There were lots of words that could describe Abigail. Weak was not one of them. Her mother had died when she was only five, and her father had raised her with the help of a nanny until she was seven. By then, the nanny had had enough and quit. She went through a Dominican au pair after that, which left when she was ten leaving her fluent in Spanish and with a dangerously specific knowledge of Santeria. After Ines left, her father sent her to her mother's sister's house. She was pretty much left to her own devices for seven years, until her aunt injured herself in a boat accident and could no longer take care of her. Her father, who had just been offered a job teaching at an all boys' boarding school (his alma mater), had pulled a few strings to enroll her "because the women of her mother's family seemed to have bad luck, and he wanted to keep her close by". She decided this was his way of saying he missed her.

As the train pulled into the station, she reread her father's note.

Abby,

I'll be at the station at six 'o'clock sharp. The boys will arrive tomorrow, and Mr. Nolan (the dean) will announce your enrollment and the extenuating circumstances it is under. I had a uniform made up for you, just like the boys' but with a skirt. I know you hate them, but Nolan was firm. I love you

Daddy

P.S. I don't who's in my classes yet, but if you are it is going to have to be "Mr. Keating" in the classroom, none of this "Daddy" business.

Abby got off of the train. She had only one suitcase of things, since the school required a uniform. She clung to the well-worn leather case and glanced up at the big clock. It was five minutes 'til, but since her father did not have a reputation for being on time she glanced around for a bench. Sure enough, she was sitting there in the growing gloom for a near quarter of an hour before a large black car pulled up and her harried looking father rushed out.

"Abby! I'm so sorry, I was planning my first lesson, and I got caught up looking at pictures of old classes, and my God! Look at you! When did my baby girl get all grown up?" Abby fidgeted self consciously. She was wearing a simply black skirt that fell just past her knee (she never wore crinolines, she found them itchy and uncomfortable to sit in), a white polo shirt, a cinched belt, and saddle shoes. She thought she looked modest and slightly more mature than usual, but her father was making the biggest deal out of the smallest things, as per usual.

"Daddy, everyone dresses like this. It's normal." She tried to be aloof, but after only a moment she dissolved into giggles and threw her arms around her father. "I missed you."

"I missed you too Abby. Now, let's get back to Welton, Mr. Nolan wants to talk to you before tomorrow." Abby grinned. She knew that no matter what happened, she would be happy because she would be living with her father again. Oh how wrong she was.

A/N PLEASE REVIEW! This is my first upload to this site so be gentle but honest. Hope you like!