The ferry Islander made its way across Vineyard Sound. The slate colored sky signaled that more rain was on its way. A seagull reeled overhead, casually riding along with the ferry. The gulls target, a girl no more than fourteen, stood at the bow. The first raindrops began to fall as a gust of wind blew her blonde hair into her face. Deep in thought, she paid little mind to the rain. Soon, she'd be back at school, and she would forget all about this Christmas vacation. She'd hoped that she hadn't disappointed her parents when she accidentally burned part of Christmas dinner at her grandparent's house in Edgartown; the meal was nowhere near ruined, but the guilt ate her up. Leaning into the wind, she closed her eyes. The rain began to spatter now. Her blue eyes matched the shade of the rough winter sea in Vineyard Sound.

As she stood at the bow, the blue pennant that flew from the flag pole next to her snapped in the wind; nearly hitting her in the process. Approaching from behind the girl was an older woman; presumably her mother. Holding her hat tightly to her head, she'd finally caught up.

“Sarah, why are you still out here? It's raining, come inside.” She pleaded.

“I'm fine, mom.” Sarah said plainly. She didn't want to go back inside to the passenger lounge, with its loud and cramped interior and the faint aroma of mal de mer clinging to nearly every surface. Her mother spoke up again.

“Sarah Coleman.” She began. Sarah wanted to roll her eyes at the mention of her middle name. “I don't understand why you've been down in the dumps. The first half of break, you were your normal, bubbly self. Afterward, you've been withdrawn and moody.” She continued.

This is Hannah Newstead, Sarah's mother. A 5th grade teacher in Oak Bluffs, Hannah had seen other children like her daughter in her time in the classroom. The first time Sarah had exhibited problems was when the family lived in Oak Bluffs seven years ago. Now, she was heading off island to attend Plymouth Rock Academy. On this Friday Afternoon, Hannah was taking the car over to Woods Hole and up to Plymouth. She'd promised to take Sarah to Burger King on the way; a tradition of their family since the beginning. Right now, Hannah was trying to coax her daughter back into the inviting warmth of the passenger lounge. The boat rocked in the swell, finally convincing Sarah to head back inside. The lounge was full of college kids and older people traveling with their dogs. The lunch counter was serving steamed hot dogs and buns. The smell of the hot dogs mixed with coffee created an interesting mélange of scents.

“I'll get you a soda.” Hannah said. She returned moments later with the can of Pepsi and a cup of coffee.

“What's going on, Sally?” Her mother asked. Hannah called Sarah “Sally” whenever something was bothering her.

"I ran out of my medication."

"Oh, Sally; no wonder you've been out of sorts." Hannah sighed.

"When we get there, I will speak to Dr. Whitney. Don't worry about it right now. Just enjoy the trip."

Sarah cracked open the Pepsi and stared out the window at the downpour. Part of her was depressed because she was returning to an empty bedroom. She still hadn't had a roommate, and she felt as though she was doing something wrong, and she was being punished for some perceived slight. Another part of her was ecstatic she was returning. Until September, she'd never been off-island and was taking it very well so far. They sat for a few more minutes before it was time to head down to the freight deck. Getting in the car, they waited for the boat to dock. Ahead of them, the doors opened as the Islander glided into the dock. The cacophony of engines starting brought any thoughts to a brief halt.

Freed from their maritime prison, Hannah and Sarah drove off the Islander. The rain was falling heavier now, making short work of the snow piles at the edge of the parking lot. They drove along Woods Hole Road now; this part of Falmouth was deep in its winter slumber. Downtown Falmouth also seemed to be on pause. Teaticket Highway, the main commercial strip for the town seemed to be where all the action was.

"I was trying to tell you something over Christmas break, but Murphy's Law had gotten in the way." Hannah said as she drove the car through nearly every possible puddle. Ahead of them was Burger King. While other island families would reach for the traditional Big Mac the second their feet hit the mainland, the Newsteads soared for the flame-grilled taste of the Whopper. Pulling into the parking lot, Sarah spoke.

"What were you going to tell me?" She asked, a tinge of anxiety in her voice.

They walked inside. Sarah was starving; she didn't eat anything on the boat. They ordered and moments later were sitting at a table in the corner. Unwrapping the whopper, Sarah began to eat.

"Mom, you were going to tell me what you heard over Christmas break?" She asked.

"You're getting a roommate, and your father and I are going to host her over the weekends." Hannah said plainly. This seemed to instantaneously lighten Sarah's mood. She remembered that day this past December when the prospective student arrived.

