CHAPTER 52
The next day, the four of us were upstairs rearranging the furniture back to its original state from when we moved it for the Haunted House. Connor and Dawn could not stop talking about the night before. They had been babbling on about how great the map and the books we had made were, as well as everything else we had done. It was clear that the night had been a complete success.
“Will, how come you changed Spike’s accent? Last year, you did Dracula,” Dawn asked curiously. She was way too observant for her age.
“Well, I heard someone talking like that and thought it was a better fit for Spike,” Will said, referring to our close encounter with Wesley in mother’s bedroom. “And besides, I believe you all made fun of my accent last year since it was horrible.”
“I didn’t make fun of you,” Connor reminded him. “But I liked the British accent better.”
“How do you know it was British?”
“Duh, Will.” Dawn gave Will a look that told him she thought he was completely stupid. “We did have all the Harry Potter DVDs before we came here.”
“Who do you know that’s British?” Connor piped up.
“Wesley,” Will replied nonchalantly.
“When did you hear him talk?” Dawn asked. “I didn’t know you even knew him.”
“We saw him when we went exploring.”
“You didn’t tell us that. You told us you found mom’s room and that you saw her come in and you snuck out when she went into the bathroom. Why didn’t you say anything about Wesley?”
Naturally, we hadn’t told the twins the whole truth about that night. There were becoming too many lies and cover ups to keep straight, and nine year olds weren’t supposed to be able to remember every conversation you had with them. I stayed quiet, knowing Will would be able to handle Dawn better without me.
“It wasn’t that important. He just walked her to the room and then left. We only saw him for a second.” Will was getting exasperated, hoping Dawn would just drop the subject.
“If it was long enough for you to pick up his accent, I think you should have told us,” Dawn pouted.
“Look, next time we go out, we’ll tell you if we see him, okay? It just really wasn’t a big deal.”
“But how do we know you haven’t told us something else that was important?”
“Dawnie, we wouldn’t do that.” Will bent down in front of her so that they were eye to eye. “We let you in on everything. We aren’t going to leave you in the dark about anything having to do with getting out of here. I promise you.”
Dawn looked Will in the eye for a moment longer as if she was trying to read his mind for any sign that he was lying. I guess she decided she could trust him because she nodded her head and gave him a hug. I saw Will’s eyes close in both relief and love as he hugged her back.
I turned away from the scene, feeling like I was intruding on their moment, and brought down the skeleton that was hanging from the rafters.
“It was so cool when that fell from the ceiling.” Connor came up behind me. “Who grabbed us from under the dresser? It had to be you, right Elizabeth?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was waiting at the end for the monster.” I feigned ignorance, trying not to ruin the spooky illusion.
“No, it was definitely you because Will was up ahead with the silly string,” Connor decided.
“You really got me with that stuff.” Dawn joined in seamlessly with Connor’s conversation as she pulled away from Will. “I was covered with it. I even found some under my witch costume when I got dressed for bed.”
“Silly string is the best. Do you have any more?” Connor asked Will.
Will stood up and went over to reach on top of one of the dressers we hadn’t moved yet, bringing down two bottles of silly string. “Here, I don’t know how much is left,” he said, passing one can to each of the twins. “But, go crazy.” As both twins started to point their cans towards him, he quickly added, “On each other, not me and Elizabeth.”
Both of the twins started giggling. “But that’s not as much fun.”
“Too bad,” Will replied with what I called his ‘stern father’ face.
The kids took the hint and we watched as they started chasing each other around the attic spraying silly string.
Will leaned up against the wardrobe near me and crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Why do I feel like I need to start tape recording all conversations I have with them so I don’t put my foot in my mouth?”
“Probably because you do. Those two are smarter than we give them credit for. They’ve had to deal with major grownup issues a lot faster than we ever had to, that’s for sure.”
“Yeah, the only care I had when I was that age was making sure I didn’t break my glasses.” Will looked down at the floor shyly before changing the subject. “Look, about last night. Just forget what I said. I think it will be easier that way, you know?” His eyes were pleading with me to pretend he never confessed any of his feelings.
If only it could be that easy.
After Will had left me, I sat up in the attic for I don’t know how long thinking about what he said, about what I said. Did he really imply that he loved me as more than just a sister? And, if he did, what about when I said I loved him? Were there hidden meanings behind my words?
I knew I never loved Parker, not even in the high school young love kind of way. I never had delusions of us being together forever after we graduated, becoming high school sweethearts who got married and had the perfect white picket fence life. I also couldn’t deny that what I felt for William was so much more than my feelings for Parker, but how did I differentiate between the love I felt for my brother and what feelings I had for my lover? Feeling a headache coming on, I had finally given up on figuring it out since that person was one and the same. And now he was asking me to just forget about it when he was the one that started all of these questions swimming around in my head in the first place. I didn’t think I could do it – it was out there, wrapping its way around my brain, making me crazy.
