Cynthia'S New Home

[robehouse]

"Well maybe you can bring them tomorrow then along with whatever toys you want."

"Hmm, maybe she is in her playroom or her music room. Let's go look."

Melanie leads Chloe up to the playroom first and opens the door.

[baby_snow_white]

"Am I coming back here tomorrow? I thought mommy was going to send me back to school tomorrow. If I come tomorrow. I'll bring my Barbies with me. I have a carrying case with them and her clothes inside."

Chloe's eyes lits up. "Cynthia has a playroom and a music room? I'm jealous. I don't have either one. Cynthia is so lucky to have both of them. I have to play in my bedroom if I want to play my guitar or my Barbies."

Cynthia looks up from her table. "Oh there you are. You are just in time. We are about to have a tea party." She points to the stuffed animals setting around the table. "There is room for one more if you want to have tea with us Sis."

Chloe nods. "Yes I do."

Cynthia gets up and goes into her dress up box. She gets a big floppy hat. "You can't go to a tea party without a big,floppy hat." Cynthia takes Chloe over to the table and sets her down in front of an empty tea cup. She pours Chloe a cup of pretend tea. Cynthia picks up her cup. "To be a proper lady at a tea party. You have to hold your pinkie out like this." She shows Chloe how to drink tea at a tea party.

[robehouse]

"I guess it will depend on your mother. I would think she would want to keep you out of school at least tomorrow but that is up to her."

"Yes, I guess she is lucky, but she is an only child. Plus we had extra rooms for her to use."

Melanie smiles as she watches the girls play at the table. After a few minutes she leave the room and goes downstairs.

[baby_snow_white]

"I guess you are right. It is up to mom whether or not I go to school tomorrow. I hope she doesn't. After getting beat up by others. I don't feel safe there anymore. I guess I could have fought back and might have been able to hold my own,but I knew mom would be upset with me for fighting."

Chloe shakes her head. "No she isn't an only child. She has alot of sisters. Can I move in here and live here with Cynthia? At home. I'm basically invisible. Susan is the youngest,Stephanie is loud and outspoken,Melissa is mom's helper. I'm invisible. The only time mom notices me is when I get into a fight at school or if I play my guitar too loud."

The phone rings. It was Sam. "How is Chloe doing? Her principal called me and we talked about what happened and that Chloe did not start the fight. We are trying to come up with a solution. The principal thinks I should keep her out for the rest of the year. So Chloe will not get picked on again. I am going to have to talk to Chloe about that. I know how much she wanted to get the perfect attendance award. The only way I can see around it is putting her in kindergarten,but that is only half a day."

[robehouse]

"I think it would be a good idea to tell her what you think. I know she cares about what you think and want."

"I meant she was an only child and when she is here she is still an only child. I don't think it would be a good idea for you to live here. If your mother says it is okay for you to come here during the day then you will be spending the day here anyway."

"Chloe is doing okay, she is upstairs playing with Cynthia. She has bruises, but nothing that won't heal. I think it might be a good idea if the three of us talked when you came here to pick her up. I would be willing to watch Chloe during the day."

[baby_snow_white]

"Maybe it would be a good idea to tell her what I think. I know she does care about me. Even when she is upset with me for fighting."

"I think it would be a great idea. Here I wouldn't be invisible. You would have time for me and notice I am here. At home. No one knows I am there unless I am bad."

"I'm glad Chloe is doing okay. I was worried when she would be seriously injuried from the way the principal described her injuries. Yeah I think we should set down and to about what we should do about Chloe. I know you said you would watch her during the summer,but it isn't summer yet."

[robehouse]

"I don't think you are invisible at home. Stephanie notices you and I am sure your mother and father notice you."

"Well from what I can see, it is just bruises. If you want to take her to the doctor to have her checked out later, that's up to you. I know it isn't the summer yet, but it would be easier on you if Chloe had someplace to be all day so you don't have to worry about her."

[baby_snow_white]

Mom and dad only notice me when I am bad. The rest of the time. I'm just a faceless girl in the crowd. When Melissa was born. I was moved to the backburner. When Susan was born. I turned invisible. Nether one had time for me. I was left to my own."

"I'll see what I think when I see her face to face. You are right and I'm sure Chloe would love to stay all day with Cynthia. Do you still want to take care of Melissa too during the summer? I talked it over her last night and she said she liked the idea,but she was worried that Cynthia would find out about her wetting problem when she gets nervous. I told her that Cynthia wouldn't care or make fun of her because of it."

[robehouse]

"I really don't think that's true. I can't imagine your parents acting like you were invisible."

"Yes, I want Melissa during the summer. I am sure that Cynthia would love having her younger sisters around her. I just wish she would stop being upset with you."

[baby_snow_white]

"Well whether or not you believe it. It is true. With all the others in the house. I am invisble. Because except for when I am bad. I don't cause any kind of ripples in the house."

"Ok I'll tell Melissa that you do want to keep her during the summer too. I'm sure Cynthia would love to have two of her younger sisters with her over the summer. Has she warmed up any to the idea of me being her real mom or is she still convinced I am going to take her away from you and Mark?"

[robehouse]

"Yes Cynthia would love to have her younger sisters except for Stephanie. I am glad that Stephanie has other plans already."

"She hasn't really talked about it, but I would guess she would be the same in her feelings. It will take some time before she trusts you."

[baby_snow_white]

"Yeah Stephanie is not easy to get along with when you first meet her. She has a behavior like sandpaper. It is rough and abrasive. Once you get pass that. Stephanie is not so bad except when it comes to Chloe. Stephanie hates Chloe because she was born before her and that makes Chloe her older sister. Stephanie doesn't think Chloe deserves to be the older sister."

