Parallel (Travelers Series Book 1) Read Free

actually changed, but Jaime seems harmless enough. There doesn’t seem to be any indications of any harmful side effects from living with a highly influential family like the Thornberry’s. She could have turned out differently—like a spoiled rich bitch. But instead, she’s the same old beautiful bubbly girl I remember from when I was fourteen.
    We spend the remainder of the night catching up, gabbing about what’s gone on in our lives the last four years. Jaime goes on and on about going to college next year and all the cute boys she’s going to meet, while I avoid the topic all together—college is out of the question for me. Instead, I tell her about my exploits, moving around from home to home. Somewhere in the conversation, I realize she managed to live a pretty normal life, while mine seems to mirror the life of a hobo.
    It’s almost 2AM by the time we finally fall asleep. My daydreams begin to invade my subconscious and I welcome the reoccurring dreams that invade my sleep each night. I live in a beautiful two story colonial where I have my own bedroom. Sometimes the scenes vary, but they always take place in the same house.
    In tonight’s episode, my father and I are in the kitchen laughing over a plate of heavenly lasagna. A woman I don’t recognize is also there and she’s happy that we are all together, enjoying the home cooked meal she had prepared.
    The dream sequences have become pretty commonplace the last couple of weeks. I don’t know why I keep dreaming of the same people night after night, but I’m not complaining. If I can’t be part of a family in real life, at least I could imagine myself in a world where I do—even if it’s only in my dreams.

Chapter Two
Battle Grounds
    D ominion House for Girls is located right inside the Alexandria city limits and is funded by generous donations supplemented by the Commonwealth of Virginia. Thus, Dominion operates a bit differently than other state run institutions. Even though the donors like to consider this a progressive institution, the place is nothing more than a gilded probation house. The board that runs the facility consists of private benefactors who believe in keeping positive appearances—so they can have something to brag about at their fancy country clubs. Thus, Dominion House is fashioned more like a boarding school. Heaven forbid we give the impression we are anything other than aberrant foster kids. So, due to their desire to maintain a respectable public image, we are allowed to leave the grounds during limited hours, attend public school, and some of the girls are even allowed to maintain their own personal funds, if they have any.
    Jaime is one of the fortunate ones who actually has access to money. Her parents died when she was six, making her an orphan like me and leaving her with a sizable trust, unlike me. When she lived with the Thornberry’s, she attended one of the local private schools in the area—she had to pay her own tuition of course. To this day, I can’t understand why Jaime doesn’t take advantage of all her money and go to a real boarding school. Anything has to be better than this dump. It’s no wonder she went on and on the other night about going to college. She can afford to go.
    Dominion House is conveniently situated near the local high school, so those of us that don’t have emotional or behavioral disabilities are allowed to leave the grounds and attend Alexandria High. Apparently, my being labeled delinquent doesn’t qualify me for in-house instruction. Not that I mind. For the eight hours that I get to leave the grounds, I feel like a normal teenage girl.
    After class, I drag myself back to our room and find Jaime propped up on her bed typing away on her laptop. Personal funds are overseen by designated trustees, but we can purchase things like computers or books for educational purposes. I don’t have the means for something like a laptop, so I have to rely on the library if I want to do