A Beautiful Fate Read Free

pathetic.
    Margaux waved for the check, passed the waiter a black credit card and once he returned, we left. We rode together in the back of her car while her driver moved smoothly though the heavy L.A. traffic. I wondered idly if she ever drove herself anywhere - not likely.
    When we got back to Margaux’s, I noticed her magnificent baby grand in the entryway. I pointed at it, “May I?” She took a seat and allowed me to play. I have played the piano since I was small child. Back in Chicago, I used to give lessons on week nights for my spending money. I know all of Margaux’s favorites. I played them until I eventually cleared my head enough that I could sleep.
     

 
    Chapter 2
Room 1202
     
    Nightmares came to me. I relived my mother’s death again, just as I had every night since she had died. I heard my own screams and cries. I saw her leave our house and I knew then that I would never see her alive again. No matter how much I begged her not to leave, she did anyway.
    Waking in the morning after a restless sleep, I dressed quickly and found my way downstairs. I joined Margaux on the veranda for a cup of coffee and a look at some of her discarded LA Times . After a moment, she stood up to leave and turned to me.
    “Good luck. I’m sure you won’t need it.”
    I smiled at her.
    “Oh, and Ava, I already have plans for the holidays, so you will have to be on your own. The school allows students to stay in the dorms over breaks, so being on your own shouldn’t be a problem.”
    My smile slid off my face. I felt defeated and lonely and the thought crossed my mind that the best thing to do was to fly home to my best friend, Mia. She and her mom would take me in with open arms.
    Leaving my still hot coffee sitting on the patio table, I grabbed my bags and made my way out to the front drive of Margaux’s home. There I found a brand new, shiny, black Mercedes G Class SUV. I choked on my own breath at the site of my new car. I was expecting a clunker, some sort of metal death trap, considering the car was a gift from Margaux after all. A Mercedes, I’ll admit, is over the top and ostentatious. I should have protested and requested a vehicle more eco-friendly and less expensive but I would lost the battle anyway, Margaux would have yelled at me about being ungrateful and churlish if I had argued with her over this car. I threw my bags in the back with a ridiculously giddy smile and climbed in. I had no idea what made Margaux think I needed this much car, but I wasn’t going to argue. It was fantastic! It had leather seats, satellite radio, GPS, and a great speaker system. My new vehicle beat the hell out of stinky cabs and riding next to creeps on the “L” train in Chicago.
    My music was blaring from the speakers and after a comfortable drive, I arrived at The Dana Point Institute’s campus about an hour later. The city of Dana Point is stunning and the Dana Point Institute is tucked away in the hills with a distant ocean view to soften them. I found the main building and walked into an unexpectedly luxurious space – The admissions building was more like a high-end hotel lobby than the foyer of a school. The countertops were marble and they had fragrant blue and white hydrangeas arranged in glass vases for centerpieces. Framed photographs of students in lab coats and on the soccer field dotted the walls. A blue and white banner hung from behind the desk. It read Dana Point Institute, Education for the Unrivaled . A small, very tan woman with frizzy hair was sitting at a front desk.
    “Hello,” I said startling her a bit. “My name is Ava Baio. I am new here...”
    “Yes, Ava,” she broke in, “Welcome! I am Mrs. Cali, Dean Petropoulos’s assistant. We have been expecting you. Your items arrived yesterday; they are waiting for you in your dorm room.” She handed me a stack of papers.
    “Here is your class schedule, dining accommodations, insurance forms and a map of the grounds. You are in Socrates, a coed