Fidgeting I waited in front of the elevator, watching the lights slowly tick up. To my eternal surprise, neither my sister nor my mom had insisted on coming with me, but by now, I might even have appreciated the company. I felt stupid, standing there with nothing to do, while the most idiotic greetings fluttered through my mind. “Hello, I’m the girl your daughter nearly killed,” was probably the worst, but not by far. “Hi, I’m Evee, who are you,” was a close second. “Damn it girl,” I chided myself, “get a grip. Not the first time you meet other human beings, is it?”

I tried to relax, focusing on my breathing, but it all went down the drain when the elevator doors dinged open. Three people were staring at me and at least one of them was just as nervous as I was. Katie was looking beautiful, dressed in a short, checkered skirt and a white shirt, with a touch of makeup to highlight her green eyes. She didn’t need any rouge, since she was already blushing fabulously as soon as she spotted me. God, the both of us were really hopeless.

Her parents were about the same age as mine, her father was rather on the burly side, like an athlete gone to seed, with full, brown hair and green eyes, dressed in a tweed jacket and khaki trousers. Her mom, a tall, blue eyed blonde, was wearing a dark blazer and beige cloth pants. They smiled at me insecurely, still stuck in the elevator until I finally found my voice.

“Hello, you must be Katie’s parents. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Evelyne, Evelyne Paradizo.” I took a step forwards and offered them my hand. After an awkward moment, when Katie and I were dancing around each other, unsure if we should hug or shake, I wrapped my arms around her quickly and gesticulated for them to follow me.

“Thanks for coming,” I continued while I headed for our apartment. “My father is still out and about, but he should be here in a few minutes.”

“Thanks for inviting us,” Katie’s dad replied in a deep, soothing voice. “We weren’t sure…” he cleared his throat before he continued: “anyways, I’m Vernon, we’ve already heard quite a bit about you. It’s nice to put a face to my daughter’s stories.” I fumbled with the lock on our door and said over my shoulder:

“I hope she hasn’t exaggerated too much. I’m actually pretty tame and even polite.” While Katie’s blush intensified, her mom laughed softly.

“No, judging from what she said, you actually sound like a saint. No need to worry. And I’m Diane. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Likewise,” I replied and opened the door. Vicky and my mom were already waiting on the other side, bright smiles on their faces. The usual introductions followed until my mom ushered us to the table and offered a glass of wine while we waited for my dad to come home with food. I’d have loved to join in, but my parents were quite strict when it came to drinking age, the European variety, and consequentially, neither Katie nor I were allowed to participate. It usually didn’t bother me, but right then, I would have liked something to sooth my nerves. I was still nervous and judging from the way her eyes darted across the room, landing everywhere but me, so was Katie.

“We also brought a bottle, but I fear it doesn’t quite hold up to the standard,” Vernon said after he had sipped from his glass. “This is truly excellent. An aged merlot, if I’m not mistaken?” Great, another wine enthusiast, I definitely needed more of those in my life.

“That’s right,” my mom answered with a smile. “I’m not much of a drinker, but if I do indulge, I’m quite partial to French grapes. Unfortunately, my husband doesn’t share my view. Which means we more often than not have to open two bottles. Luckily, our eldest seems to have inherited my taste. She chose this one.”

“Then here is to the young lady and a connoisseur in the making,” he toasted. I was just beginning to relax, slowly getting used to their company, when the door opened again and my dad waltzed in, still dressed for work and several bags in his hands. The smell of food hit me and my stomach rumbled in response. It would have been embarrassing to no end, but nobody heard it over the commotion my father caused. Outspokenly, he apologised for being late and ordered my sister and me to plate everything while he quickly went to change. I didn’t mind in the least, having something to do was better than sitting around, self conscious and unsure of where to put my hands. That was until her parents told Katie to help us out, which entirely defied the point of the whole exercise.

In awkward silence, we fumbled through our chores, until my sister had had it. “You two,” she admonished, “you act like you don’t known each other. Tell you what, I’m going to bring in the appetisers and when I return, you better have started talking. Unbelievable,” she added under her breath, while she was already half way out the door, carrying a silver tray with an assortment of delicious specialities.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “She always acts like this. I didn’t get a chance to say: you look stunning.”

“So do you,” she quietly replied, when she finally met my gaze. “How are you holding up?”

