Chapter 1: Wow.

Wow. 

That was the first thought that popped into my head as my parent’s minivan pulled into the parking lot of Fountainsworth Prep.

The prestigious campus looked even more amazing than in the online pictures I’d been looking at every five minutes over the summer. Tall stone buildings stretched towards the sky, making Fountainsworth look like its own little city. 

Suddenly, the nerves hit me. You know that feeling when excitement turns into absolute dread? Yeah. That’s the one. 

“Steph,” I whispered. “I don’t think I can do this.”

My Stepmom turned to look at me from the driver’s seat.

“Nat, you know you can. Fountainsworth chose you. They know you have what it takes to succeed in their learning environment."

Slowly my breathing returned to normal.

 “And don’t forget,” My Dad said, a grin on his face. “You have Ebony. That rabbit won’t let anything happen to you.” 

I laughed. It was true. My dark Havana rabbit would do anything for me.

Normally animals weren’t allowed in the dorms, but special arrangements had been made for Ebony and I.

Ebony is my emotional support animal. I have severe anxiety, and three years ago my psychologist recommended an ESA to my parents. Fast forward four months, and I got Ebony on my birthday. 

We’d rescued her from a shelter, and since there was no way I was going to make her live in a cage, so we let her free roam the house.

Ebony helped make things better really quickly. All of a sudden my worst days weren’t as bad, and less frequent.

The very first thing I thought when I got accepted into Fountainsworth, was what would happen to Ebony. My parents knew that not having her at a new school with me would make the transition harder, and they didn’t want that for me.

They called the school, and emailed with Headmaster Ellis for a while, and ended up arranging for Ebony to live with me as long as we followed the set rules. 

Ebony could not leave the dorm without me. She would not be allowed to go to classes with me. And finally, there were certain buildings I couldn’t take her into without express permission. 

I was fine with all of these. She had never gone to school, or classes with me, because she’s not a service animal. The other rules had applied at home too, so there weren’t any real changes. 

I smiled at Eb through the mesh of her carrier (She is a little (read: a lot) spoiled) and she twitched her nose in response. I couldn’t wait to start my new life with my best bun!

“Natalie?” My Dad called from the trunk. “You okay?”

I must have spaced out for longer than I thought.

“I’m fine Dad. Promise. Just thinking about how different it’ll be to live here”

Dad’s face brightened. “Change is good kiddo. How about you take Ebony’s stuff up to your room? Steph and I can bring up the rest.”

I grinned. “You sure you can carry all that?”

Dad made a mock surprised face. “Are you questioning my physical capabilities?”

“Maybe I am,” I teased 

 “Well it’s a good thing I’ll have Steph with me, in case I throw out my back” He winked. “You know how to get to your dorm? Or should I have printed you a map?”

I laughed. “No maps necessary! I think I can make it. Maple isn’t too far from here, so I should be okay. See you guys in a bit!”

I kissed Dad and Steph on the cheek, and grabbed Ebony’s little suitcase. (Again. Spoiled.) 

And with that, we started towards our new home.