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She slid back into the town car and patted the seat beside her I cliainst the plush leather seats We joined the press of traffic leaving the airport, and for a while, I focused on watching the driver navigate the buhway, things opened up a bit, and as we e a coastal road, I wanted to press my face to thelike a five-year-old

Holy shit It’s so different here

Sand Valley was a sy and tired The sun that shone therehere, but you’d never know it

“Do you live near LA?” I asked breathlessly

The wohed “No, we’re quite a ways north of Los Angeles In Roseland It’s quieter, smaller, more elite”

I winced at the way she said elite The word sounded sharp as a blade, and I had the distinct feeling she found LA distasteful

“We’ve enrolled you at Oak Park Preparatory Academy”

“Oak Park?” I asked, tearing aze away from the coastline

“Yes It’s one of the ious schools in the country and only a short distance fro”

I blinked at her,in my chest My mom had died when I was seven, so my memories of her were hazy at best More like memories of memories “My mom? What was she like? Did she like the school?”

Jacqueline’s lips pressed into a line “Yes She liked the school And she did well there, as we expect you to”

“I never…” I stuckit nervously “I never knew about you guys I didn’t know I had any other family besides Mom and Dad”

She shifted slightly in her seat, her gaze flicking out the“Yes, well Your e, and that was the end of that After she disappeared, we didn’t hear much from her We had to hear about her death from…”

She cleared her throat, blinking rapidly a few times, but that was all the emotion she showed In another breath, she’d tucked it all away and had the sareeted me outside the airport

“So, you knew she died nine years ago?” I asked quietly, widening the tear in my jeans