Tawny returned to Ivoree Gates in a daze.

Obviously, Maddie wanted to know everything, but Tawny deprived her of information, telling her friend that she needed time alone to think.

And think she did. Tawny spent New Year's Eve with her mother at the hospital, watching the New York City celebrations on the dinky cathode ray black-and-white television in her hospital room.

But even as she watched the extravagant ball drop, she felt no celebration in her heart. All Tawny saw was the ball symbolizing her hopes and dreams, it's descent back to Earth signalling not just the end of the previous year, but the start of a new one where she had to resume a life of mediocrity.

Sure, she would be back home, among friends and family, a sea of familiar, comforting faces.

But she would back to her old boring, public school. Back to her old, boring town full of old, boring people and old, boring things to do. She envisioned herself getting hired at the old, boring Walmart down the street from her house. Having to work there for the rest of her life in order to support her mom and her baby sister.

Understandably, Tawny was quite depressed when she came back to Ivoree Gates What was the point of continuing on with her studies there when her financial future was already doomed? She couldn't possibly focus on her schoolwork while her mom lay sick in a hospital bed and Gabby was in the care of strangers.

In the final days leading up to the start of the second semester, Tawny just lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. She felt doomed, she felt trapped. She felt like she had no other options.

Well...she did have ONE final option.

---

"What the hell is this?" Dylan demanded as he hopped out of his chauffeured vehicle. He had just come back from his 2-week vacation stint in the Bahamas, and was quite the sight when he emerged from the car; overly tanned, in a floral shirt and Bermuda shorts.

But his tone did not match his festive appearance. "Who gave you the authority to be on my property?"

"Happy New Year to you, too," Tawny said, sardonically. "And I'm here of my own authority. I need to talk to you. Privately."

Dylan scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "Classic poor girl behaviour. Don't you know how rude it is to accost someone fresh off their Caribbean escape? At least wait until my tan fades before bothering me. Somebody take her back to the dorms."

Dylan walked past her up the steps of his door. Two large men in suits approached Tawny and were about to place a hand on each of her shoulders...

"I need your help," Tawny blurted out.

Dylan stopped dead in his tracks. He raised one of his hands, halting the actions of his cronies. He turned his head to look Tawny in the eyes.

"I said...I need your help. I know you came to me before, asking me for a favour which I declined. Now I'm coming back to you...willingly. And I'm swallowing all my pride to do the one I promised I would never, ever do."

To the suited men's surprises, Tawn got down to her knees on the ground, and clasped her hands togehther in front of herself. "I'm begging you for your assistance."

Dylan regarded her carefully. Then he walked over so that he was standing right in front of her, looking down at her face.

"So...I see you've come delivering a belated Christmas present," his voice was even-tempered, but his face was serious. "Tawny...you're asking me, Dylan Westinghouse, heir to the Westinghouse family fortune, for a favour in your hour of need. Do you know what that means?"

"Yes..." Tawny said, gulping down her pride and her sadness in one fell swoop. "It means...that I will have to work for you. I will have to become a Dylantante."