• • •
A week later she was standing in Heathrow Airport’s arrivals hall, trying to navigate a luggage cart through swarms of stressed-out travelers. Somebody from the school was supposed to pick her up, but she had no clue how to recognize the person. Maybe they’d have a sign with Emmy’s name on it, like in the movies.
“Excuse me, might you be Emmeline Willick?”
Emmy whirled around. A man with a shaved head and stubbled chin was staring at her. “Uh, yeah, I’m Emmy.”
The man held out his hand. “I’m Jonas Tresham, and I’m here to take you to Wellsworth.”
Emmy bit her lip. She’d pictured someone prim and proper and wearing a fancy suit. This guy was wearing a black hoodie and looked like he hadn’t shaved in a week. “You’re from Wellsworth?”
He pointed to a patch on his hoodie. “That’s what it says on my paycheck, as well as my jacket.”
Emmy squinted at the patch; it said “Wellsworth.” She took his outstretched hand and shook it.
“Would you like to wait out front while I bring the car around?” he asked.
“No, I’ll just walk.” After eight hours of travel, she was desperate to stretch her legs.
It didn’t take long to find the Wellsworth car. It looked like something the royal family would ride in: sleek, black, and huge. Jonas didn’t just drive fast, he drove crazy fast. And he wasn’t the only one. Just getting onto the freeway felt like a NASCAR race, but with everyone on the wrong side of the road.
After what seemed like forever on the freeway, the car veered into an exit lane and started to slow down. Soon they were on a new road—a slower road—and Emmy could finally look out the window without getting dizzy. Thick hedges lined the narrow street and almost brushed the side of the car. They turned onto a driveway and went under a heavy stone archway with the word “Wellsworth” carved into the top. Emmy pressed her nose to the window, but there were so many trees that she couldn’t catch a glimpse of the school. Finally, they reached the end of the driveway.
She clutched her backpack tightly, clambered out of the car, and looked up. Way up. She’d been to a lot of private schools, but none of them looked like this. It had tall spires and massive arched windows, like the cathedrals in New York City. A maze of walls sprung out in every direction, as if people had just added more rooms when they needed space.
A woman with wild black hair walked down the front stairs, leaning on a cane with every step.
“Emmeline Willick?”
“Yes,” Emmy said.
“Welcome to Wellsworth. I’m Madam Boyd. I’ll be your housemistress. That means I’m here to support you, offer guidance, and make sure you don’t flunk out.”
Emmy tried to swallow, but her mouth felt like sandpaper. Was flunking out a likely possibility?
“Let’s get you to the house.”
Jonas heaved her luggage out of the trunk and the three of them walked down a path that snaked around the side of the sprawling building. As soon as they rounded the corner, the wind just about knocked Emmy off her feet. It bit at her cheeks like an icy whip, as if she’d just walked into a frozen wind tunnel.
“I’ve been having a look at your school records,” Madam Boyd said. “You haven’t got any Latin?”
“Uh, no.”
“And no Greek?”
“No.”
Madam Boyd shook her head. “No classical studies, no literature, and who knows what they’ve been teaching you in ‘U.S. History.’ Well, no use flapping about it, we’ll just keep the head and deal with it in the morn’s morn.”
It was like Madam Boyd spoke a different version of English, one with unrecognizable words with extra R’s and no G’s. Maybe she was from Ireland or Scotland.
“You’ll have to start off in a first-year Latin class, and I’ll be putting you in the Latin Society to help you catch up,” Madam Boyd said.
“What’s the Latin Society?”
“A group committed to learning and excelling in Latin studies. They read and discuss Latin literature and offer assistance to students who need extra guidance.”
A Latin reading club. That had to be the most boring thing she’d ever heard of. “Are there any other clubs I could join? Like soccer, maybe?”
“You’ll find information on all our games and societies, including football, in your school handbook.”
Emmy felt a jolt in her chest. So, they did have a soccer team. At least there was one thing to look forward to.
Madam Boyd glanced at her. “Latin Society can be a bit…boisterous. Some of their members have a habit of making poor choices. Nevertheless, they boast some of the highest Latin exam scores in the country, and, given how behind you are, I think it will be a real benefit to you. Just make sure you stay out of trouble.”
Emmy nodded, even though she couldn’t imagine what kind of trouble she would find at a stuffy old Latin club.
They walked across the blowing grounds until they took a sharp turn into a wall of trees. Wherever they were going, it was well concealed. Madam Boyd took another sharp turn and stopped so abruptly Emmy almost ran into her. There, in a clearing, stood two stone towers that looked like they were hooked onto a large round room that sat between them.
“These are the Edmund and Audrey Houses,” Madam Boyd said. “You’ll be on the third floor in Audrey—that’s the girls’ house.” She looked at Jonas. “Would you mind bringing Miss Willick’s things to her room? I have something to discuss with her before she goes in.”
Jonas nodded and brought Emmy’s suitcases inside.
Madam Boyd looked squarely at Emmy. “Miss Willick, I must be frank with you. I have some concerns about you being admitted to Wellsworth.”
Emmy looked down at her hands.
“Not because you aren’t a good student,” Madam Boyd went on, “but because of how much pressure this will put on you. You haven’t grown up in our school system. You missed all of first and second year, and you’ve missed the start of third year. Even though there’ll be some overlap with your American schooling, you are still incredibly behind. I’m not telling you this to discourage you, but to give you a realistic expectation of the work you have ahead. I explained all this to your mother, but she insisted you could handle it. However, if Wellsworth is too much for you, we can make other arrangements. Do you understand?”
Emmy nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear. School had never been too much for her before, but she’d never been to one like this. Maybe Wellsworth wasn’t such a good idea.