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On early and bitterly coldin late March, Schuyler Van Alen let herself inside the glass doors of the Duchesne School, feeling relieved as she walked into the soaring barrel-ceiling entryway doent portrait of the school's founders She kept the hood of her fur-tri anonyed by other students
It was odd to think of the school as a haven, an escape, a place she looked forward to going For so long, Duchesne, with its shinyvistas of Central Park, had been nothing less than a torture charand staircase, felt miserable in its inadequately heated classrooeous terrazzo tiles in the refectory
At school Schuyler often felt ugly and invisible, although her deep-set blue eyes and delicate Dresden-doll features belied this All her life, her well-heeled classmates had treated her like a freak, an outcast - unwanted and untouchable Even if her family was one of the oldest and ed The Van Alens, once a proud and prestigious clan, had shrunk and withered over the centuries, so that they were now practically extinct Schuyler was one of the last
For a while, Schuyler had hoped her grandfather's return froe that - that Lawrence's presence in her life would er alone But those hopes were dashed when Charles Force took her away from the shabby brownstone on Riverside Drive, the only home
she had ever known
"Are you going to
about it?"
Schuyler started She hadn't noticed that she'd been standing in a daze in front of her locker and the one above it The bells signaling the start of the day were clanging wildly Behind her stood Mimi Force, her new housemate
No matter how out of place Schuyler felt at school, it was no comparison to the arctic freeze she weathered on a daily basis at the Forces' grand town house across from the Metropolitan Museu about her every second of the day Or at least it only happened every few hours No wonder Duchesne felt so welco lately
Even though Lawrence Van Alen was now Regis, head of the Blue Bloods, he had been powerless to stop the adoption process The Code of the Vampires stipulated a strict adherence to human laws, to keep the Blue Bloods safe from unwanted scrutiny In her last will and testarandmother had declared her an emancipated minor, but in a wily move, Charles Force's lawyers had contested its tenets in the Red Blood courts The courts found in their favor, and Charles had been na Schuyler as part of the package
"Well?" Mi
"Oh Uh Sorry," Schuyler said, grabbing a textbook andaside
"Sorry is right," Miave Schuyler a conteiven Schuyler across the dinner table last night, and the saiven Schuyler when they'd bu The look said: What are you doing here? You have no right to exist
"What did I ever do to you?" Schuyler whispered, tucking a book into her worn canvas bag
"You saved her life!"