"Ok I didn't know if she had said anything. I'm not going to push or pressure her to accept me. She really has no reason to accept me as her real mother. I was never there for her or there to protect her at all."

[robehouse]

"Chloe told me that you haven't told Stephanie that Cynthia is her older sister. How do you think she is going to take it? I guess that made her the youngest of four sisters."

"That's a good idea. I don't Cynthia acts well when she is pressured. I think eventually she will accept you."

[baby_snow_white]

"No I haven't told Stephanie that Cynthia is her oldest sister. You know the disaster at three mile island? That is nothing compared to the meltdown when Stephanie finds out about Cynthia."

"Yeah I thought it was a good idea too. I just hope it doesn't take too long to get her to accept me. I've waited a long time to have my family whole."

[robehouse]

"Well she will have to know sooner or later. You can't keep it a secret forever."

"We will just have to convince Cynthia that you aren't an evil person that wants to take her from us. That's not going to be an easy task."

[baby_snow_white]

"Yeah I know I am going to have to tell her sooner or later and I'm banking on later. Like when she is about to walk down the aisle at her wedding. Maybe then she will not have a meltdown in the church."

"Yeah I know it isn't going to be an easy task. She has already made up her mind about me and harbors alot of resentment and anger towards me for not fighting harder to get her back."

[robehouse]

"I don't think you should wait that long. She will probably hear her sisters talking around her and might figure it out on her own."

"We are just going to have to work on her. I better get off and make sure everything is going okay and fix the girls a snack. Chloe told me she has a peanut allergy."

[baby_snow_white]

Sam laughs. "That was a joke. I am not going to wait that long. I'm just not looking forward to having that chat with Stephanie. Because I know what is going to happen."

"Yes we are,but we need to be careful not to make her feel we are pushing or pressuring her to accept me. It could undo all the work we have put in up to that point." Sam nods. "Yes Everyone in the house except for my husband are allergic to peanut products."

[robehouse]

"Yeah, it probably will be difficult to have that talk."

"Yes, we need to make it appear that it will be her decision to accept you. I'll talk to you later."

Melanie hangs up the phone and goes upstairs to check on the girls.

[baby_snow_white]

"Yes it is going to be difficult to have this talk with her. It was hard enough trying to explain death to her so she could understand it. Telling her that Cynthia is her oldest sister is going to be even harder than that."

"Ok I'll talk to you later. I've got to get to a meeting."

Cynthia and Chloe looks up at Melanie as she came into the room. They had finger paint on their hands,the old shirts Cynthia find in a rag bag and their faces. "Hello mommy. Sis and I are finger painting. I'm painting a rainbow and Chloe is doing a house,tree and grass. I thought you would get upset if we painted in our good clothes. So I found two of daddy's old shirts in the rag bag in your closet. I hope you didn't mind me using them."

[robehouse]

"That's good. I guess I should get you some plastic aprons to wear when you are fingerpainting. There are just so many old shirts for you to wear."

Melanie looks at the pictures.

"Very good pictures, girls. You both are very artistic."

[baby_snow_white]

Chloe shakes her head. "I prefer an old shirt. That is what mommy gave Susan to wear when she finger paints and when I was in daycare and kindergarten. I used an old shirt of daddy's. So wearing one makes me feel small like a child."

Cynthia giggles. "Well you should feel small. Because you are my little sister. I'm your big sister. Isn't that right mommy?" She looks at Chloe. "I'm not going to be a mean and bossy sister like Stephanie is. I wonder how she is going to react when she finds out I'm her oldest sister."

Chloe shakes her head. "You don't want to know. She will make your life really bad. She will turn on you and hurt you mentally,emotionally and psychially."

Cynthia smiles. "Stephanie will not hurt me. My mommy and your mommy will not let it happen."

Chloe looks at Cynthia. "Well she is your mommy too."

"No she isn't. She gave up that right when she let me get taken away from her in the hospital."

[robehouse]

"Okay, old shirts it is, I guess. It won't be too hard to wash them."

"Yes, Chloe is your little sister, but Stephanie is your baby sister, even if she doesn't act like one. She was born last so that makes her the baby of the family."

"Yes I will do my best to protect you, Cynthia. RIght now the best protection is to keep Stephanie away from you.":

Melanie sighs when she hears Cynthia talk about Sam.

[baby_snow_white]

Chloe nods. "That's is right. Fingerpaint is easy to clean up. It comes off your skin easy and out of clothes quickly with soap and water."

Chloe shakes her head. "No Aunt Melanie. You have that wrong. Susan is the youngest of all of us. Cynthia is the oldest. Then me,then Stephanie,next is Melissa and finally Susan."

Cynthia nods. "Sounds like a good idea to me. I don't really like Stephanie. She reminds me alot of Cinderella's evil step sister and Chloe would be Cinderella."

Chloe looks at Cynthia when she talks about Sam. "Cynthia. I think you are being very unfair to mom. Yes she made a mistake not trying harder to find you,but she never stopped looking for you. She hired a private investagator to look for you. She went to all the orphanages around our house and came up empty. At one orpanage the lady said there was two Cynthias,but both had been adopted and couldn't give out information on who adopted them. So mom thought she would never find you and that made her really sad."

[robehouse]

'Yes, but if you get too much on your skin you will need to take another bath."

"That's right, but I thought Stephanie was younger than Melissa. I guess I was wrong. Birth order doesn't make that much of a difference."

"I'm sure she isn't as bad as Cinderella's stepsisters. She probably hasn't had anyone try to stand up to her."

Melanie listens to Chloe talk to Cynthia and hoped that it would do some good.