14My mom rarely rang me up, sobbing down the phone. Instantly, I flung the napkin down and excused myself into the kitchen, so we could have a more private discussion.
"Put Grammy on the line. I need to speak to her, just the two of us."
"No. I want you to tell me what's happening first, mom. Gram's already under so much pressure, and she doesn't need anymore."
"Well, I'm her daughter!"
"And I'm yours," I said forcefully, pulling out a stool and sitting on it. Listening into our conversation, you wouldn't think we had the normal mother-daughter relationship- and you're right, to some degree. My mother was always the hip, cool younger parent who was more like a sibling, than any form of authority. She left that mainly to Grams and Gramps, who did a pretty stellar job raising me up in her place. "Can you tell me what went wrong?"
"I'm in danger of loosing my job! The nice couple who took me in, must be regretting it by now. I've sprained my wrist for over a month, and I know their bastard son, is just itching to shove me out of the door."
"Really?" I smirked, before realizing this was serious.
If my mother fell out of employment, there was a risk she might move back in with Grams again, and make her blood pressure shoot through the roof. And there was no way I was living inbetween two headstrong women, ready to tear strips of each other.
"Don't worry, mom. There's no way they can fire you. Contract of entitlement, and all that."
"I know that!" she snapped. "That's why I suggested you come down here."
WHAT?
I cleared my throat, sure I'd misheard a crackle down the line for something more sinister, like moving across country to a household I did not know. Surely my mom wasn't suggesting me to drop my studies, and come and live with her? Because that would be absurd. There's no way her employers, will allow a sixteen year old girl to move in with their housemaid.
No way.
A vein started ticking in my forehead.
"Mom. What did you tell them? I'm going to kill you!"
"I only told them the truth," she wheedled. "I said I had a big strapping daughter back home, who would be more than happy to take over the household chores until I got better."
"Oh, mom!"
"They're a nice family, darling. And the place they live in, is so lush! The area's clean, and very wholesome. There's a very good academy down the road, where both the children go too, and absolutely love! I'm not sure about the older boy, but the little girl is absolutely adorable. Vanessa. You'd love her, darling! And not to mention all the sunshine-"
"I can't believe you're so irresponsable, mom. I've got school to go too. I can't drop that like hotcakes, and jet over just because there's a lot of sunshine-"
"Put Grams on the phone, will ya? I need to talk to her."
I screamed extremely loud in my mind, and took a deep breath, just incase a little anger came out in my voice. I called for Grams to come over, slowly and calmly, and handed the phone over before walking out of the kitchen and sitting opposite Gramps, to resume my dinner.
"Violet darling, you've gone red."
"I'm feeling hot."
"Oh. Do you want the air conditioning on?"
I shook my head mutely, grateful at least one person was kind enough to fuss, when nobody else wanted too. I had school the next morning- and mom's phonecall had totally put me off track, and had me worrying about my future. Would Grams agree to mom's hare-brained scheme? If she did, then I really didn't stand a chance of staying behind.
I would be on the first plane out to Oakland, Ohio, and that would be that.
Grams came out of the kitchen, with a grim look on her face.
"Violet, sweetie? You really do need to go to your mother."
…..
The dawning realization that things had gone from bad to worse, didn't hit me until I was sitting at the airport terminal, with just a luggage bag for company. Grams and Gramps had just left minutes earlier, waving morosely through the crowd before disappearing in the thicket. I wanted to yell at the stupid people for blocking my way, but there were too many to let fly.
Instead I stomped over to a fitted chair, and slouched down on it.
My Ipod was blasting Radiohead, and the pounding music soothed me off into uneasy sleep. None of my friends had been unable to make it to the airport, due to work, or strict parents keeping a watchful eye. They kept me entertained through BBM, and sent funny pictures once in a while.
Shit.
I was going to miss this hellhole.
Shortly before I went, I received an abrupt message from Alex, showing me how much he cared.
Sam? Is it true Vi's leaving today?
THIS IS NOT SAM. I messaged back. BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME.
Fuck. Wrong person. Sorry.
My mouth dropped at the sheer audacity he had, to ping me back that statement. He clearly hadn't realised he was speaking to "Vi" as of yet, and had written me off as one of his numerous other contacts. How dumb was this boy?
JUST SAY GOODBYE, ASSHOLE. DON'T EMBARRASS URSELF ANY FURTHER.
