Two Of A Kind

Heal

//Cate//

"Play it again." I found myself saying. I had almost forgotten the memories of our mother playing, most everything that I do remember of her leans towards the darker side. "You haven't lost your touch, Griff."

He smiled, there was almost a laugh, but he began to play. This time it was different, almost like he was playing with our mom again. Her hands on top of his, guiding his little fingers to the right keys, her golden hair swooping over his face, but he was too concerned with the music to push it away. Gryffin was a child again, his memory washed of all things painful.

My thoughts were interrupted by Mariska, "Gryffin, you are so talented."

He had finished playing, and grinned shyly, "It was my mom who had the real talent, I'm just her unfinished prototype."

"Well now that we know how well you play, you're going to have to play for us much more." Peter smiled and pulled Mariska a little closer. They liked him, it glistened in their eyes.

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I wandered back to my room, the song still ringing in my ears. I wish that circumstances wouldn't have ended this way. I wish that our mother had never gone downhill. I wish that our dad had been present, and then maybe everything could've worked. All of this was all our pathetic mothers fault. But maybe it wasn't, maybe it was my fault, maybe the stress of having two kids drove her to madness. Oh my god, this was all my fault, I did this, I-

"Cate?" Mariska's voice interrupted my thoughts, and made me jump.

"What?" I turned around, still a bit startled.

"I was just wondering how you are doing and if you are liking it here," she moved a little closer, "we really want you to like it here."

"This place is great. You both have given my brother and I so much already." She smiled at that, "But why? Why us?"

"Why not you?" she answered back.

"Wait, so you just did this because you could?" My mind started racing, I had been right all along! They didn't want us, it was just a tactical move to gain popularity.

"Cate, I don't think you're understanding what I'm meaning."

"I think I do!"

"Just listen to me, Cate." She tried to interject.

"No, you listen! For most of my life- Gryffin's life- we've been tossed around from family to family. Some were nicer than others, some kept their hands to themselves, some didn't, but we made it through. And now, you think that you can just swoop us up and fix us with your great sums of money and fame? It doesn't work like that! I can sure as hell promise you that I won't be your puppet." Mariska sat down on my bed, taking in everything that I had just spit out.

"For a long time in my life I dreamt about having kids, being a mother, being a wife, and it happened, it took a while, but it did. Having August was one of the most miraculous days of my life, same with when we adopted Amaya and Andrew. Holding them in my arms was all I could've ever wished for, and then you two came into our view point. I just knew it was right, something clicked, and it was like you were already part of the family. I can't explain it, and I know you've had it tough, every single part of me wants to help mend it. I can promise you that you're not a way to gain publicity."

Was she telling the truth? If she wasn't, then she's a damn good liar. "So is this the part where I fall into your arms, and cry tears of joy? Because I don't think I can do that." I smiled a little. "But you're serious about all of that?"

She laughed, "I'm completely serious, we all want you here."

"Just one thing." I said.

"What is it?"

"Please don't make any promises that you can't keep. Gryffin and I have had our fair share of broken promises, and I would really like to avoid getting our hopes up."