“Will, I …” I never got to finish my sentence because our conversation was interrupted by a voice coming from downstairs.
“Kids! Kids? Are you up here?”
“Mother,” I said in shock, staring up at Will. “Wonder what she wants.”
“Only one way to find out. Come on.” Will grabbed my hand and walked me over towards the staircase and our approaching parent.
“Sweethearts? Hello?”
“We’re here, Mom,” Will yelled down the stairs, getting her attention.
The twins, covered in silly string, had stopped in their tracks and were looking dumbfounded at the staircase. Suddenly, our smiling mother came into view. She looked fabulous as usual, wearing deep brown pinstripe pants with a burnt orange turtleneck sweater. She looked warm and inviting, like she should be on the pages of a magazine gallivanting in the brightly turned leaves to advertise the latest fall fashions. When she finally saw us, her smile beamed with happiness. “Kids, I have great news!”
“Grandfather’s dead,” I replied straight-faced, crossing my arms over my chest and standing tall ready to defy my mother.
“Elizabeth! Don’t be so rude.” She gave me a reprimanding look, but then beamed at me again. “Oh, your hair! It’s so cute. I love it.” She came over to run her hand over my shorn locks, and I flinched at her touch. “It’s about time you decided to cut it. I have to say that the last time I saw you, it was getting a little too long. Started to look stringy.” She leaned in to whisper the last part to me as if it was our little secret.
“Yeah, well I can’t run to the salon whenever I’m not looking my best,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes at her callousness even though she obviously knew nothing of Drusilla and the tar punishment. But she still was our mother; she should have known. She was nothing like the mother who raised us anymore.
“And William, what have you done to yours?” Mom kissed Will on the cheek. “You look just like your father.” My eyebrows arched with curiosity at her statement. “When I first met him, he was going through a rebellious phase. My parents hated it. I think mother called him a ‘good for nothing street urchin,’ but I thought he looked very cute. I like it on you too.” She winked at him playfully.
Interesting, seems like I just figured out why Dru was always glaring at Will since we dyed his hair. Even the insults she slung at Will were almost identical.
“Now, I came to see you all because I have great news.” She sat down gracefully in one of the chairs, not yet acknowledging the twins. We all stood still, not moving towards her as she delivered this so called good news. “Last night, at the Halloween Ball, there was a big announcement - Wes and I set a wedding date! It’s going to be the second Saturday in May. I’m so excited.” She started clapping happily, bouncing on her feet.
“What does that mean for us exactly?” Will asked, not sharing in her enthusiasm.
“Don’t you see? This is wonderful. I’m doing what my father always wanted – I’m finally marrying one of his partners. I’ll definitely get put back into the will. It’s a sure thing now.”
“So grandfather isn’t dead?” I asked again. It was really the only thing I cared about, since I thought that was the only way we would get out of here.
“Is that all you think about, Elizabeth! Ethan is still alive, and I need him to be to get back into the will,” she answered curtly.
Will asked her the next question. “And you don’t think you’re in it now, considering you’ve been engaged to Wes for quite some time?”
“No, I don’t. Father is a very cautious and shrewd man. He thinks that just because we’re engaged it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ll go through with it. With a date, it becomes more definite. Plans will be made; time and money will be invested. An engagement is harder to break after you’ve put some of yourself into it. Plus, I’m going to England next week with Wes to meet his parents and other family. Can you imagine? A whole month in London!” Mom got that dreamy look on her face again.
“I guess this means you won’t make my birthday this year. Or Thanksgiving again for that matter.” It’s not that I actually expected her to show up, but it still hurt somewhere deep inside me that she could so casually throw us away like this.
“Don’t be like that, Beth. You know how important this is. For the plan to work, I have to get back into the will.”
God, how could she be so naïve! She was still relying on the stupid plan. I lashed out at her. “Mother, the plan is dead! We’ve been stuck in this room for over a year. You haven’t come to see us in over six months, and even if you had, it would all be more of the same – you still sniffing at grandfather’s feet trying to get back into his precious will.”
“Elizabeth, you’re wrong. The plan is working. I’m closer than ever. William, sweetie, tell her that we need to stick to the plan.”
Mom and I both looked at Will with bated breath. With an evil look in my eye, I glared at him ready to kill him if he took her side. Will looked back and forth nervously between us both before settling his gaze on mom. “I’m sorry, Mom, but I have to agree with Elizabeth on this one. I thought you were going to reevaluate the plan after six months. It’s been a lot longer than that, and we’re still here.”