I shrugged. “I feel fine but my family has been all over me for the whole day, especially my sister.”

“She cares about you, it’s pretty obvious. Is she… I don’t think she likes me very much. Not that I blame her,” she added morosely, which prompted me to giggle and the tension between us to finally melt away.

“You’ve no idea how wrong you are. Remember what I told you in the hospital? She hasn’t beaten you up, which probably means that she’s more or less in love with you. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but she can be a tad overprotective.” A a very unladylike snort escaped her.

“Really? I’d never have imagined. Have you always been this close?”

“Since I can remember, she pretty much raised me, didn’t you, Vic?” She had just returned, empty handed.

“And I obviously did a poor job. If I had known how you were going to turn out, I would’ve tried a little harder,” she teased with a smirk.

“Oh, I quite like the outcome,” Katie admitted, more bold than I would’ve been. She looked at me from under her bangs and hesitantly continued: “But there’s…”

“Girls,” my mom called from the living room. “We’re hungry. What’s taking you so long?”

“Coming,” I called back. “Sorry, what were you going to say?” She seemed forlorn for a moment before she smiled.

“Nothing, come on, this looks absolutely fantastic. I don’t know much about your parents, but mine can get really nasty when they’re hungry. We shouldn’t keep them waiting.” She took another tray and brushed past me. I could’ve sworn I saw a tear shimmer in the corner of her eye before she was gone, but I couldn’t be sure.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Vic nudged me lightly. “Did you say anything,” she asked quietly.

“I…no, I don’t think so. You saw it too, then?” She nodded and slowly replied:

“She already cried at the hospital, maybe it’s just that. We won’t find out standing here, either way. Let’s have dinner first, then we can try to puzzle out what’s going on.” I held her back before she could leave the kitchen.

“You know… I don’t have to puzzle at all.” Understanding dawned and her eyes went wide.

“Don’t,” she hissed. “That’s worse than reading her diary. Don’t you dare, Evelyne. If you want to know, ask her, but don’t you dare violate her trust like that. Whatever else is going on, she likes you. I’m sure of it. And if you like her as well, you’ll never ever read her thoughts when it comes to something personal like this. Do you understand me?”

“Yes ma’am. You’re right, but…”

“No buts. And since we’re on the topic, don’t do it to me either, or mom, or dad.”

“Why? Are you afraid I might hear something embarrassing,” I asked with a grin.

“No,” she replied evenly. “I’m afraid you might get hurt. Look, there are times when you can be a royal pain in the ass and knowing you, that’d exactly be the time for you to rummage through our minds. It wouldn’t do for you to hear what we think, when we already know it isn’t true. Trust us Evee, just the same way we trust you. Which means you’ll have to allow us our secrets.”

“Huh, does that mean you don’t always think of me as a princess?”

“Wise ass,” she quipped and bumped her hip into mine on the way past. “Enough dallying now, I’m hungry. And from what I’ve heard earlier, so are you.” And I had believed no one had noticed.

Dinner was mildly awkward at first, since no one seemed to know what might be an appropriate way to start a conversation, considering our circumstances. Consequentially, most of the first half hour was spent chewing and complimenting the food or wine, interspersed with the occasional, superficial question. I didn’t mind, as my sister had so astutely commented, I was famished. To my and everybody else’s surprise, I could easily keep up with my dad and Mr. Donovan, Vernon, I wanted to say. Diane even asked if I had always had such a healthy appetite.

I shrugged in response. “No, usually I don’t eat that much, but I was told it’s to be expected. Apparently I have to make up for what I’ve lost.” As soon as I had finished, Vic thumped on my foot. Damn it, that’s right, the doc had told my parents as much, but they hadn’t repeated his instructions, yet. I only knew because we had listened at the door. I shot a sidelong glance at my parents and while my father was much to involved with his steak, my mom’s eyes bore into mine. She had heard and she had understood. Luckily, she gave me a small nod and a faint smile, indicating that she was neither surprised nor mad. She probably had even expected it. It wasn’t the first time we had eavesdropped on them and it wouldn’t have been the first time we had been caught, either. Which made Vicky’s small rant about trust and whatnot all the more hypocritical. She wasn’t very keen on allowing anyone their secrets, whether they concerned her or not.

“Oh, of course,” Katie’s mom replied. “If you don’t mind me asking, how are you doing?”

