Whodunit? An ABDL Mystery! (Ch. 3 Update 11/17/2022)

[Olympiczero]

Hello all!

I am a long-time reader on this site. For several years now, I have wanted to take a stab at writing a story, but never knew where to begin. Creative writing, and creative arts generally, are not my thing. Lately I have been found the desire to work on something that took my mind off work for a bit, and my thoughts came back to this. So I suppose here I am. I welcome your thoughts and advice on my writing more so than suggestions for the story. Above all, I appreciate those of you who decide to come on this journey with me. 

The story is styled as a classic "Whodunit," which is a genre I have always found to be fun. I do not profess to have studied or exhausted the stories on this forum, so I understand it is possible someone else has already run with this theme. That said, this is intended to be an original story. My first. 

UPDATE: I left this story after a bit because I was struggling. I am revisiting it now and editing some of the prior chapters. I appreciate your patience with me for those that are sticking it out! 

Prologue

"The truth, however ugly in itself, is always curious and beautiful to seekers after it." - Agatha Christie.

*Scroop...Scroop....Scroop....." Debbie Ward was in an almost trance-like state as she drove the all too familiar road in front of her. Her windshield wipers continued their journey across her field of vision, from right to left, rising and setting like the sun. "Scroop.....Scroop....Scroop....." It often rained this time of year. The weather had just recently started to change, and Debbie could feel it in her bones. The once majestic, vibrant red, gold, and green trees around her had started to lose their color. The days, once long and bright, had started to give way to earlier nights and darker skies. The warm air would soon be forgotten, extinguished by the crisp night air. The beautifully carved pumpkins that just so recently occupied to stoops of the neighborhood homes removed, else were starting to rot away. Leaf piles were raked and discarded. Children playing football on the streets now retreating to the warm glow of the television. The very smell that makes autumn so special was being washed away by the afternoon rain. "Scroop......Scroop....Scroop...." Perhaps it was fitting. After all...

Never mind. Debbie actually liked this time of the year. More than any other time, in fact. Though the change of seasons signaled the end of the year for the leaves, the early setting of the sun, the once vibrant colors turning dull, and the ever present and growing cold, November meant something much, much more to Debbie. November meant family. It meant having her girls. And while the world around her seemingly shriveled up and hibernated, Debbie was full of life. This year more than ever, Deborah was looking forward to putting her troubles out of mind, and spending time with her daughters. Just like old times.

As she continued her drive up the highway, Debbie reflected on the wonderful memories she had from this time of the year. Year after year, the family would retreat to their home in upstate New York, to spend the thanksgiving and Christmas holidays together. When the girls were younger, the family had to trek back and forth. Deborah did not miss the days of packing up all four girls for a few days, just to return home, and then relive the experience all over again two weeks later. It also used to mean loading and unloading more supplies than she could count on each trip. In fact, Debbie was convinced her back still had not recovered from those journeys. But as the girls grew up, the trips became easier. When the girls were younge, Debbie and Peter took the liberty of having their girls, well, use a few *sick days* after thanksgiving. "OH yes. All four of them came down with the flu if you can believe it.....Uh huh......Uh huh...well yes it is that time of Year....oh Ms..Ms. Henderson...Yes, that's the other line, I need to speak with the middle school as well and let them know." Debbie chuckled to herself thinking of her slight improprieties! I mean lying to the schools, how devilish! By the time Katie was in high school, the family was leaving before thanksgiving, and didn't return until after the new year. They were wonderful memories, each year better than the last. 

Eventually, Debbie and Peter decided to buy a property in the area. The region felt like home. Though they only used the property for the 2 months or so between November and January, Debbie and Peter agreed it was a sound investment. Some families would rent the property for the entire summer: there was a local amusement park, an indoor water park, and lots of local festival events across the whole summer. Other families would rent the property for the winter, attracted to the house's proximity to a local ski resort. While the mountain was not incredibly challenging, it was more than adequate to entertain a modest skier. More importantly (or financially favorable to the Wards) was the local town's infamous winter village, which occupied the attention of the entire region every year. The ski lodge boasted a wonderfully cozy hotel, offered guest passes to use their amenities. The local town transformed into a winter wonderland village, offering outdoor festival winter fun, games, booths with sweets and toys that would make your head spin. Tree after tree was lined with lights, brightening the night sky. And the locals were certainly festive - each house more elaborately decorated than the last. It was truly a year-round escape.  The Wards never had trouble renting the house. 

The house itself, if you asked Debbie, was spectacular in its own right. It was the type of home Debbie always dreamed of after marrying Peter. It was storybook. The house was secluded on a large track of land, off the main road and away from the main neighborhood. If you didn't know your way, you might drive right past it, hidden off a small dirt road and concealed behind a series of massive maple, elm evergreen, and pine trees.  The very though of pulling onto the dirt path warmed Debbie up like a nice cup of cocoa. The smell was scintillating when you approached - warm, floral scents from the wildflowers in the summer, cool crisp air wafting pine and evergreen in the winter. Once you made it past the trees, you were confronted with a beautiful home - the wooden beams rose high above you, as your eyes tracked each story, from the ground, up to the patio and second floor, to the top story crowned in with a Dutch roof. The dark paint - freshly coated regularly - contrasted with the beautiful wooden exterior in marvelous fashion. the inside was even better. The home boasted 6 bedrooms, a large family room, and a massive kitchen with two refrigerators. There were three fireplaces, an eight seat in-home theater, a game room, and the basement was always filled with toys the girls used and forget over the years. The backyard had a garden, pool for the summer, and a forgotten jungle gym play set which Amelia just *needed" to have. A hot tub sat comfortably on the first floor patio, next to a covered log pile. A staircase flanked either side of the house, allowing the girls to literally run circles around the house. For years Debbie always joked that the home reminded her of the house from the boardgame Clue. Peter, oh so kind as he was, ran with the idea and planned Debbie a Clue themed 35th birthday just last year. All of their friends came extravagantly dressed as any one of the six characters from the game, and they laughed and drank the night away.

The house itself was just bones, as Debbie always said. Deborah always prided herself on turning the house into a home. A home that could accommodate a family and friends, that felt warm and inviting. There were always enough snowsuits for guests, skis to borrow and use, snowshoes to try out, and sleds to slide on. When the girls were younger, their friends were always welcome and would come in scores. Memories of aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents around for Christmas. The walls were lined with family photos, which, while hard to look at now, offered comfort and a visit to the past when all was right. Who says it all could not be right again?

"Scroop......Scroop....Scroop...." Though lost in her thoughts, the route was second nature to Debbie, and like second nature, she lifted her turn signaled and slowly veered off at her exit. It had been sometime since the whole family had gotten together at the family house. Years gave way, and as family and friends grew older, so did their interests. Cousins, aunts, and uncles stopped coming. Grandparents were no longer willing, or able, to make the long journey by car. Family friends opted for travel or other events with their own families. And though it was never hard to rent to others, it had been a long time since the house was filled with laughter, smiles, and well...since it was full.