I sighed a little in relief at Will’s answer. This was the first time Will took my side over mom’s since we’d been here, and I couldn’t help the little satisfied smile that crept onto my face.
Mother glowered at me celebrating my triumph, and I tried to stifle my grin. Turning back to Will when I looked away, she defended her decisions. “I did reevaluate, and I decided to stick with the original plan. My relationship with Wes was blossoming nicely at Christmas, and I knew it would just be a matter of time before we moved in the direction we are in now. But, I can see that Elizabeth has brainwashed you into turning against me.”
Will shook his head, somewhat annoyed at her conclusions. “She hasn’t brainwashed me, mother. It’s just that we’re still stuck in this attic, you haven’t visited us in ages and we can’t really see an end to our predicament.”
“Yes, mother. When does it end?” I decided to get all my misgivings out in the open too, since it seemed like Will was going to have my back for once. “What happens if grandfather doesn’t die for another two years? Do we stay in here until William is a grown man? And never mind grandfather, what about Wes? I’m assuming you still haven’t told him anything about us. When grandfather does die, are you just going to let us out of our tiny prison-like room and expect him to welcome the four secret children you’ve been harboring away like mice with open arms? How can you possibly think any of this is going to end happily ever after?”
During our questioning, mom had just sat silently looking at us blankly, as if we were speaking a foreign language that she didn’t understand. Finally, she turned calmly to face Will. “Do you agree with her, William?”
Will’s eyes and tone softened when he answered. “Mom, I’m not against you, but from our point of view in the attic, no part of this plan looks good anymore.”
“So you do agree with her.” Mom stood up hastily. “Then I guess it doesn’t matter what I do anymore. Nothing will ever be good enough for you.” That’s when she started turning on the waterworks, and I wondered if she’d been practicing at it since the tears came so easily. “I’ve been trying so hard to win back my father’s love over the past year, and none of you can see it. You’re abandoning me now, when I’m so close to succeeding. I guess I’m the only one that understands the meaning of sacrifice and sticking together. You are being very ungrateful, and I know I didn’t raise you that way.” She brought her hand up to dab at the tears in the corner of her eye. “I can tell when I’m not wanted. I don’t know when I’ll be back since I’m going to England, but maybe during that time you should think about what I’m doing for you to make your lives better in the future.”
She started to walk away, but I wouldn’t let her go that easily. “That’s bullshit, and you know it. We are the ones suffering here, mother, not you! What do you know about the meaning of sacrifice? You are gallivanting all over the world with your new boy toy, while we sit caged in this house with no chance of making new friends, walking in the sunshine or even going to school. Don’t give us a lecture about how we don’t know the meaning of sacrifice.” I walked over to her and got right in her face. “And what about our lives now, mother? We’re in our formidable years here, and you are ruining them by keeping us locked away. We’re pale and thin, and you don’t even care that we are being cruelly punished by Drusilla.” I pushed an accusing finger into her chest. “You think my hair cut was my choice because it was getting stringy? It wasn’t, mother! She put hot tar in my hair! If it wasn’t for William’s care, I probably would have been scarred for life, but you wouldn’t know that because you weren’t here - just like you weren’t here when Will was getting whipped or when we were being starved to death. You are so fucking clueless! It’s like you aren’t even our mother anymore.”
Mother’s hand came up to strike me just like she did during our last encounter when things got heated, but Will grabbed her wrist before she made contact. “Don’t touch her,” he said menacingly. “I’m not going to let you slap her again.”
She wrestled her arm out of Will’s grip. “Well, Elizabeth, I guess congratulations are in order. You really have done a job on your brother, turning him against me.”
“Beth didn’t do anything to turn me against you. I just don’t know if you’re still thinking about what’s good for us anymore!” Will yelled in frustration. “You’re never here and when you do decide to show up, you just tell us about how great your life is while we are trapped here by you and Dru.” I was impressed that Will finally grew a pair to voice his less than flattering opinions of mother. “And Beth’s right, I’m not sure who you are anymore, but I know you’re not the same mother we had in Los Angeles. You’ve changed since we came here, not us! So don’t blame this on Elizabeth; prove her wrong.”
When Will finished his diatribe, mom’s eyes hardened, and she walked silently to the top of the staircase. Without turning around, she stopped and spoke authoritatively. “Despite both of your whining, let me assure you that I am still your mother and because of that, you will stick with my plan for as long as I tell you to. When I do ‘prove her wrong’ by successfully inheriting millions from my father, I will expect you to show me the respect I deserve as your parent. I don’t know when I’ll see you again; I think I need some time to forgive you for this betrayal.” Her heels clicked on the steps as she walked away, leaving us staring at the empty space she occupied, wondering how she could be so cold to her own children.
