Chapter 8: The Family that Couldn't

Lilith was checking herself in the mirror after getting ready for the family dinner, when Angela came barging into her room. Walking over to where she was, Angela grinned at her.



“What?” Lilith asked, slightly annoyed that her sister didn’t have the common sense to knock before entering.

“Oh, I just think its funny that you seriously think Dad’s going to lay off your back if you wear that to the dinner.” Angela said, still grinning.

Lilith rolled her eyes, “yes I know he’s not going to approve, however, I don’t exactly buy frilly dresses anymore. So this is going to have to do. Unless if he’ll be okay with me wearing a tank top and some pants.”

Angela let out a short laugh at that one. “Uh, try again. Come with me Lil, we are going to raid my closet for something you can wear…if you can fit into anything I own that is.” She dragged her sister into her room.



Opening her closet, Angela looked through the things she had while Lilith stood behind her, hands on her hips.

“Okay, seriously now, why are you being so nice all of a sudden?” Lilith asked, raising an eyebrow while watching her sister search through her closet.

“I’ve had a good day, okay?” Angela shrugged. “Oh this would be perfect on you!” She exclaimed. “Try it on!”

Lilith moved in front of the closet and slipped on the new clothes after shedding the clothes she was wearing before. She turned her head and looked at her sister, startled when Angela had started yelling happily at the top of her lungs.



“Way to go!” Angela cheered while pumping her fist into the air. “You finally look like a girl!”

“Wow you are so much more weird than I thought,” Lilith muttered, slightly amused at her overjoyed sister.

Angela’s joy was short lived, however, when both sisters heard shouting coming from downstairs.



“Why do you always have to look frumpy, Mary-Sue? This is a family dinner, couldn’t you wear something other than that potato sack?” Daniel yelled at his wife.

“That’s just it, Daniel. It’s a family dinner, not a night out at the local strip bar!” She shot back, fuming that her husband could be so insensitive.



All of a sudden, their front door opened, and in strolled Kaylynn who was dressed to kill. When she caught sight of Mary-Sue and Daniel, she walked over to them, and immediately kissed Daniel right in front of his wife.

“What the hell??” Screamed Mary-Sue, unbelieving what was going on in front of her eyes. “WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?” She repeated, her voice still at a high pitch.

Daniel stepped away, heady from the kiss, while Kaylynn stood in front of Mary-Sue and let out a giggle.

“Whoops, I’m guessing she didn’t know yet, huh Daniel.” Kaylynn said with a smirk on her face.



“Know what? What am I freaking supposed to know? That you’re screwing my husband? Yeah I think the whole town knew that one, honey.” Mary-Sue spat out. “I just didn’t think you’d have the stupidity to make it obvious in front of me, Kaylynn. I’m sorry that I let it go on for as long as it did, but as of now, you are fired! Get the hell out my
house!”



“Don’t talk to her that way,” Daniel bellowed, standing in front of his wife. “You get the hell out of this house, Mary-Sue. I don’t want you in my life anymore. You are a miserable woman and I want someone whose going to make me feel good for the rest of my life. That’s why I asked her to move in here with me and take the place as my wife! I despise you Mary and I want out of the marriage. Just sign the damn divorce papers already and stop suffocating me in this marriage.”



“But..” Mary-Sue was in shock, at a loss for words. “Daniel, think about the kids,” she whispered. “Don’t do this, please Daniel.”

“Just get the hell out, Mary. Kaylynn and I would do a much better job raising the girls than you ever will. You were barely here to be a mother to them, what the hell do they need you for now?” Daniel snapped. “I don’t want you in this house anymore, just get out!”



Mary-Sue walked away, sobbing. “But where will I go, Daniel?” She wailed.

“God she’s so pathetic,” Kaylynn said through clenched teeth.

“Who cares where you go, Mary, just get the hell out of my house.” Daniel glowered at her.



Feeling as though it were the final push for her, Mary-Sue walked out of the house she had resided in after her fateful marriage to Daniel. She walked numbly down the front steps of her house, a house she had given birth to her two beautiful girls to in.



She decided to go the one place she knew she wouldn’t feel judged by the events that she had just experienced.



