Zoe. | Recharged. | Book One.

Marissa Bryan. | Secrets Told, Calls Made, and Deception Done.

September 4th, 2011

A few seconds after I shout her name from downstairs, Zoe comes down the stairs with her duffel bag. "Are you ready to go?" I ask Zoe as she reaches the bottom step on the staircase. A smile appears on her lips, which I reciprocate almost immediately. However, the smile that she presents to me is not a genuine one. What's up with her? I pucker my lips in curiosity, and she quickly looks away from me, which I assume is to avoid my gaze.

"Are you ready to go?" Our mother, Devin, asks Zoe as she enters the living room from the kitchen with our father and my uncle Ben following behind her.

"Marla just asked me that." Zoe giggles a bit. She looks over at our mother, who responds to her laugh with a smile. "Yes, I'm ready to go."

"Okay. Give me my hug then, young lady." Zoe approaches our mother to hug her, but both of our parents pull her into a group hug as she holds onto her duffel bag. My uncle Ben and I smile at each other from opposite sides of the room as we watch this lovely scene unfold. My mom and biological dad pull away from my sister and smiles at her, my bio-father. Sam bends down slightly to gently grips onto Zoe's shoulders while looking into her eyes.

"If you need anything, you call us. Do you understand?" My father tells her firmly.

Zoe nods quickly. "Yes, daddy. I understand."

"Good." Our father, Sam, smiles once more. "And we want you to have fun."

Zoe nods and turns her entire body around to face me the moment that she hears me speak:

"Oh, we will. I was thinking about asking Zoe if she wants pizza for dinner. I'm buying," I say casually leaning against the wall near the staircase. I unknowingly cross one ankle over the other as I rest my back against the wall while standing. "What do you say?"

"Sure," Zoe confirms with a smile as she quickly nods her head. "I can do pizza."

"Cool." A smile I'm crossing my ankles, my left high heel stiletto hits the floor with a thud. I push my back off of the wall as I notice my uncle checking his wristwatch.

After a few more seconds, my uncle Ben looks up from his watch and clears his throat. "Well, we should get going  before you two start to get hungry."

"Okay," Zoe says as she reaches out to our parents to give them another hug. "I love you guys." She mumbles quietly, although it was loud enough for my uncle Ben and I to hear her actual declaration of love for our amazing parents.

"We love you too." My parents tell my sister in unison as they all pull away from each other.

A few moments later, my uncle Ben, my twin sister, and I are walking out of the front door to my adoptive father's car. Zoe nonchalantly carries her duffel bag with her uninjured appendage. Suddenly, all three of us turn around when we hear someone calling Zoe's name. Once we all turn around, I see Julian making his way across the street over to us. He's still wearing his outfit from school. Julian has an enormous grin on his face as he looks at Zoe. A small smirk appears on my face... and the love saga continues. Moments later, he reaches us, and my uncle Ben and I smile at him as Zoe just stares at him: she seems to be transfixed on his face.

"Hey, Marla," Julian says, waving at me with a polite smile on his face, although, when he looks at my uncle Ben I notice that his smile dissipates a little. "Hello, principal Dunham."