"I can't wait to see you all dressed up," Amanda said. We were eating pizza in a booth in the back of the restaurant. "It will be like the before and after of one of those makeover shows."

"Where are we going to eat before the dance?" I was trying to change the subject.

"We're going to that new, fancy French place. So make sure he's not poor." Amanda winked.

"I'll be sure to mention that to Brooke."

"Isn't it driving you nuts that you can't even talk to him first? He's not my date, and I'm going crazy with curiosity."

I shrugged. "I'll find out soon enough. Besides, isn't that the point of a blind date?"

She sighed. "You're so not normal."

"You like a good mystery, right?" I asked, changing the subject again.

"You know I do. Why?"

"I have a real life mystery, but it needs to be kept between us."

"If anyone can keep a secret, it's me," she said. "What's your mystery?"

"I think I was adopted."

Her eyes widened. "Are you serious? Because of the favoritism?"

"That's part of it," I said. "But that's not the strange part."

After I had finished explaining the stories of the supposed flood and my camera fear, she said, "My aunt works at the court house and has access to all of Delphic Cove's old records. If I tell her that I have a school project, she'll let me look! They have all types of stuff down there that isn't online. I took a class last year and was able to get all kinds of access. Anything over twelve years old is down in that basement."

"You can't get in there, Amanda. Have you heard of privacy laws protecting that stuff?"

"You mean like the HIPPA thing?"

"That's for medical records," I said. "But other records have privacy laws too."

"You know how it is. Typical small town—big city rules don't apply. Someday they might. You know, like, if the state or feds ever come in and find out how things are run. That's not too likely. Nothing exciting ever happens here."

When I got home, Natalie grabbed me. "We've got to talk."

We went to her room, and she closed the door.

"What's going on?" I demanded

She spoke so fast I struggled to keep up. "Mom's sticking to the flood story, which I don't buy either because there's like no way you'd not be in any of my baby pictures. For real, what siblings aren't in each other's pictures?"

"That can't be all that you have," I said. "Why bring me in here to tell me that?"

"I got her to dig out the birth certificates. I think yours is fake."

"What?" I asked. "How would you know that?"

"It was different from mine. Also, yours was made here in Washington, and we didn't move to Delphic Cove until after the flood—if there really was one."

"Did you ask Mom about that?"

"She says your original one was lost in the flood too."

"That's convenient. Why would they have brought all of your stuff and none of mine? It just doesn't add up. Unless, of course, they hated me even then and were glad to let it all drown."

Tanner came up to me at my locker. "Have you thought about joining the team?"

"Not really."

"Think about it, okay?" he asked. "You could probably get a college scholarship if you run like that all season."

"I don't think that Harvard offers track scholarships," I told him. "They're going to be far more interested in my perfect GPA."

"I don't know much about Harvard, but I do know schools like people to be well rounded," he said. "If you're only about grades and test scores, they'll be more interested in someone who has the grades and the extracurriculars too."

That stopped me in my tracks. "You know what? You're right."

"So you'll try out for the track team?"

"I'll think about it. I need to get through this weekend before I start thinking about sports though."

"You're going to the dance?" he asked, looking surprised.

"Yes. I'm sure I'll see you there."

"Who's your date?"

"He's from out of town."

"I'll look out for you then," he said. "You'll think about the track team, right?"

I wanted to throw a book at him. "I told you I would."

"Okay, okay. I still can't get over how fast you are. You've been hiding some mad skills."

Emma walked in between the two of us. "Alexis, is Tanner bothering you?"

"No, he was just leaving."

"Just think about it." He walked off.

"What was that all about?" she asked. "Why was Tanner talking to you?"

"He wants me to join the track team."

"Have you been holding out on us, Lexi? I never knew you could run."

"I decided that I need to be more well-rounded," I told her, pretending that it was my idea. "I can't just be all about brains and grades. I need to outshine my sister, right?"

"Oh, I get it now," she winked. "At least it sounds like you have some serious running skills if Tanner wants you on the team. He's picky about who he accepts."