Overcoming the loss of guests was once thing. But the first year Emily told Debbie and Peter that she was not coming home for Thanksgiving, her heart broke a little bit. Emily had been dating Scott for two years, and Debbie and Peter liked him very much. But still, it hurt when Emily explained that she would not be coming that first year. And slowly but surely, every year thereafter, someone was missing. Anne had a bachelorette party. Amelia was on the other coast and *forgot* to book her flight in time. Just last year, Katie had claimed an emergency that just turned out to be cat sitting for her roommate. And this year, well, it would be empty for another reason. But that was out of her control now. What mattered was that Debbie finally had all her girls back in one place. Emily - married now for two years - was coming alone while Scott was in travelling in Japan for work matter that would keep him there until the new year. Anne - surprisingly - informed Deborah that she would be taking some time off work, and thought it would be relaxing to spend the time at the house. Amelia, having recently graduated, was waiting for her licensure approval before she started her career. And sweet little Katie would be back from her exchange program abroad, and wouldn't need to start her next semester until mid-January. For the first time in what felt like forever, the house would feel like home. 

With her thoughts on her girls, Debbie pulled off of the main street through town and began winding the narrow roads, up the hill, and towards her house. She had caught herself smiling more than once on her journey, but each time she caught herself, worked to conceal it. Unexpectedly, she felt nervous. She was excited, but also scared that this vacation would not live up to everything she remembered. And with everything going on, she was not sure how she would break the news to the girls that, well....

"Well that could wait for another time." Deborah thought as she pulled on to the dirt road, and past the trees concealing the house. These things happen when you get older, and though she didn't consider herself old per se, her girls would understand. Surely, she would find the right time to bring it up. But that time was not now. Deborah slowly pressed the brake pedal, bringing the car to a halt on its long journey. Deborah's back reminded her just what it was time for - time to unload the car. 

[kerry]

An excellent opening. I'm immediately hooked.

[Olympiczero]

Thank you Kerry. I do not know how to reply to comments directly yet (I am not only new to writing, but to posting generally) but it is comforting to know someone is reading, let alone enjoying the story so far. 

 

[Olympiczero]

Chapter 1 - Invitation to a Dinner Party

“Use your eyes. Use your ears. Use your brains---if you've got any. And, if necessary--act.” ― Agatha Christie, Death on the Nile.

**Phew**. Deborah was exhausted. She collapsed on the couch in the main living room, exhausted her afternoon. Not two feet in front of her, sitting on the coffee table, was a glass of ice water, condensation droplets slowly dripping down the side of the glass. Two feet or two miles, it made no difference: Deborah could not even bother to lift herself out of the couch enough to drink from the recently poured glass she so desperately craved. "This was hard to do by myself" Deborah thought to herself, while beginning to consider why she didn't wait for any of her daughters to arrive before unloading so much luggage.

The first few hours in the house were always the most difficult. But this year, Deborah was on her own, and the task felt practically herculean. After stepping out of the car, it was an endless back and forth from the basement garage door, back to the car, hauling suitcases, cooking supplies, cleaning supplies, and of course, gifts for her greatest gifts of all. In between her trips to the car, she took the time to express gratitude to Peter - or maybe just the universe generally - that they had decided to insert the basement/first floor door. Deborah chuckled to herself as she recalled the day they elected to do so. Peter was climbing the outdoor staircase up to the wrap around patio, where the former "front door" was located. In his arms were grocery bags, a once of the girl's old strollers, and of course, one of the girls. Right behind him was sweet Amelia, carrying a soup pot that was about her size. Emily had of course, already run ahead to claim her room - damned she even have to think about sharing with her sisters. And bringing up the rear was Deborah, baby carrier in one arm, diaper bag in another, and a bag of the girls' toys hanging from, well god knows where. Peter, dripping with sweat just from the 25 foot journey from the car, and Deborah, exasperated on stair number three of...oh god she was only on stair number three...met eyes. It was an almost psychic connection, and slowly, both of their faces broke into a smile. First floor door, its happening. That was years ago, more years than Deborah cared to think about. More wonderful, but painful, memories all the same.

And while the presence of the first floor door remained a much welcome sight, the door itself was an inanimate object, one incapable of stripping beds, washing sheets, washing towels, cleaning bathrooms, surfaces, the kitchen, dusting, vacuuming, or quite frankly, helping at all. Those tasks would be for Deborah. Deborah still made the most out of renting the house out. Indeed, the most recent long term rental were one Deborah's more lucrative guests. An older couple had rented the house out from August through the end of October. "Ornithologists" they called themselves - a term Deborah was not familiar with a decade ago when they had originally reached out to her. But Mark and Lucy were kind, generous, and had been repeat guests for over ten years. Deborah never intruded on their personal affairs, but if she had to wager, they were in the latter half of their sixties at this point. In any event, Mark and Lucy rented the house out without fail every year, for over a decade, to take advantage of the migration period for several bird species they had made a career studying. Deborah did not particularly like birds, so did not really pay attention when they explained in more detail what they would do for weeks on end. In more recent years, they had asked if they could invite some guests, and Deborah of course agreed. It brough back memories of the house being full, and she loved that others enjoyed it as she did. Over the last few years, Mark and Lucy had their kids and grandchildren at the house for extended periods.  Mark had kindly requested to make a few changes to one of the rooms to accommodate his grandchildren - at his expense of course - and Deborah had no objections. One year, they even replaced all the gutters, never mentioning a thing to Deborah. Deborah only found out when the service company had called her asking if she would post a favorable review on their website for the work they had done. She was embarrassed to say she hung up curtly, and did not piece the puzzle together for another three months. They were the perfect guests, were always kind and polite, paid up-front, and this year, well things considering...they had been especially kind to Deborah. 

Nevertheless, there had not been time between Mark and Lucy's departure and her arrival to call their usual cleaning service to come into the house and, well, do all the things Deborah had just done. Mark and Lucy had asked to stay another two weeks - at double the price - and having no other guests, Deborah agreed. But that meant that they had only left this past Friday, and Deborah couldn't arrange for anyone to come in on yesterday on Saturday. So, as the rain continued its steady beat against the windows and along the patio, Deborah rolled up her sleeves, and went to work. Lucy - bless her heart - had left the towels at the foot of the washing machine on the first level, and so Deborah heaved the towels up on to her hip, and then into the washer. Step 1 complete. Now it was up the front staircase, up to floor three, and stripping the beds in the three bedrooms on the top floor. Deborah went about each task methodically. She wanted the house to be perfectly clean for when her daughter arrived. Emily would likely be the first in - she always needed to be first - and Deborah wanted everything to be perfect before she arrived. 

As she dropped the sheets down the laundry chute connecting the top floor to the first, Deborah's mind wandered to her children. Emily - her first - was a constant presence in her life. In truth, Deborah thought she only wanted one child at first, and Emily was just the child she had wanted: she was perfect. At a young age, she was always ahead of her class - everything came easy to her. Reading, writing, and math were a cinch in school. She was always a mild mannered, responsible child. Unlike, well if were going to be honest, *cough cough Anne and Amelia cough cough**, Emily was always on her best behavior as a girl, never needing much discipline, and very independent.  She was a quintessential first child, and honestly, made parenting kind of easy.  There was that one thing she did struggle with as a toddler...but she got over that. No big deal. Eventually Emily went into business school, and after she graduated, opened a local (well local to Deborah) boutique shop that catered to certain...well odd interests if you asked Deborah. But as Emily explained, there was demand, and no supply, and she brought the supply. The business eventually expanded. Emily was overworked, overtired, and away from her then boyfriend Scott too often. She decided she had enough, wanted to slow down, and have a family. She sold her business, married Peter, and Deborah believed at least that they were trying to get pregnant. She really didn't broach the subject, though she wanted to. 

