Amidst the welcome hugs and handshakes, Richard managed to get away for a while. He craved a cigarette and acting all nice took a great toll on him. He made his way up to the roof after giving Lauren up to good company. It was good to be back, yes, but he ached to be back on the road. He was technically a nomad with no roots, no attachments to anyone. He flipped open his lighter. "That thing will rot your lungs and you don't want that," a voice warned from a corner of the roof. He snapped the lighter close and chuckled. This was a saucy one; he had to be careful with them. "And what if I do?" An elegant shoulder shrugged nonchalantly. "It's your funeral. Go ahead." The voice had a smoky undertone to it that reeled him in. She was not facing him but he wanted to see her face badly. She had a curvy body and a tiny waist from what the jean overalls would let him see. "Don't come any closer. I know very good jiu-jitsu and the fall down here leads a slow but painful death," she col

"So this is where you are hiding? Your mother is looking for you." Jackie froze, hearing the familiar bass echoing in the room. It was him, the best friend. "What do you want?" she asked, cocking her head slightly. She got up and thanked the gods above for her Amazon build but the mammoth man still towered over her. "I said your mother is looking for you. Weren't you listening?" Richard repeated, posing at the entrance, his ankle on his bent leg. How he could achieve that pose with his bulk was a mystery to Jackie. "Well, you can go tell her that I'm in here and I will be here for a while." After replying, she ignored his existence and sat back in place. Richard was conflicted: he had lied. Regina was too preoccupied with her guests and sympathizers to worry about the whereabouts of her youngest daughter. He just wanted her to leave so he could sit and think about all Petals' lawyers had said to him the night before: "Peter is dead and his funeral is tomorrow. Get down here for

"Jacqueline, are you ready to leave? Do you have everything you need? Car keys, wallet, credit cards?" Jackie rolled her eyes behind her mother's back. "Mom, chill out. You don't worry this much when Kristin goes back to college." Kristin popped out at the sound of her name. "That's because I rarely give Mother any cause to worry and I'm not a forgetful bug like you." "Hey, girls, play nice and Kristin? Don't call your sister a bug." "Yes, Mother. I can't wait for her to leave though. Everyone knows she is a nuisance anyways." "Kristy! She is your sister and she's standing right here!" Regina interjected, throwing her hands in the air. Jacqueline stopped packing and straightened up to full length. She was two heads taller than Kristin and the latter hated being reminded of that fact. "So it's okay if she says stuff like this but just as long as she doesn't say it to my hearing, Mom? And you, butt face, I don't know what your problem is but I'm not gonna make it easy for you to

"Mother, are you absolutely sure that Father's signature was on that document?" Kristin asked again and again, packing her room endlessly. Her father had bypassed her and named Jacqueline as the heir to his share of the ownership of Petals after all she had done to please him. "It was. It was his signature. Oh, God, how could Peter make such a decision without seeking my opinion? He called Richard but not me, not his wife who has been there for him through thick and thin." Regina broke down in tears, dunking her head on the table before her. Her shoulders shook with emotion and she wept bitterly. Kristin comforted her, massaging her shaking shoulders gently. "You need to take it easy, Mother. You have cried so much these past few days. You need a clear head to figure out what to do next." Regina got up all of a sudden and straightened her clothing. Her perfect face was streaked with tears but she remained the epitome of graceful womanhood. The bun on her hair was still fastidiousl

The main lights of the library were dimmed but she could see the outline of a figure sitting at the front desk. Was that the librarian? she wondered. If she was caught by the authorities, it could spell doom for her. Perhaps there was an alternative way in but how would she know? The only other time she had been in that library was to collect a mandatory college library card which she had never had cause to use. "Hey, you! I see you. Over here," the person at the front desk called to her. Jacqueline stopped in her tracks. The voice sounded young and somewhat famuliar, like someone of her age but voices could be deceiving. Nevertheless, she made her way to the person, prepared for anything except the person she found in the chair: Camille Cage. Camille was like a doppelganger of Kristin, just less rich and famous. She was beautiful and yet so vain that she admonished everyone to call her CeCe (C.C) or so she had heard. She always had As and Bs but it had been generally assumed that