That afternoon, the crows were waiting for me again. They were flying in a large circle over the parking lot. I wasn't sure if they had noticed me or not, and I decided to look for someone to walk to my car with me. It was worth a try.

I walked back into the school, looking for someone who might be about to walk out there or who might need a ride home. I knew that several other clubs would be letting out soon too.

Some guy was heading toward the main doors. I walked a little behind him, happy to see the crows fly off and scatter. I knew that they weren't gone for good, but at least they were gone for the moment.

I drove to Amanda's place to talk about what she'd discovered at the court house. I knew there had to be at least something good, because otherwise she could have told me at school.

"Luckily, my aunt didn't question what I was looking for," Amanda said. "She just let me in and let me get to work. At first I didn't find anything on your family. There's nothing on any of you before you were three."

"That backs up their story about our moving here after the old house flooded," I said.

"Yeah, but then it gets weird," she said. "Right after you guys showed up, your dad put in a hospital request for your birth certificate and then a social security number request for you. It was like you had no identity before coming to Delphic Cove."

Chills ran down my spine. "Did you find anything else?"

She was quiet for a moment. "I did find more. But first I have to ask if you really want to know what I found."

"How could I not? I'm on a mission to find out about my past."

She sighed. "Okay. Well, some relative of yours that wasn't named needed bone marrow. Your parents, sister, and you were all tested to see if any of you were matches. None of you were, but you know that I took that genetics class—I saw right away that you're not related to your family."

"I knew it."

"But that's not all. All the documentation shows they've been claiming you to be a fully natural child. Most adopted kids do have birth certificates with their adopted parents' names on it, but there's always documentation of the adoption."

"They obviously want everyone to believe I'm not adopted." I felt like I'd been punched in the stomach.

I quit playing detective for the rest of the week and allowed the information to sink in. I hadn't said a word to Natalie, even though I'd promised to tell her as soon as I found anything out. In a way, it seemed as if saying it out loud would make everything feel more real.

In order to get my mind off of my questions, I began researching crows.

After reading past the information about their high intelligence and other normal facts, I learned that for centuries, it was believed that crows are associated with death. People used to think if crows followed someone, it was an omen of impending death. Could these things indicate my impending death? My heart sank. Why had I gone on this search?

I decided then and there to stop playing detective. On top of everything else, now the crows could be a sign that I was about to die. It was time to focus on the dance and my handsome date.

I was thrilled when Saturday arrived, and it was time for Brooke to get me ready for the dance. She wanted me to come over a full five hours before it was time to leave for dinner.

When I arrived, Brooke said, "Steve and Cliff are out for a while, so you won't see Cliff before you're beautified."

"Oh. That's why you need five hours," I said, finally understanding.

She laughed. "There's a lot to do—and I spent hours yesterday getting ready for my dance last night."

When we got to her room, all the mirrors and windows were covered with dark paper. "You really don't want me to see myself before you're finished, do you?" I asked.

"That's right," she said. "You won't be able to capture a reflection of yourself until I show you what you look like in a full-length mirror."

She started by taking me into the bathroom—the mirrors were covered there, too. Then she washed my hair in the sink.

"You know, I did take a shower this morning."

"Trust me, my shampoo and conditioner will make your hair gorgeous. You're going to beg me to take it home."

While my hair was still damp, she put in a wide array of different sized curlers all over my head. It felt strange, tugging and pulling in all directions. I probably looked like an alien, not that I would know with the mirrors covered. Then she sprayed something all over my hair that smelled like honey and flowers, and then covered it with some kind of bag.

We moved back to her bedroom, where she put some funny smelling liquid on a cotton ball and rubbed it all over my face. Once that dried, she applied layer after layer of lotions on my face and neck. It seemed that she used every color in the rainbow.

Once that was done, we went to the kitchen and had some lunch. I was glad that Steve and Cliff weren't there. I was sure they'd be laughing at me if they could've seen me.

Back in her room, she gave me a manicure and pedicure. Brooke started by cleaning and massaging my fingers and toes. I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensations.

