Leaving Home Read online

  LEAVING HOME

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  LEAVING HOME

  "I know, I know. The Interlochen School happens to be heaven on earth," Jessica said, mimicking Elizabeth. "But it also happens to be heaven on the other side of the earth!"

  Elizabeth shook her head. "You don't understand," she said flatly. "It's Switzerland. I can't really explain why I feel the way I do, but I just know I have to go there. And the Interlochen School would be the most marvelous place in the world to study creative writing!"

  Jessica gave her twin an alarmed glance. She didn't like the sound of this—not one little bit. It sounded positively dangerous. The very best thing would be to nip the whole idea in the bud before Elizabeth started getting too serious about living in Switzerland for a year!

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  One

  Jessica Wakefield could barely contain her excitement. "Look, you guys," she hissed, peering through a pair of new binoculars that she had borrowed from Randy Lloyd, her latest admirer. "Do you see that surfer out there in the water? The big blond with huge muscles?"

  Enid Rollins and Jessica's twin sister, Elizabeth, exchanged amused glances. It was late in the afternoon, and the three girls were sitting on the beach, enjoying the Southern California sunshine and catching up on the latest gossip. Or at least Elizabeth and Enid were trying to catch up. Jessica was making conversation practically impossible. Anytime Enid or Elizabeth started talking, she interrupted them as she spotted another gorgeous surfer.

  "Do you think Randy knew you were going to put his present to this kind of use?" Enid asked, her green eyes twinkling.

  Jessica frowned, still peering out at the shoreline. "Of course not," she said. "But I don't care what Randy thinks. He's too—she shrugged, searching for the right word—"too boring," she said at last, flipping her silky blond hair back with one hand.

  But Jessica knew that Enid Rollins would never understand. How could she, when she herself was completely and utterly predictable? Jessica couldn't believe her twin had chosen Enid for her best friend. She sighed and set her binoculars down. It wasn't as if Jessica hadn't done her best to point out Enid's shortcomings to her sister, either. Elizabeth just refused to listen, insisting Enid was loyal, dependable, and trustworthy—traits she valued most in a best friend. Jessica wrinkled her nose at the thought. Loyal, dependable, and trustworthy—it sounded like a motto for the Girl Scouts, not a way to describe anyone worth getting to know!

  But then there was no explaining differences in taste. And when it came to differences, Jessica and Elizabeth were experts! Not that anyone would ever guess to look at them that they could disagree about anything. Sixteen years old, the twins were model slim, with sun-streaked, shoulder-length blond hair and sparkling blue-green eyes fringed with dark lashes. Each girl had a tiny dimple that could be seen when she smiled. The resemblance between them was so strong that even their closest friends sometimes confused them.

  But no one could ever confuse their behavior or attitudes. Elizabeth, who was four minutes older than Jessica, liked to take a big sister role, often advising or admonishing her impetuous twin. Most of the time Elizabeth's advice was sensible. That was partly because Elizabeth thought things through—she looked, as she liked to put it, while Jessica leaped. Elizabeth liked taking things steadily and slowly. She was deeply loyal to her best friend, Enid, and her boyfriend, Jeffrey French, and once she took an interest in something—such as writing for the school paper, The Oracle—she gave it her all.

  Jessica loved her sister more than anything in the world and secretly admired her diligence and responsibility. But she couldn't help teasing her now and then for taking life so seriously. Jessica's rule was to live for the moment. Why commit herself to one boy when there was a whole beachful of gorgeous surfers to look at—and flirt with? And why spend hours working on homework when she could be working out with the cheerleading squad or shopping at the mall?

  "I think Randy is cute," Enid objected, running a comb through her soft brown hair. "He's nice, Jessica. And he really cares about you."

  Jessica could tell there was a reproach in Enid's words, but she decided to ignore it. "He is nice," she agreed lightly, picking up the binoculars again. Randy was a senior whom Jessica had dated a couple of times over the course of the past several weeks. "And," she added with a giggle, "he owns expensive binoculars. If he keeps lending me things, who knows how long I'll stay interested?"

