CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:
What the Future May Bring…
Sunnydale, California – September 7, 2021
The Principal looked across his desk at the young girl sitting on the other side. He thought he was a good judge of character, but this girl seemed to be an enigma. According to the sparse information in this girl's records she was sixteen years old. The girl was in that transition phase from teenager to young woman and she was already starting to show the mature beauty and good looks associated with becoming a woman.
I would hate to be this girl's father … He'll be beating off the boys left and right, the Principal thought.
He also noted that this young girl—woman—held herself in a confident manner much more than a typical girl of the same age would. Even with her beauty and good looks, the young woman's eyes sparkled with strength and intelligence.
Beauty and brains… That can be a dangerous combo, the Principal thought again.
He finally addressed the young woman who had just enrolled, "We are a 'unique' school that has many challenges... and Sunnydale has had its share of troubles over the years. I hope the recent events and troubles in town will not cause you any problems from fitting into our community."
The young woman made eye contact with the Principal and he could see once again the strength and intelligence that was there.
"Two of my aunts and an uncle are graduates of Sunnydale High… My mom and dad actually met here in Sunnydale before getting married, so they are also quite familiar with the area and the 'challenges' here. We just moved back into the area as my mom and dad decided that I needed a more structured environment to learn and socialize in." the young woman replied.
The Principal shook his head slightly and looked once again at the young woman's information.
"There seems to be little information regarding your academic history and performance… We may need to do some appraisal exams to properly determine your academic level and placement." he noted.
"No problem… I'll do whatever exams are needed. My mom and dad felt that it was important for me to experience things, but I had my Uncle Virgil to home school me while growing up… I can assure you that he is quite knowledgeable and didn't leave any gaps in my education." the young woman replied not breaking eye contact with the Principal.
The Principal was in for a shock as the young woman was going to trash all the school's academic bell curves.
"Do you have any siblings?" he asked.
The young woman answered smiling, "I have a younger sister who just turned ten… Mom says she is the real brains in the family and I have a younger brother who just turned five… Mom is worried that he'll grow up to be just like dad."
"If you don't mind me asking, what do your mother and father do for work?" the Principal asked with some curiosity trying to understand this enigma.
The young woman smiled and cheerfully replied, "Mom and Dad are both retired. Dad was in the military and traveled all over before I was born. Mom did some freelance contract work. Luckily my godmother made sure that the family was taken care of financially."
Beauty, brains and money… The triple whammy... Hopefully she is not one of those spoiled debutantes, thought the Principal.
"Adriana? That's a different name." he asked.
"I'm named after my godmother. She's a very important person in my dad's life. Unfortunately she had died before I was born." replied the young woman.
The Principal raised a quizzical eyebrow at Adriana's strange choice of words, but he shrugged it off.
She'll need to work on her grammar, he thought.
The Principal shrugged off the thought and stood up to conclude the meeting, "I'm glad to welcome you to Sunnydale High School… Adriana, I'm sure you will fit in here." he said.
"I'm sure I will… I look forward to the challenge." replied a smiling Adriana Lehane.