Twenty Four （B）: Harlow

TWENTY FOUR (B)

HARLOW

The following morning

O livia approached me as I prepared breakfast. Out of habit, she’d put on her uniform and grabbed her bag.

Leaning against the counter, she watched me mix batter before clearing her throat.

“Miss Hawthorne?”

“Yes?”

“If I’m not going to school anymore, what am I supposed to do all day?”

“You’re not getting away without any school, Olivia.” I flipped a pancake. “We have to find a better one, so I scheduled some tours at other academies. I figure with a twenty-one-day gap, you can take your time picking which one you want.”

“In the meantime,” I said, tasting the syrup, “we’ll fill our days by giving you a whole new start. We’ll decorate your room, do some shopping and sightseeing with your uncle’s credit card, and you can hang out with me and the twins whenever you feel like it.”

She blinked.

“Pancake?” I held it out for her, and she carried it to the table.

To my surprise, she helped with the twins for the rest of the day.