  "You're awful," Elizabeth scolded her twin. But her voice sounded slightly distracted. She had a large, colorful brochure open on her lap, and it was apparent that whatever she was reading had most of her attention.

  "Wow," Jessica said, scanning the horizon again. "This is really terrific. I mean, look at this place! A beach—palm trees—gorgeous guys—the mountains just a couple of hours away. Who could ask for anything more than Sweet Valley?"

  Enid put her comb back in her beach bag. "How about your twin, for starters?" she asked dryly. "Or haven't you noticed that Liz is halfway to Switzerland even as we speak?"

  Jessica took the binoculars away from her face and fixed her sister with a piercing, blue-green gaze. "Liz, put that brochure away," she commanded, suddenly realizing what it was that Elizabeth was so intent on. "I thought we were through with this Switzerland business!"

  Elizabeth looked injured. "Come on, Jess. Switzerland happens to be a fascinating country. Regina Morrow says its incredibly beautiful. Up in the Alps, she says—"

  "Stop!" Jessica shrieked, covering her ears with her hands. She looked at her sister with an expression of agony.

  "How many times do we have to hear about what Regina Morrow has to say about Switzerland?" she demanded.

  Regina Morrow was in the junior class at Sweet Valley High, along with Jessica, Elizabeth, and Enid. A startlingly beautiful girl, Regina was the only daughter of one of the wealthiest men in the valley. Her mother had been a fashion model, and Regina had been chosen to appear on the cover of Ingenue magazine once herself. But Regina had been born with a birth defect that left her hearing severely impaired. In the middle of her junior year she was sent to Switzerland for a series of treatments which gave her almost normal hearing ability.

  For Regina, the long months in Switzerland had been lonesome and difficult. She had been separated from her family—and from Bruce Patman, her boyfriend. And she had to spend most of her time in the hospital, anxiously awaiting results from her treatments.

  But even under those circumstances, Regina had fallen in love with the beautiful, mountainous country that had been her home. She sent postcards home describing the breathtaking views of the Alps, the crystal-blue lakes, and the warmth of the charming Swiss people. Elizabeth, whose imagination was easily fired, had decided long before that Switzerland had to be the most enchanting, romantic place on earth. She vowed to go one day. Lately Regina had received some letters from the friends she had made in Switzerland. And when she heard of these, Elizabeth was reminded of her earlier interest in going abroad.

  And at about the same time Mr. Collins, her favorite teacher, suggested that Elizabeth read F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night for an extra-credit assignment. Suddenly Dick Diver, the protagonist of the novel, became Elizabeth's
hero. She couldn't put the book down, and when she was finished with it, she had romanticized everything to do with Dick Diver—including Geneva, the city where he'd studied medicine. Now Switzerland seemed doubly charming to Elizabeth, and a few suggestions from Regina had actually led her to look into several programs that would allow her to have her senior year abroad in Switzerland. One, at the Interlochen School, actually offered several kinds of scholarship programs for American high school students. Elizabeth had thought and spoken of little but Switzerland and the Interlochen School since the brochure had arrived the previous week.

  "Come on, you two. Just look at this," Elizabeth urged, spreading the brochure from the Interlochen School out on her striped beach towel. A magnificent scene of the Alps covered the front of the brochure, the picturesque school was nestled beside a sparkling blue lake under a stand of fir trees.

  It really was beautiful, but Jessica had no intention of supporting her sister's enthusiasm. There was no way Jessica was going to let her twin take off and leave her!

  For once, Enid and Jessica seemed to feel the same way. "You're really serious about this place, aren't you?" Enid asked anxiously, looking at the brochure over her friend's shoulder.

  Elizabeth nodded, her eyes shining. "Now it's just a question of waiting to hear from Mr. Hummel, the headmaster." She sighed. "It's probably out of the question—I bet I'm too late to apply for a scholarship for next year." She pointed to a paragraph on the second page of the brochure. "See, they have a special creative-writing program that starts in the summer and lasts for all of the senior year." She stared dreamily out over the water. "Can you imagine taking creative-writing classes while looking out at the Alps for inspiration?" She shivered. "I think it would be the most wonderful thing in the whole world."