While Deborah didn't want to have more children, Peter did, and she eventually came around to the idea. I mean Emily was so easy, so how hard could another be? And in truth, Deborah became grateful for each and every one of her daughters. Anne had been next - named for Peter's mother by the same name. Grandma Anne - a religious fanatic in her later years -  had been so critical that Emily did not have a proper "Christian" name, Deborah was half convinced that was what killed her. Though she was challenging at the end, Deborah had a wonderful relationship with her mother in law, and so when Peter proposed naming her after his recently deceased mother, Deborah had no objections. Anne was a smart girl. Maybe not Emily sharp, but she was no slouch. And while Emily was a lot more introverted as a kid, Anne was the extrovert. Everywhere she went, little Annie Ward made friends. Oftentimes, Anne seemingly remembered every face and every name of every person she had every graced with a simple "how do you do?"  When Anne was still at the age she was more willing to hang with mom, Deborah used to strategically bring her to places where she inevitably ran into folks she simply could not remember who they were. *Nudge* "Annie - who is that women waving at us...quick she's coming" "Mommy! That's Sally, Kendall's mother from swim class two years ago"....*Elbow Elbow* "Annie, who is that women in the black hair approaching us....I know i know her!.." "Why Mommy, that's Sabrina of course! She babysat for Katie that one time when Jenny was not available and you had to go to that emergency mommies only juice drinking event! Her favorite color is orange." Deborah chuckled as she stood on the step stool and dusted the curtains. Anni.. I mean Anne was a riot when she was a little girl, though her advanced social skills probably came at the expense of her failed, well, you know....Deborah stopped short - Anne had sworn Deborah she was not allowed to think, let alone talk about That....Now Anne was now living on her own, out of school about two years, and working away at her dream job - vice president of customer service for a major corporation, where she spent all day speaking to people about their problems. Who doesn't dream of that?

Deborah loved her girls all. And she is grateful for the patience her parents raised her to have each day. But she was never more grateful for the patience than when Amelia came along. Deborah is not sure what abuse she put Amelia through when pregnant with her, but whatever she did, Amelia had paid her back in kind twice over before her tenth birthday. Every family has one child terror, right?....... Right....? In any event, Amelia was....Amelia. She received more spankings for her naughty behavior than Deborah could recall. In fact, Deborah was convinced that Amelia had become the math whiz she was because of all the spanking counting she had to do before the age of three. Public or private, it didn't matter: Amelia threw tantrum after tantrum about god knows what anymore. She was always well behaved with others - playdates, school, grandparents. She just seemed to erupt whenever she was with Deborah and Peter. And when she was with Anne? It was practically nuclear. For whatever reason, Anne and Amelia simply did not get along. And that is the nicest way Deborah knew how to phrase it. Deborah was still embarrassed to see Dr. Wentz around town, convinced he thought she was a failed mother for the time she had to bring Anne in to the emergency room, bleeding with a precise dental implant in her thigh from where Amelia had just vampirically bit her sister. She would never forget Dr. Wentz's face as he looked at Deborah and said, without any humor in his voice "at least the police will have an exact match in case they need to ID her for a future life of crime." After nearly two decades, the girls seemingly got through the worst of it, and now existed in a state of détente. Though, every so often a reminder of her "permanent leg scar" can send things off again. Amelia was a sweet girl too, and she grew out of her general brattiness. She eventually found a better way to release her energy - school work - and she was waiting on news that she had passed her medical assistants licensure program. In fact, the results were expected to come out any day now. Deborah was excited for Amelia...she could use some good news after, well after all that teasing about when she was little..

Deborah swapped the last laundry load in, and carried the clean sheets out of the dryer. The floors were vacuumed and washed, dusting done. She finished cleaning the last of the surfaces, and the patio had been reorganized. She made up the bed in one of the first floor rooms, leaving the unused room alone, and carried another set to the Master bedroom on the second floor. She quickly made the bed, and carried the remaining three sets up the stairs to complete the last of her tasks, as she did, her mind turned to Katherine. Sweet little Katie. Katie - Deborah was still allowed to call her that, was her baby. And a baby she was. Katie simply didn't grow up as fast as her other three girls, and Deborah was grateful for it. She was silly, goofy, and funny, and the love of her three older sisters' lives. She still loved stuffed animals, the color pink, and of course, would whoop anyone at Disney Trivial Pursuit before you could even think of plausible guess. Unlike her other girls, she was still finding her way. She was not sure what she wanted to do with her life, and was perfectly content with that fact. When Katie had proposed going abroad in the first semester of her sophomore year, Deborah was nervous. Katie was easily the most sheltered of her girls, and she worried for her. At the same time, Deborah thought this would be real growing up opportunity for Katie, and as Katie was holding out her approval form, eyes big, with a nervous smile on her face, Deborah could not deny her the experience. This would be the first time Deborah would have seen her baby in 4 months, as she was set to return form Paris in....oh my god, just over an hour away. 

Deborah finished making up the last bed, straightened out the bedside lamp, and closed the door behind her. The house was perfect. As she left the bedroom, Deborah came face to face with a family photo from just two years ago. How some things had changed so much since then, and how others had not. Her eyes gazed over her four daughters, each one more beautiful than the next.  In each of them, she saw herself, she saw Peter, and she saw what made each of them unique. Each girl had their natural blonde hair and fair skin from her. Emily was a little bit bigger around the waist than the other three - a matter that always bothered her, but even Emily knew she was in good shape. Anne next to her, in one of her favorite dresses - she was always the clothes-a-holic, needing a new outfit for each person who might see her. There was Amelia, with her perfect smile and baby blue eyes - something none of the other girls kept. And Katie, with her platinum hair, still possessing her child like smile. And Peter.....Oh Peter...and while the girls had acquired her hair color and fair skin, they had not acquired her height. That, that came from Peter. "Vertically Challenged" he would call it. And even in this photo, Deborah stood at least a full head taller than her girls, and she was fairly convinced they were wearing heels to make up some of the difference. "Vertically challenged"...Deborah audibly chuckled to herself thinking of Peter's old saying. "That always put a smile on my face." She began lifting her hand, and reaching out to the old family photo, as if touching it might bring everything back, might bring..him back.., and might help her get out of this mess.... She Deborah headed down the stairs, filled herself a much needed glass of ice water, and collapsed into the soft, feathery couch without another word.

*DING DONG* As if to break her from her slight reprieve, the sound of the doorbell echoed through the house. Deborah straightened herself up, looked in the mirror, and put her bravest face on. In truth, she was happy for the first time in what felt like a long time. "Here we go." 

[Kaleros]

Things are starting to look interesting already.

[Olympiczero]

13 hours ago, Kaleros said:

Things are starting to look interesting already.

Thanks for the support. 

[Olympiczero]

Chapter 2 - A Night to Remember

"It is a curious thought, but it is only when you see people looking ridiculous that you realize just how much you love them." Agatha Christie, an Autobiography.

"And then..wait...and then, like, out of nowhere....out of the complete darkness...." Amelia paused her animated re-telling of her saga to have another drink of her wine. She was slowly sipping it, with a big smile on her face, as though if she tried to drink it any faster, she might spit it out. She put her glass down, and returned to waving her arms as she finished her story. "Out of NOWHERE, Jamie came out from behind some trees and screamed...PUMPERNICKEL!" The last word of the story exploded out of her mouth, accompanied with an uncontrollable laughter. Deborah smiled. She took in the sight before her: Emily, Katie and Amelia were snuggled up on the couch, laughing hysterically and their ridiculous sister's ridiculous tale. The four girls were audibly laughing, each one louder than the next. Whether it was the story that was causing it, or the nearly four bottles of wine that had been exhausted, it did not matter. These were the moments that Deborah lived for. This was the very reason they had the house. 

