letter once more.

"What's wrong?" Lillian asked.

"Nothing, it's just," I said.

"What?" Lillian asked.

"Umm, I don't remember applying to Whimsic. I didn't even know it existed, to be honest," I replied, looking at her.

"But it says here that you applied. Are you sure you didn't?" Lillian asked, raising her eyebrows.

I shook my head and said, "No, I'm pretty sure I didn't."

"Well, then, let's look them up and find out where they are, and while we are at it, we can check your application submission. I'm sure there has to be a record of it," she said as she pulled her laptop from her backpack, opened it, and began searching the web.

After a few moments, she pulled up Whimsic's webpage.

She patted the bed beside her for me to sit on, saying, "Here it is." She showed me the screen as I sat next to her.

"It looks like an old manor-type building," I said as we flipped through the gallery photos.

"It's actually really nice looking, in an old kind of way," Lillian said.

"Yeah, it gives a serious yet mysterious vibe," I replied, then added, "Can you check the application submission?"

"Yeah," she said. She spent a few moments scrolling through her computer, then said, "It seems like the application was submitted three months ago."

I shrugged. "Hmm, I suppose I must have forgotten. I did send out a lot of applications," I said as I glanced at the letter in my hand one last time before turning back to Lillian. "Where is the school?" I asked.

According to the website, New Hampshire," she replied, her voice just above a whisper.

"Don't be sad, Lil. I promise I'll come visit you, and you can come visit me," I said, wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

"It's not going to be the same without you," she replied.

"Hey, I will always be with you," I said, pulling her into a tight hug.

After a few moments, Yadhira's voice could be heard calling us.

"Girls, come down to dinner," Yadhira yelled.

"Come on, let's go tell Mom," I said, extending my hand to her as I pulled away from our embrace. She smiled at me, and we walked downstairs hand in hand. When we reached the kitchen, Yadhira was waiting for us with a smile.