"I think I met her a few weeks ago, mom. She seemed really nice. Her name was Amy. I remember her eyes; deep green."

Hannah made a mental note. She had a vague recollection of that week, Sarah seemed happy then; as though her problems were coming to an end.

"Mom, we're getting a new student soon!" She exclaimed as she met her mother in Woods Hole that Friday afternoon.

"Her name is Amy, and she's from somewhere in New York. The weird thing about her, is that her mom looked mean and miserable. Her little sister seemed bored." Sarah remembered.

"You know better than to judge people." Hannah reminded.

"I felt that woman's misery, mom. It felt like a cold, wet blanket. Amy was trying to crawl out from under; only for her mom to snatch her back."

Hannah took note. From what Sarah had described signalled conflict at home. She wanted to warn Sarah about the darker aspects of what that entailed; but she decided against it, Gwen Burgess would be someone to better explain it to Sarah.

"She has a little sister? What was she doing at your school?" Hannah inquired.

"Yeah, she's going to Briarwood. I think she was just tagging along." Sarah replied.

Hannah had heard of Briarwood Academy. She almost sent Sarah there, however, the thought of Sarah remaining in high school until the age of twenty-one seemed a bit much. She was happy that Sarah was at Plymouth Rock. Her grades had improved tenfold since she'd arrived there last September. As a mother, Hannah could also tell that Sarah was happier. Visiting home every weekend had proven to be a suitable arrangement. Now, there'd be another face coming home with Sarah.

The rain began to mix with snow as they drove up Route 3. Sarah stared at the pine trees as they whizzed by. The car was silent, but as they drew nearer to Plymouth Sarah struck up a conversation.

"Do you think Amy will be a nice person, mom?"

"I don't know, Sarah. I hope so. You have an appointment with Dr. Whitney after we get there."

"I don't like Dr. Whitney. Hear me out first, mom."

"Go on, Sarah."

"I think she's taking notes on everybody."

"She's a doctor, Sarah. That's part of her job."

"I've seen Briarwood students in her office. They all seemed terrified of her."

Hannah played it off as simple misinterpretation. Sarah was prone to misinterpreting many things. Hannah was slightly intimidated by Dr. Whitney herself and found her slightly oppressive. Ahead was the exit for Route 44. The snow had switched back to rain.

"I look forward to meeting Amy this afternoon." Hannah said as she turned the car onto Cherry Street. This part of the trip always enthralled Sarah; the tree lined road made her feel like she was somewhere in England. They entered the parking lot; already full on this Friday afternoon.

Twenty minutes later, Hannah and Sarah had entered the Salt box. Climbing the stairs, they hurriedly made their way to the third floor. The room was just as she'd left it; only the other bed had been made, and some decorations had already been put up. Her new roommate was nowhere to be found, however. The other students hadn't arrived on the third floor yet adding to the deafening silence.

Hannah had finally caught up with her daughter. Walking into the room she remarked.

"It seems like your roommate has already been here, Sally." She could sense her daughter's disappointment.

"I want you to meet her, mom."

"I know you do. I'll meet her, soon enough."

Five minutes later, they were both walking across the Upper Quad towards Dr. Whitney's office. The rain had let up to a mere drizzle. They entered the building. The waiting room was warm and inviting. The receptionist had come to greet them.

"Dr. Whitney will see you, now." They walked into the bright office; the sun lamp shining on the mahogany desk, making the institutional green walls seem brighter than they were. Sitting behind the desk was Dr. Chloe Whitney; her auburn hair tightly curled, her nails neat and painted red. She looked up at Sarah.

"Welcome back, Sarah. I hope you have an even better second semester. I can see that the lithium has been helping you. A refill for both lithium and Mellaril has been sent to our pharmacy. Again, welcome back."

And just like that, the appointment was over. Hannah seemed relieved and dejected at the same time. Relieved because she couldn't stand the woman, but disappointed because she didn't get to talk to the doctor. Hannah sent Sarah back to her dorm to finish putting things away, while she attended a meeting. Rushing back to the safety of the Saltbox, Sarah hastily ran to the third floor; hoping the new student would be there. Finding the room empty, she became frustrated. Huffing and puffing, she sat on the bed. Suddenly, she saw a classmate walk past.

"Hey, Sarah!" they called out. She recognized that voice; it was Pamela Cordis.

"Hi, Pam. How was Christmas?" Sarah asked. Judging by the way Pam rolled her eyes, it probably wasn't that great.