The day had been long and exhausting. Not minutes after Deboarh had finished her sweep of the house, Emily rang the doorbell. Deborah opened it, and was confronted with her oldest daughter, looking spectacular as always. Emily had let her hair grow back out since selling her business, and her long, curly blonde hair fell neatly past her shoulders. She was bundled up in a warm fall coat, and sported a cute beanie with a pompom on top. She was dressed in her "driving comfies" as she called them - a black pair of leggings and an oversized hoodie. Deborah embraced her daughter, and ushered her in quickly, out of the rain and into the warm comfort of the freshly cleaned home. "It looks great here mom! I thought the McCarthys only left on Friday! I expected the place to be out of shape a bit." Deborah chuckled to herself - if only she knew. "No, no. They left it fairly clean, and I got here a little bit early so I could just tidy up a little bit." Deborah did not want to burden Emily with the ordeal she had to go through to get this place in order. Emily would be a mom herself soon. She would soon understand. "Am I the first one here?" Emily asked somewhat rhetorically, as if she had not planned to be the first one anyway. "Yes dear, your sisters aren't supposed to get here for another hour or so. Katie's flight only lands in an hour and a half, and she and Amelia are renting a car at the airport together. I told you this in the group chat!" Emily paid no attention to her mom's remarks. Of course she knew. Why do you think she showed up when she did? to claim her bedroom of course. "Oh that's right. I had forgotten." Emily plead in ignorance. "I'll just go put my bags in the downstairs bedroom, so I the other girls can be noisy and silly after I want to go to sleep." Whether that was true or not, it did not matter. Emily was always going to claim "her" bedroom. It was the same way when she was little. She wanted the independence of having her "own" bedroom on her "own" floor, even though there were never any assigned rooms. The tantrums and fights it caused when they were little were outrageous, to the point that Deborah still doubted any of Emily's sisters would have even attempted to claim the room even now as grown adults. They had come to mock her territorial claim as the "Princess in her realm," a title that bothered Emily more than she let on. 

Emily shed her coat and hat. She tucked her hat into her coat sleeve, opened the hall closet, and grabbed a coat hanger, deftly slipping the coat on. She neatly placed her coat in the leftmost slot on the rack. Before stepping off of the interior matt, she slipped off her UGG "driving boots" - not to be confused with her UGG indoor boots, or her UGG indoor slippers - and placed them tidily at the foot of the closet, directly beneath her coat. Emily grabbed a towel - a freshly cleaned towel - from the top shelf of the closet, and began drying off her large rolling suitcase, going so far as to dry off the wheels. Once she was satisfied, she threw the towel over her shoulder, grabbed the handle of her suitcase, and started rolling it toward the front staircase. Deborah took the time to take her daughter in. Emily looked great. Deborah loved it when Emily's hair was longer, and had not been so supportive when Emily had cut it for "professional reasons." Why she Emily have had to change anything in order to be taken seriously? Deborah knew in her heart it was true, but it didn't mean she liked it. Emily had struggled with her weight over the years, but in the most recent years, Emily's steady diet and workout routine had helped her keep everything under control. And while Emily looked a bit bigger than her sisters, her sisters were just particularly thin. Standing in front of her now, Deborah thought Emily looked just perfect. "I am going to go unpack, tidy up, and I'll be up in a few minutes" Emily said as she was already descending the stairs. "I'll toss this towel in the washing machine on my way to the room." Deborah quickly remembered she had left an extra load of sheets in the washer "Emmy please swap the spare sheets in the washer into the dryer first!" she called down after her. Emily clenched her jaw at her childhood name for a second, but decided to let it pass. "Sure thing mom."

Emily opened the washer, and grabbed the still wet sheets in the washer. "How could mom leave sheets sitting in the washer?" Emily thought to herself. "Doesn't she know they will get dewy and smelly? She didn't have much to do, it seems silly she forgot." Emily pressed the sheets up against her face and took a sniff "Ehh. Probably fine, but I am going to wash this towel anyway. Might as well run the sheets again" Emily concluded. Emily put the sheets back in the washer, placed the towel in, and dropped a detergent pod in as well. She set the washer to start. Emily then took her phone out, set a timer identical to the wash cycle, and set off to her room. Emily opened the door to her "realm" - I mean bedroom. Her bedroom - and took in the comforting sight. It was exactly as she remembered, and it immediately felt like home. against the wall as she opened the door was her dresser - eight drawers so she could properly separate her articles of clothing. against the same wall as the door was a closet (the biggest closet - even bigger than the master bedroom Emily liked to point out) so that she could hang the clothes that ought to be hung. In the far corner of the room was Emily's chair - her big comfy reading chair - and next to it her "library." Emily smiled, thinking of fond memories of coming down to her room to escape into the adventures of her favorite childhood books, snuggled up with her warm elephant blanket and getting lost in the adventures of Nancy Drew and the Magic Treehouse. This room was special to Emily - it was a home within a home - and represented a safe place for her. She loved her family, but also needed time to herself, and this room was where Emily collected and prepared herself for all the family time she spent as a child. And of course, it was always a safe refuge for her when she was younger when her little sisters would poke fun at her for...well..you know. Emily went about meticulously unpacking her suitcase. Each T shirt was hung up individually, and arranged by color and warmth of course. She hung the dresses she brought to wear for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years eve, in the precise order she planned to wear them in. Emily then went about loading the 8 drawer dresser, each compartment containing a unique piece of clothing from left to right, top to bottom: underwear, socks, accessories, bras, tights, leggings, and then the bulkier items - sweatshirts and pajamas - in the bottom two drawers. Emily was a bit of a pajama lover, and made sure to bring all sorts of types to accommodate warm or cooler weather. Once finished, Emily re-arranged the pillows to be in the correct order, straightened out two picture frames with photos of her and Scott in on their trip to Mexico from a few years back, and proudly declared her work complete. "Just right." she said to herself out loud. Emily quickly undressed from her driving clothes, put on a freshly hung t-shirt, and "indoor" leggings, and made her way to "her bathroom" which was connected to her bedroom by an adjoining door, though accessible from the first floor hall. Emily locked both doors, sat down on the toilet, and spent about two full minutes peeing "who on earth would actually sit on a rest stop toiler?" she thought. She sighed in relief "girl, you took that once close. Any longer and I would have peed my pants." Emily washed her hands, returned to the bedroom to get her bathroom kit, and quickly started unpacking her items in accordance with a system that only Emily could understand in the bathroom. Once she was satisfied, she made her way back up the stairs to see her mom. "I guess that room and bathroom will be mine" Emily said to herself, as though rehearsing on what she would say to her sisters when they arrived. 

Upstairs, Deborah knew that she had some time while the "little elves" in Emily's head took over. So, Deborah went about getting some snacks and drinks ready for Emily. She cut of a baguette she bought at the local market, and pulled the cheese plate she had arranged earlier in the afternoon out of the fridge. Deborah then grabbed a corkscrew, and opened a nice bottle of Pinot Noir to share with Emily. She grabbed two wine glasses from the highest shelf in one of the kitchen cupboards, easily reaching them while on her toes. Deborah filled the glasses, returned to the main living room area, and elected to sit on one of the armchairs instead of her original place on the couch. She worried that if she sunk back into the couch, there would be no getting out of it. Deborah took a sip of wine - it was great - and waited for Emily to return upstairs. Deborah was already feeling tired from her day, but her daughter's presence re-energized her.

