It's mid Saturday morning, Claire places a family heirloom crystal glass salad bowl. Amanda ventures over to the table, setting glasses at each of the table settings.

"This is a good thing," Amanda assures her mom.

"Well, we haven't seen Josie in a while and she wanted to see us" Claire replies, setting down the glass bottle of vinegar-based salad dressing.

"Are you and Josie okay? She used to visit all the time and now we only see her on holidays or family occasions. Did something occur between you two?". Amanda leans, against the side of the picnic table.

"Josie and I are fine. Besides, Josie is just a busy mom now" Claire half excuses.

"Okay, I understand. I just wish we could both see more. Like old times". Amanda turns around and picks up a glass of iced tea

"She and the girls will be here soon enough" Claire reminds, rolling her eyes.

       Half an hour later, Josie and her daughters arrive. Matilda and Annabelle excitedly run into the backyard. Claire greets her sister and niece's. Then Amanda does the same.

"Hello Claire, Amanda. Thank you for inviting us". Josie walks forward and places a small cake pan of homemade chocolate chip brownies.

"Your welcome Jo. It's been a while since we've seen each other" Claire replies, while Annabelle takes a seat next to Amanda at the table.

"What's that?" Annabelle asks.

"Something for school" Amanda answers.

"Do you go to Evermore Academy?" Annabelle asks, curious.

"Uh, no. I attend high school. What is Evermore Academy?" Amanda half asks, slowly noticing the atmosphere become abruptly and unexpectedly tense.

"Evermore Academy is a school". Josie sets the cake pan of brownies on the table.

"And that is as far as that conversation needs to go" Claire states, intending to halt the conversation.

"Claire, conversing about Evermore won't hurt anything" Josie decides.

"We've been through this Jo. Amanda isn't attending there. End of story" Claire reminds.

"Why not? We both attended Evermore. Other relatives attended as well. My girls will eventually attend Evermore. Why not allow Amanda to at least contain an understanding of Evermore?" Josie half asks.

"I'm her mom and I decide what is best for her" Claire explains.

"Understood Claire. I won't push it" Josie promises, deciding to back off.

      Later on, Amanda helps her mother cleanup after the picnic ended. She completes filling the dishwasher. Claire quietly closes cabinets and the fridge door repeatedly.

"Mom, I have no need to cause distress. But I can ask what your issue with Evermore Academy is?". Amanda lifts up the door, closes it and turns on the dishwasher.

"Evermore Academy is a piece of my past, I'd like to remain forgetful towards. There isn't much to say. It's a school" Claire explains.

"If you had a troublesome youthful past, I won't judge you" Amanda replies, jokingly.

Claire smiles for a moment. "Out of the both of us, Josie is the troublesome one".

      After the kitchen chores are complete, Amanda disappears to her room. She collects her phone, searches her contacts, and chooses to Facetime with her best friend Sophie. The bedroom door is closed. She collects her black binder, 3-subject notebook and opens both items as she waits for her Facetime call to be received.

"Hey A" greets Sophie, while she sets her iPhone 11 on a stand in front of her.

"Hey. How's it going?" Amanda half asks.

"Fine. Finished a few pieces of homework for class on Monday. You?". Sophie takes a seat at her black roll top desk.

"Same. I had a family picnic earlier" Amanda answers. "It started out good and then wasn't good".

       Ever since Amanda had begun school, herself and Sophie had maintained a friendship. Sophie appears to be a thin brunette girl, who could usually be seen wearing a tee shirt and a pair of yoga pants.

"What happened?". Sophie leans back in her chair.

"My mom became tense because Josie mentioned some school and explained how I wasn't ever going to attend there" Amanda explains.

"Does your mom have some bitterness with this school? What is this school called?" Sophie asks.

"I don't know. All I know is both my mom and aunt attended this school, amongst other relatives. It's called Evermore Academy. According to my mom..." Amanda begins to answer.

"A boarding school" Sophie completes, after researching Evermore Academy on her laptop.

"You found it. What's it say?" Amanda half asks, curious.

"Evermore Academy is a prestigious boarding school. Many programs, lots of dorms" Sophie explains, scanning the website. "There's an Instagram and Facebook page for the school".

"Do you mind sending me the link?" Amanda asks, eager to learn about the school.

"Sure. Sending it you now". Sophie preparing to send the link to the school's homepage.

    A moment later, Amanda's phone beeps with a notification. Amanda clicks on the link and begins her research session. For a few hours, she learns about the school. The school depiction from photographs looked like a large boarding house with iron gate in front. Behind the school is a large courtyard and a garden area. She clicks an arrow, looking through the many pictures of students and school events. As she scrolls through the school's Instagram, she comes across an interesting video of a student.

"Basic spells with Sadie Labonair". The student is dressed in a plain long-sleeved tee shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of sneakers.

        The short video displays, Sadie manipulating a pile of colorful leaves up into the air to form the shape of a crescent moon. Once the leaves curate the preferred design, the video stops. At first glance, Amanda believes it a strange video. But then she notices the video happened to be posted last Halloween.  So, she decides to classify the video is an example of Halloween spirit with some type of special effects.

      During Tuesday morning, Claire collects the small pile of mail from the blue metal mailbox at the end of the pebbled walkway. After a brief check of the mail, Claire comes across a letter addressed to Amanda, that she never desired to see. Amanda descends the staircase as Claire reenters the house.

