Chapter 11: Laney: Past Transgressions

I quickly scurried up the ladder to the tree house that sat on the property lines. After sitting for hours in the stuffy parlor creating a sewing sampler while my mother breathed down the back of my neck, correcting my every misstep, I was more than ready to see the boys. Sure enough, as I poked my head up through the opening there sat the twins, fighting over something ridiculous as usual. When they saw me, they dropped whatever nonsense that had distracted them before my arrival, and scampered over to help hoist my through the hole. We were getting much too big for this silly thing, after all my ninth birthday was in two weeks, and the twins just a week before mine. Not a week before our parents had sat down to discuss what to do with our fort. The twins parents said they would prefer to just let it be, while mine, so concerned with my development into a young lady to be working in the royal courts, wanted to demolish it. Take away the last remaining piece of rebellion that hindered my blossoming into the young princess they so craved.

            Another thing they were trying to forbid was my friendship with the boys. After being born only a week apart, as well as living next door, had sparked a friendship unbreakable by any silly parental decree. Every day the three of us walked hand in hand to school together, up until two years ago we had all been in the same class. Now, unfortunately we were separated as soon as we walked in the doors, only to be reunited when the final bell rang and we were free to return home.

            Some things had changed about our friendship though. I started to become more aware that they were boys, rather than just friends. I occasionally found myself priming in the mirror before I went outside to play, avoiding getting dirty because I wanted them to think I was pretty. My mom said this was a natural progression. That one day, if the Elders approved, one of the twins would make a fine husband.

            “Whatch ya’ smiling about?” Charlotte poked as she walked into the kitchen. I stood stirring the oatmeal I was about to plop into her bowl.

            “Just thinking,” I replied as she breezed past me, almost walking on air. “What are YOU smiling about?” I asked taking the bowl from her hands and filling it to the brim.

            “Lucas…” her eyes feel to the ground as she took the bowl from my hands. It had been about a six weeks since Lottie had first introduced us to Lucas. Nearly every day after he got off of work he would pop by. He and Lottie would sit for hours in the living room, their laughter filled the house. Mina and I often smiled to ourselves remembering the loves we had once had. 

            “Spill,” I told her as she sat down at the island across from me.

            “Well,” she said still not meeting my eyes, “Lucas called last night and we just talked and laughed for hours. He’s so easy to be around,” she gushed. I smiled,

            “I remember when I had someone like that,” I slipped up. I knew she wouldn’t let this one go.

            “Was it my dad?” Lottie pounced at the opportunity to know even the slightest bit of information about her father. This was not going to be good. Despite what Aunt Tilly said thought it was a good idea for her to know about her dad. But I had to follow Tilly’s rules

            “Lottie we aren’t going to talk about this right now,” I said with a sigh.

            “But,” she began but was cut short by the buzzing of her phone. She held up a finger to me telling me to pause while she took the call.

            “Hello,” Lottie answered professionally, it couldn’t be Lucas on the other end. “Yes…. Yes… Of course… You’re kidding!.... When?... Thank you! Yes!” she clicked her phone off and a mile wide smile stretched across her face. “I won!” she screeched.

            “Won what? Lottie quit jumping around you’re going to break something. Now settle down and tell me what’s going on,” Lottie paused her celebration.

            “I won the contest! I’m going to perform with Forever Yours! Next Saturday!” she hollered loud enough to draw Mina and Aunt Tilly into the kitchen.

            “What’s all the yelling about?” Mina questioned. Charlotte explained to them all about the contest. Mina danced around the kitchen with her while Aunt Tilly stood next to me. I could see the concern in her eyes, but I knew she was happy for Charlotte.

            “Oh there is so much to do!” Mina and Charlotte gushed as they planned for Lottie’s big daube.

            “Girls! Girls!” Aunt Tilly called quieting them, “Charlotte has to go to school now, we will discuss this more once she is home. Mina please take Lottie to school.”  Mina agreed without a fight and the two took off out the door blabbering on about what needed to be done.

            The kitchen was eerily quiet as Aunt Tilly and I stood there. It was almost as if the world had stopped for a few moments.

            “She can’t do this,” I whispered. Fear coursed through my body. This was too big, who knows who or what would be in the audience. It was too big of a risk to our safety. I would have to tell her no and it would crush her.

            “She’s doing this Laney,” Aunt Tilly turned to look at me, “She’s going to do this.” I opened my mouth to protest. “It’s not open to debate,” she told me. My mouth slammed shut. “Laney it’s been nearly seventeen years, if they were going to find you they would have by know. That Lucas boy Lottie has been seeing, he’s a werewolf, and if that hasn’t given away our location. This won’t either. We have to let her do this,” Aunt Tilly took my hand, “It’ll be alright, I swear.” I knew better than to fight with Aunt Tilly, so I didn’t reply as she walked out of the kitchen.

            How could she be so sure of Lottie’s safety? To me it was just too big of a risk. Mina walked back in the door tossing the keys onto the table. Her enthusiasm from earlier had worn away and was replaced by the same fear that filled me.

            “We can’t let her do this,” she told me, “I can’t lose her too.”

            “I know Mina, but Aunt Tilly said,” I began to explain to Mina but I was cut short by her tantrum fit for a two-year-old.

            “Enough! Enough with the Mina s**t! My name is Collette! If we let Charlotte do this we might as well just come out of hiding and be done with it! It’s all equivalent! Here let me just call up Lennox and Ralph and let them know where we are! Hell! I’ll invite them to the show!” Mina screamed at me. The ruckus drew Tilly in from whatever part of the house she was in. Aunt Tilly demanded silence and took a sobbing Mina into her arms.

            “He would have been seventeen today,” Mina broke. “I can’t lose Lottie Aunt Tilly.” I began to cry with her remembering that horrible night in the attic of Tilly’s shop. Alric Jr., Mina’s son would have been seventeen today. He has died at birth though, we still aren’t sure why though. When Charlotte came along about a month later, Mina had thought of her as her own. It would destroy her to lose Lottie.

            After hours and hours of debating with Aunt Tilly, we had finally come to a decision. One that Mina and I were not happy about. Charlotte would get to do this show, and every other show as long as they were not close to Chicago. Charlotte was ecstatic when she got home. We sat down at the kitchen table and stated to hash out the plans for the concert.