Emily emerged from her domain with a big smile on her face. "Everything in order downstairs?" Deborah asked with pride. "Yes mom. I had to do some re-arranging, but my room seemed to be just how I left it, so it wasn't hard to get all of my stuff unpacked. I was practically bursting though, so needed to use the bathroom right after I finished with the room. Is that for me?" Emily asked, pointing to the second wine glass. "I could really use it. You wouldn't believe the conversation I had with Scott on the car ride up here." Emily grabbed her wine glass, and fell into the couch, nuzzled against the armrest. Deborah intently listened as her eldest daughter explained how Scott was hoping to be back in time for New Years, but now would be unable to come. Some nonsense about one of the groups not getting their documents in order for the transaction, and needing to reship and resign new documents, while working to locate the sensitive missing documents all at the same time. "And so now he is stuck in Japan for an extra two to three weeks. It seems ridiculous to me that people could show up so unprepared. Plan, organize, and execute. It is so simple." Emily continued to chat about less stressful parts of her life while Deborah listening, chiming in when appropriate. "Plan, organize, execute" would be the perfect slogan for Emily's life, Deborah thought, Maybe she should get her a plaque for Christmas with that on it....

As Emily was sipping down the last of her (first) glass of wine, the doorbell rang again. *DING DONG...DING DONG...DING DONG...DING DONG* The bell was being rapidly pressed, which could mean only one thing - or one daughter to be more precise: Amelia was at the front door. 'Does she still need to do that every time she rings the bell?" Emily sighed, but had a big smile on her face. Emily liked to complain about disorder, but she loved her sister. Emily was halfway out of the couch before Deborah could react, and on her way to open the door for her little sisters. "MELLY! KATIE!" Emily screamed, as her sisters jumped inside, hugging their big sister. The three stood there, for what felt like five, but was probably closer to one minute, just hugging, holding each other, each not wanting to be the first to let go. Finally, the three released each other, although who let go first it was not clear. "I want to hear all about the end of your program Katie Kat! and Mel! how are you feeling about your tests? Come in come in!" Amelia didn't need to be asked twice, pulling her suitcase in behind her and kicking her shoes off to the side. Amelia dropped her coat on the floor and moved toward her mom, giving Deborah a big hug as well. "So great to see you mom! The house looks just the same" Katie had made her way into the house too, and take her shoes off on the mat. "Here sweetie" Emily said to her, "give me your coat, and go say hi to mom. Ill get everyone drinks." Emily helped Katie take her coat off, and went to go pick up Amelia's as well, hanging both up in the closet while Deborah embraced her youngest daughter - her baby - after not seeing her for months. "I missed you SOOOOO much" Deborah said, as she squished her daughter. "Moooooommm....let go of me. You're squeezing all the air out of me. Come on!" Deborah couldn't help herself, and held her daughter close for just a moment longer. "Fine, fine. I'll make up for the hugs while you're here. No need for them all now, she said coyly." "I assume the princess has assumed her castle downstairs, so I'll bring my bag upstairs" Amelia announced, and proceeded to drag her suitcase up the stairs, banging every step as she went. "Come on Katie, you can take the room next to me." Emily, not one to let a remark go, retorted "I so happened to get here first so took the room downstairs so that you and Katie could be noisy all night. Excuse me.." Emily wasn't really mad, but she could not let such insinuations go unchecked. "Whatevvverrr," Amelia responded playfully, "just pour me one of those glasses, I'll be down in thirty seconds!" 

Katie followed her sister upstairs, trying desperately hard not to bang her suitcase like her sister had. The suitcase was heavy, however, bearing all her clothing and items from her trip abroad, and she struggled carrying it up the stairs. By the time she reached the top, she was embarrassed to say but she was actually sweating a bit. Meanwhile, Amelia had claimed one of the upstairs two rooms bearing a queen bed in it. The room she picked was beautifully decorated, with two bookshelves, a table for working, and a nice armchair in the corner. a Persian carpet was laid across the floor, one her mother had acquired years earlier when travelling in Turkey. Amelia pushed her suitcase onto the ground, ignoring all of it, and opened the suitcase up, contents pouring out on to the floor. Amelia proceeded to shuffle the bag around - causing more items to fall out - in order to find her toiletry bag. "Be down in a second! Need to pee!" Amelia announced, so that everyone - perhaps even the neighbors - were aware. Amelia made her way into the bathroom which connected her bedroom with the other queen bedroom upstairs, and went in to do her business. Amelia had never been one to be shy about much, except maybe, well maybe about that one thing. Nor did she care much for personal privacy, and simply left the bathroom door open while she peed. She certainly wasn't shy Deborah, still downstairs, could even tell her daughter must have needed to go badly.

Katie, meanwhile, left her bag at the foot of the stairs. She was confronted with a dilemma - to take the other queen bed, or to take the room with the two bunkbeds. Truthfully, Katie would have normally accepted the room with the bun beds immediately. Being the youngest sister, that was usually her role, regardless of the scenario. "Once the baby, always the baby" was sort of the motto. And, she was the smallest, youngest, and had most often stayed in that room. But Katie had considered herself to be more grown up now. Why should she be relegated to that room? She DID arrive before Anne, so maybe Anne should sleep in one of the four beds in the "kids room." As Katie was pondering her dilemma, it occurred to her that she needed to pee as well. Between the long flight and Amelia texting her to hurry up and get off the damn plane, Katie had rushed so quickly through the airport and to the rental car, she forgot to stop at the bathroom with all the excitement going on. "I'll just go into the room with the bunkbeds" she concluded. "The mature and grown-up thing to do would be to let my older sister have the queen bed" she determined. "Plus, this way I get my own bathroom, even if its not connected to my room." That was indeed a benefit. So, Katie shifted her bag into the room with the two bunkbeds, and quietly made her way to the bathroom down the hall, past the bedrooms, past what they called the "puzzle room" and into the bathroom near the back staircase. In truth, Katie had wonderful memories in the "kids" room. Seh and her sisters used to have "slumber parties there" and she cherished every minute, and every memory, of spending time with her older sisters in there. It had always been fun, and she loved having three older sisters to take care of her all the time. And they indeed looked out for her, and helped her get through those...umm...tough times, or whatever. It had been so long since she had seen all of her sisters at the same time too, so it would be especially nostalgic to all be together. Perhaps she could convince them all to spend one night together in the bunk beds, just like old times. 

Downstairs, Emily had finished pouring two more glasses of wine when her alarm went off. "That would be the laundry" she thought. "Mom, heading downstairs to swap the laundry. Katie and Melly's wine are on the kitchen counter" Emily announced, as she headed down the stairs. No sooner than when she reached the bottom of the stairs, a familiar noise echoed through the house: **DINNNNGGGG DOOONGGGG**  The sound of someone holding the doorbell down, no doubt. Before Deborah could react, she heard a shout coming down the back staircase "I got it! I got it! I got it!" Katie screamed, as she dashed down the stairs, past the theater room, and into the kitchen. You could hear her practically bouncing on each stair, the last few wooden stairs creaking as she did. "I got it!" Katie repeated again, sliding toward the second floor front door. Before the door was even half open, Anne came bursting through, practically jumping onto Katie. "Katie!!! ohmygod!! I missed you so so so much! I want to hear EVERYTHING! AHHHHHH I am so happy you are here." Deborah could tell Katie was happy too. Before their embrace could, Amelia came storming down the front staircase, and joined the hug. "Amelia! Yay! how was your trip" Anne shouted, not really expecting an answer. And presumably having finished moving the sheets and towel from the washer to the dryer, Emily came up the stairs, pitter pattering over to her sisters. "Your highness has blessed us with a visit from her kingdom" Anne said, in a mockingly formal manner. "Oh shut up" Emily responded, smiled, and then completed the group hug. Deborah stood to the side, not remembering having been happier. It was real. Her girls were all together, there with her, for the start of a wonderful multi-week stay. She would have them to herself for almost two months, and her heart was full of warmth and joy. "Mom!" Anne startled her out of her daydream, "Get over here!" And so she did, and she held them and held them, for what felt like forever. 

