Country Mile

ROYAL SCREW UP

Anne walked ahead of the girls and Adam brought up the rear as they all filed into the house.

The girls followed Anne to a tidy sitting area where she motioned them in.

"I'm gonna go run you a warm bath," Adam said, kissing the side of her head. "You want a snack or a book while you relax?"

Anne smiled up at him and shook her head.

"Alright," he drawled, kissing her red locks once more.

Anne watched him walk down the hall and she felt a little more of the uneasiness from earlier slip away from her.

Thank goodness he wasn't mad at her. He didn't blame her.

She turned her eyes back to the girls and watched as Genna made a show of sitting super carefully upon the plastic wrapped furniture, causing her to roll her eyes and try to hide a smirk.

"You sure we can sit in here Mama? We might leave dirty little fingerprints on everything."

Delilah giggled and turned to Deja, "Sorry, Mama's aunt is a weirdo."

"Delilah!" Anne chastised, surprise evident in her tone. "You girls just stay in here. You're in enough trouble as it is—Deja, honey, Adam will come get you when your dad arrives, okay?"

The girl shrugged. "I still don't know why I can't go to my own house." Her eyes scanned the room, but disgust was written all over her face. "This place gives me the creeps."

"This place, and it/s owner, are the definition of creep." Genna said.

"How much trouble do you think we're in?" Delilah asked softly once Anne left.

"I don't know about you guys, but I'm dead. Like 12 feet under." Deja said, covering her face. "I'm going to get the belt for this."

Delilah gasped and clutched her chest.

Genna rolled her eyes. "Calm down, Clarice." She turned to Deja. "If my dad finds out about—you know. I will. Probably every night for a week."

Delilah gasped again. "Oh my god, Genna! You STOLE AGAIN?!"

Genna's head dropped into her hands for a moment before she looked back up at Deja. "You see what I have to live with?"

Deja laughed then quickly covered her mouth at the dramatics. "Well we can all be dead together." She gaze dropped down to her hands. "I just hope mama won't be too sore with me. I hope I didn't make her worry to much."

"If she's as upset as our mama was..." Delilah let the sentence fade out upon her lips.

They all sat in deep thought, until Genna startled them by clapping her hands together.

"Well I for one am really happy with my piercing. Don't regret a single thing about today."

The tight smile on her face told them that wasn't entirely true.

"Liar," Delilah whispered as she reached up to gently touch her own piercing.

Deja smirked and lifted her shirt to show her piercing and tattoo. "Well that's one thing I actually don't regret from this day." She dropped her shirt and admired the small tattoo on her wrist. "Hopefully papa finds it after he kills me so I will be too sore for him to kill me again."

"HA!" Genna said, "My dad would put me on ice just to set me on fire quicker."

"No he wouldn't," Delilah said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh yes he would," Genna argued. "You know him. The moment he finds out I've done more than just get my nose pierced.. it's my death scene on repeat."