I gave a snarky grin before pressing send, and leaned in my seat so I could slot my phone back into my pocket. Then I pulled it out again, when I noticed an incoming call vibrating against my thigh. Without bothering to check who was calling, I slid the phone against my ear, and with an arrogance of a person who knew exactly the other person was at the end of the line, I sultrily muttered, "Hello?"
"Um, yes. Is this Violet Duparke?"
The formal use of my name, caught my attention.
"Yes this is. Why?"
"Hmm, yes. This is the Marigold's residence. I'm the lady of the house speaking."
"Sure."
I was beginning to think it was a prank call. Her words reminded me of the British sitcom, Keeping Up Apperances, a mid-90's serial that focused on the lives of Hyacinth Bucket and her ill-suffering husband, Richard, who acted a great deal posher than they were.
"I understand you'll be touching down in Ohio, sometime after nightfall? Obviously we can't let a young girl travel out to the house by herself, so we'll send a driver."
"Sure."
"Better yet, I can send my son. He's just picked up his driving license and I'm sure he'd be delighted to drive you."
"That won't be necessary."
"Are you sure? He really wouldn't mind."
"I'm positive, Mrs Marigold. Thank you for offering."
"Well, no problem. I guess there's nothing more to say, than see you at six!"
"See you."
The phone went dead. Which was apt, because boarding for the plane had just begun and everyone was scrounging towards the ticket gate. I threw my phone to the side, and buried my head in my hands, just realising who I'd spoken with and what authority she held. Shit. Why hadn't my mother warned me, when she called me yesterday, to remind me to bring my passport and other living essentials. Clearly Mrs Marigold didn't just randomly punch numbers into her phone, and hope for the best. Mom had given my number to her, in hope she'd call me...and what?
See what a lovely life I was heading for?
Please.
I was going to be a SERVENT.
With a bit of education, if I was lucky. There was no way they could stop me from going. School was compulsory until the age of 18.
…..
I reached my doom in six hours and fifty five minutes. The ride was comfortable, though when I came around, it was with a nasty crick in my neck and drool dripping attractively down my chin.
The guy beside me gave me a disgusted look, but then proceeded to pat his muffin top as he got up. Double standards, much? I followed him outside the cabin, and until the arrival's lounge, where people were jumping up and down with a placard. Sure enough, there was a bored looking man, with a girl peeking around his pigtails, holding a piece of carboard with Violet Duparke scrawled all over it.
There was even little butterflies drawn on it, and sequins stuck on the wings.
It almost melted my heart.
Almost.
"I'm sorry," I stopped to ask them, in my best naive sounding voice. "I'm a little lost. Can you point me in the direction of the toilets?"
The man looked me up and down, asessing me. "You, Violet?"
"I'm sorry, pal. I only want to know where the toilets are, not get involved in a game of Guess Who."
Eventually, I did plan to reveal my identity to the pair of them, but I wanted them to sweat a little first. Let them know they can't get their hands on Violet Duparke, as easily as sending a driver out, and expecting me to fall into their clutches like an obediant little girl.
"If you not Violet. Then I not driver. I have picture, see."
He reached into a pocket, deep within his trench coat, and pulled out a eighth grade picture of me, complete with pigtails and braces. I embarrassingly looked younger in the photo, and very dweeby, but it still didn't stop the girl in that picture, from looking like me. Besides the lack of braces, and pigtails, I looked exactly the same.
"Well you got me," I bared my teeth. "You two are a right pair of detectives, aren't you?"
The girl giggled, and peered up at me like a sunflower searching out the sun. Immediately I sensed she had fallen in love with me, and if I followed her home, there'll be a great deal of stalking on both our hands. I dimly recollected she had one brother, and therefore probably longed for a sister. Even when I was younger, I remember the yearning I had for a fellow sibling to play barbies with me and decapitate the dolls together.
"You must be Vanessa," I turned my attention on her. "You're awfully short."
"That's because I'm nine, silly," she tittered, obviously amused by my retort that she clearly took as a joke. Well whatever, I shrugged my shoulders.
"And I Arev," the driver introduced himself to me, adamantly taking my hand. "You, Violet."
"Yes, yes," I deliberately struggled out of his hold. "Can we get this show on the road?"
Vanessa immediately migrated to my side, and took hold of my hand. All her apparent shyness was lost, now that introductions were out of the way, and I had kind of insulted her. She seemed like the kind of kid, I'd love to hate. Or maybe hate to love. Whichever one, by the time I left Ohio, I was pretty sure she would've stamped a mark in my heart and not let anyone else move in.