At the top of the staircase in the house, stood both Angela and Lilith, both miserable from what they just overheard.

~

Mary-Sue sat in her parent’s kitchen silently, after explaining to them what had occurred in her house before she decided to pay them a visit.



“Well you know you’re welcome to stay here, pumpkin,” Herb, her father said affectionately. “Daniel is a no-good bastard and we can just deal with this situation in the morning. Meantime, that guest house of ours has your name written all over it.”

“Thanks dad,” she mumbled, lowering her eyes from him, noticing her mother had not uttered a word but instead was sitting there staring at her.



Coral cleared her throat and started getting up out of her seat saying, “I’m going to make some hot chocolate. Herb, why don’t you go make sure that guest house is ready for her.”

Herb looked over at his daughter, giving her a warning look before he got up. “Okay, my love.” He left.

Mary-Sue knew what was coming. Her mother was going to lecture her, although she had no idea why. It was not as though this whole situation was her fault.

She sat in silence as her mother got the hot chocolate ready and served her a cup. Sitting down with a cup of her own, Coral looked at her daughter.



“Mary-Sue,” Coral started, not quite looking at her. “Do you know how hard it was for your father and I to conceive a child?”

“Yes, ma, you’ve told me a million times. You let me know that even though I was adopted, you gave me all the love you could and never let me once feel as though I didn’t belong with you or dad.” She sighed. “Where is this going, mother?”



“How could you walk out of that house and leave your children behind? Two beautiful girls that you gave birth to, you just left them there.” Her mother sounded incredulous. “You let that man allow you to walk away from your own house…your own family? A house and family that belong solely to you and not that woman he’s invited!”

“I’m sorry I’m not as strong as you are mother,” she said nastily. “I can only endure so much. And excuse me for not wanting to stay there and endure my husband sharing a bed with the maid! I don’t know why you’re judging me on something that isn’t my fault!”



“You should not be stupid about your pride when it comes to your children, Mary-Sue.” Her mother said quietly as she got up to wash her mug. “You should have stood your ground and demanded that Daniel get out or the least you could have done, was take your children with you instead as you left. If you feel miserable right now, imagine how they must be feeling” Her mother scolded.

“Oh please, mother. And what would I do with them? I have no job, no place to live and as of right now, no money. This house if far too cramped as it is with just me staying here, imagine if I had Angela and Lilith too.” She glared at her mother’s back. “No, I have to find a job first, then will come time for me to collect my children and possibly my pride then after.”

“Do whatever you wish to do, Mary. Far be it from me to tell you what to do with your life or children.” Her mother sounded defeated. “I’m going to bed now, if you need anything help yourself to it.”

Coral stopped on her way out the kitchen to say, “Kids are far more precious than you think, Mary. And once you lose their trust, it takes a lot of time to gain it back again and you’d be lucky if your relationship was ever the same again.”



A few hours later, Mary-Sue sat on the bed in the small guest house, staring at the floor. She didn’t want her children living with Daniel or Kaylynn. Her thoughts turned bitter as she thought of her husband with the maid. She regretted not firing Kaylynn sooner. She had known about the affair, but didn’t think Daniel would be cruel enough to invite his mistress to live in their house. She shook her head.

Now what? She thought miserably. Now what do I do?



She decided to call Angela and see how she was holding up. She picked up the phone and dialed her daughter’s cellular number, waiting for her to pick up.

“Hello, Angela darling? Its mommy…” She said into the phone, her voice catching on the last word.

Chapter 9: Stop the Night

“Mom, where are you?” Angela cried into her cell phone. “Are you coming back to get us?”

“Angela, I can’t come get you girls. I have no job or money to support us all. I need to figure out a plan before I can make another move,” Mary-Sue said warily into the phone.



Angela’s back stiffened, “so what are we supposed to do? Live with dad and his new replacement of you?” She knew it was a nasty question to ask her mother, but she didn’t care about hurting her feelings anymore. She wasn’t even coming back to get them.

“I want you and Lilith to go to your Aunt Jennifer’s house. I’m sure she will take you both in if you explain the situation to her. Under no circumstance are you to stay in your father’s house. I want you both to get out of there before…” Mary-Sue’s voice trailed off.

