Friday, June 22, 2007

Chapter 1: Slipped Away
As Rani walked into the office room, she inhaled the smell of the ramen in her hands. She sat at the computer desk, setting her bowl beside the mouse and picking up the keyboard. After she set it in her lap, she continued her conversation with her boyfriend via IM. She sat typing, every once in a while picking back up her bowl to have a bite.

“Rani! Get your ass off that computer and get down here!” Rosangela, her 37-year-old mother, shouted from the bottom of the stairs. “Your father and I are about to leave!”

“Coming, Mommie dearest!” Rani replied in a voice dripping with sarcasm as she replied to the message she just received. She hit send and put the keyboard back in its place before standing up, grabbing the now empty bowl, and starting down the stairs.

“Now, girls, I don't want any of you to be locked in your rooms all night. You need to act like sisters, for Mommy,” Rosangela smiled at her four younger daughters before linking arms with her husband.

“There's money for pizza or whatever the hell you girls want. No parties, no drugs, no alcohol, and, most of all, no boyfriends. Not in my house. And if you go out, make sure to be home before we are. The banquet ends at midnight, and it's a half hour drive,” Erwin said nonchalantly.

“Thanks, Daddy, you're the coolest,” Sarah told him before standing on her tippy toes to kiss his cheek.

“Bye, guys! Have fun!” Reina, Sarah's twin, said as all the girls waved at their parents leaving. When they were out of site, Rani headed upstairs. “Hey, Ran! Get back here! What do we want to eat?”

“I don't know about you guys, but I want my boyfriend's co-”

“Shut the hell up, Sare! I don't wanna know what the fuck you and your boyfriend do,” Talulla cut her off.

“You're just jealous 'cause you don't even have a boyfriend,” Sarah gave a cocky grin at her younger sister.

“Ok, if this is what we're going to talk about, I'm out,” Rani headed up the stairs again before Reina grabbed her arm.

“Hey, listen, I'm the oldest. Sure by only an hour, but whatever. We need to get food,” Reina attempted.

“Whatever, I'm going to see Daniel. You guys can figure out dinner for yourselves,” Sarah told them as she grabbed her purse and car keys before walking out.

“I just ate, now I need to go talk to my boyfriend, we are kinda having an argument,” Rani sighed before pulling her arm free of Reina and walking up the stairs.

“I vote Chinese,” Talulla sent a playful grin in Reina's direction.

Reina just sighed in return. “You order, I'll pick it up.” Reina set the phone down in her sister's hand and walked out of the living room.

“Yeah...” Talulla dropped her head.





“Hey, guys, what's up?” Sarah bounded down th stairs after having stayed at her boyfriend's all night. Her room was in the back, so she didn't notice the lack of her father's 1972 Chevrolet Nova in the driveway when she snuck in.

“We got a call at 3:30 in the morning...” Reina picked up the pencil and continued her cycle of dropping in on the table, grabbing it, and over again. “Mom and Dad got in a car wreck. They both had a little too much to drink to drive those windy roads in the pouring rain like that.”

Sarah's face dropped as she looked at the three sisters seated there. “You're joking, right? Talulla, tell me she's joking. Rani?”

“She's not joking, Sarah,” a young man's voice came from behind her in the kitchen. “Death is not a thing to joke about. Your parents went over a cliff.”

Sarah dropped to her knees next to Reina and began to sob. Reina put a hand on the back of Sarah's head. In response, Sarah buried her head in the Reina's lap, sobbing even more.

“Well, seems she's taking it a bit better than you girls did,” the man sighed as he walked into the dining room with a coffee cup in hand.

“Who the hell are you?” Sarah choked out before Reina forced her head back down.

“My name is Lucius Carey. I have been sent to stay with you and your sisters until the elder one's arrive, at which time I will go to a hotel not far from here so I can check up and make sure you are all doing alright,” the blue eyed man told her calmly.

“What? You can't be older than Leah!” Rani looked up in dismay.

“Oh, but Leah's only 19. I, on the other hand, am 26,” Lucius told them in the same calm voice.

“Shit! You're 11 years older than me! That's so wrong!” Rani shook her head.

“Hello, girls,” Malka's voice rang out from the entrance. “We all caught early flights to get here.”

“Well if this isn't the perfect day,” Rani said sarcastically.
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