“I… quite well, actually. For me, it was a fall, a long sleep and then I was back to normal with only one night in the hospital. Katie even kept me company. It almost feels like a week of holidays.”

“That’s good. We’ve all been worried sick. I… I’m really glad you’re okay. I know my daughter already apologise but I wanted to do the same. I… we’re really sorry for what happened. I can’t even begin to imagine how you must have felt,” she added, focusing on my parents. “I’m deeply sorry for what you had to go through. If there’s anything we can do to make it up to you, or your daughter, anything at all, just name it.” Before my mom could say anything my dad intervened.

“There’s no need. All is well that ends well.” He stared at Katie, a spark of anger igniting in his eyes. “But I do hope you learned your lesson, young lady.” She immediately blushed and nodded furiously, her golden hair flowing around her like a halo. That was why I usually bundled mine up in a pony tail, but I had to admit, it looked cute.

“Of course. I… I’ll never be this careless again.” She turned to me. “I… I can’t even begin to describe how awful I felt until you woke up.”

“And then all was well again,” I teased. “Could have fooled me, the way you looked last night.”

“Of course not,” she immediately said, completely unaware of the humour in my voice. “Only when… after you forgave me, I was starting to feel better. But I’m still…”

“I know,” I quietly interrupted. “You don’t have to say it. I… why don’t we talk in private, later? You haven’t even seen the rest of the apartment, yet, and I’m sure our parents can keep themselves entertained. Especially since my mom already put several more bottles aside, didn’t you?”

She nodded in response. “Guilty as charged. But I don’t want you running off the second you’ve emptied your plates.”

“We won’t. At least not the very same second,” I added under my breath and winked at Katie. She smiled at me, but the expression seemed somewhat strained and I couldn’t help but remember what had happened in the kitchen. Something was wrong with her but I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Would she tell, if I asked? Maybe, it probably depended on the reason. I was severely tempted to try and pry the truth from her thoughts but even without Vicky’s lecture, I wouldn’t have. She had been right with everything she had said, after all, even though I wasn’t going to tell her. Her head was swollen enough as it was.

Distractedly, I dug into a third helping of finely braised meat and added some fresh, homemade pasta, for good measure. He might have been a bit strange, but the doc had definitely been right about my appetite. I couldn’t remember ever having eaten that much and I was still hungry. Not quite famished but I wasn’t going to have any difficulties devouring some dessert. Luckily, I had never quite cared too much about being seen as a glutton, otherwise I might have been forced to take my meals in darkness and privacy, from now on. But for as long as my figure didn’t change, I wouldn’t make a fuss about eating more than my mom and sister combined.

Since the ice had been broken and the elephant in the room had been addressed, the conversation was slowly starting to pick up, our parents gradually warming up to each other. The influence of expensive French wine might also have played a role and when the third bottle had been emptied, it felt more like a family gathering to me, than an evening with people I hardly knew. When even basic table manners went out the window and the cheese platter was consumed with fingers, rather than the wooden toothpicks, I had been forced to fetch from the kitchen, I was truly starting to enjoy myself.

Even the longwinded stories my parents told about their work, once or twice, were bearable and to my unending surprise, they even stayed within bounds and didn’t flaunt their more extraordinary undertakings, more than necessary. I also found out that Mr. and Mrs. Donovan, or Vernon and Diane, were both working as well. He was a rather successful doctor with a small, private office downtown. He even offered to take over for Dr. Crawford, so I wouldn’t have to return to the hospital for my checkups, but considering what my parents had already been told before we had left, they politely but resolutely declined.

Diane was a journalist and she covered pretty much everything from local politics to sports. Finance was more or less the only exception, which luckily meant that she hadn’t stumbled across my family’s business before. In her line of work, she came across the most fantastical stories, some of which were plainly incredible, but they made for perfect entertainment, even though none of us could tell when she was embellishing the truth a little. When my sister finally asked her, she responded with a smile and said:

“You know, I don’t think it matters. Every good story deserves to be narrated in the best way possible. After all, it isn’t what really happened that matters, but rather what your audience makes of it. History is written by the winners and truths are made by those, who have the best knack for making people listen. That’s one of the lessons I’ve learned very early on and one I’ve stuck with ever since.”

“Trust matters as well,” I contradicted. “Cry wolf once and everyone comes running, cry it twice..”

“True, maybe you should cry fire, instead, the second time around,” she replied with a wink.