Angela didn’t press her mother to finish the sentence. She already knew what would happen if she stayed in the house. She’d become the laughing stock of the neighborhood. She would soon be known as the daughter of the second richest man in Pleasantview who decided to make the maid his live-in-mistress. She almost cringed at the thought. Before allowing her mother to say anything else, she shut her phone and looked at the number. She recognized it as her grandparent’s number.



“Well, what’d she say?” Lilith asked, walking over to her and standing in front of her.

“What do you think she said?” Angela snapped at her. “Our mother is not coming back for us, in fact, she’s decided to make us go live with Aunt Jennifer and her family.”



“Did she say why she didn’t take us with her?” Lilith raised an eyebrow.

“Our mother has no spine, Lilith. Why do you think she didn’t take us with her?” Angela glowered at her. “I’m calling Dustin, excuse me.”

Lilith watched as her sister jabbed her boyfriend’s number into the keypad of her cell phone and waited anxiously for him to pick up.



“Dustin, I need you to come pick me up right now.” Angela said into her phone, relieved when he finally answered.

“Angela, I’m at work right now, what’s going on?” Dustin’s voice said to her.

“Ugh, I don’t have time to explain, I need you to pick me up right this second, I cant stay here anymore. Dad’s decided to invite his mistress to live with him, my mother’s abandoned me, and I’m expected to live with an Aunt I barely know.” She almost shouted, holding back tears.

“Fine fine, I’m on my way. I have to drop off a client, but I’ll be there as fast as I can.” With that he hung up the phone.



Lilith looked at her sister. “Angela, what are you planning to do? Run away with him? What about school? Your education?” Her eyes flickered with an emotion Angela couldn’t quite read.

“I cant live here, Lil. I won’t. You don’t know how many nights I’ve prayed that if at least my parents couldn’t stop fighting, then they’d atleast stay together. Now even that hope is lost. I’m not going to live a broken life, Lilith. I can’t. This life isn’t for me. Dustin can stop this night from being any worse than it is; I just need to get out here. Please, you have to understand…”



She looked at her sister and pulled her into a sudden hug. “Just be happy for me, Lilith. I love Dustin and I believe that he’ll know what to do. Maybe he and I can get an apartment together and make our own perfect family. Don’t tell mom or dad anything, especially not dad.” She looked at Lilith and said softly, “and take care of yourself, please.”



Half an hour later, Angela heard a car pull up to the front of the house. Looking outside, she almost groaned when she saw Dustin in the front seat of a limo.

“Very subtle, Dustin” She murmured to herself,“very freakin’ subtle.”



It wasn’t long before she was sitting in the backseat of his limo, ready to start her new life.

~



Meanwhile, back in the house, Daniel looked over at Kaylynn with a wicked grin as they both laid in his bed.

“How about you go put on that naughty maid’s outfit,” he whispered at her, his eyes twinkling playfully.

Kaylynn giggled and slid off the bed to change into her maid’s outfit. While watching her change, Daniel realized that kicking Mary-Sue out of the house was by far the best decision he’d made since first marrying her. He didn’t regret a thing.



Slipping out of his own clothes, he climbed on top of Kaylynn who had returned to the bed.

“Oh no, no” Kaylynn purred in a French accent before he smothered her lips with his.

Unaware of what his daughters were up to, Daniel lost himself in Kaylynn's arms that night.

Upstairs, still in her sister’s room, feeling completely abandoned, Lilith decided to call her Aunt Jennifer and explain everything to her. She quickly dialed Jennifer’s number, trying to ward off any embarrassment she felt about asking her Aunt for a room in her house.



“Aunt Jennifer?” She said into the phone when she heard someone pick up. “I need to tell you something…”

~



Jennifer stood in front of the phone in her nightgown, her hand frozen on the handset. She had just received a call from Lilith and was in shock at what she was told. She tried to blink back tears as she gathered her thoughts on what to do next. She could not believe her brother. She couldn’t believe he could be so cruel, especially to his kids. She didn’t feel like they were related anymore. He had become a monster, someone she didn’t want to be associated with.

It hit her suddenly her niece was going to be arriving soon. She snapped into action, arranging for Lilith to sleep in Lucy’s room. She was fixing up one of Lucy’s old plastic beds from when she was a child, when she suddenly heard the doorbell ring.



