True Identity

Chapter 49

We talked as we walked about the small things in everyone's lives. A few of the cases that Theo had seen while working in the hospital in Providence for his placements, some of the fashion shows Opal had worked on, stories that had interested Lia that weren't about squeaky popstars. It didn't take long to get home but from then on it was time for the girls to get ready for the evenings event and the family time ended for a while but even then, this was more than we got throughout most of the year.

Before we knew it, after a few hours of pampering ourselves, we were stepping out of the cars as cameras flashed in front of us. Obviously not the paparazzi but a few photographers and reporters that were there to photograph and report on the president's annual charity and those prestigious enough to attend. It varied from senators and military officials to award winning actors and legendary singers, explaining the photographers that always needed the most recent photos of these people. The official photographer would take pictures of our family so there were records and my dad would often obtain them for my mom; she even forced them to take one of just the five of us. We walked along the carpet, smiling and talking amongst ourselves as the lights continued to flash, it wasn't just us entering so it wasn't unexpected.

I wore my coral coloured dress whereas Opal wore a classy navy-blue dress with a low sweetheart neckline and thigh knee high leg split with strappy silver shoes. Lia had a black dress that had a similar halter neck covering the breast-age area and the further down the dress you went, flowers from purple and orange faded into the dress accompanied with pink strappy shoes. Mom wore the best dress in my opinion because it was so sophisticated and unlike mom who lived in her uniform. A red floor length gown that seemed more like a cape with arm holes at the elbow, all the with gold accessories.

The evening ran on with a dinner and a speech by the president and then we were allowed to mingle where I talked to some of the people I'd met while I was working with dad as well as a few of the other 'children' of those attending that I saw every year.

As it ran later, it always got more and more tiring. The food was eaten and you'd mingled enough to give contributors time to give in private which I did myself with the small amount I could give. I slipped out after a while to look at my phone without seeming rude, taking it from my small silver clutch and placing the bag on a window sill in the corridor. Since Opal had told me to put it away while we were shopping because I was texting Eli and the others and doing anything other than shopping, I hadn't looked at it and felt bad but I didn't expect there to be nine missed calls from Eli.

He never called me, if he wanted to talk to me, he would come and find me. I immediately panicked, looking for more details. They started at five and stopped at six, it was now nine. It had been three hours and I hadn't heard anything since. No 'sorry, I pocket dialled'. Nothing.

I pressed his number and put the phone to my ear hearing the ringing tones and then his answer phone as he didn't pick up.

I tried once again to call him, hoping that he'd just missed the call by a few seconds, but once again I heard his voice mail. I told him to call me and rang Morgan instead. She could go over and check.

"Replaced Eli with a senator's son yet?" She answered as I nervously tapped the window sill looking onto a White House lawn.