Eventually, Anne made her way upstairs with her bag, screaming down about how sweet it was that Katie let her have the other queen bed. She made her way into the second queen bedroom, sitting about halfway between the front and back staircase. She made her way in, and started unpacking her bag. The room she was in was probably the least decorated of the rooms in the house. There was no particular reason for it, it was just that nobody ever got around to adding anymore furniture to it once the bed and dresser were put it. The room was substantially larger than the other bedrooms upstairs, however, and as a result had become somewhat of a storage space. There sat a large desk in the room, with books on birds piled high on one corner. In the corner opposite the bed sat a rocking chair, the type of chair that you found in every single one of these vacation homes, and had no idea why it was there. A large mirror that simply didn't fit the room stood in the opposite corner, so that if you sat in the chair, you would be staring at yourself. Anne didn't mind - she was not one to complain, and prided herself on being really easy going about everyone and everything. Well, except about that one thing....but that had not come up in a long time, so why dwell on it? Sharing a bathroom with Amelia would be an adventure, and Anne decided then and there she would just give Amelia priority and avoid any conflict. "Hmm. I'll need to do some rearranging so that people can hang out in here with me" Anne thought. "Better be quick about it, I'm missing all the fun!"

There was quite a bit of noise coming from upstairs, while Emily, Amelia, Katie, and Deborah were catching up and having wine downstairs. "Is she doing construction up there?" Amelia asked out loud. "Let it be, and don't start up already.." Emily cut in. Amelia threw her hands up, palms flat as if to show surrender. "Starting without me, I see!" Anne said from the staircase. "Well I suppose I'll just pour myself a glass then!" From there, the night proceeded wonderfully. They had barely moved out of the living area, as the rain continued to beat down on the house. Wine glass after wine glass was shared. Their favorite local pizza was delivered. And as the sisters ate, drank, and chatted, Deborah could not help but enjoy herself. The house was filled with smiles and laughter. Tales of work, marriage, friends, school, and of course Katie's adventures in Europe were shared. The girls animatedly acted out scenes from their childhood, shared memoires old and new. And Deborah had everything she had wanted, or at least, thought she wanted.

As the night progressed, Deborah grew more and more tired. Her day had bene exhausting, and her remaining energy was being sapped out. Without anything left in the tank, Deborah announced to her girls that she was going to bed, and got up from her chair to make her way to the master bedroom toward the back of the house, near the theater. "We have a big day tomorrow girls, don't stay up too late" Deborah lectured, as she made her way to her bedroom. All she heard in response were giggles, and she couldn't help but smile as she rested her head on her pillow to sleep. 

***********

Deborah woke up with a start. She couldn't explain why, but she had a feeling of, I don't know, something she hadn't felt since....well since.....it wasn't important. The rain had continued through the night, and at some point Deborah recalled waking up and hearing what must have been thunder and lightning. But now the sun was starting to shine through her window, and Deborah was glad for the promising day ahead. The girls, she concluded, likely ignored her warnings last night, and would not be up for hours. Based on the extra empty bottle of wine she located, while tidying up the kitchen and living room, she had no doubt about it. So the breakfast she had planned would more likely be a brunch, and would be well received by what Deborah anticipated would be groggy-headed-girls. After cleaning up the kitchen, Deborah made her way downstairs with the empty wine bottles, quietly descending the stairs, and silently placed each bottle at the bottom of the recycling bin. She then remembered that Emily had run the dryer last night, and went to pull out the sheets and towel to fold. AS she approached the dryer though, Deborah noticed the washing machine light indicating a cycle was finished was on. "Odd' she thought. "Emily said she swapped the laundry." No matter, Emily must have been distracted by seeing her sisters. Deborah grabbed the sheets out of the washer and opened the dryer to toss them in. Before she could, however, she noticed the dryer was full. The towel and sheets Emily had put in there were dry and ready to be folded. "Odd" Deborah repeated. "That's very odd" Rather than ponder the issue, Deborah swapped the dry load out for the wet, and went about her morning routine before the girls woke up.

[Apache Raccoon]

On 11/15/2022 at 6:27 PM, Olympiczero said:

I do not know how to reply to comments directly yet 

 

The QUOTE button below the post you want to reply to allows you to reply directly 

 

[Little Cub Pants]

17 minutes ago, Apache Raccoon said:

The QUOTE button below the post you want to reply to allows you to reply directly 

 

Hi Ashy! I love you!?♥️???? BIG HUGS!!!!?♥️??????

[Olympiczero]

30 minutes ago, Apache Raccoon said:

The QUOTE button below the post you want to reply to allows you to reply directly 

 

Thanks! Solved it last night by toying around with the buttons. I appreciate that you're here reading my story. 

[Olympiczero]

Interlude 1

“The French have a phrase for it. The bastards have a phrase for everything and they are always right. To say goodbye is to die a little.” ― Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye.

"I.........I can't believe...........I can't believe this....this keeps happening. I....." she held back tears, as she was confronted with what was in front of her, what she had just done, what had become her reality. "......what am I going to do..?" Holding back tears was no longer an option, as the warm droplets sliding down her face became more frequent, and suddenly, uncontrollable. 

She took a long breath, trying to collect herself.

...

...

...

No luck. The tears kept coming. And without much more to do, she simply sat down, and cried. She pulled her legs to her chest, dropped her head between them, and simply cried. She cried, cried, and cired. "Great," she thought, "this is hardly proving to abyone that I'm something other than....other than a....a..." She stopped short of saying it. The word was frozen, frozne on the very tip of her tongue. It was numb.

She knew she had to do something. God forbid someone found out.....she would be horrified. But did it even matter? It's not like this was a one off, not like this was the first ti......no.

...

No.

...

She couldn't think like that. She would get this under control. She needed to get this under control. But first....

First things first. Time to cover up the crime. 

[Apache Raccoon]

1 hour ago, Little Spider said:

Hi Ashy! I love you!?♥️???? BIG HUGS!!!!?♥️??????

I love you to Jeggy *hugs back*

[Olympiczero]

Chapter 3 - The Morning After

“Books are not made to be believed, but to be subjected to inquiry. When we consider a book, we mustn't ask ourselves what it says but what it means...” ― Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose

"Ughhhhh..." Emily groaned as she rolled over in her bed. Her head felt heavy, her body felt immobile, and merely shifting her arm toward her phone to check the clock on her phone felt as though she was lifting weights at the gym. 10:21. Later than she usually slept, but considering how late she and her sisters were up the night before, and well....lets call it a restless sleep, Emily was not shocked. In her current state, Emily knew three things. First, she didn't feel well. That one was obvious. Although she was not yet 30, Emily was not as, well, experienced as her sisters were with heavy intoxication. Second, she did not sleep well. Whether it was the wine, the thunderstorm and rain, or all the noise she perceived going on while she was trying to sleep, Emily did not know. Third, it was time to get up. She had to keep with her routine, and she had already stayed in bed too long. However, despite knowing it was time to get up, Emily was not ready to deal with...people. People required attention. People required behaving. People required conversation. Emily was not ready to offer any of the three.

