The whole car trip here, Grandma kept quoting verses from the Bible to me. 

I was almost ready to leap out of this moving vehicle. 

Even on the plane, she wouldn't stop going on about how amazing Marblegate would be for me. 

I got up to escape her and found myself in the back storage with the attractive co-pilot. 

"Dominic is a friend of mine and he's the Dean of Marblegate. 

He knows about your mother and your arrival, and that. . . issue you have," I sighed and stared out the window. 

She couldn't even say nymphomania, as if saying it would hurt her. 

"Behave here, Serena. God will forgive those who have sinned if they truly want to follow His way," she said, placing a tiny copy of her own Bible on my lap. 

The sleek black car stopped in front of the grand, golden gates. 

As they opened for us, I looked around at the academy. 

The roofs looked like something out of a castle, with two tall buildings encircling the smaller white one that looked like winter snow. 

Huge pillars stood out in front, and dark black windows kept anyone outside from seeing in. 

The elegant appearance of the school matched exactly what the magazines had described. 

When the door opened for me, I saw a woman with reddish-brown hair holding a black portfolio with my information inside. 

She inspected me closely from head to toe before letting out a quiet "hmph. " 

Her high heels thudded heavily against the concrete ground. 

Then, a man next to her stared at me with annoyance while smiling at my Grandma. 

"Dominic," she greeted, while my bags were placed beside me. 

Dominic was tall with slicked-back mahogany hair that had a few silver strands. 

He wore glasses that hid dark, angry eyes and had wrinkles on his forehead and around his mouth. 

He had a cross necklace dangling from his neck and was dressed in a suit that looked like something a Pope would wear.

 He stepped down and shook Grandma's hand. "Great to see you again. " 

"Dominic, Marblegate has never looked better," she said cheerfully. 

His eyes shifted back to me, and he looked at me like he was seeing my mother again.

"You even have her eyes," he said, referring to my heterochromia. 

"She is my mother," I replied sarcastically, which made Grandma nod in embarrassment and Dominic smile slightly. 

"You seem to have inherited her attitude too. I think we should talk more in my office," he said. I looked at Grandma before she left. 

"Your father will reach out to you. 

Behave," I said without saying much else, watching the car drive away. 

I followed him into the big building, filled with paintings of God and another large cross in the middle of the room. 

"Please have a seat, Ms. Moretti," he says as we step into his office and he sits down at his desk.

 I sit in the chair in front of him while he leans forward with his elbows on the oak desk and his hands crossed. 

"As you know, Marblegate Academy is designed for students like you who often prioritize their teenage feelings over their education. 

Marblegate is a boarding school focused on academics, and we believe in keeping you away from what you feel you can't live without: sexual activity. 

This leads me to talk about our rules," he continues to explain. 

"We have very clear guidelines concerning sexual activity and relationships among students. 

Such behavior is completely forbidden, and if you do not follow these rules, you will lose your scholarship and your chance to continue your studies here," the Dean tells me, his hands resting on the oak desk.

Around his late forties, he looked his age, with a few gray hairs starting to thin out. 

There were lines on his forehead and around his mouth, and a glare in his eyes when he looked at me. 

"We knew you were coming, Miss Moretti. 

We have connections with your father who is aware of your mother and her past here. 

We will watch you closely because of your condition and how it might affect our rules," he starts to tell me how much my father cares about my life here, even though he chose to send me to the same school where my grandmother sent my mother when she was young. 

"We hope you won't repeat the same errors, especially considering how smart you are," I wait for him to finish before I respond. 

"I promise to behave well, sir," he gives me a cold look because of my sarcastic reply.

"Please follow Clara to your room. Also, take this," he gives me a bible and a cross necklace. 

I look at the tiny white card, which has a schedule for praying for forgiveness for our sins, as stated in the eyes of the Lord. 

I shut the door and follow Clara to a room that has my luggage. 

The room felt peaceful, with white curtains gently swaying because of the open window, allowing a gentle breeze to fill the space. 

The big bed was covered with white sheets matching the curtains, and there was a nice bathroom along with my bags scattered around and a desk with a small lamp for studying late at night. 

"As the Headmaster's assistant, it's my responsibility to report anything that violates the many rules we have here," she hands me a white packet filled with writing that I have no intention of reading. 

"Please remember that we will monitor your behavior to see if you improve," I how how they talk to me as if I were a child right now. 

"If you are doing well, we will allow you to visit home on weekends or let you go out in the city. 

Many of our privileges are for the students, and some students are in charge of organizing parties on campus. "

"You cannot enter the rooms of the opposite gender, nor can you sneak around. 

You must be in your room by ten; going out later will lead to punishment, which means you will lose your independence, and someone will be at your door to oversee your time here. "

"Follow these simple rules, and your time here will go smoothly. "

"Is that everything? " I ask, feeling tired of this entire place already. 

"Welcome to Marblegate Academy," she leaves without saying anything more, and I take out my phone from my bag. 

The absence of calls feels like it's glaring at me, so I throw my phone onto the pillow behind me along with a little book and a necklace. 

Since I arrived, my dad hasn't reached out at all. 

He didn't even come to say goodbye when I got on the plane, and I really didn't mind. 

He was eager to send me off in a way that reminded me of how Grandma said goodbye to Mom. 

Dad was very close with Grandma; they seemed to think alike and always agreed on things about Mom. 

Back home, people knew me for my label and for being my mother's daughter, constantly facing shame for something I couldn't control.

 Instead of crying, I try to accept it. 

I don't miss hearing the whispers around me when I walk by groups of people, the women who shame me and give me dirty looks, and the men who view me as just another object, referring to me as a 'whore' until I make sure they regret those thoughts. 

I stepped into the glass shower and let the warm water pour over my skin, as the lovely smell of vanilla and cocoa filled the air while I covered myself in soap until it rinsed away.

 As the water soaked into my hair, my natural black waves began to show when I turned off the shower and got out. 

Is this really my life now? 

Following the rules was just one of many things I wasn't going to do.

P