Jennifer ran down the stairs, and opened her front door. Greeting a cold and shivering Lilith with a hug, she realized that she was now responsible for another child. She grimaced at the thought, wondering what kind of parents just let things like this happen to their own children.

“Come on, Lilith,” Jennifer said to her niece, “lets get you upstairs and into some pajamas.”



A couple of minutes later, Lilith had just finished changing into her cousin’s pajamas, when Jennifer appeared in the room with her hands on her hips.

“Does it fit fine?” She asked with a soft smile.



“Yes, thank you aunt Jennifer,” Lilith smiled gratefully at her. “I really appreciate what you’re doing for me. My family’s just…” her voice trailed off sadly.



Rushing forward, Jennifer hugged her. “Shh, its alright. This is what families do for one another.” She said, her voice thick with emotion.

Pulling away, Lilith thanked her once again as Jennifer wished her a goodnight. Before leaving the room however, Jennifer looked back at her and said, “Lilith, if you could, please get rid of that make up, I don’t like it one bit on you.” She left the room without waiting for Lilith to reply.



Lilith climbed into bed quietly so that she wouldn’t wake her sleeping cousin. Lying on top of the bed, she wondered what she was getting herself into. She knew from her cousin that her aunt was somewhat strict but she didn’t know what the full extent was. Her mind drifted restlessly as she tried to fall asleep. Before she knew it however, the sun had risen, and she found herself facing a new day, wondering what it would bring.

“Angela…” she whispered sadly to herself, wondering what and how her sister was doing and if she was safe.

Chapter 10: Shapes fall into Place

Brandi awoke feeling slightly giddy that it was finally the day she would get to see her new house. Getting out of bed, she looked out the window, happy that the sun was radiating as bright as she was feeling.



She was about to blow out her scented candles when she heard slight snores coming from the bed. Looking over, she was shocked to see her youngest son, Bobby, sleeping peacefully on the other side. She raised an eyebrow wondering if both his older brother’s took the beds this time. It was a shame that they had to take turns sleeping on their beds because she had only been able to afford two. That usually meant, the last one to go to sleep, would have to sleep on the couch or with her.

She smiled sadly at him and decided to head over to the bathroom to wash her face. Looking at herself in the mirror, she groaned silently.



“Ugh, I’m getting old” she said to herself.

She washed her face quickly, carefully avoiding peeking another glance into the mirror, she hurried out of the bathroom.



She raised her eyebrow as she walked passed Beau, passed out on the couch.

“What the…?” She was confused now. Why was her son sleeping on the couch?



She decided to wake up him up. “Beau, if you decided to sleep on the couch last night, why couldn’t you tell Bobby that one of the beds was free?”

He looked at her sleepily in confusion, “Dustin’s got his girl in there,” he mumbled before slumping over and going back to sleep.



Before she could stop herself, she barged into Dustin’s room startling both Dustin and Angela who had just gotten up.

“Are you serious, Dustin!?” She started screaming at him. “What the hell were you thinking having her sleep over without my permission?” She noticed that the beds had been pushed together and had another freak out.



“Oh my god, did you have sex with her under my roof!?” She poked him in the chest and shouted, “I am not going to be responsible for the child that you two produce from being stupid.”



“Mother, calm down, we didn’t have sex.” Dustin said, noticing that Angela was quietly sobbing. “She’s having issues at home and since I’m eighteen now and able to make my own decisions, I’ve decided to ask her to move in with me. She’s going to be living here and that’s final.” He said in a quiet tone.



“Its not your choice, Dustin, when it’s my house!” Brandi spat nastily. “Get ready for school, both of you; I’ll deal with this after you both get home.”



She didn't even bother to look at Angela who was now freely sobbing her eyes out, as she left the room disgusted.



“Baby, don’t cry,” Dustin comforted Angela. “She’ll let you stay once we explain the situation to her. Trust me, everything will work out. I wont let anything happen to you,” he promised.



A couple of minutes later, the children were boarding the school bus quietly. None of them bothered to look at each other, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife.



Inside the house, Brandi sipped her coffee in the kitchen, her mind swirling with panicked thoughts.

