Charles Carson had just gotten back from his last bit of school supply shopping when he saw a large box on the front porch. He looked down at the return address and smiled. It was his new set of Encyclopedia Britannicas. He quickly went and put his shopping bags up in his room before going back and retrieving his parcel. He carefully squatted down and grabbed the box, lifting up with his legs. When he got back to his room, he gently place the box on the bed and got his pocket knife out of his desk drawer. He delicately cut the tape from the box and opened it. Then, one by one, he took each volume out of the box and carefully opened the front cover. He knew that when one opens a hardcover book for the very first time, you must take caution as to not ruin the spine.

He had finish the 'H' volume when his rotary phone rang. He picked it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Charlie." It was his best friend, Charles Grigg.

Maybe I do need a phone with Caller ID. Chuck thought to himself. "Hello, Grigg. And please don't call me 'Charlie.'"

"Well, aren't we 'The Cheerful Charlies'?"

"We were…. in the second grade." Chuck sighed. "Was there a particular reason why you called?"

"Yes. Have you gotten your schedule yet? I didn't see you at the school."

"Picked it up it up today. We must have just missed each other." Actually, he was hiding in the car and waiting until Grigg left to go in.

"So, what period do you have theater?"

"I don't."

"What?"

"I told you. Between track, debate, and advanced economics, there just wasn't any room in my schedule."

"Alice will be so disappointed."

Chuck dropped the volume in his hand onto the floor. "Really?"

"Yeah, we ran into each other at the mall, and all she could talk about was how she looked forward to having theater with you in the fall."

"Well…" Chuck though for a moment. "Maybe I could talk to Ms. Bates on Monday." He had had a crush on Alice Neal since the fifth grade.

"There you go! Speaking of Alice, you think this might be the year you finally ask her out?"

"I'm not sure."

"You still want to go out with her, right?"

"So badly, I can taste it."

A few hours later, John and Anna Bates had just arrived at Pheonix Sky Harbor International Airport. John had a big poster board that said, "Welcome, Elsie," and Anna had a large bunch of balloons. They went over to a kiosk to make sure that the flight Elsie was on had indeed landed. They were both a giddy as kids on Christmas morning. "We'd better hurry over to the gate, or she might just try to head back home." Anna said as they rushed onto the shuttle train.

"So, Billy has decided to spend a school year with his dad." John remarked as they sat down.

"Yep, and Beryl is beyond thrilled." Anna said with a laugh.

"I feel so sorry for Daisy."

"So do I. And I really hope Beyl doesn't give Elsie too much trouble over her name."

"Yeah. I'm a little disappointed with her over that, especially with all the trouble she gets over her own name."

"I'll have a little talk with Daisy as soon as we get home. I wonder if she's still grounded for sneaking out with Gladys Denker."

"I sure hope so. We need to do everything we can to keep her away from Elsie."

"Beryl or Gladys?"

"Yes!" Both of them laughed. The exchange student thing was something they took very seriously. For the next year, Elsie was their daughter, as far as they were concerned.

"Here we are: Gate 13." John said as they got off the tram.

"Flight 112 from Edinburgh, Scotland now exiting." They could hear over the loudspeaker. "I repeat: Flight 112 from Edinburgh, Scotland now exiting." The large door opened, and a flood of people came walking down the ramp.

"This is it!" Anna beamed. They eagerly looked for the young girl in their photo.

"That's her!" John said as they walked over to baggage claim. He went up behind the young woman. "Elsie Hughes?"

She turned around and looked at him. "Mr. Bates?"

"I recognize you from your picture." They both said together.

Anna came up behind her husband. "Welcome to the US, Elsie. How was your flight?"

"Not bad, I guess." Elsie shrugged. "But it's not like I have any basis for comparison."

"Well, we're glad you're here." John said as he began to help Elsie gather up her luggage, all of one suitcase. "Okay, so, I guess we're going to have to wait on the next round to get the rest."

"No. This is everything." Elsie grabbed the handle and turned to her new host parents.

"It's about a two hour drive back to Downton." Anna said once they all got back into the Bates' minivan.

Elsie tried to stay awake, to take in all the scenery she had never seen before. She had never seen cacti and brush before. The sight of a wide open field mesmerized her. But soon, jet lag got the better of her. Within ten minutes of leaving the airport, Elsie was fast asleep.