Getting lost was just one of the many worries dominating Ruth's attention. For not the first time, she wished she had just stayed home with her little sisters. What would this new school be like? At home, Ruth had grown used to effortlessly remaining at the top of her class. Could she still hold that status at her new school? Would the girls be kind to her?

A moment later, the answer to the last worry came in the form of a sweet looking young lady, dressed in a simple white frock, a shy smile on her face. She hurried to open the gate and murmured, "Welcome to Miss Lisette's School for Young Ladies." Although she kept her eyes on the ground, Ruth could easily imagine the gentle kindness she would probably find in them.

"Thank you!" Ruth gave the other girl a warm smile.

Mother snatched her eldest daughter's arm and propelled Ruth forward, crossly. "Don't speak to the slaves!"

Horrified, Ruth could do nothing but obey. As she was pushed towards the front door, she managed one last glance towards the slave. The girl was busy latching the fence tightly, as though nothing out of the ordinary had happened at all.

"Good morning!" a cheerful greeting interrupted Ruth's thoughts. The front door had opened and a middle aged blond haired woman made her way down the stairs. "You must be Madame Grace Ann and Miss Ruth."

"Yes," Mother confirmed. "You have a beautiful place here, Miss Lisette."

"Why thank you." the headmistress beamed with delight and both women paused to enjoy the scenery.

Ruth tried to follow their gazes, searching for the beauty. Sure, Miss Lisette's School had a lush lawn and a few well placed, blossoming trees, but the building itself was made of dirty stone and could hardly be called pleasant looking. Besides, with the locked fence surrounding the place, it seemed more like a prison than a school. Once again, Ruth noticed the slave girl, who lingered at the entrance and carefully did not look towards them. Yes, this was much more like a jail than an academy.

"Ruth!" Mother spoke up, tightly. "Miss Lisette has asked you a question!"

Ruth had been too busy looking around to listen. She tried her best to appear apologetic and murmured, "I'm sorry, ma'am. I didn't hear the question."

"Well." Miss Lisette gave a patronizing smile. "I can see that Ruth shall be in the lowest form for our etiquette classes."

"Anything you can do to correct her behavior will be much appreciated." Mother agreed.

Her face burning, Ruth managed somehow not to say anything.

"Come inside, please." Miss Lisette offered, holding open the door. "We'll talk in my office."

Inside the office, Ruth was subject to a steady stream of questions about her education levels. She answered as best and as respectfully as she could; each response earned her a "mmmhmm" and a nod from Miss Lisette. Finally, the headmistress set down her papers and declared the interview finished. She saw Mother to the doorway and Ruth to the classroom.

A woman by the name of Miss Barbara would be their teacher. She stood in the front of a classroom, stern eyes fixed over a group of about ten young ladies. Looking none too pleased at the arrival of a new girl, Miss Barbara greeted Ruth curtly. "Take a seat next to Samantha. You may share her primer today."

For the next several hours, Ruth managed to do nothing right. When she sat, she was scolded for her poor posture. When she wrote, she was scolded for her poor penmanship. And when the teacher examined the contents of each girl's lunch, Ruth received yet another scolding.

"Tell your mother not to pack you any more sugary treats." Miss Barbara snapped, removing a biscuit and cookie from Ruth's pail. "A poor diet leads to a poor performance in class."

"Yes, ma'am." Ruth said, helplessly. She tried not to look disappointed as she accepted her lunch pail, even though it now contained only a bit of bread and cheese.

"We think she eats the candies she confiscates." Samantha reported, as they walked out of doors for lunch. "That's why she's so fat."

Another girl giggled. "If she eats that biscuit and cookie, her blubber will be spilling over the chair!"

"The chair will probably break soon." added another pupil, joining them.

Samantha grinned at the image. "Ruth, this is Ananda and Cillia. They're my best friends."

"Nice to meet you." Ruth smiled, shyly.

"You were lucky to get paired with Samantha." Cillia reported. A short and solid girl with long dark hair, her smile didn't reach her coal colored eyes.

"Yes." Ananda agreed, immediately. She was Cillia's exact opposite - a tall girl with poofy blond curls, sparkling blue eyes, and a bright smile. "We're the most popular girls at the school."

"And we've been here the longest." Samantha added. She seemed to be a mixture of her two friends; her long red hair trailed down her back and her plain brown eyes lit up when she appeared happy. "Most of the other girls are from merchant families."

"Some of them can barely afford the tuition." Cillia announced, snidely.

"Is your family wealthy, Ruth?" Ananda wanted to know.

Ruth flushed a bit, startled by the question. She was used to avoiding the topic of money, since most people in Gatsba had very little. But she answered honestly. "Yes, we are. My father was a judge in... at our old home." For some reason, she didn't want to tell them that she'd come from the country.

"Oooo, a judge." Samantha voiced her approval. "He must be dashing. I think most judges are simply dashing. Those robes are looooooovely."

"Unfortunately for you, Gaven will never reach the status of a judge." Cillia interrupted.

"Samantha's been promised to a boy named Gaven." Ananda explained, filling Ruth in.

"Promised?" Ruth didn't understand.

"Promised to marry." Cillia said, in a teasing tone. "Samantha's parents promised her to their friend's son when she was a baby. In a year, she'll be married off, stuck tending the home of a daydreamer who wants nothing more than to work in trade."

"At least my parents are allowing me to marry at all." Samantha shot back, hotly. "Your older sisters were all sent to the convent."

"There's no shame in a life serving God." Cillia raised her chin, stubbornly.

"There's no sex in it either." Samantha pointed out, crudely and smugly.

"Sex is the important part." Ananda giggled.

"Are you... promised?" Ruth wanted to know.

"No." Ananda shook her head. "In a year or two, I'll be sent to live with my uncle. He's very strict and very good at bringing a young woman into line. Uncle has a reputation for producing submissive, obedient women and so when I go to live with him, a noble or perhaps even a Lord might take interest in me."

"Have your parents promised you out?" Samantha asked.

"I don't think so." Ruth shook her head. "They've never said. I think they'll just let me choose what I want to do."

"Choose?" Cillia looked scandalized. "Like a middle class girl? Are you sure you've money?"

Before Ruth could reply, a sharp whistle interrupted the chatter. They were being called back inside, to their studies. Ruth quickly began to gather her things, filling her pail with her waste.

"What are you doing?" Samantha frowned.

"Cleaning up..." Ruth had thought it was obvious.

"Leave that alone." Samantha snatched the pail and dumped its contents back out into the lawn. "And drop that napkin that you're holding, too. The slave girl can get it."

Ruth stood still a moment, watching the girls hurry inside, the napkin pressed against her palm. She could still hear the disapproval in Cillia's voice as she asked, "Are you sure you've money?" Her new friends didn't seem impressed by her desire to clean either. And Ruth didn't want to lose friends on her first day at school. She let the napkin fall, slowly, and followed the other pupils indoors.

Before entering, though, Ruth glanced over her shoulder. The yard was a mess; all the girls had left their garbage tossed onto the grass. In the middle of it knelt the slave, slowly gathering the refuse in her arms.