She didn’t understand what had come over her son. How could he be so stupid? She wondered. If they had a child, how was she going to support them and their baby? She was about to buy a house, how was she going to be able to afford to feed one more mouth?



An hour later, still anxious over the situation she found herself in, Brandi walked out her front door, ready to see the new house that her best friend had made possible for her to purchase.

~



“So….?” Nina pressed Brandi. “Do you like it?”

“Like it? Seriously?” Brandi let out a giddy giggle.



Nina grinned as she looked over at her best friend. “I’m going to take that as a ‘yes, Nina, thank you for making this possible,’ okay?”

“Nina this is the best pick me up I could’ve used all day. Oh my god, I can’t believe it’s mine already.” She felt so happy. “When does the trailer trash house go on sale?”



“Actually, it goes on sale in about two days after I get some cleaners to get the property all cleaned up. You officially have the keys to this place. Don’t even bother to pack anything you don’t need since I got this place to come fully furnished for you.” She laughed when Brandi’s jaw dropped.



“Oh gee…Nina…are you sure I can afford this place?” Brandi looked at her anxiously.

“Oh lighten up, love. Once again, this is the perks of having your BFF work in real estate. The place has got three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a great pool in the back, that’s all you need to know and enjoy as of right now.”

Brandi was about to thank her repeatedly when Nina’s cell phone went off.



“Excuse me, my sister seems to have her finger glued on speed dial” Nina rolled her eyes and put her cell phone to her ear. “How may I help my very needy sister today?” She asked sarcastically into the phone.

“I need you to come home right now,” Dina said sounding like she was about to cry. “Right now!”



“Geez alright, calm down, I’m there.” Nina hung up the phone and rolled her eyes again. “I guess this is another one of her ‘wedding plans gone wrong’ crisis. Sorry love, but I gotta go.” She fished around in her pocket, found the house keys, and dropped them into Brandi’s hand, pulling her in for a quick hug.

“Enjoy the place,” She said and began walking away. “Call me later and let me know how moving into the new place feels.” She said humorously.



“I will…” Brandi murmured to herself, her eyes twinkling with happiness as she looked at her new home. “I so definitely will.”

Chapter 11: The Die was Cast

Dina Caliente was sobbing her heart out when her sister walked into the living room. Nina walked over to where she was and raised an eyebrow.

“What’s going on?” Nina asked unsympathetically.



Her sister sniffed and looked up at her miserably. “He hasn’t called…he hasn’t called to confirm any of the wedding arrangements. Oh Nina what if he’s changed his mind about marrying me?”

“Hah, can you blame him? You haven’t been able to keep yourself together for more than five minutes after he’s proposed to you. I’m not surprised if Mortimer’s avoiding you, you’re always freaking out about one thing or another.” Nina snapped at her.



“Listen,” Dina started angrily, “don’t judge me. You don’t know what it’s like to get married to someone rich…or a matter of fact, at all! When I married Michael, he wasn’t rich enough to give me all the things I wanted. Now that I have found someone who does have the money, I want every detail perfect. I need this to be the biggest event this neighborhood has ever seen. I want to be the new Mrs. Goth with a bang!” Dina glared at her sister.

“Why’s the ‘bang’ part of the wedding matter as much? As long as you get everything you want, isn’t that enough?” Nina questioned.

“NO!” Dina screamed. “I want this town to forget about Bella Goth. All I hear all day when making my wedding arrangements is ‘oh you’re the one marrying Mortimer Goth? Well I hope you know you have some classy shoes to fill, that Bella was just such a great lady.’ I’m sick of it Nina. Bella is gone now. It’s my turn. I deserve this!”

“Right…” Nina took a step back. “Well seriously you might consider taking it down a notch. You’re not exactly the most pleasant being to be around at the moment.”

“Ugh whatever, I need a drink.” Dina said, walking away from her sister.



Walking over to the kitchen, she picked up the phone and decided to call Don Lothario.

“Hey babe, pick me up in about an hour. I really need a drink.” She said to him when he picked up.

~



A couple of hours later, they were sitting in the LuLu lounge where barely anyone went, having yet another round of drinks.

“Oh my god,” Dina slurred, “I can’t remember my last thought.” She let out a giggle.

