They came the first day of summer break. I had just graduated the sixth grade. It was a hot day, the sky was smothered with sunshine. Two young women, looking like they were just out of high school sat on our brown couch, crossing their legs and drinking iced water.
One of them was so beautiful she could have been a supermodel, tall and thin with shiny black hair and big blue eyes. The other one was gorgeous also, toned and athletic, with cappuccino colored skin and glittering green eyes.
"The curriculum is especially tailored to bright young girls like your daughter. If she chooses to go to school at the Gallagher Academy, she will have classes in math, languages, cultures, and the arts. We also have the top science program in the country," the green-eyed girl was saying to my parents in a steady British accent.
I sat slumped in a leather covered arm chair, even though my mother always criticized my posture. I studied the supermodel-ish woman. Though poised and elegant, her clothes had a rebellious touch to it. She wasn't the type of girl who followed the rules, my instincts told me.
" Now, Ms. Baxter, how did you know about my daughter?" My mother was asking a question that we all already knew the answer to. My grades are, what some would say, genius level. I had taken a high school final exam at the end of the school year and passed, scoring one of the highest scores in history. Of HIGH SCHOOL. I'm only going to be in the seventh grade. The supermodel girl, who insisted we call her Macey, was rambling about how they keep records of grades like mine and when the time is right, recruit the student to the Gallagher Academy.
"We have been looking for a more challenging school for Ari. The Gallagher Academy sounds perfect. You can leave the forms with me and my husband." my mother said. Macey and green-eyes shared a smile.