Ginny and Georgia: The Younger Shadow

Chapter 26- Ginny's Birthday!
"Happy birthday dear Ginny-"
"Must you sing the whole song, mom?" Ginny sarcastically asked. She rolled her eyes as mom brought the ginormous chocolate cake over. It was my sister's favourite. Austin next next to me, and was practically drooling as he saw the cake. It looked divine and rich, and must've cost Mom good money from the Hawthorn Bakery. But Ginny wasn't acting like it her was her birthday; she was acting like such a bitch. I knew mom had her secrets and plenty of weight to carry on her back - so why did my sister have to make things worse? She really did go all out for birthdays- I remember when I was 7 and I had a whole flock of bouncy houses in our garden, so many party balloons that the colourful colours made my eyes burn with contentedness. And a girl there called Lacey Ward pulled my hair because she was jealous of the large pile of presents I'd received. I had done up my hair done up in two prim ponytails, and I screamed so much my mom told me she thought a murder was going on in there. But then mom pulled Lacey and me behind a Rosemary bush, and said to me, "Charlie, what do we do to bees?" At first I had thought she was off her rocker, and just gave her a confused look, my eyebrows scrubbed together and Lacey scowling in a really nasty way. "We sting" she whispered, her mouth curving up, and I was so close to her I can still recall the Rose perfume she was wearing, and a rich heavenly smell from her essential creams.
And without further warning, my mom just slapped her. A sharp slap across the face which left Lacey in tears, but mom warned her if she said anything she would tell Lacey's mom Lilith how she had pushed several kids over rather aggressively. Lacey knew she had lost, but I was just in awe of my mom. Even though I was irritated about my dad and how she scarcely ever told me about it, I was comforted by the fact I knew my friends were willing to help, and were always by my side. Not my friends. As Aria liked to call us, "sisters from unknown misters".
"Mom, can we have the cake now? Even though it's really early?" Austin begged, putting his hands together and flashing my mom one of his desperate puppy eye looks. Eventually, she caved in and let us take a slice, but Ginny refused to touch it.
"Why would you still speak to her and forgive her, Charlie? After everything she's done? You should know better." She hissed and stalked out of the room. Her chair made a piercing scraping sound as she left, but I didn't know if that was the real reason mom winced with such hurt in her pretty eyes.
"Mom? It's ok. Maybe she's just hormonal today?" I suggested, while sipping some water. The coolness travelling down my throat helped clear my head a bit, and I leaned forward as mom replied,
"Hormonal every day? I just want her to have a good 16th birthday."
"And she will right?" I asked. I had to get to school in ten minutes, but Ginny had already left.
"Bye mom. I love you." I called. When I heard no reply, I doubled back to the living room.
"Mom?" I repeated, craning my neck to look around the room. And she was just sitting on the cream coloured sofa, lost in thought. She was rubbing her forehead consistently, a glass of  wine  in her hands. She swished it round and round, and I gave a sudden jump and nearly leapt out of my skin when a loud ringing noise came from the hall. Mom jerked out of her disarray of thoughts and noticed me. Almost instantly, like it had become second sense, she plastered on a thick smile and ushered me out of the door. But I wasn't falling for that. Something was happening in Wellsbury. My world was changing. And I was going to have to be ready when it did.