It was in that moment that Emily became truly appreciative that she had her own floor in the house. More than her other sisters, Emily felt the need to decompress, to be alone for a while, and to be able to get her mind in the right place in order to get through the day. Emily pulled the warm sheets up around her shoulder and turned on to her side. At some point in the night she had apparently ditched her comforter, which was at the foot of her bed. *Yawn....* "It was probably when she got up in the middle of the night to, well,.." Emily stopped short of saying it. She was not ready to talk about it yet.

Five more minutes passes while Emily's mind passed to other topics: Scott in Japan, the joy she still felt in being with all her sisters, her pajama selection was not ideal for last night - it was colder than she expects, - and how immature and irresponsible Katie had been that night she travelled to Rome and...I mean how could she do that? Emily taught her better. To think she would actually...." Emily sighed "She's grown up now. Sort of. I need to drop it." Emily decided it was time to try and get up. "UGHHHHH" she groaned, as she rolled on to her back and threw the sheet off of her. "I guess it's time to start the day."  Emily proceeded to methodically go through her morning routine. She dragged herself into the bathroom, and began washing up. She sat on the toilet and started brushing her hair out, just enough to appear presentable to her family. So not that much. Finished on the toilet, Emily stood up and began her skin care routine. Left to right, Emily used each serum, cream, wash, and mucin she brought one by one. She paused to stare at herself in the mirror. "I hate that mom is right" she thought, as she stared at her now returned long hair which she had missed for years. Emily switched off the light, and went to her bedroom to change. She checked the weather on her phone, and set about dressing appropriately for the day. "Mom will want to go to town to get some supplies for the week." Thanksgiving was only three days away, and groceries would be needed." She changed her underwear and grabbed a bra. She took out a new pair of leggings, a simple t-shirt and a warm sweater. After placing her dirty clothes in the laundry, and satisfied with how she looked, she left the confines of her kingdom. 

Emily was not quite ready to see anyone just yet. In truth, she didn't know who was up yet. Instead of climbing the staircase closest to her, Emily made her way toward the back of house. She passed the unused bedroom next to hers, some storage closets, the laundry room, and made her way to the last room next to the staircase. She paused before opening the door, unsure what to expect. Reaching for the light on the inside of the door, Emily illuminated the playroom she and her sisters had spent so much time playing in. It was exactly as she remembered. I mean, exactly. Odd, since the room was never used by the Wards. But the Disney themed painted walls lining the room were in pristine condition. Emily stepped onto the "town themed" carpet that she and her sisters once drove toy cars on. The soft puzzle piece connected mats you would typically find in a nursery school covered about half of the floor across the room to her left. behind the door, in the corner to her immediate right was a large and tall Disney themed plastic princess closet, which Emily knew was filled with princess dresses, tutus, and frilly clothes of all sorts. She had loved dressing up with her sisters, playing pretend in all their made-up kingdoms The bottom drawer likely contained tiaras and crowns, scepters and wands, and all sorts of accessories she and her sisters had collected over the years. In the corner in front of her to the right sat a large, primary color decorated toy chest, with the family name - W-A-R-D - emblazoned in an arch on the front panel of the chest. Next to it, princess castles, blocks, and a plastic shelving unit, with more barbies and beanie babies than you could count, stood tall. Following along the wall to the opposite corner were two disassembled highchairs. Mom had moved those down here when the girls refused to leave the playroom to come up and eat. Emily laughed to herself as she recalled her Mom using them for Anne, Amelia, and Katie, often in shifts. No one wanted to ever miss the fun. Emily's eyes continued to explore the room, moving from right to left, where she located more plastic bins with toy cars, Legos, and other miscellaneous toys. As her eyes reached the corner directly to her left, she spotted the rocking unicorn - the girls' collective favorite animal - where it had always been. Emily's dad had to have it custom made, and it was once of the best Christmas presents they ever received. Truth be told, it was a little big for her younger sisters when they got - the dimensions were off a bit. Emily chuckled thinking she could probably fit on it easily now. 

Satisfied, and smiling, Emily turned off the lights and closed the door. It was strange - the room seemed clean, and as if it had been recently used. There was no dust on the toys, no musty smell, no sense that the room had been disregarded - something she expected to see. In fact, the room smelled great, was welcoming, and brought her back down memory lane. "No matter," Emily thought, "time to go see what is going on upstairs. Emily began climbing the stairs only to stop on the third step or so. "Ugh" Emily groaned, as she noticed she had stepped on a wet spot on the stair. "Now I need a new sock." Emily descended, went back down the hall to her room, selected a new pair of socks, and threw the wet one - and its pair - into her laundry bin. Emily ascended the front staircase, and found her mom sipping coffee at the kitchen island. "Morning Emmy. Coffee?" Her mom was chipper this morning. Emily regretted not going to bed when her mom did. "Thanks Mom. I thought we would make a plan to go into town today and get some things for the week" Emily suggested. "Sounds great sweetie! Your sisters are still sleeping though, so I figured we would hang around here and go this afternoon together. Would you make a list of things we need?" Deborah asked, knowing her eldest would love nothing more than to make a list. "Of course mom. Can you just grab the thanksgiving list out of the cupboard, and I'll see what we still need to get. I can't reach it." Deborah made her way over to the kitchen cupboard containing all their recipe books. Over the years, the Wards had made lists for Christmas, New Years, and Thanksgiving, of all the items that they needed to buy to make all their traditional meals. Deborah opened the cupboard, reached up, and grabbed the "family" book where they kept it and handed it to Emily. "Thanks Sweetie." As Deborah was collecting the book, Emily inquired about the playroom "Mom, I went to look at the playroom this morning. Why did you clean it all up?" Deborah paused, "Oh I didn't sweetie, It must have been Mark and Lucy. They had their grandbabies over for Halloween and they must have been playing in it." "Sensible" thought Emily, as her mom handed her the book and she went to work making her list. 

Anne woke up with a start. She usually did. "Every day is an opportunity to be better" Anne always said. Anne leaped out of bed with energy and determination. Despite not sleeping so well  - "boy it was noisy all night. That thunderstorm was crazy!!" Anne recalled - she was a really good morning person. In many ways, Anne liked that she shared similarities with her older sister: Anne was organized, intelligent, and hard working. And while she was not business savvy in her own right, Anne was a hard worker and had rapidly climbed the ladder in her business. She also appreciated how she was different than Emily. If Emily could be described as "cold" sometimes, Anne would be the burning sun - always peppy, happy, and wanting to be around others. Anne made her way to the bathroom, when she was suddenly hit with a scent she knew from...from somewhere. "What is that smell? I know I know what that is." This was going to drive her nuts. But Anne went about her morning ritual, and got ready for the day. Returning to her room, Anne was presented with her most difficult choice of the day "how do I want to present myself to the world today?" Anne selected a cute pair of jeans, a vibrant colored shirt and cardigan. "Bright colors for a bright day" She said audibly. Anne quietly tip toed out of her room, closing the door behind her quietly. The last thing she wanted to do was wake up Amelia. She turned to head downstairs when she noticed that Katie's door was cracked open. "Huh," she thought. "the skylight is bursting through that crack. I'll just shut it quietly." Anne went ahead and eased the door shut. "Success" she thought, "not a noise was made." Rather than go down the back stairs - she noticed some bad creaks on those steps last night when....well she noticed them. I'll head down the front steps. She made her way down the stairs, and saw her mom and Emily sitting in the kitchen having coffee. Anne bounced and skipped her way over to her big sister, and hugged her from behind. "Morning Emmmy! Morning mom!" she sang enthusiastically. Emily smiled. She may not have loved when her mom called her "Emmy," but it rang different from Anne's voice. "Morning Annie. Sleep okay?" Anne didn't want to seem like a downer first thing, so responded with a simple "Yup" and went to grab a cup of coffee. "I'll start with breakfast now that you're up." Deborah made her way to the fridge. "The little girls are still sleeping, but they will need to get up soon." Anne sat down and started chatting with Emily. Anne loved these times with her older sister. They were only about two years apart, and though they fought and went through periods of "freezing" each other out, Emmy was still her best friend, and Anne knew it. So, as was typical, Anne went on talking and talking while Emily just say and listened. That made them a perfect pair. 

