Damn, this woman is a good actress. I almost believe the tears falling from her eyes.
“Abagail was an amazing woman. She would have never left you if she had a choice. She loved you more than anything in this entire world.”
“Don’t act like you knew her. You haven’t seen her in nearly seventeen years. The Abagail you knew was nothing like my mom.”
She pulls a tissue out and wipes her eyes. “I know she loved you enough to leave. Your mother loved you with every bit of her being. I didn’t have to know her in recent years to know that she never loved you any less.”
She’s right, but I can’t tell her that. My mom always told me how much she loved me. I knew she left the family shortly before my birth, but I never asked why. It didn’t matter. All that mattered was that I had her.
“She left for a reason, Alice. I don’t care why, and I don’t plan to stay long enough to find out.”
“I get it. All I ask is that you give this a shot. Give our family a real shot. The reason Abagail left is a nonissue now.”
“Why would I give you a shot?”
“You have a cousin who’s a year younger than you. She knows nothing of the past. Start fresh with her. She could be a good friend if you let her.”
I scoff. “I don’t need any new friends.”
Alice shakes her head.
“As stubborn as your mother. If you make it the full eight months, I will give you a ride to the airport, bus station, or wherever you want to go myself. I will also give you the trust fund I set aside for you after your birth.”
“You can’t buy me. I don’t care about money. I just want to live my life in peace.”
“I never said you did, dear. I’m only offering you what's yours. Usually you wouldn’t have access until you turn twenty-five, but if you give this a real shot, I mean actually get to know your cousin and keep your studies up, then when you turn eighteen, I will turn it over to you. Then, if you want to leave, you will have the means to do so without having to worry about how you’re going to make money.”
I roll my eyes. “I can get a job. I don’t need your pity money.”
“You’re not listening, Sage. It isn’t pity money. It’s money that I set aside in your name, which is your right. Your mother knew about it. She planned to tell you about it on your twenty-fifth birthday.”
“How do you know?”
“Believe it or not, Abagail and I kept in touch. Every three or four years, she would reach out and check in with me. We never spoke long because… well, it doesn’t matter anymore. She didn’t want anyone knowing where you were, so we always kept it short. I had been trying to locate her for the past two years to tell her things had changed. That she could come home. I regret that I was too late.”
“This is all surprisingly touching and all, but it doesn’t change anything. I don’t want your money.”
“Then don’t touch it, but it isn’t my money. It’s yours.”
I shake my head at her. “How much longer is this flight?”
“About an hour or so.”
“Great. I think I’ll take a nap.”
I pop my earbuds in, drowning out her response.
I have to admit that she’s sparked my curiosity. Why did my mom leave? What did she mean when she said Mom could come home? What kept her away?
I bite my tongue to stop from asking the questions burning in my mind. They don’t matter. They shouldn’t matter. Curiosity killed the cat and all.
I need to stay out of trouble long enough to age out. Then I can start my new life away from this new aunt and a family my mother wanted nothing to do with. If she wanted me to know them, then she would have told me.
I rest my head on the window and lose myself in the music.
∞∞∞
“This is your house?”
“It’s your house too, but yes.”
“Do you share it with other families?”
I marvel at the huge mansion in front of me. After tuning her out on the plane, she left me to myself, only asking if I was hungry or thirsty once.
“No, Richard and I live here with Victoria. Some staff does stay on premise, but other than that, it’s only us.”
“Why do you need a house this big?”
I imagine cleaning it and shudder. It must take days.
“We don’t need it. Richard picked this house out. When Father died, we considered moving into the family home, but it didn’t feel right, so we stayed here. Besides, Victoria grew up here. I didn’t want to take that away from her.”
I can tell she’s holding something back. When she mentioned “Father,” she winced. I wonder if he had anything to do with Mom leaving.
Stop it, Sage. You don’t need to know.
Parking in a garage big enough to fit at least twenty cars, Alice turns off the engine. “I want to warn you, Victoria’s extremely excited that you’re here. I know you’re not, but please don’t be cruel to her. She’s innocent.”
I feel a pang of guilt over the way I’ve been treating her. My natural distrust of people comes from my mom. Especially these people. But she’s right. Victoria wasn’t even born when Mom took me away from here, so she’s innocent. I keep that in mind as I exit the car.
Alice keys a code into the panel by the door before ushering me in. Once inside, she leads me down a hall into a large foyer.
“Victoria, we’re home,” she calls out, then turns to me. “Richard is away on business, but you will meet him when he gets back later this week.”
I hear footsteps padding down the hall. I turn to look in the direction they’re coming from, and a body comes to a halt in front of me.
“Hi, Sage. I’m your cousin Victoria, and I’m beyond glad you’re here.” The girl standing in front of me looks a lot like her mom. Standing about five-six, she has dark hair piled on top of her head. She’s gorgeous.
“Um, hi,” I manage as I marvel at the pure happiness on her face. Her smile is so bright it could blind me.
“Can I show Sage to her room, Mom?” Victoria asks.
Alice glances at me with a frown before pasting a smile of her own on her face. “Of course. I’m sure Sage would like to get some rest. It’s been a long day.”
Victoria grabs my hand as I clutch my backpack. She begins pulling me down the hall, but I tug her to a stop and turn back to Alice. “Can I start school tomorrow?”
Alice looks surprised, even though I mentioned it on the plane. “Are you sure?” I nod in response. “Okay. I will make some calls and get it set up.”
“Thank you. Oh, and my bag?”
“I will have Thomas bring it up for you.”
I give her a small smile before letting Victoria continue to pull me down the hallway.
"Who's Thomas?" I ask her after a few steps.
Victoria giggles. "The butler, silly."
What kind of fresh hell did I walk into? A butler? Who has a butler?
Apparently we do.
“I wanted you to have the room next to mine, but Mom said you would probably appreciate some privacy, so you’re down the hall from me. This room is mine.” She stops in front of an open door and gestures inside. “You can come in anytime. I don’t mind.”