  Enid frowned. "I don't want to sound selfish, but I hope this Mr. Himmel says it's too late. I couldn't stand the thought of you going so far away for so long!"

  "It's Mr. Hummel, not Mr. Himmel," Elizabeth corrected her. "And it wouldn't be that long, Enid. Not when you consider that it's an opportunity to really live and write in Europe!" Looking starry-eyed, she sighed. "I keep telling myself not to get excited when the whole thing seems so unlikely. But I can't help it."

  Jessica looked glum. "I thought twins were supposed to be close," she complained. "Haven't you always said how important it is for us to spend time together, Liz? I'd like to know how much time we're going to get to spend together when you're off somewhere wearing lederhosen and yodeling and chasing goats."

  Elizabeth giggled. She couldn't believe how morose her sister looked. "You make it sound ridiculous, Jess. The Interlochen School happens to be internationally renowned. In fact—"

  "I know, I know," Jessica said, cutting her off. "The Interlochen School happens to be heaven on earth." She mimicked her sister's tone and sniffed. "But it also happens to be heaven on the other side of the earth! Couldn't you find someplace a little less remote if you're so bent on spending a year in boarding school?"

  Elizabeth shook her head, her blond ponytail bobbing emphatically. "You don't understand," she said flatly. "It isn't the boarding-school part that matters." Her eyes shone. "It's Switzerland. I can't really explain why I feel the way I do, but I just know I have to go there." She hugged herself. "And I know the Interlochen School would be the most marvelous place in the world to study creative writing!"

  Jessica gave her twin an alarmed glance. She didn't like the sound of this—not one little bit. It sounded positively dangerous. And, Jessica decided, the very best thing would be to nip the whole idea in the bud before Elizabeth started getting too serious about living in Switzerland for a year!

  That night the twins and their parents drove twenty-five miles north of Sweet Valley to San Farando, a tiny town midway between their home and the state college, where the twins' older brother, Steven, was a freshman. The Wakefield family sometimes met there during the term when Steven was too busy to get home. The Wakefields loved San Farando, with its awesome views of the mountains, and they were especially fond of a small Mexican restaurant there called Pedro's. By seven-thirty all five Wakefields were seated around a table, platters of steaming Mexican food before them.

  "This looks a lot better than the food back at the dorm," Steven said, pushing back his dark hair and grinning. With his cheerful dark eyes and athletic build, Steven at eighteen bore a strong resemblance to Ned Wakefield, the twins' father.

  "You won't be able to eat Mexican food in Switzerland," Jessica reminded her sister, popping a nacho into her mouth.

  Steven raised his eyebrows. "Still Switzerland?" he inquired. "I was sure you'd have given up by now, Liz, and decided that the good old U.S.A. isn't that bad after all."

  Elizabeth took a sip of water. As much as she adored her family, there were times when she didn't really understand them. Why couldn't they understand how important Switzerland was to her?

  "Don't tease your sister, you two," Alice Wakefield said gently, her blue eyes showing concern. A successful interior designer, the twins' mother looked so young that she was often mistaken for their older sister.

  Jessica put her fork down, her appetite fading. She wished her parents would do something about Elizabeth's crazy new plan. Why were they being so calm about it? Couldn't they see that this was really a life-and-death situation?

  "Europe has really had it, anyway," Jessica announced. "It's completely decaying over there, Liz. Why would you want to go sit around in some chalet when you could be right here on the beach, keeping up your tan?"

  Elizabeth shook her head. "Don't you remember how wonderful it was when we went to France during spring vacation? You loved it! Besides, generation after generation of artists and writers have gone to Europe to soak up culture so they could perfect their visions." Her eyes widened dreamily. "And if Mr. Hummel lets me apply for a scholarship, I could go, too!"

  "I think your vision isn't the only thing that needs perfecting," Steven grumbled. "It sounds to me as if your whole thought processes need a little reorganization."

