The next morning, the Chapman dining room was bathed in the soft, golden light of the early sun.
The long mahogany table was set with fine china and crystal glasses.
Elia walked in. She wore a plain white T-shirt and faded denim jeans. Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail. She looked completely out of place against the backdrop of silk drapes and oil paintings.
Mavis was sitting near the head of the table, delicately slicing a French crepe for Geri.
When Mavis saw Elia, her smile vanished. The silver knife scraped harshly against the china plate.
She pointed her fork toward the very end of the long table, the seat farthest away from the family.
Elia walked to the end of the table. She pulled out the heavy wooden chair. The legs scraped loudly against the hardwood floor, making Mavis flinch.
Elia sat down. She picked up a piece of dry, unbuttered toast from a basket. She took a bite. The crunch was loud in the quiet room.
Gorge lowered his copy of the Wall Street Journal. He cleared his throat, adjusting his silk tie.
"I assume you looked at the file I gave you last night," Gorge said, not looking directly at Elia. "The driver will take you to Queens. It's a public school. Given your... lack of academic history in the Midwest, it was the best I could do."
Mavis scoffed, taking a sip of her coffee. "Best you could do? It's a charity. With her middle-school dropout record, she's lucky any school in New York took her."
Geri took a delicate bite of her crepe. She looked at Elia with wide, innocent eyes.
"I heard the security at that school is really bad, Elia," Geri said softly. "There are metal detectors at the doors. Will you be okay? I mean, you're probably used to rough crowds, but still..."
"She'll fit right in," Mavis sneered. "Trash belongs with trash."
Elia chewed the dry toast. It scratched the back of her throat as she swallowed.
She didn't look at Mavis. She didn't look at Geri.
"I don't want you anywhere near Geri's social circles," Gorge continued, his tone hardening. "Geri is at Manhattan Elite Prep. She has an image to maintain. I will not have you dragging her down with your rust-belt habits."
Geri straightened her posture, a smug, victorious gleam in her eyes.
Elia swallowed the last piece of toast. She reached for a linen napkin and wiped the crumbs from her lips. Her movements were slow, precise, and completely unbothered.
She placed the napkin on the table.
She lifted her eyes and locked onto Gorge.
"I'm not going," Elia said.
Her voice wasn't loud, but it cut through the room like a scalpel.
The dining room fell dead silent.
Mavis slammed her coffee cup onto the saucer. The dark liquid sloshed over the rim.
"Excuse me?" Mavis hissed, her face turning red. "You ungrateful little brat. Do you know how much money Gorge spent bribing the principal just to look at your blank transcripts?"
Gorge's face darkened. The veins in his neck bulged.
"You don't have a choice in this house," Gorge warned, his voice a low, dangerous rumble. "This is New York. You are a nobody. You will do exactly as I say."
Geri's lower lip trembled. She looked at Gorge, playing the victim. "Dad, maybe she just feels bad that she can't go to a good school like me. Don't be too mad at her."
Elia watched Geri's performance. A flicker of pure disgust crossed her cold eyes.
Elia pushed her chair back and stood up.
She placed both hands flat on the mahogany table. She leaned forward slightly.
The physical shift in her posture changed the gravity in the room. The air suddenly felt too thin to breathe.
"I handle my own affairs," Elia said, her voice dropping an octave. "I already enrolled myself in a school."
Mavis let out a loud, theatrical bark of laughter.
"You? Enrolled yourself?" Mavis mocked, waving her hand dismissively. "Where? A community college for dropouts? A vocational school for mechanics?"
Gorge crossed his arms, staring at Elia with heavy contempt. "Enlighten us. Where are you going?"
Elia looked down at him.
"Manhattan Elite Prep."
The name dropped like a bomb.
Geri gasped, her hand flying to her mouth. Her juice glass tipped over, spilling orange liquid across the white tablecloth.
Mavis froze, her laughter dying in her throat. She stared at Elia as if she had grown a second head.
"That is the most ridiculous lie I have ever heard," Mavis spat, her voice shaking with sudden rage. "Elite Prep requires a massive endowment, perfect test scores, and a legacy interview. You are a stray dog we picked up from the Midwest!"
Gorge slammed his hand on the table. The silverware rattled.
"Enough!" Gorge roared. "I will not tolerate pathological lying in my house. You are embarrassing yourself, Elia."
Elia didn't blink. She didn't raise her voice.
She reached into the back pocket of her jeans. She pulled out her phone.
She tapped the screen twice, opening a PDF document.
She slid the phone across the long, polished table. It stopped precisely in front of Gorge.
Gorge glared at her, then looked down at the glowing screen.
His eyes locked onto the crimson crest of Manhattan Elite Prep at the top of the page.
His gaze moved down to the bold text.
Official Letter of Acceptance.
Student: Elia Chapman.
At the bottom of the page, glowing in digital ink, was the personal, verified electronic signature of the Headmaster.
Gorge's pupils dilated. His breathing stopped.
The color drained from his face, leaving him looking sick.
The silence in the dining room was absolute, broken only by the steady ticking of the grandfather clock in the hallway.