“You can never remember your last thought,” Don said sleepily, too drunk to talk properly. “You’re such an airhead sometimes.”



“Hey!” She looked over at him insulted.

Don’s jaw dropped, “oh my god, I didn’t mean that. It just slipped out.”

She stumbled out of her seat and over to a couch nearby. “Whatever,” she yelled at him and plopped down.

Stumbling over to where she was, Don plopped down right next to her. “You know I think you’re the sexiest woman alive.” He said.



She pulled him down for a kiss. She barely felt his touch, her body tingling from all the alcohol she had consumed.



“We should dance,” she giggled, suddenly giddy with energy. Pushing him off, she declared, “I want to dance. Let's go dance.”

When he only groaned in response, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him onto the dance floor.



“I love this song!” She screamed at him and started shaking her hips at him. “Come on, Donnie.”



A few minutes later, her head started spinning. The lights and music all started to blend in together, making her feel nauseous. She stopped dancing and stood still, her hand on her head.

“I can't think,” she mumbled. “It hurts to think…” She groaned.



Her head started throbbing as she stood there. She had to get out, she felt suffocated in the club.



Making her way out of the club, she walked outside and stood in a an empty corner, trying to nurse her throbbing head in her hands.

“Hello Dina,” a voice whispered from the shadows.



Not sure if she heard right, Dina looked up and came face to face with a pair of very intense brown eyes set in green skin.

“What are you doing here?” She whispered, afraid she was hallucinating.



“I have a proposition for you,” the witch cackled. “I will give you back your soul for something far more valuable.”

“What do you want?” She suddenly felt wary; wondering if it was her fault Mortimer wasn’t finalizing the wedding plans. She did after all, only promise to have him propose marriage.

“My dear, don’t sound so sad. In return for your soul, and Mortimer’s ‘I do’ I want only a small thing. Quite tiny, actually” the witch said.

“What is it? Just tell me.” Dina was starting to get frustrated.



“I want the first child you give birth to by Mortimer.” She said simply with a smile.

“What? Are you crazy? If I were to give birth to a child, I’m pretty sure Mortimer would notice the child missing.” She raised her eyebrow at the witch as if she were crazy.

“My dear, you underestimate me. I have a tonic that will make you give birth in a day,” she said. “For that one day after you find out you’re pregnant, your belly will grow as big as the child inside of you and at midnight, you will give birth to a child. During that one day, I’m sure you can lie to Mortimer and tell him you’re at a spa or something of the sort.” She cackled.



“So,” Dina said, thinking. “If I promise you this, Mortimer will finalize the marriage plans and I get my soul back?”

“Yes, the child is the only thing I want. He or she however, must be from Mortimer’s bloodline.” When Dina raised her brow she quickly said, “the reason why is of no concern to you.”

The wheels in Dina’s mind started churning. She wouldn’t have to spend three days pregnant, only one. She wouldn’t have to raise it, nor would Mortimer ever know. They would both be married by the time and she would get her soul back.

“Mortimer won’t have sex with me till after the marriage,” Dina said to the witch. “The only way I can give you the first born, is only after the marriage.”

“That’s fine. As long as I have your promise, I don’t care which happens first.” The witch looked at her. “Do I have your promise?”



“It’s a done deal,” Dina said, grinning slightly. “My first born can be yours. I never really planned on raising children anyway.”



“Good then it’s settled,” the witch cackled. “I will see you the day you find out you’re pregnant!” With that, she was engulfed in a yellow sparkling light and disappeared.

Dina stared in shock at the light, wondering if anyone else was watching this or if she really was hallucinating.

I wonder when Mortimer is going to call, she wondered.

“Hey you!” Don’s voice broke her out of her reverie. He walked over to her. “Where’d you go, one second I’m dancing with you and the next second you’re gone. Everything okay?”



She just smiled at him.

“The plan is going to go on track, Mortimer is going to marry me soon and then you and Cassandra will also get married. We’ll both be rich!” She exclaimed. “Then we can be together…oh Don!” She sighed happily and murmured, “Take me home”



Unbeknownst to them, as they got into Don’s car to go to his place, a pair of intense brown eyes followed them as they left.