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lawyer and I made contact with the guardians your mother named for you in her will, and they want to take you in immediately. I have a letter here from them.”
    “What?” Michele sat upright. “What guardians? I didn’t know my mom had named anyone for me, and if she did, I know it would be Amanda or Kristen’s parents.”
    “The will was very clear, and there was no alternate guardian named. Just Marion’s parents, Walter and Dorothy Windsor.”
    “What?” Michele, Amanda, and Kristen gasped in unison. Michele’s mind raced, as she felt something besides grief for the first time in weeks.
    “That has to be a mistake,” Michele said shakily. “My mom has been cut off from her parents since before I was born. They drove my dad away. I’ve never even met them! There’s no way she would give them guardianship—”
    “I’ve seen cases like this before,” Ms. Richards interrupted. “Often a mother or father does not have the best relationship with her or his own parents but still recognizes that they’re the right people to take care of the child, should something happen.”
    “It can’t be.” Michele shook her head in disbelief. “I don’t actually have to go, do I? You can’t force me.”
    “Since you’re a minor, you are under control of the family courts,” Ms. Richards said carefully. “Contesting the will in this case requires you to first live with the Windsors for a minimum of three months. And even after that, I have to warn you that fighting this could be a lengthy process. Since you’re nearly seventeen now, you’re probably better off sticking it out with your grandparents until you turn eighteen.”
    “So wait … Michele has to move to New York?” Amanda asked, looking stunned.
    “Yes.” Ms. Richards handed Michele a FedEx envelope. “I can’t explain it, but it’s what Marion requested.”
    Michele stared at the thin package for a few moments before ripping it open. Inside was a cream envelope with her namewritten in fancy calligraphy. The return address was a stamp reading: Windsor Mansion, 790 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10022 . Michele began to read.
September 30, 2010
Dear Michele ,
It is very difficult to believe that this is only our first correspondence. I have thought of you and wondered about you every day. Despite the fact that we weren’t in each other’s lives, you and your mother were always in my heart, as well as your grandfather’s. We so wish things had been different between all of us .
We are devastated by Marion’s passing. We’ve been so worried about how you would get on without your mother, and thus were relieved to learn that Marion had named us your guardians in her will. To that end, we submitted an application on your behalf to Berkshire High School, one of the finest private schools in the nation. This was the alma mater of Marion and most of the other Windsor girls over the last century .
We would like to fly you to New York as soon as possible. In this painful time, getting to meet you and have you live with us will be the one bright spot for your grandfather and me .
Love ,
Dorothy Windsor
    Michele read the letter three times, waiting for the words to feel real. Did her grandmother mean what she had written? Moreover, why would her mom choose her parents to be Michele’s guardians? She had to have known that Michele would try to fight it.
    Ms. Richards broke the long silence. “I know this wasn’t what you wanted, Michele. I know we’re asking a lot of you, to leave your school and friends and home. But think about this: you’ll be living in the same house your mom grew up in. Mr. and Mrs. Windsor told me that you’ll have Marion’s old bedroom and you’ll be attending her school. Maybe your mom chose her parents as your guardians so you could stay connected to her in this way.”
    Michele was quiet as Ms. Richards’s words sank in. What she wanted most in the world was to feel her mom with her again. What if this was the