Not Just Another Cover Story
Chapter 1
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been known as the calm one in my family. My teachers were forever saying that I took the time to think things through, and every year I got that silly award for the highest grade. My brother was always mad about that; he figured since we were twins, we should share the award. HA. No way.
Anyway, despite supposedly being calm, when my mom told me that I wasn’t going back to Kingston High in January, but I was transferring to some private school called the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, and during the spring semester they were doing an exchange with the Blackthorne Institute for Boys, my reaction was a very loud and very high—pitched scream. It would have been okay with me, except for one little problem.
That’s where my brother goes to school.
So after my parents managed to calm me down, they explained that I really didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t stay in the public school system any longer; it just wasn’t safe. With both my parents as spies, and Zach attending a spy school, I was considered a weak link, and that had to change. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but it made sense. Zach was learning way more than I was, but every time he came home from boarding school, I had him help me catch up a little. Because of this, my parents and the Gallagher Academy Headmistress felt that I would be able to get caught up by senior year.
They also let me know that I wouldn’t be going to the Gallagher Academy first; I’d go directly to Blackthorne with my brother. I’d be the only girl there for a week, and then the rest of the girls would show up. This in mind, I made sure to pack a separate bag with books, paper, and other things to keep me busy. At the last minute (well, about ten minutes before we left), I found a bunch of plain t-shirts of all colors that I had gotten over the break. With them was all kinds craft material, such as fabric paint, bright colored bandanas, fancy material, fabric glue, spray glitter, and other little things. I threw everything in the duffle bag that my friends had decorated for me as a going away present, and added it to my pile of luggage. I already had four hand-decorated t-shirts, but I couldn’t really wear them. For starters, Gallagher girls wore uniforms, (although I would end up changing out of them, as my mom pointed out). Also, the t-shirts were made for my old school. One had a “K” on it, one had an “S”, one had a “2”, and one had and exclamation point. (At pep rallies and games, I had been part of either “Kingston”, “sophomores”, our graduating year, or the end of “Kingston High Sophomores!”
Needless to say, I’d need to make new shirts.
***
I guess I was so consumed with the thought of new t-shirts, or I really am as scatterbrained as Zach says, but either way, I had to run back into the house three times to get stuff I’d forgotten. Each time, Zach would laugh, and point out that he hadn’t forgotten anything. How hard could it be, he kept asking, to pack up everything in your room except stuff like your bed, dresser, those huge collages on your wall, and a couple of outfits that you don’t really like? Each time, I pointed out that I had never done this before, so I didn’t know what I’d need. (The things I had forgotten were my sunglasses, an umbrella, and my watch. Zach made sure to point out that I wouldn’t need a watch, since I had a cell phone, but Mom countered that I probably wouldn’t use it much, since both schools were so well protected that the signal was blocked. I pretended to hyperventilate at this, and my parents and Zach cracked up.)
Finally we left. I nearly had a heart attack when I thought I had forgotten my camera, but it was in the bag with the t-shirts. As I settled into the backseat with my iPod in my ears and my cell phone in my lap, I thought about my now old school, friends, neighbors, bedroom, and about my now new school, friends, room, teachers, and how weird it would feel to go to the same school as my brother again. Right before I dozed off, I wondered if Zach’s “girl friend” went to the Gallagher Academy. He had mentioned a girl when he came home for Christmas, but I wasn’t even sure of her name. I’d have to ask him about that…
Anyway, despite supposedly being calm, when my mom told me that I wasn’t going back to Kingston High in January, but I was transferring to some private school called the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, and during the spring semester they were doing an exchange with the Blackthorne Institute for Boys, my reaction was a very loud and very high—pitched scream. It would have been okay with me, except for one little problem.
That’s where my brother goes to school.
So after my parents managed to calm me down, they explained that I really didn’t have a choice. I couldn’t stay in the public school system any longer; it just wasn’t safe. With both my parents as spies, and Zach attending a spy school, I was considered a weak link, and that had to change. I hadn’t thought about it that way, but it made sense. Zach was learning way more than I was, but every time he came home from boarding school, I had him help me catch up a little. Because of this, my parents and the Gallagher Academy Headmistress felt that I would be able to get caught up by senior year.
They also let me know that I wouldn’t be going to the Gallagher Academy first; I’d go directly to Blackthorne with my brother. I’d be the only girl there for a week, and then the rest of the girls would show up. This in mind, I made sure to pack a separate bag with books, paper, and other things to keep me busy. At the last minute (well, about ten minutes before we left), I found a bunch of plain t-shirts of all colors that I had gotten over the break. With them was all kinds craft material, such as fabric paint, bright colored bandanas, fancy material, fabric glue, spray glitter, and other little things. I threw everything in the duffle bag that my friends had decorated for me as a going away present, and added it to my pile of luggage. I already had four hand-decorated t-shirts, but I couldn’t really wear them. For starters, Gallagher girls wore uniforms, (although I would end up changing out of them, as my mom pointed out). Also, the t-shirts were made for my old school. One had a “K” on it, one had an “S”, one had a “2”, and one had and exclamation point. (At pep rallies and games, I had been part of either “Kingston”, “sophomores”, our graduating year, or the end of “Kingston High Sophomores!”
Needless to say, I’d need to make new shirts.
***
I guess I was so consumed with the thought of new t-shirts, or I really am as scatterbrained as Zach says, but either way, I had to run back into the house three times to get stuff I’d forgotten. Each time, Zach would laugh, and point out that he hadn’t forgotten anything. How hard could it be, he kept asking, to pack up everything in your room except stuff like your bed, dresser, those huge collages on your wall, and a couple of outfits that you don’t really like? Each time, I pointed out that I had never done this before, so I didn’t know what I’d need. (The things I had forgotten were my sunglasses, an umbrella, and my watch. Zach made sure to point out that I wouldn’t need a watch, since I had a cell phone, but Mom countered that I probably wouldn’t use it much, since both schools were so well protected that the signal was blocked. I pretended to hyperventilate at this, and my parents and Zach cracked up.)
Finally we left. I nearly had a heart attack when I thought I had forgotten my camera, but it was in the bag with the t-shirts. As I settled into the backseat with my iPod in my ears and my cell phone in my lap, I thought about my now old school, friends, neighbors, bedroom, and about my now new school, friends, room, teachers, and how weird it would feel to go to the same school as my brother again. Right before I dozed off, I wondered if Zach’s “girl friend” went to the Gallagher Academy. He had mentioned a girl when he came home for Christmas, but I wasn’t even sure of her name. I’d have to ask him about that…
♠ ♠ ♠
A/N: Okay, I realize that not everything matches the books… there’s the issue that Ally Carter’s third book comes out July 09, 2009. Knowing me (which I do), I’ll still be working on this story by then. So this story takes place second semester of JUNIOR year. So Ally’s book goes before this, and then comes my story. Of course, I don’t know what happens in the third book, but I’ll pretend I do, and if you need to know something that should have happened, I’ll put it in an AN. I’m sorry if it doesn’t make sense, I got confused myself. And by the way, I don’t do disclaimers. I didn’t come up with the Gallagher Girls, although it’d be great if I did. However, Valerie Goode, is mine. The rest will hopefully be longer. The end, thank you.