  Elizabeth frowned. "You aren't being fair. If I get in—"

  "I think," Mr. Wakefield said, his tone clearly meant to put a stop to their bickering, "that all of this is contingent upon too many 'ifs' right now. Why don't we wait until we have a little more information before we get so excited about the whole thing?"

  Jessica bit her lip. She knew that further discussion at that point was out of the question. But she also thought her father was wrong.

  She knew her twin well enough to believe that it was too late to warn her about not getting excited. When Elizabeth decided she wanted something, she went after it and got it. And it looked as if Elizabeth had decided what she wanted.

  Jessica was convinced now that they really had an emergency on their hands. She just couldn't believe her parents could stay so calm in the middle of a crisis.

  Two

  "I agree with you, Elizabeth," Maria Santelli declared, taking a spoonful of yogurt. "I think boarding school in Europe sounds incredible." Her brown eyes shone. "It sounds like something right out of a novel!"

  The twins were eating lunch at one of the tables on the patio outside of Sweet Valley High with a small group of friends—Maria Santelli, a pert, pretty brunette who was on the cheerleading squad with Jessica; Winston Egbert, Maria's boyfriend; Lila Fowler, one of Jessica's closest friends; Enid; and Jeffrey French. Jeffrey looked glum when the conversation turned to Switzerland, but Elizabeth didn't seem to notice.

  "If only it weren't so expensive." Elizabeth said, taking a tuna sandwich out of the bag she had brought from home.

  Lila gave her a condescending smile. The only daughter of one of the wealthiest computer magnates in Southern California, Lila didn't know what the words "too expensive" meant. "Too bad we can't start a Fowler fund for travel abroad," she mused. "I'm sure my daddy could just deduct it. And it would be so generous of us."

  Winston, a tall, lanky boy whose quick sense of humor had won
him the reputation of class clown, looked up at Elizabeth with a grin. "Don't worry, Liz. I'll start an Egbert fund for travel abroad—and I don't even care whether it's deductible or not!"

  Lila rolled her eyes. "Of course not. Nothing deducted from nothing comes out—nothing! Where would you get the money to send Liz to Switzerland?"

  Winston pretended to look grieved. "She clearly knows nothing of my hidden resources," he said, holding his heart with mock pain. "Haven't you heard the news, Lila? I'm about to become filthy rich."

  Maria giggled. "That's right. Winston's ship is about to come in. He's going to start showering me with expensive presents."

  "Or at least pay for my half of the movies," Winston said generously, patting Maria's hand.

  "Don't keep us in suspense, Winston," Lila said, looking temporarily interested. "Do you have some rich relative who's deathly ill or something?"

  "Nice thought, Lila," Winston said cheerfully. "I hate to disappoint you, but all my relatives are perfectly healthy." He grinned and flourished a small green ticket. "This is it, guys—the ticket to my success!"

  Lila wrinkled her nose, turning back to her salad. "It's just a dumb lottery ticket," she complained.

  "Did you hear that?" Winston demanded. "Just a lottery ticket, she says." He waved the ticket triumphantly. "It just so happens that my father bought me this ticket. And my father is an astonishingly lucky guy. He managed to get me for a son, right?"

  "I'm sure he thanks his lucky star every day," Lila said sarcastically.

  Jessica giggled. "Is your dad going to demand a cut if you win?" she asked.

  Winston held the ticket up to the light. "Please," he said, shaking his head at her, "we're way too refined for that sort of arrangement, Jessica. When I win, I'm going to make sure everybody benefits! And the very first thing I'll do is send Liz to boarding school."

  Jeffrey groaned, and everyone else laughed. Elizabeth leaned across the table to pluck the ticket from Winston's hand. "You're sweet, but I'm afraid the odds are against us," she said. She looked hard at the lottery ticket. If only something like that really could do the trick! But she knew Winston would never win. No, the only thing to do was to hope that there was still time left to apply for a scholarship. Otherwise Switzerland was going to be completely out of the question.