prologue —

"shit, shit, shit!" effy dashed down the dimly lit hallway, the only illumination coming from a small, flickering light overhead.

"get back here!" mrs. lowry called after her, but at her age, sprinting wasn't her forte. the woman was in her sixties, and her pace showed it.

effy turned the corner and saw her friends waiting by their door. she just had to reach them before mrs. lowry identified her.

kayla stood in the doorway, ready to close it as soon as effy arrived. but just a few meters from safety, mr. fugerson appeared, blocking her path. effy skidded to a halt.

realizing there was no way out, she signaled kayla to close the door. if she was going down, she wouldn't risk her friends getting caught too.

"aha," mrs. lowry wheezed as she finally caught up. "little emilia dunphy... typical."

"mrs. lowry? emilia?" mr. fugerson looked at his watch in disbelief. "it's two am! what is going on?"

"emilia, would you like to explain yourself?" mrs. lowry demanded, glancing between effy and the school dean.

"did something happen?" mr. fugerson asked, his concern growing.

"i think we should discuss this in the office, mr. fugerson," mrs. lowry suggested. "we shouldn't disturb the other girls."

"right, follow me," mr. fugerson said, leading the way. mrs. lowry followed, with effy trailing behind.

effy glanced back as a door creaked open and saw her friends' worried faces. she shook her head and gestured for them to stay quiet.

"this is unacceptable," mrs. lowry declared, standing behind mr. fugerson, who sat at his desk. effy and her parents were seated in front of them.

"let me get this straight," phil said. "she turned the boys' bathroom into a swimming pool?"

"she flooded it, yes," mrs. lowry confirmed. "and then added soap, creating bubbles several meters high."

"that's where you lost me," phil muttered.

"phil!" claire exclaimed. "but aren't the taps automatic? she couldn't have pressed every button alone."

"unless she has magical abilities," phil joked.

"mr. dunphy!" claire and mrs. lowry scolded simultaneously.

"sorry, mr. fugerson, mrs. lowry, but our daughter couldn't have done this alone unless—"

"yes, we know that," mrs. lowry interrupted. "that's why we're trying to get the names of her accomplices."

"what, so she can rat them out to save herself? that's low," phil said, shaking his head.

"well, mr. dunphy, you'll be pleased to hear that she's not giving us any names. she claims she did it alone, which is impossible, but without a clear answer, we can't hold anyone else accountable."

"thank god," phil sighed. "i didn't raise a traitor."

claire shot him an angry look.

"but the problem is, we do have to hold your daughter accountable, and after three strikes, the punishment is severe," mrs. lowry continued.

"is she suspended?" claire asked.

"no, mrs. dunphy," mr. fugerson said softly. "i'm sorry, but your daughter will have to leave the school."

phil and claire gasped in shock.

"i'm not sorry," mrs. lowry said bluntly. "teaching your daughter these past few years has been my personal hell."

"mrs. lowry!" mr. fugerson exclaimed.

effy sank in her chair. she would never see her friends again. at least she had saved them from punishment, but it still stung.

"this can't be happening," claire stammered. "she's a smart student. she needs this opportunity!"

"as i said, i'm sorry, but there's nothing i can do," mr. fugerson replied, looking genuinely sad.

he quite liked emilia dunphy. she could be loud and exhausting, but she was also cheerful, funny, and exceptionally smart. perhaps her intelligence was why she often found herself in trouble, with mrs. lowry being her favorite target.

effy had accumulated three strikes in the past year, and at priscell academy, three strikes per school year meant serious consequences. if the strikes didn't reset each year, she would have been expelled long ago.

effy stared out the car window as her parents drove away from priscell academy. they had packed her belongings hastily, and she had tearfully said goodbye to her friends.

her friends had vowed to speak to mr. fugerson, to confess their involvement in the prank, but effy forbade them. she insisted it wouldn't help and would only get them expelled too.

"it's hard seeing you like this," phil said, watching his daughter cry. "you can visit your friends during the holidays, or they can come to stay with us."

"phil, she just got expelled from priscell, the best school in america!" claire snapped. "don't be nice to her now."

"i'm sorry, mom, dad," effy said, looking down at her hands in her lap.

"it's alright, sweetheart. we'll figure something out," phil reassured her.

effy had always been exceptionally smart. at the end of her third school year, she aced a test meant for tenth graders. her dean recommended her to mr. fugerson, who quickly saw her potential and accepted her into priscell academy.

since the beginning of fourth grade, effy had attended priscell. now nearly thirteen, she was impressed it had taken the school five years to expel her. she never cared much about school, but things just came to her naturally. she thought it was normal to know things without studying.

as the car left the academy grounds, effy wondered what her future held. she might be leaving priscell, but she wasn't giving up.

— hello guys!

welcome to the prologue of 'state of grace', i'm so happy to finally share this book, i'm currently working on and hope you like what you've read so far !

the first official chapter will be published on thursday ( the eighth of december )

please stay tuned and have a great day !

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