There’s no sign of life from the other people in the house when I step through the front door, but it’s barely five a.m. and most normal people are still asleep at this hour. Slipping my sneakers from my feet, I pad into the kitchen, pour myself a glass of water and then silently make my way back to my room.

I know I’ll be tired later if I don’t get any more sleep, but I don’t want to go to bed and lose this buzz I’m feeling right now. Deciding to shower and get ready for my first day, I waste the next hour nervously primping, then decide I’ll take a slow walk back to the cafeteria which opens for breakfast at seven.

The sun is high in the sky when I walk out of the gate again, my backpack slung over my shoulders. I glance down at my outfit and decide there’s nothing wrong with my denim shorts and cropped tank top. It’s casual, and came from the only outlet mall near my dad’s place, but it fits nicely and shows off my toned stomach and legs.

Dad’s day starts about three a.m., so I know he’ll be up as I dial his number and lift my cell to my ear. “Hey honey, are you excited for your first day?”

“Hi, Dad, I’m not exactly excited, but I got a good run in this morning and I’m feeling more optimistic than I was yesterday.”

“How’s your dorm room? And your housemates?”

“When I got here, they had me registered under Mrs. Starling Lockwood.”

“Lockwood,” Dad says, “isn’t that…” he trails off.

“Sebastian’s surname, yep. I’m guessing it’s Evan’s attempt at a fucked-up joke. But I got it sorted out. My room is ridiculous. The scholarship kids normally live in the town houses that are on the website, but my room is in the turret of this enormous Victorian mansion. I’m pretty sure I’ve been put there by mistake, but when I asked to be moved to one of the town houses they said they’re full, so it’s either stay where I am or move off campus.”

“Could Harry or your mom have paid for a better room for you?” Dad asks, his voice laced with concern.

“I guess they could have, I hadn’t thought of that, but it makes sense, wouldn’t look good for Harry Morris’s stepdaughter to be slumming it in the cheap rooms,” I mock derisively.

“What about your housemates?”

“I haven’t met them yet. There’re five rooms in the house and judging by the refrigerator full of beer, I’m going to guess that at least one of them is a guy. But there was no one there when I got there yesterday, and then I fell asleep and pretty much slept from yesterday afternoon until this morning.”

“Well I’m sure you’ll get a chance to meet them this afternoon after your classes.”

“There’s no classes today, it’s all meet and greet orientation stuff, then there’s a big party tonight to welcome all the freshmen.”