Chapter 1
Hard mushy steps of boots rang outside my caravan. It was not the tip toe or precise careful once, but it was the rather hastened one. The footsteps echoed in the silence of the night until they stopped outside my door followed with a deafening silence.
I ran my fingers round the metal torch on my bedside and hurdled on the corner of the bed. Ready. This part of the town was not really that safe. My eye darted to the window curtain - no shadows. It's one person.
The lock twitched, twisted and turned. Odd. It made me hold my breathe, who was outside and why come to my caravan while our sitting room caravan was on the opposite side of mine.
"Open the door chica." A familiar hoarse voice echoed from the other side making me sigh in relief.
I inserted the key before pulling the door in. He smiled at me despite his hard breathless breathing. He got into the caravan revealing large dark muddy prints on my grey mat.
"Papa?!" I groaned softly. He followed my gaze and smiled nervously when he realized his blunder. He tried to come back to his starting point leaving even more prints.
"Okay! Just stand there!" I panned trying not to sound agitated.
He stayed still. Why was he breathing so hard? His long black red polo shirt was wet with sweat. His burgundy hair curly and messy; he was not wearing his usual sou' wester hat. He was a Falstaffian kinda man.
"Chica. Good news." He breathed out finally. I've never seen him this happy.
He slipped his hands in to his scruffy, muddy cargo pants. His hand rummaged from pocket to pocket. His petrol - blue eyes furrowed. Perhaps he could not find what he was searching for.
He scratched his head making his hair even messier. He felt the back of his cargo pants and his eyes lit up.
He pulled out an unsealed dirty envelope; no longer a white color.
I shook my head in wonder. Who in the world entrusted my father with a white envelope?
He handed it to me smiling even more.
To: Miss Y/N Kelly Brown
Normally, the water and electricity bills read my name but they were never put in white envelopes.
I looked at my father for any clarification. He rubbed his hands together....anxious? Or excited?
"Go on chica." He hyped me to open it.
"Did you read it first." I asked him. He let out a small nervous laugh.
"He he ." He looked at me, shrugged and said. " Eh! I couldn't help myself."
"Is it bad?" I started but he cut me off.
"I'm afraid you will have to see it for yourself." He panned.
A spine chilling feeling froze my back bone and I gulped before taking out the folded A4 booklet in the envelope. My gut - wrenched when the first thing I saw plastered on the first page was the school crest of my dream school.
"Deep breathes chica, deep breathes." My father called out to me in a calming voice.
I took one breathe in and out before flipping the booklet to the second page.
"Can I -" I looked at my father, my hands shaking with unfiltered anxiety.
"Yes. You can read it out loud chica." He smiled with a comfort aura.
I took off my gloves and grasped the booklet tightly. I cleared my throat and read out loud.
"Dear miss Y/N Brown. I am the principal of Orwellian Utopia High ; Dorian Gray. I am contacting you to inform you that we received your academic email presented to us by a Mrs Park Eveline."
I stopped to share a questioning gaze at my father.
"Mrs Park Eveline. You know her? She is the cabinet secretary of Education." My father tried to jog my memory.
"Thanks dad, I already know that bit and it's Minister of education. So you know." I corrected him.
"Same thing." He said laughing. "Plus no one likes a smarty pants chica." He joked around.
"Tsk tsk! They are missing out on a lot. I'm a fine piece of art." I smiled.
"That I cannot disagree." He chuckled. "Back to the letter honey."
" I still don't understand why miss Eveline would send my name to the school. If I remember correctly more than 100,000 applicants sent her a letter." I drawled.
"You are a lucky star Kiddo." My father sighed.
I nodded and started reading out loud again.
"As per the impeccable qualifications you have achieved at such a young age, we are proud to offer you admission to our prestigious school."
I barely spoke the last part loud in excitement.
"Oh my Papa." I called out to my father my eyes welding up in salty tears.
My father closed the gap between us and he embraced me tightly in a chest hug. He soothed me as he patted my back and rubbed my hair.
"Papa." I called out.
"Hmm?" He hummed back the response.
"You smell like boiled broccoli." I laughed pulling away and wiping the slipping tears.
"Ha! Ha!." He laughed cheerfully. "I ran all the way from the post office in excitement."
I finished reading the last part.
"We expect you on May 8th precisely by 11 am. The rules, regulations and policy of the school at to read and followed by heart and mind. More information is indicated in the brochure. Should you need help on clarifying certain issues feel free to contact us. Either on email or contact us on xxx082xxx11.
"Best regards, Dorian Gray, Principal." I read the very last part.
"That's in one weeks time." I looked at dad starting to feel a rise of panic.
"I know." He handed me another last letter.
"There is more? " I asked utterly stunned.
"That's the last of it. They were addressed separately but arrived all together." My father answered.
The envelope was unsealed meaning my father had already read this one too. I just smiled and unfolded the crumpled letter.
I cleared my throat and started reading out loud.
"Dear Y/N. It Mrs Park Eveline here, I suppose by now you've already received the admission letter from one of the most prestigious schools in the world. You deserved that chance. You cannot back out from admitting in the school as I have already paid the 4 year school fees. That is 9 Billion per year, resulting to a whooping 36 billion. I have invested a lot in you kiddo. Don't let me down."
"36 billion?" I coughed out the most unbelievable part of the letter.
"It's called prestigious for a reason chica." Father said smiling. "Do you know how lucky you are." He said with a sigh. "I could not even manage to stable -ly pay a few dollars for your elementary and grammar schools."
"Hey. I appreciate your efforts Papa. You educated me to all known levels up to this point with the little you have." I spoke out softly. " I could never ask for anything more because I have the best father in the world."
My dad's eyes looked unusually clear before he coughed and looked away to fight the urge to break out in an emotional cry. "Read the last part chica."
I sighed and looked back at the letter.
"I was wondering if you are free this week. If so, could we have a meeting some time this week? The perfect and convenient day for me would be on Wednesday. It would be very important to receive feedback before then."
" I already told her that you would be there." My dad panned and gave me his note book. "Tear out page 42."
I did as he said and gave him back.
Midas Touch Hotel
Address: XXX
Schedule meet up: 8:14am
Assigned table: 916
Assigned floor: 119 penthouse
"Man she expects so much of me. What If I fail her." I sighed.
"Hey." Dad said holding my small hands in between his large warm ones. "You are not a failure and you will never be one. I raised a fighter and a winner."
He caressed my cheek and added.
"You are placing your priority in the wrong person. You should study for yourself. Your future. You. This is a you thing chica. Not me, Mrs Park or society."
"Your mother and I will be proud of you no matter what you become. Bless her soul." He said doing a cross sign.
"Don't play around with religion." I growled at my dad and softly slapped his elbow as he laughed.
"I'm only religious when it comes to your mother. Else she'd haunt me at night." He answered before he shook in fear.
I could not help but laugh from his stories about my mother. How I wish I met her but some things one is not born lucky enough to have.
"Gotta go grab us dinner." My father bent down to kiss my cheek. "Sorry about the floor mess." He chuckled leaving my caravan.
I closed the door and went back to lie down on my bed. I stared in to the ceiling but my thoughts were far off.
"Wow! Who would have thought that a riff - raff like me would study with the children of the most prominent." I murmured in hope and pride.
