This is going to be something different, created from a different perspective. Hope you enjoy!

The bell rang, signaling the end of the day. Lily Walsh shoved the filled and battered binder into her bag and threw it over her shoulder. She was ready to walk out the door when her chemistry teacher stepped in front of her.

¨Lily, you have a few?" he asked.

"Yep, of course." She followed him down the empty hallway to his corner office. He shut the door and handed her a piece of bright yellow paper.

"Mrs. Red the biology teacher gave me this. It's an internship at the Jeffersonian, a museum in Washington, D.C. You would work with the best forensic anthropologist for the summer. I think that it is the perfect opportunity for you." He held out the paper and she took it.

"But Mr. Paul, it says that housing will not be provided, nor will transportation fees."

"Don't let that stop you. Give it a shot."

She shrugged and nodded. "I guess it can't hurt."

That night Lily went home and looked at the paper. Downstairs she could hear her aunt and uncle arguing again, or perhaps still; she wasn't sure if there was ever an end.

She was a good student, yes, but she felt she had no chance for winning. Besides, her aunt and uncle would never pay for the trip there, or the housing. Her eyes strayed from the paper to the picture of her parents that always sat on her desk. She was in her father's arms at the young age of seven when they had gone to the top of the Prudential Center in downtown Boston. She missed the days when she lived in the city, the days when her parents were still alive, and the days when she was a carefree child again. With a final look at the picture, she decided to apply for it.

Four months later…

The power had gone out again, the fifth time so far in the year and it was only April. She had gotten used to the things, especially after her aunt got laid off from her job. Money was even scarcer than before, and often times she was eating just barely one meal a day. In the late evening, her aunt and uncle had taken her cousin to the park, leaving her in the rapidly darkening room.

She sat at the piano bench and ran her fingers over the ivory keys. She started playing the first song she had learned, Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata. Her father made her play it for hours as he typed away his newspaper stories for the Boston Globe in their Boston apartment. She closed her eyes and let her fingers do the work. Only the vibration of her phone on the piano pulled her from her thoughts.

Without looking at the caller ID she tucked the phone into the crook of her neck and answered.

"Hello," she said while continuing to play.

"Hi, is this Lily Walsh?" asked a female voice that Lily didn't recognize.

"Um yes, who's calling?"

"This is Temperance Brennan from the Jeffersonian Institute. I'm calling to let you know that after thousands of applications, I've chosen you as the person to be the intern for the summer."

"Wow, really?" She couldn't believe that she had actually gotten it. Then the pain sunk in when she realized that she'd never be able to afford it. "Doctor Brennan, I thank you for the opportunity, but I'd never be able to afford to go down there and stay there for a whole summer."

Lily heard the line was silent for a moment, but with a shuffle of papers, she replied, "Well let's not worry about that right now. I'll see what I can do to help you out. Does that sound good?"

"It sounds great!" replied Lily with an enthusiasm in her voice that had not been heard since the death of her parents five years prior.

"Great, I'll call you back once I get more details." They exchanged good byes and then hung up. Lily stopped playing and leaned her head back in thought. She hoped that things would work out because she knew that if she wanted to get into a good college she would need this, especially since she had terrible SAT scores and she would need a lot of financial aid. Just as she returned the phone to the pocket of her jeans, her aunt and uncle came barging into the home arguing once again over something trivial. Lily headed upstairs immediately to avoid the argument.