"You don't want to know." Pam replied coolly.

"Did you get anything cool, at least?" Sarah asked her friend.

"I got this new hat and hair accessories. Do you like my new hair clips?" Pam inquired as she ran her raven black hair through her fingers. The light catching on her braces.

"That hat's cool. You only got those two things?"

"Don't be a dork, Sarah, of course I got more stuff. My cat, Lucy had kittens on Christmas Eve!" Pam squealed.

"Four beautiful, tiny babies. One gray tabby, a tortoiseshell, a calico, and finally an all black cat. They're in my room at home. I hope they eventually find good homes."  She continued.

"I'll catch up tonight at the party." Sarah replied, sighing as she did so.

"What's eating you, Sarah?" Pam asked, moving closer to the bed.

"I was told I was getting a roommate. I see their stuff is here, but they aren't. I think it's a trick."

"She probably went out with her family. You just got back, right? She was probably here earlier." Pam reasoned. Sarah always saw her as the voice of reason; a moment of clarity in a storm of confusion.

"I'm glad you're back, Pam." Sarah sighed. She hugged Pam before she left the room.

Across campus, a gathering was getting underway.

The sounds of Quarterflash and Karla Bonoff blasted through the Social Hall doors. At the entrance to the vast room was guarded by a set of tables manned by alumni. As she stood in line, Sarah could see her friends Pam and Alison. Unfortunately, she could also see one of her enemies: Jennifer Hussey. She was from St. George's Island and hated people from Martha's Vineyard. By the time she reached the head of the line, Jennifer had disappeared into the crowd.

"Welcome back, what's your name and grade?"

"Sarah Newstead, eighth grade."

"All right, you can pass."

She continued on her way, passing Jennifer silently. Suddenly from her left came a familiar voice; it was her friend Alison Courtwell. She made it back in time from the Philadelphia area.

"Hey, Sarah!" She shouted over the din. Sarah smiled and ran over; hugging Alison.

"Let's go find Pam." Alison suggested. Grabbing two cans of Coke off the table, they walked toward the corner of the room.

"Knowing how Pam is, she'll be over here in the corner." Sarah said. Sure enough, they saw Pamela sitting in a high back chair.

"Alison!" Pamela shouted. She seemed to be the happiest person to see her.

"Jennifer Hussey is here!" Sarah whispered.

"That paste-eater? Gross!" Pamela sneered.

"I know! I bet they have her shock collar set on high." Alison added.

"We're getting a new student." Pamela whispered. She seemed curious enough.

"Really? Is it the girl from New York?" Alison inquired.

"Yeah, her name is Amy. She seems cool." Sarah replied.

The opening notes of Blondie's Heart of Glass made their way into the corner; implanting themselves into Alison's brain.

"This song reminds me of a family party I went to last week at my aunts. My brother who just got his first car, pulled up with his girlfriend. They were shitfaced." Alison laughed.

"Your brother is a dork, Alison!" Pamela teased, her grin revealing her braces.

"Of course he is. He cares more about getting drunk and making out with his girlfriend, than anything else."

"I went to a party the other night, too." Sarah added. We ended up going bowling afterward. A boy named Alex beat me by two spares."

"I love going bowling with my dad. We do candle pins though. There's an alley up in Lynnfield we go to. He gets drunk with the guys and I bowl practically until closing." Pamela said proudly.

"Hey, I'm hungry, let's go get some pizza." Sarah said. They reached a consensus and left the corner. They ambled through the crowd. The 6th grade students clogged the hallway; pushing through them the trio made their way to the cafeteria corridor. Opening the door, they were greeted by the sound of soft sobbing.

"Do you hear that?" Pamela whispered.

"Who is that?" Alison asked.

They walked closer to the girl. Sitting on the floor, legs drawn close to her chest and rocking back and forth she felt pathetic and puny.

"Are you new?" Pamela asked. The girl nodded.

"Is your name Amy?" Sarah asked. Again, she nodded. Holding out her hand, Sarah helped the girl to her feet. She looked terrified.

"It's okay, we're your friends. Do you want to get pizza with us?" Sarah offered. Amy nodded.

"It's so loud in there and I don't know anybody here." Amy said, wiping her nose on her sleeve.

"I'm Sarah, your roommate. That's Pam, and to your right is Alison. We won't let anything happen to you."

Amy began walking with them to the cafeteria. She began to feel something that she'd never felt before: freedom.

"You'll like it here, Amy."