"How old are you, Violet?" Vanessa asked me, as we were lead to a state of the art Landrover. "The reason I ask, is because both our names start with V." She said it, as if it made perfect sense.
"I'm sixteen."
"So does that mean you were seven, when I was born?"
How quickly she calculated that arithmetic sum, dumbfounded even me, who struggled to learn her timestable until she was 11.
"Yes, it does. Well done."
Vanessa beamed, as if she'd gotten the Pulitzer Prize for her contributions to english literature. Arev smiled at both of us, as he checked the rearview mirror and he reversed out into the path of oncoming traffic. I let out a shrill scream because I thought we were going to die, but miraculously he switched over to the fast lane without missing a beat, and sped down the highway.
"Don't worry, Miss Violet. No harm will come."
"Does he always drive like this?" I shakily asked Vanessa, who didn't look the slightest bit ruffled.
"Arev knows I won't snitch to mom, because he's my favorite driver. Brrrrm brrrm!"
"Okay..."
"You eaten?" Arev suddenly asked, his cerulean eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. "You must eat. Once you reach house, no chance to eat. Yes?"
"No! It's fine. Just take me to the house, so we can get this over with."
"I like you, Violet."
"And your personality's just as charming, Vanessa."
Within ten minutes flat, we were cruising down the road towards the Marigold's residence, due to Arev's very erratic driving. He didn't really give me the chance to sit back, and enjoy the line of mansions dotted down the road, with emerald green lawns with sprinklers on, and golden retrievers yapping around the white picket fences as they chased 2.4 children.
It really was golden surburbia.
The sun was setting, as we finally got out of the rover, washing the sky in sea of purples, and mauves and crimson. For a moment, I had to pause, and take in the scenary, taking a good deep breath full of clean air and enjoying the gentle breeze on my skin.
Arev coughed, and Vanessa was looking at me weirdly like "Duh, have you never seen wind before?"
The door that lead to number 64, Teighmount Gardens swung open and a woman, with auburn hair trimmed to her chin smiled down. I looked at Vanessa's mousy brown hair, and wondered whether she inherited after dad, or mom hit the bottle to hide shades of gray.
"You guys made it back! With Violet, no less! For a minute, I really thought none of you would show."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, that would have been tragic."
I could feel Arev raising an eyebrow beside me.
Mrs Marigold cleared her throat. "Arev, I'm sorry to send you away so soon, but it looks like Christian hasn't come back yet. Can you be a doll, and usher him in? Today's a school night."
"Certainly, madam." He bowed low.
"Violet, since your mother will be late getting back, I guess it's up to me and Vanessa show you around. The house is in pretty good shape, but it will be tough work to maintain it's condition throughout the year. There's cleaning, polishing, ironing to be done, though I'm sure your mom will soon help to relieve the load. You will only have to work up to 20 hours maximum per week, and of course, education is a must."
I blinked in surprise. They wanted me to go to school?
The house inside was magnificent. The main hallway was massive, and had a rosemary table complete with authentic 1940's phone. Doors lead off into various rooms, though Mrs Marigold lead me straight over to the staircase and started climbing them.
"Since Christian's not here, it'll be a good time to show his room, before he gets back," she panted.
"Will he mind?"
"No, no, of course he wouldn't!" Her voice was too high pitched for me to believe her credibility. Was she extremely nervous to be leading me up there, or was I imagining things?
For all her anxiety was worth, Christian's room wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it to be. I expected grunge posters on the wall, and bottles of unopened black nail polish lining his dresser or something. And maybe the whole room painted in black, with a satanical shrine pledged in the corner. Instead I found a room, painted in neutral tones of navy blue, and white and shelves of CD's stacked from top to bottom.
A pair of headphones were abandoned on the made bed.
But nothing horrendous.
In fact, the room was abnormally clean for a hormone rampant teenage boy.
"GET OUT NOW!" Vanessa screamed, as I took one large step into the room. What? I turned to face Vanessa and Mrs Marigold standing just outside the threshold of Christian's bedroom, and looking horrified as they clung to the rim of the door. I didn't get the big deal. All I'd taken was a step, and Vanessa was acting like World War III was going to arrive.
But then slowly around me...things began to change.
…..
A/N: Review if you're interested? It's going to be a pretty long fic. Need the motivation!