"This is what she had become."
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Cleopatra Banks' last week in the small town of New Chelsea is nothing like she would have imagined it, but nothing could have prepared her for the stinging betrayal she's faced with and suddenly the prospect of...
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"We're what?" Cleopatra Banks asked her mother who was seated on the couch, casually sipping her coffee.
Jeneviève could feel it coming...she knew her daughter all too well. "Honey, you heard me," she replied.
"Why? Why are we moving to Victoria Springs?" Cleopatra asked, fanning herself with one hand while the other rested on her hip.
"I told you honey," Jeneviève began, placing the half empty mug on the table. "Your dad's dream is finally coming true and now he's a partner at one of the best law firms in the country and as a family it is our duty to support him. He's worked too hard so don't be selfish about this." She pointed a finger at her daughter, an eyebrow raised in warning.
Cleopatra placed a hand on her chest, leaning back slightly. "I'm the one being selfish here...me?" She pointed at herself.
"Honey stop being so dramatic." Jeneviève continued.
"Dramatic?" Cleopatra dramatically raised an eyebrow along with her voice. Her cheeks started to warm up as old memories from her childhood resurfaced.
She was now pacing.
"Mom...remember what happened when we first moved here?" Cleopatra asked, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Honey I thought we dealt with that a long time ago," her mother was now up from the couch and standing in front of her. Cleopatra pushed back the tears, gave her mom what she hoped was a withering look and stormed out of the living room towards the stairs and disappeared into her room.
Mrs. Banks watched as her little girl walked away. It didn't matter how old Cleo was, she would always be her little girl. Her first little girl.
If only...
Her thoughts started to trail off.
NO!
She stopped them before they could go any further, willing them to go back to whatever dark hole they crept out from.
She had come too far. Her family had come too far. There was no use in opening up old wounds.
***
Cleopatra had just returned home from school when her mom dropped the bombshell.
She lay in her bed fetal position facing her window. She was still fighting back tears. The onslaught of the memories was just too much, and eventually the battle was lost. She gave in to tears and rampant thoughts.
The first one that came to mind had to do with her three best friends.
What was she going to do without them? They were all she had, all she knew and they were a constant, her support and to her they had become family as well.
