Kate Brian - Privilege 2 Beautiful Disaster

Beautiful Disaster (Privilege Series #2)

By Kate Brian

Product Details

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing

June 2009

Age Range: Young Adult

Series: Privilege Series , #2

ISBN-13: 9781416985471

ISBN: 1416985476

Ariana Osgood has spent the past two years at the Trumball Correctional

Facility for the criminally insane, charged with the murder of Thomas

Pearson. Ariana is determined to get a second chance at the glamorous life

she left behind---and she's willing to do anything to get her way.

Children's Literature

Kate Brian's second series "Privilege" promises to be as strong as her first, with the newest novel Beautiful Disaster. This, slightly darker than the average teen drama novel, will be sure to please its intended audience of

adolescent female readers as it delves deeper into the life of Ariana Osgood.

This time she has a new name, a new look, and a new life that she will do

anything to keep; even commit murder. Enrolled as Briana Leigh Covington

in the ultra exclusive Atherton-Pryce boarding school, Ariana/Briana is quick

to link herself up with the most popular group of girls at the school.

Everything seems to go smoothly as Ariana slips into her new life, until

cracks begin to form in the carefully concealed web of lies. When the only

two people in the world who know that she is even alive infiltrate her new

existence, Ariana/Briana is not sure how to keep the charade going

especially when old friend turned enemy Kaitlynn Nottingham shows up

demanding no less than one million dollars in exchange for her continued

silence about Ariana's past. Exactly how far will Ariana go in order to keep

her new life? Readers will be pleased with the dark drama and forbidden

romance that drive this novel and will eagerly await Book 3 in order to see

how it all plays out. Reviewer: Jeanna Sciarrotta

Biography

Kate Brian is the author of the NY Times and USA Today best

selling Private series and it's spin-off series, Privilege. She has also written many other books for teens including Sweet 16 and Megan Meade's Guide tothe McGowan Boys.

Beautiful Disaster (Privilege #2)

Kate Brian

For Matt: Couldn't have gotten through the last year without you!

NEW FRIENDS

"Hi, I'm Briana Leigh Covington, but you can cal me Ana."

Ariana Osgood stood before the trio of girls in the center of the sunlit campus of Atherton-Pryce Hal and held her breath. She felt the weight of this moment in every bone, every muscle, every tendon of her body. The very first moment of her brand-new life.

It seemed as if it had taken forever to get to this place. The stark memories of al she had been through--the months and months locked up at the Brenda T. Trumbul Correctional Facility for Women, the hours spent planning her escape, the days on the road, wending her way west from Virginia to Texas--al of the images and emotions crowded her brain, threatening to overwhelm her. Ariana had risked everything to get here, to earn a new chance at life. She had cheated, stolen, even kil ed her friend, Briana Leigh Covington, so she could assume the girl's identity and be truly and utterly free. And now she was final y here.

"Did you say 'Briana Leigh Covington'?" the tal , wil owy girl asked. As if she had heard the name before. Ariana's heart stopped. Did this girl know Briana Leigh? Ariana had just arrived at this hal owed private school for the ridiculously overprivileged. Just stepped onto this gorgeous, perfectly manicured campus for the very first time. The jig couldn't possibly be up that fast.

"Yes," she said firmly, steadily. Her fingers gripped the handle on her rol ing trunk a bit tighter, but not so tightly that anyone would notice. "But I prefer to be cal ed Ana."

The girl's hazel eyes quickly flicked over Ariana's outfit, her tasteful chocolate brown Theory dress and Gucci slingbacks. They assessed her set of Louis Vuitton luggage with a glance, then slid back up to her face, lingering for a moment on her long, auburn hair, which had been dyed to match Briana Leigh's natural hue. Throughout this ever-so-brief process, Ariana grew increasingly warm, but she didn't move. This was a normal and accepted practice among her people. A girl had the right to take a moment to decide upon the value of knowing the stranger standing before her.

"Interesting," the assessor said final y, noncommittal y. She glanced at each of her two friends, the impeccably groomed Chinese girl to her right, and the chunky-jewelry-loving blonde to her left. The blonde smiled almost imperceptibly, and the other girl suddenly became very interested in her BlackBerry. Ariana had the uncomfortable feeling that she was being silently mocked right to her face. Something she had done to many an unfortunate girl, but which had never been done to her.

"I'm Brigit Rhygsted," the blond girl piped up, taking a step forward and offering her hand. She had a hint of a Norwegian accent and the healthiest glow Ariana had ever seen. "This is Soomie Ahn and Maria Stanzini."

Ariana shook Brigit's hand and nodded as the other two girls said hel o. For the first time in a long time, she had no idea what to say next. What did a person say to the people who might or might not be mocking her? She had no idea, and she detested the feeling. A group of younger girls walked by and cal ed out hel os to the trio, which Maria and the others acknowledged with brief nods and vague smiles. They were paltry greetings that nevertheless elicited proud grins from those upon whom they were bestowed. Clearly, Ariana had chosen wisely. These were the girls whom al the other girls looked up to. The ones who could not be approached without an invitation. But she had approached. She had shown that she believed herself to be equal to their stature. That had to count for something.

"What year are you?" Brigit adjusted the strap on her messenger bag, and her colorful plastic bracelets clinked together.

"I'm a junior," Ariana replied. Even though she had been a junior three years ago. Briana Leigh would have been a junior, so a junior she would be. "What y--"

"Real y? Us too! Wel , me and Soomie. Maria's a senior. What dorm are you in?" Brigit asked.

Ariana hesitated at having been cut off. Also something she hadn't experienced very often. "Cornwal . What about--"

"Where did you transfer from? You have an accent. Are you from

the South? Do you have any friends here? A boyfriend, maybe?" Brigit asked, lowering her voice and giving Ariana a conspiratorial look.

Ariana glanced around at the other cliques on the quad, chatting and laughing in the sunshine. Had she chosen the right crowd? There was no way she could be friends with someone who asked this many personal questions in the space of fifteen seconds. Across the way, standing on the steps of the chapel, was an olive-skinned girl with thick black hair tumbling in waves down her back, who seemed to be watching Ariana and the others from the corner of her eye while she chatted with a group of handsome guys and perfectly coiffed girls. She, too, looked like a queen bee, just as Maria had from afar. Was it possible that Ariana had aligned herself with the wrong girls? Had she already made such an awful mistake?

"I--"

"Don't let her scare you," Soomie said, sliding her BlackBerry into the pocket of her navy blue blazer. She smoothed her already smooth black hair and lifted her chin slightly, giving Ariana a better look at the perfectly tied knot in her gold and gray striped tie. The col ar of her white shirt was so starched the points looked as if they could slice through metal. "There are three things you need to know about Brigit: A) She needs to know everything about everyone; B) she has the memory of an elephant; and C) she makes excel ent hot chocolate. Real y. It's her thing."