"Good morning mom". Amanda ventures down the short hallway to the kitchen.

"Good morning sweetheart". Claire follows down the hallway.

"Any mail for me?" Amanda asks, curious. She opens a cabinet to collect a dark gray mug. "Mom, anything for me".

"Oh, no. Nothing exciting" Claire half lies.

"Usually how it is" Amanda replies, collecting and ripping open a Twinning's Earl Grey tea bag.

      Claire separates the acceptance letter into a nearby desk drawer. A couple minutes later, Sophie arrives at the house.

"A," Sophie calls.

"In here,". Amanda places two pieces of bread in the toaster on the counter.

"Hey A. Hey, Ms.D" Sophie greets.

"Hi Soph" Claire replies, placing the remainder of the mail on top of the red plaid tablecloth.

"So, are you interested in going shopping with me later? Downtown". Sophie takes a seat at the small handmade circular dining room table.

"Why?" Amanda asks, opening a jar of strawberry jelly.

"Celebrate the start of a new school year. Give us something to do" Sophie answers. "Besides, since I was away visiting family for most of the summer. We could catch up on some bestie time"

"Okay. Yeah, let's have some bestie time". Amanda joins Sophie at the table.

Claire ventures off to work at the local consignment shop, which resides downtown on main street.

"Did you research the school?" Sophie asks, curious.

"Yeah, looks really intriguing and fancy. I mean, not that matters. Since my mom won't allow me to attend, let alone go near the school. Besides, even if I were able to go near the school. To attend, I'd have to be accepted first". Amanda picks up a half of the strawberry jelly covered toast and takes a bite.

"Doesn't Josie work for the school?" Sophie asks.

"She attended. I don't know if she works for it" Amanda answers. "She might,".

"I'm sure an alumnus would have access to a private school tour" Sophie points out. "You could ask her,".

"I don't think my mom would be pleased with that idea" Amanda believes.

"Maybe not. But she won't even confess why she hates the school so much. Right" Sophie replies.

"All she expressed is she'd rather be forgetful about her time at Evermore" Amanda recalls.

"Oddly vague," Sophie states.

"I guess" Amanda agrees, before taking another bite of toast.

"You should converse with Josie. Just consider seeing Evermore" Sophie suggests.

"I'll think about it". Amanda departs her seat and relocates her empty plate to the sink.

      As the girls venture off to school, Amanda begins to consider Evermore being a future possibility for her. Throughout the busy school day, Amanda unexpectly finds herself mentally compiling a pro and con list surfaced around Evermore Academy.

"What are you doing?". Connor has blonde curly hair. He is dressed in a Boston Red Sox tee shirt, a pair of jeans and a pair of black sneakers.

"Oh, nothing". Amanda puts her phone away.

"Mandy might be leaving us for a fancy boarding school" Sophie tells Connor.

"That isn't true, Soph" Amanda reminds her.

"Fine. You might be going to a boarding school" Sophie corrects.

Amanda rolls her eyes, noticing the Connor's curious glance. "My aunt suggested a school to my mom, that I should attend. My mom doesn't want me to attend".

"But you're going" Connor assumes.

"Undecided," Amanda confirms.

"Well, you were always destined for greatness" Connor reminds her.

"Yeah. Yeah" Amanda replies.

"Well Connor, seems we've befriended a genius" Sophie decides.

      To annoyingly interrupt their chatter, the bell rings for classes to change over. Her friends disappear to the other end of the school for their math class. While Amanda collects her items from her locker to head to her 6th period English class.

     Before meeting Sophie downtown, Amanda stops at her house to drop off her backpack. Her backpack is deposited in her room on her bed for the time being. She prepares a few materials for a study session. Unable to find a highlighter in her desk, Amanda relocates downstairs. Within a few minutes, she locates a bright yellow highlighter in a kitchen drawer and runs upstairs to leave it in her binder. Then she makes her way to Sophie.

"Hey" Sophie greets, sitting on a bench next to Connor.

"Hi. Sorry if I'm late. I dropped off my stuff at my house" Amanda replies.

"No worries" Sophie replies. "We haven't been here long,".

"So, I see you roped Connor into your shopping trip" Amanda notices.

"Well, last time I checked I believe I was part of bestie time" Connor jokes.

"You are. You always are. Mandy is just giving you a hard time". Sophie loops her arm with his.

    Connor pulls open the glass door to the vintage-based thrift store and he proceeds to hold open the door for the girls. Sophie disappears to the jewelry counter. While Amanda heads down a nearby aisle in the clothing section.

"Hey Mandy. Would this be okay for your fancy boarding school?". Sophie holds up a pearl necklace.

"A pearl necklace Soph, really" Amanda comments.

"To proper?" Sophie asks.

"Just a tad" Amanda answers.

"So, are you going to ask Josie about a school tour?" Sophie asks.

"Maybe," Amanda answers, shrugging.

"You should ask. You shouldn't wait for an acceptance letter that may or may not arrive" Sophie expresses.

"I get your point, Soph" Amanda replies.

   By the end of the shopping trip, Amanda returns home with a bag full of treasures. Her mother appears to still be at work. She places the paper bag on the dining room table and begins to take out the items. A few articles of clothing are placed in a pile, intending to be relocated to the washing machine later on. A small wooden box with burnt shapes of stars, moons, and pentagons all over it is set on the table.