"Emily" Deborah started, with a tone that you knew a question would follow with. "I forgot to ask, did you forget to dry the laundry yesterday afternoon?" Deborah was busy putting bacon into a saucepan as she asked the question innocently. Emily's attention broke from Anne's story about Joe from accounting and how he keeps going to the wrong food truck for lunch. Emily's face turned beat red. "No. I don't know what you're talking about. I ran the dryer." Emily responded with a tone that told Deborah she should drop it. But it was strange. Deborah had washed all the sheets, and the extra sets as well. Why was there a set in the washer? It must have been one of the other girls, she thought. Better to leave it. But Deborah couldn't. Something....well something she hadn't felt in a while triggered a memory...what the memory was, she couldn't pinpoint. Rather than spoil her morning, she continued on with the breakfast, knowing her other girls would be up any second. Anne resumed her story, not missing a beat. 

Katie turned over in her bed, pulling the comforter up to her neck. As she pulled her hands to her chest, she felt a lump in her way. "Huh?" It was...squishy. "Where'd....Whass dis.." Katie pulled whatever the foreign object out was, only to come face to face with a stuffed red elephant. "Hah" Katie thought. "It's just Ellie." Holding her childhood stuffed animal in front of her brought her comfort. She loved Ellie. "Well, I still love Ellie" she thought, as she returned her under the covers to press against her chest once more. "Hmmmmm" Katie hummed. She was happy, happy to be home, happy to be with her sisters, and right now, happy to be holding Ellie. "It's odd though," she thought in warmth and bliss, "I don't recall taking her to bed with me. Or even seeing her." Now trying to solve the puzzle, Katie broke out of her daydream, and entered the world. "I don't remember much of last night, to be honest." It was rare that her mom let her drink at home, only having recently turned 19. Her mom made exceptions for the holiday, and Katie had just returned from a country where she could legally drink. And drink she did. Katie smiled as she thought of her exchange program. She had the trip of a lifetime, and was so happy to share all her stories with her mom and sisters, and then some other stories with just her sisters after mom left to go to sleep. But where had Ellie come from? Facing the wall, Katie rolled over on the bottom bunk to a bit of a surprise - the other bottom bunk bed was unmade. Had she slept in two of the beds last night? She tried her hardest to think back on what had happened. She did remember getting up in the night because...well...well just because. "Better to not draw attention." she thought. Katie left it alone. She was not the particularly suspicious or paranoid type, and quite honestly, didn't care why two beds were unmade. She had more pressing needs - "I am hungry." Katie checked the clock on her phone - 11:26.....eastern. "Ugh." Katie was not used to time changes, her exchange program being the first time she ever dealt with it. When Katie had landed in Paris, her entire clock was thrown off, and it took her almost a week to adjust. While her classmates on exchange were getting to know each other and partying in town, Katie had been relegated to her room. It took some time to catch up and build relationships with the group, but eventually she did. Right now though? It was well past breakfast and lunch. Katie threw the covers off of her, and popped up on to her butt. It was only after she sat up that she became concerned she might bump her head, but she should have known better. Much like her sisters, she was short, and uniquely petite. She laughed at the concept of being able to bump her head on anything, well, maybe other than a low hanging cabinet. Katie hopped of the bed in her sleeping shirt and pajama pants, and made her way out of her room. She went down the hall and, slowly pushing Anne's door open. The resulting action caused a loud creek, and Katie stopped and simply peaked in rather than pushing it any further. She spotted an empty bed. "Of course she is up." Katie continued past the bathroom Anne shared with Amelia, and tiptoed toward Amelia's door. Moving as silently as possible, Katie began delicately pushing against the door, and silently moved it open, spotting Amelia in her bed. The room looked as if a tornado had hit it. Clothes were everywhere. Three of the four pillows were strewn about the room, as if they were thrown in three separate directions. And while Katie had not unpacked either, her clothes were at least still in her bag. Katie continued pushing the door open so there was enough space for her to slip in. Katie had mischief on her mind. "This is going to be fun." And without any hesitation, at the foot of Amelia's bed, Katie leaped, with all her might, right onto her sister. "OHMYGODWHATISHAPPENING" Amelia shrieked - I mean, what else was she supposed to do. Amelia's heart was racing. She was disoriented, and had no idea what was going on. Meanwhile, Katie did not relent on her attack. She continued to assault her sister with tickles, squeezes, and finally hugs, giggling the entire time. Amelia was fuming at first. In fact, it is shocking she didn't explode right there and then. But the truth was, Amelia didn't have the energy this morning. Not after the wine. And not after...Forget it. Easier to just hug back, after embracing her sister, she pushed her back, looked her squarely in the eye, and said, in her semi-serious tone. "Why thank you Katie Kat. I was sleeping, I will have you know." Amelia's playful response only made the smile on Katie's face bigger. "Time to get up sleepyhead! She retorted. See you downstairs." And as quickly as she entered, Katie popped back up, left the room and door open, and skipped down the rest of the hall the back staircase. Katie heard her sisters' voices downstairs, and rapidly descended. 

Downstairs, Breakfast was ready, and Deborah, Emily, and Anne were anticipating the remainder of the crew shortly. Even if Katie hadn't creaked on the last few stairs in the back of the house, the girls downstairs had clearly heard Katie's attack, and Amelia's subsequent scream, quite clearly. They all smiled to each other as it happened, grateful for the moments they shared. And soon, Katie emerged from the behind the kitchen in her pajamas, and headed right for the food. With a piece of toast half in her mouth, she greeted them all "Goob Mornging" Katie managed to say, chomping down her toast. Deborah, Emily, and Anne had already finished eating by that point, so merely smiled and kept Katie company as she ate....well a lot. "My god she can eat" thought Anne, "she never used to have an appetite." Upstairs, Amelia's less than ideal start to the day seemed fitting. She wanted to complain, but if she had to admit it, she was happy Katie woke her up. "Coffee..." she groaned. Amelia needed her life blood. And so, without hesitation, she made her way downstairs, greeted her family with a smile, as Emily handed her a desperately needed cup of coffee. "I thought you might need this after that wakeup," Emily said as she motioned to Katie, buried in a plate of eggs and bacon. "Finish up the food, its nearly noon. We're going to head into town together to do a grocery run for the week." Emily informed.

And so, the first morning together proceeded as well as anyone could hope. Everyone ate, had their coffee, and had their first breakfast together in, well who knows how long! And though they were all enjoying themselves, Deborah couldn't help but get the feeling that she was missing something. Something about the sheets...