Cheap Italian leather was not the material that adorned the seats in this slick black luxury vehicle. "It's your last year, so please don't embarrass us." The mother began as she faced her two daughters. The woman's blazer displayed an orchid broach. "Zarael, your hair is a mess. Why not be more like Zalira? She always makes sure she looks presentable."

Rae sighed and turned up the volume of her earbuds up to drown out her mother's insane nagging. She endured seventeen years of this heartless woman's abuse. "Actually, mother Rae is starting a trend. All the girls at school love her and think she's an icon." Zee chimed in: she tucked a loose lock behind her ear.

"Liar." Rae mumbled under her breath. Everybody ignored her; she was nothing like her sister.

The vehicle pulled up to an imposing building that has been standing since the eighteenth century. "You girls have a fun school year." Father said as the driver pulled to a stop. He approached and opened the door for the twins.

"Vallisair's don't have fun when their reputation is on the line." Mother huffed with a roll of her hazel eyes. She followed the girls out of the vehicle. "Winslow, can you snap a family portrait of our perfect family?" she asked. Rae rolled her eyes while her sister forced a smile. Madam Vallisair was a scary person you never wanted to cross; the woman didn't have a maternal bone in her body. "Remember, girls, you represent this family while you're here, so don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Of course, Mother dearest, Rae and I only want what's best for our perfect family." Zee replied as the driver took the photo. Rae's attention shifted to the boy sitting alone at a bench with headphones on.

"Winslow, give the girls their luggage." Madam Vallisair ordered as the driver did so without hesitation. "Well goodbye, I'll see you guys at Christmas." The twins nodded as the older couple they called their parents climbed back into the care without as much as a love you. The girls watched as the car drove off.

"Thank God." Zee huffed as soon as they were out of sight.

"Zee!" A group of girls shouted as they approached. "OMG! We missed you; how was your summer?" Another girl asked as Zee flashed her friends a sincere smile. The girls ignored Rae's presence.

"I took a family yacht trip to the Bahamas..." Zee began as the girls oohed and awed.

"I'm so jealous," One of her friends stated as Rae walked away feeling her brain cells already trying to leave her. "You're rich, super hot, and are dating the hottest guy on campus."

"Leander has the face of a radio host." Rae muttered as she went to sit with her loner boy. "River." She greeted as the boy looked up at her and removed his headphones.

"If it isn't my favorite, stuck up Vallisair; how was your summer break?" He asked as she playfully punched him in the shoulder.

"It was the perfect Vallisair where everyone pretended to love each other. Mom and dad persistently fought. Rae is going overboard trying to be the perfect kiss-up in our perfect little family. If we weren't on open waters, I would have escaped. How was prison with the grandparents?"

"It went well. My grandmother made cookies, and she wanted me to bring you some."

"And ruin my perfect figure and make my mother flip out? Don't mind if I do."

"She can't be that bad."

"Be glad you never met her. She'd blow a fuse if she learned one of her darlings likes to hang out with a musician, let alone someone on a scholarship."

The bell rang as he grabbed his bag, "whelp we don't want to be late for the opening ceremony unless you don't sit with servants anymore."

"Olysses, you'll never be a servant to me, you're my best friend." Rae stated before she noticed her sister looking in their direction and glared. Zee turned and headed toward the dorms. "Save me a seat; I'm going to drop my stuff off."

"Good luck, you're going to need it."

****

Zee threw her suitcase in the middle of the floor. Rae nearly tripped over it when she entered their shared dorm. Rae huffed; she picked up her sister's suitcase and set it against the wall..

The tape on the floor dividing the twins' respective sides fading into the tile floor. "You could have at least smiled for mom." Zee began being the first one to break the silence. High tension permeated the room.

The right side, Zee's side, was a chaotic mess with clothes piled on the chair that sat next to her vanity. On her bed, mismatched pillows in pastel colors. The walls had Polaroid photos of her friends strung up with fairy lights. It just screamed teenage girl.

The left side, Rae's side, was something out of a magazine. Everything immaculately placed. The warm color pillows sat neatly on her bed, the supplies on her desk lined up perfectly and organized by color. Rather than having Polaroid pictures of her nonexistent friends, she had an inspiration poster. The only thing that sat on both beds tying them together were two identical plush lions. The plushies wore matching shirts, one with the word sisters and the other one read forever.

"Why? She doesn't care about us, only about how we make her look." Rae stated as she opened the closet on her side and switched out her Mary Janes for a pair of vans.

"She's still our mom."

"Right. Are you going to the assembly?"

"Headache. Can you go in my place?"

"I asked Oly to save me a seat. I promised him I'd be there."

"Nothing as binding as a Vallisair promise. Maybe wear your hair down and put on lip gloss. Guys kill for that sort of stuff."

"I don't like him that way," Rae replied.

"You may lie to me, but please don't lie to yourself. I see how you look at him." Zee stated as she turned her attention to her phone. "And if he doesn't like you, then he's an idiot because you're absolutely stunning."

"You're just saying that because we have the same face." Rae said as she grabbed the notebook from her desk. She groaned and grabbed a towel from the bathroom. The soaked notebook, containing her song lyrics, was odd because the room had been unoccupied for about a month.

A loud thud sounded right outside their door. They went to go check, but no one was there, only a sign that read 'I know what you did. The MBS can't hide forever.' A simple drawing of an orchid left on the corner.

The twins turned to each other and shrugged it off. "Seems like hazing has come early this year."

"You'd think as the student council president Leander would put a stop to it." Rae crumbled up the paper and tossed it in the garbage bin. "I'll see you later. There's Tylenol in the cabinet by the mini fridge." Both girls were completely unaware that this was only the start of something much bigger than either of them could ever possibly imagine.