SUMMARY: Spring is enrolled in a prestigious private school, where she learns her family's secrets aren't quite secret.

CHAPTER NINE: WELCOME TO WEDGEWOOD

Geoffrey chauffeured Grandmother, Uncle Owen and me to the prepatory school the next morning, despite my protestations.

The old building loomed well above the tree tops, resembling to me a haunted castle. Ivy clung to the red brick face, and snaked up the walls.

"This is Wedgewood, Miss Spring," Geoffrey announced, stuffily, pulling up next to a curb.

"I'm sure you'll like it here, dear." Grandmother gave me a peck on the cheek.

"If any of the snobs give you problems, I'll take care of 'em," Uncle Owen offered, awkwardly, giving me a quick, cool kiss on the cheek. "Knock 'em dead, Spring."

I gazed at the large, forboding school building, a knot of dread turning in my stomach. "I'm nervous."

"Don't be, Spring. Wedgewood is a fine school," Grandmother explained, patting my hand. "The teachers are well acquainted with the O'Reilly family name."

"That's one of the things I'm worried about, Grandmother. What if the other kids think I'm a snob? I've never been to a private school before." I shrugged on my uniform jacket and accepted a wad of lunch money from Uncle Owen.

"You'll be fine, dear." Grandmother clasped my hand in hers before giving me a kiss and coaxing me out of the limousine.

All eyes, I felt, were on me as I emerged from Grandmother and Grandfather's limo and scurried up the steps of the school, trying to draw as little attention to me as possible.

Keeping my head down, I slipped into my homeroom seat just as the bell rung.

"Class," my teacher, Mrs. Winterbottom, announced, tapping her ruler against the chalkboard. "I'd like to welcome Spring O'Reilly to Wedgewood School."

Students began to whisper and I could feel my cheeks redden.

Did people talk about my family at dinner the way I talked about Jennifer Lopez's latest boyfriend, or the most recent Tom Cruise movie? I swallowed hard.

"Would someone like to show Spring around?" asked Mrs. Winterbottom.

A few hands shot up, and I was glad that I wouldn't be thrown into the lion's den alone.

One of the hand-raisers was a handsome, brown haired boy with a kind smile, who caught my attention and gave me a half-wave.

"Ok, Claude and Rosemary, you will show Spring around Wedgewood School," Mrs. Winterbottom said, pointing out the handsome boy and a girl with flame-red hair.

"I'm Claude Stanton. This is my sister, Rosemary," the brown haired boy said, pointing to the girl with red hair and freckles. "Welcome to Wedgewood, Spring."

"Spring," Rosemary repeated, tilting her head to one side. "What a curious name."

"It was my mother's choice," I explained, shrugging my shoulders.

"I think it's unique, and nice," Claude said, quickly, shooting Rosemary a hard glare.

"I've never met anyone with that name," she said.

"That's why it's unique," Claude replied, rolling his eyes. "Don't be rude, Rosemary."

"Claude and Rosemary, you may take Spring on a tour of the school after I pass out your schedules," Mrs. Winterbottom said, gathering a stack of papers into her hands.

After the schedules were passed out, Claude, Rosemary and I were excused to begin our tour of the Wedgewood campus.

"Wedgewood School was built in 1854, on the property that once belonged to August and Elinore Wedgewood, a wealthy couple. August, a sea-captain, decided to build the school in the memory of his and Elinore's dead son, Rudolph, and named it Wedgewood. That first year, Wedgewood accepted ten students, and thus, the legend of Wedgewood School was born," Rosemary droned, reading from a thick brochure. "Wedgewood's campus consists of the main dorms, a cafeteria, a gift shop, a library and the teacher's quarters - "

"Rosemary, you sound like you're giving a lecture," Claude scolded, yanking the brochures out of his sister's hands. "You've probably bored poor Spring to death."

I shook my head, eagerly, hoping not to offend Rosemary. "Oh, no, I found it quite interesting."

Claude rolled his eyes. "You don't have to lie for Rosemary's sake. She can handle it, Spring."

I shook my head. "Rosemary, I found it very fascinating."

Claude shrugged and gave her back the book, and she continued reading. "In 1893, the teacher's quarters were burned down in what has been called the Great Accident of '93, although many, to this day, believe it was most certainly not an accident. Many believe that a former student, Ophelia O'Reilly, set fire to the teacher's quarters when Professor Marcus Fields refused to give in to Ophelia's misguided romantic feelings."

"Ophelia O'Reilly?" I asked, breathlessly. "Is that why everyone started whispering when they learned I was an O'Reilly?"

Rosemary grinned, cattily. "No, that was because your - "

"Shut up, Rosemary," Claude interrupted, sharply. "This is Spring's first day. Save the bitchiness for tomorrow."

I blushed at Claude's defense of me, and laughed, nervously. "Oh, it's all right, Claude."

Rosemary smirked. "Your family is mighty famous in these parts, Spring," she said, sneeringly.

"Oh, really?" I raised an eyebrow at Rosemary.

"Not only because your ancestors were lunatics, but also because your uncle is a retard, your mother killed herself and your grandfather raped his daughter Julia," she said, gleefully rejoicing in my shock.

"ROSEMARY!" Claude snapped, sternly, "PLEASE!"

"What are you saying?!" I gasped, in disbelief. I couldn't, I wouldn't believe the horrible things Rosemarry Stanton was saying about my family. I couldn't! I shook my head, as if trying to jar loose the horrid accusations from my memory.

"You should have stayed in Los Angeles," Rosemary said, coldly. "Everyone knows about the O'Reillys. News spreads fast in a small Southern town."

Claude put his arm around my shoulders. "Come, Spring. Let's go look at the dorms, ok?" He led me away from Rosemary, firing an angry glare back at his sister. "I'll see you later, Rosemary," he grumbled.

***

"Why was she saying such horrid things about my family?" I asked, as Claude and I walked the campus.

"Rosemary likes to spread gossip. She thinks it makes her a part of the 'in-crowd'," he explained, embarrassedly. "In all actuality, they find her quite boring to be around."

"But what does that have to do with me?" I asked.

"The girls she tries to associate herself with are Danielson girls," Claude explained.

"Danielson girls?" I managed to ask, my knees weakening.

"Yeah, Sofie, Jade and Briget Danielson, Jeremy and Luisa's daughters," Claude said.

"Jeremy Danielson?" I could only repeat fragments of Claude's sentences, I was so stunned.

"Yeah, him and his second wife. I guess he has a son, somewhere, and he has a daughter named Belle, with his first wife, Nannette. You see, Spring, everyone in Kennwood knows one another's business." Claude grinned.

"What can you tell me about Jeremy Jr," I asked, trying not to betray my nervousness or my fear.

Claude kicked up some pebbles as we walked toward the cafeteria. "Well, I guess he married a girl his parents didn't approve of, because no one heard of him since before he married off into the Banks family."

'There's so much you don't know,' I thought to myself, wrapping my arms around myself, 'and so much I don't know, as well... But I intend to find out.'

*********

TBC

Alex