“She didn’t even hug us.” Dawn’s small voice trembled on the verge of tears. “Why does she hate us so much? She acted as if Connor and I weren’t even here.”
Will and I turned our heads to the twins, who both had tears running down their cheeks after being all but ignored by mother, but still having to witness the ugly scene, “Dawnie, come here,” Will said, holding out his arms to her.
She ran into them and grabbed onto him tightly, burying her head into his neck while she sobbed. While watching them, I felt Connor run into me, wrapping his arms around my legs. I put my arms around him, running my fingers through his hair to try to soothe him.
Will picked up Dawn and laid one of his hands on top of mine on Connor’s back. “No matter what mom says or does, we’re going to take care of you. Bethy and I love you and we’re going to make sure you are always safe. And when we all get out of here, I’m going to figure out a way to support you and keep us together. I don’t care what it takes; I’m not letting anything happen to split up this family. Do you understand me?”
The twins nodded their heads into our bodies, signaling that they heard.
“Good, neither of you have anything to worry about. Just let me and Elizabeth take care of everything and we’ll be out of here in no time. We love you so much.” Will started to move over towards the mattresses near the sitting area, so I picked up Connor and followed him.
We sat next to each other with the kids cradled in our arms on our laps for a long time, while Will assured them of our love and our escape. He painted a picture of our life once outside of the attic, with them going back to school and making new friends, maybe even getting a dog for a pet, rather than the mouse Connor now cared for. I knew that when we did make it out, it would be tough at first since we had nowhere to go, no other family, but I couldn’t help believing that Will would make this wonderful life a reality. I didn’t know what we were going to do, but I knew it had to be better than this place.
When the crying downgraded to sniffling and then stopped altogether, I realized that the twins had both fallen asleep, exhausted from their emotional state. Knowing that we were virtually alone in the attic, I grabbed Will’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for sticking up for me. It’s the first time you’ve done that when it comes to her.”
“I couldn’t just stand there and let her hit you again.”
“I’m not talking about that, though I do appreciate it. I’m talking about how you finally let her know you doubt her intentions and this stupid plan of hers.”
Will looked over at me, and I could see the pain in his eyes. “Yeah, well, I want to believe her; I want to believe her plan is still going to work and that makes this all even harder. I feel guilty for thinking she may actually be forgetting about us. Does that make me stupid?”
I shook my head and brought my hand up to his cheek. “No, it makes you a loving son. When you love someone, Will, you love them with everything that you have. I know that better than anyone.” At the mention of his love for me, he blushed and put his head down. “Don’t look away,” I said, bringing his face back up so I could see him. “You love mom, so you still have faith in her despite everything. You’re fiercely loyal – to mom, to me, to the twins. And to do what’s right for us and yourself, you might have to go against mom. I know that’s killing you, but it’s realistic and I think it’s going to end up being the right thing to do. We’ll get through this together – you and me, Will; we don’t need anyone else, but each other. And I promise you, I’m never going to dismiss you the way mom is doing to us all. I’ll stand by you until the very end.”
Tears were swimming in Will’s eyes, so I leaned over to kiss him. I had meant it to be chaste; a sisterly kiss to reassure him that he would always have me no matter what happened. It started out that way, with just a peck to his quivering lips, but it soon turned heated when he slipped his tongue out to taste me. My mouth automatically opened allowing him entrance, and his hand came up to tangle in my hair, deepening the kiss. I moaned at the feel of the emotions he was pouring into it, which caused Dawn to stir.
Breaking away quickly, so as not to get caught in a heated lip lock, Will whispered quietly, “Thank you.”
“For what?” I asked, breathily.
Will shrugged his shoulders. “Just for being you. Your support, I appreciate it.”
“It’s no problem, believe me.” I leaned in again to kiss him, but he pulled away.
“Later, when we’re alone. If we start, I don’t want to have to stop.” He looked down between Dawn and Connor. “Besides, we should probably get these guys up since it’s almost dinner time. You know they’ll be impossible to get to bed tonight.”
“We better get them up then. I happen to enjoy my nights once they go to bed,” I flirted.
“Yeah, me too,” he replied with a wink, before gently shaking Dawn awake.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
I'm so sorry again for the delay. Work is kicking my butt as usual. Thanks so much to my betas, Megan and Andrea, for doing a wonderful job as always. Please review to let me know I haven't lost any of you!