Chapter 1: Family Reunion

"Zee, darling, breakfast is ready!" Mrs. Carmichael called from the kitchen.

Mackenzie Blue Carmichael turned over in her bed and looked toward the window, searching for her cell phone to check the time. Her hand whacked against the nightstand, knocking over her journal, but she caught her phone before it could fall to the ground too. The oversized numbers on the screen read 7:15 a.m. Zee had looked forward to sleeping in a bit longer than she would back on campus at The Hollows, but alas, between the twins rising at sunup and her father's early schedule, the whole house had been dressed and ready for the day for the past hour.

Zee sat up in bed and looked at her phone with tired eyes. A message had come in from Ally, her BFF currently living in Paris. It was a copy of the train schedule from London to Paris for the next week.

Ally and Zee have been best friends since they both lived in California and attended the same grade school, Brookdale Academy. Ally moved to Paris a few years ago, and Zee just moved to London at the end of summer after her father took a new job. Zee and Ally planned to meet up in Paris this week while Zee was on fall break--Ally's parents recently split up, and she could use some cheering up from her bubbly and energetic friend Zee.

Let me check and see which day will work! Zee texted back. She was excited to make this trip happen, especially since Ally had canceled on her when they scheduled their first reunion in Paris right before school started.

Zee threw the covers off of the bed, swung her legs off the edge of the bed, and stood up. She stretched her arms overhead and rose to her tippy toes before relaxing her heels back down to the floor. It was her first night's sleep back in her London home since she went off to boarding school. There was something so comforting about her old bed, the way the worn-in mattress hugged her body and the softness of her favorite flannel sheets.

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Excerpted from All That Glitters by Tina Wells
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