"Is this why so many people get manicures and pedicures?" I asked.

"It's heavenly, isn't it?" she asked.

Brooke continued with my royal treatment. When she was finished, I stared at my nails. Each was a work of art. They were all similar, but also slightly different.

I was beginning to feel like a work of art myself…and I was starting to like it.

After my nails had set, Brooke started on my hair. She removed the bag and tested the level of my hair's dryness, which met her approval, so she slowly removed the mass of curlers. She bustled around pulling this curl, pinning that one, spraying another.

It took about an hour, and it was a challenge keeping my head still. Brooke kept tilting it back to the correct angle.

Once she was done, she used nearly an entire bottle of hairspray and I was sure that it would take several washings to get it out.

After that, she allowed me to stretch and walk around before she started on my makeup.

"With all of this work, I'm sure that I'll look better than normal," I admitted. "But I still doubt I'm going to be beautiful."

"Alexis, even without the makeup or the dress you look stunning. I can't wait to see the finished product."

"I am curious." I couldn't help smiling.

"We're almost done. Can you believe it?"

"No. It's been a marathon." I sighed. How would I make it through a dance? I was already exhausted.

Just as she was finishing up my makeup, there was a knock on her door.

"Stay out," Brooke shouted.

"Just seeing if you guys are ready," Steve's voice came from the other side of the door. "Cliff's ready."

"We're not," Brooke hollered. "Just wait downstairs."

"Okay," Steve called back.

"Almost done," she told me. She stepped back, looked over my makeup and smiled. "Perfect. Now it's time to get you into the dress."

"I haven't even seen it. Bring it out."

She pulled a dress bag out of her closet and laid it on her bed in slow motion.

"I can't take it anymore. Take it out of the bag."

She slowly unzipped the bag. "Close your eyes."

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Nope. Close those eyes—and no peeking." She looked giddy.

I vowed to get her back. I closed my eyes.

"Grab my hand and step into the dress," she said putting her hand on mine. I stepped into the dress, and she pulled it up. "Okay, now hold still as I zip it up."

Brooke zipped it and then pulled at it here and there. She stepped away, I assumed to give me a full look over.

She helped me slip on uncomfortable heels. Then she placed a necklace on my neck, a bracelet on my left wrist, and finally some earrings on my ears. She stepped back again.

"Amazing, simply amazing." Brooke sounded in awe. Then her tone changed to bossy. "Listen closely. I want you to look up to the ceiling and walk over to my full-length mirror. Don't look down to see the dress or anything else. Just look at the paint on the ceiling and walk to the mirror. I'm going to remove the paper and then you can see how you look."

I took a deep breath and opened my eyes, looking up. I walked carefully and stood in front of her full-length mirror. I looked in anticipation at the large sheet of paper, which she couldn't have removed any slower.

When I saw the unbelievably beautiful person staring at me from the mirror, my breathing stopped. I thought I was looking at the cover of a magazine. I couldn't be looking at myself. I didn't even recognize myself.

"What did I tell you?" Brooke asked. Her eyes were wide, obviously full of excitement.

I was speechless. The dress was gorgeous and elegant, fitting me perfectly. It was multi-colored with silver sparkles. My hair cascaded perfectly around my face and down my back.

I didn't even recognize my own face. It wasn't as if she'd applied so much makeup that my face was hidden. It looked natural, but yet brought out my features in a way that I never imagined possible.

The jewelry, hair clips, and nails were the perfect finishing touches to complete the picture that was me.

"You're breathtaking," she whispered. "You really look like royalty."

"I can't believe it's me," I said, finally able to speak. I couldn't take my eyes off my reflection, unable to believe what I was seeing. I'd never seen anyone more beautiful. I truly couldn't believe that it was me. It just couldn't be plain, boring me.

"It's you, Alexis. Now you see why I've always been jealous of your beauty."

"I just can't believe it."

"Time to meet your date." Brooke winked. "Everyone's waiting."

My heart plummeted to my feet.