LEGACY 1999
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Chapter 1: Rules of the Legacy
"Oh my God, this is the ultimate Leda Fontaine story," Sondra Davenport said excitedly, her hands working nimbly to sculpt her eyebrows into the perfect shape for the upcoming Legacy party.
"I'm all ears," Ariadne Katsopoulos told her. She wasn't just being polite, either. Even though Ariadne and Leda hadn't been friends since the Benny incident, Ariadne still avidly collected bits of information about her former mentor.
Sondra finished fixing her eyebrows and brushed out her long dark hair, then leaned forward with her hands on her knees. "It was the Legacy last year, and Leda and Andrew had split up a few days before. Leda was in one of her wild moods that night, and she started flirting with these two guys from Easton. Anyway, one thing led to another, and one of the guys challenged the other to a duel over Leda. The guy who was hosting the Legacy that year, his father had a gun collection, so they each got one of these antique pistols, and everybody went up on the roof of the penthouse to watch the duel. To make a long story short, they shot at each other and missed, and Leda ended up not hooking up with either one of them. She and Andrew got back together next week, and everybody lived happily ever after. But the point is, I saw Leda's eyes while these guys were dueling over her, and she looked like she died and went to heaven." Sondra's voice softened. "Leda always wanted to be Scarlett O'Hara, and for that one glorious moment, she was."
Sondra returned her attention to her makeup, and Ariadne observed herself silently in the full-length mirror on Sondra's wall. Her aquamarine ball gown was a Nicole Miller original. Daniel Pierce, Ariadne's boyfriend, had bought the dress for her in anticipation of the Legacy. Ariadne thought the dress really complemented her honey blond hair and stormy gray eyes, both of which she knew were unusual in someone of Greek ancestry. Ariadne had no idea how much the dress cost, and she reveled in not knowing. She still wanted to go to college and maybe even law school eventually, but it seemed so much easier to marry someone like Daniel—someone she loved, someone who loved her—and let him worry about the mundane details like how much things cost.
"How are we getting out?" Ariadne asked after a few minutes.
"I got us all off-campus passes yesterday," Sondra explained. "I told them we were going to the Metropolitan Opera in New York to see Don Giovanni. Echo went to the library and read up on Don Giovanni, so we'll have our cover story ready in case anybody challenges us. Plus, we can get dressed up here, since that's what you're supposed to do when you go to the opera. Believe me, it beats getting changed on the damn train like we did last year."
Sondra clasped a pearl necklace around her neck, then turned to face Ariadne. "I know you're a scholarship girl, and this is your first Legacy, so I'll give you a little primer.
"First, there are ten schools that have attended the Legacy since it started back in the seventies. Clairmont Academy and Wakefield Prep are the only two Pennsylvania schools invited; the others are all in New England except Atherton-Pryce, which is down by D.C. And of course, Clairmont is the only one that used to be an all-girls' school before it went coed. As a result, we're doubly stigmatized in the eyes of New England snob schools like Easton and Barton.
"Invitations." Sondra pointed to the gold crown pendant adorned with tiny diamonds hanging around Ariadne's neck. Daniel had given it to her the same day he bought her the dress. "That's your invitation.
"Plus ones. Daniel's a plus one, of course, or you wouldn't be going. I think he's the only one at Wakefield this year. I'm a plus one, obviously, but David can get in on his own, so it doesn't make any difference to me. The only other plus one at Clairmont is Jeff Willoughby. He's British, you know. Jeff's father is a viscount, and his family's been going to Eton since Wellington went there, so he's an honorary plus one.
"Finally, the rules." Sondra reached down to toy with the crown-shaped pendant around her neck. "The Legacy is a place of pure abandon, a chance to escape the Victorian rules that govern our lives here at Clairmont. As such, the rule against hooking up is totally suspended at the Legacy. As for the rule against cheating…" Sondra paused delicately. "Well, take your cue from Daniel. If he goes off with some pretty little thing, then of course you're free to do whatever you want. Otherwise, stay faithful and enjoy the Legacy for what it is."
"But I don't want Daniel hooking up with some pretty little thing!" Ariadne protested. "I love him!"
Sondra sighed. "It's the Legacy, Ariadne. These things do happen occasionally." She patted Ariadne on the cheek, then slipped into her heels. "Come on, we're meeting the others under the old elm tree."
"So where is this place exactly?" Ariadne asked as she and Sondra walked down the stairs leading to the commons room.
"It's usually in New York," Sondra answered, "but Amy Martin's father is hosting it this year, and he wants to do it at his country house in Litchfield. You probably don't know Amy, she goes to Easton, in Connecticut. Anyway, we're meeting Daniel and the other Wakefield people at the train station in Harrisburg, taking the train to Manhattan, then a limo out to Litchfield." Sondra paused. "Oh, one more thing. If you talk to Amy while you're there, make sure you mention her new stepmother's performance in Warlord. She'll probably be up for another Academy Award for it next year, and Amy absolutely idolizes her stepmother."
Ariadne's heart began to pound as she contemplated the adventure ahead of her. Although poised and perfect on the outside, Ariadne was a nervous wreck on the inside. Pull yourself together, Ariadne told herself firmly. This is why you befriended Sondra, this is why you fell in love with Daniel. You always wanted to be one of them, this is your chance to prove yourself.
Ariadne felt Sondra tugging on her wrist. Painting a bright smile on her face, Ariadne followed Sondra out onto the damp grass of the residential quad.