End Game

Chapter 8

Midnight update for you guys. Let me know what you think? How do you like the story so far? Anything you are itching to see (or read) happen?

Chapter 8

Cera came downstairs the next morning and followed the sounds of life to the kitchen. She entered the room to see her family sitting and standing around the breakfast counter. Her mother was at the stove finishing off what looked to be eggs. She inhaled the scent of delectable breakfast foods before greeting everyone. “Good morning, family.”

They all turned and gave her their varied hellos. She moved over to where her father was sitting and gave him a kiss on the cheek with a hug. “Good morning, Père.”

He returned her hug and gave her a smile. “Good morning yourself, ma arc en ciel,” Kaleem responded using the nickname he had given Cera when she was a little girl. It was French for rainbow; a play on words because Cera was French for colorful, and because of her vibrant personality.

Cera moved over to her mother and dropped a kiss on her cheek as well. “Good morning, Mère.”

Her mother gave her a pointed look, “Bonjour, Fille. Long time no see.”

Cera avoided eye contact with the woman and went to take a seat next to Caprice. “I have been busy.” Cera knew better than to apologize to her mother when she didn’t mean it. While she hadn’t intentionally distanced herself from her family she wasn’t sorry for it. She had been focused on getting her next line out and preparing herself for meeting with potential sponsors. She couldn’t be sorry for working to accomplish her dream, and she knew her parents wouldn’t want her to be.

Estella Michaelson knew her daughter always got caught up in her work. It was one of the reasons she and her husband had agreed to buy the warehouse when she was seventeen. Her work had gotten much bigger than the spare bedroom they had let her take over in the house. Though when Cera would let herself get too busy, her mother and sisters would always show up and bring her out and bring balance to her life again. Estella wasn’t mad at her daughter’s tendency to overwork; she was just upset that she had stayed away for so long.

“Just don’t let it happen again,” Estella told her. “I like seeing all of my children.” Cera nodded and the family then prepared to eat breakfast. Estella sat next to her husband and they all said grace and began to enjoy the small feast; all except for Charisse whose tongue was still slightly swollen and sore.

“So let’s hear it,” Estella said once they had been eating for a few minutes. “What have you been doing that has kept you away from us for so long?”

Cera smiled at her mother. She knew it wouldn’t be long before she asked her; both of her parents loved to know what was going on in their daughter’s lives. They had always been that way. When the girls were young they would come from school and each took turns telling their mother about how their day went: what they learned, what they did, and usually for Cera and Caprice, what kind of mischief they got into. They would later retell their stories for their father once he returned home from work.

Caprice groaned at her mother’s suggestion. “Can’t she just tell you later? I’m sure nothing has changed since the last time she told us and I for one am tired of hearing the same thing over and over.”