We sat on the plane in silence. I was trying hard to forget that I was currently moving farther and farther away from my home, and I refused to let myself cry. For the first month after the accident, I never left my bed. Then came the day where I miraculously pulled myself out from underneath my comforter and got dressed. Since then, I’d promised myself that I would be strong and composed. I didn’t want to go back to that weak, hollow person I’d become, and that wasn’t going to change now. Instead, I focused my attention on Katherine as she clenched and unclenched the armrest, her knuckles going white each time she did. I only knew a few things about the woman sitting next to me. First was that she was my mother’s childhood friend. They grew up in New York and attended Hawks Boarding School together, the same school my sister and I had been enrolled in. Back then, she was known as Katherine Green, which brought me to the second thing I knew about her. During college she met George Walter. The two married and moved to Colorado to start a horse ranch, George’s lifelong dream. Finally, the third and most noteworthy piece of information I knew about Katherine—she was my new guardian. Apparently I’d met her when I was little, but it was so long ago that I couldn’t remember. Katherine Walter was a complete stranger to me. “Afraid of flying?” I asked, as she let out a deep breath. Honestly, the woman looked like she was going to be sick. “No, but to be completely truthful, I am a bit nervous about—well, taking you home,” she said. I felt my shoulders tense up. Was she afraid that I was going to go off the deep end? I could assure her that wasn’t going to happen, not if I wanted to get into Princeton. Uncle Richard must have said something to her, something about me not being okay, even though I was perfectly fine. Katherine caught my look and quickly added, “Oh no, not because of you, honey. I know you’re a good kid.” “Then why?” Katherine’s smile was sympathetic. “Jackie, honey, did I ever tell you I have twelve kids?” No, I thought as my mouth dropped open, that definitely wasn’t mentioned. When he decided that I was moving to Colorado, Uncle Richard