The whole family are residing in the living room. The cream wallpaper lighting up the room while the sky was dark outside. Dark paintings also filled the room with gloom. Even though it was the main living room, there is no TV. Couches and armchairs filled up the large space. Expensive rugs spread out on the floor. A young, pale girl is sitting on one of them. Her legs are spread out over the rug, the tips of her pink converse hitting against each other. Her back leaning against the couch behind her. Her long, slightly curly, violet dyed hair spread out across the couch cushion, her eyes staring at the ceiling.
"Danielle please" The young girl looks up to who called her name. A middle aged woman is sitting on the armchair to her right, looking straight at her with warm eyes. Her blonde hair is tied up in a bun. "Please concentrate dear" Lily Gray says to Danielle.
Next to Danielle on the couch is an older man. His dark floppy hair is covering his forehead. He sits with his hands on his lap, his eyes looking down at them. His eyes would often shift to the right to stare at the back of Danielle's head, but not for long.
"Mark, dear" Mark looks up at Lily, his mother. "Where are Katherine and Luke?"
Mark was about to speak when giggling and voices could be heard coming from the hallway. Everyone in the room looks to the door when a girl Mark's age walks into the room with a smile on her face. A man is behind her. He looks like Mark but his hair is slicked back with gel. His hand is resting on Katherine's hip, guiding her into the room and walking her to the couch in front of Danielle and Mark. Luke ignores his mother's cold stares as he walks past her to sit on the couch. The two sit down quietly, as if waiting for permission to speak. Lily clears her throat before speaking "Thank you for coming on time. I wouldn't have called you here unless I needed to talk to all of my children"
Her "children" are all looking at her peaceful expression on her face. She is wearing a cream blouse and pencil skirt, her legs crossed and her hands sat on her knees. She looks to each of her children as she talks to them. "I have met a wonderful young girl. She's no older then you are Katherine" Kat shifts her eyes from Lily to look at Luke's face for a few seconds. Her nails are painted black and in her hand is Luke's hand, their fingers interlocked.
"She's lovely. Very sweet. But she's lonely" Lily continues. "She currently works as a waitress in the middle of the city. No tips. Bad pay. She has no car. No family. She lives in a one bedroom apartment. Badly decorated." Lily stops for a few seconds to scan her children's faces before continuing. "I want her to come live with us"
The whole room is silent with shock. Luke is the first one to speak. "Mom...I don't think this is a good idea. She could be a thief. She could come into our house and steal all our precisions and then leave. You barely know her" Lily stops her son with the palm of her hand.
"No Luke, I know her. I know her very well" Lily looks to Mark. Mark wasn't looking back at his mother but to the window, watching the snow fall down outside.
"Mark" His mother spoke with a slight angry tone but in a quiet voice.
Mark turns to look at his mother.
"What do you think, Mark?" Lily asks her son.
Mark turns away from his mother to look at his twin brother in front of him. Luke looks at him, as if asking for back up.
"Well…we let Danielle and Katherine join the family. If we can trust her, she could…stay here"
Lily smiles at her youngest son while Luke looks down, slightly angry.
"Danielle. Katherine. I would like you two to meet her tomorrow. Then the boys can help her move in in the afternoon." Lily beamed.
Danielle and Kat nod their heads in approval. Mostly forced nods. They have only just joined the family. They don't want to argue with their new mother just yet.
"Then that is it" Lily stands up, her heels clicking against the wooden floor as she walks to the door. "Goodnight my dears" she said before exiting the room, leaving her children to talk without any arguing from herself.
Luke leans forward, his hand still holding Katherine's. "Guys, we can't let this happen"
"Why not?" Danielle said. "She has no family. Just like me and Kat. Maybe this will be a good thing"
"If mom starts bringing in more people, what will happen to us?" Luke said, his eyes looking straight at Mark.
Mark looked at his brother back "Mother wouldn't get rid of us. She's known us since birth. She can't…she wouldn't"
"Not before long, there will be lots of lonely, strange people in this house and when there are no rooms left, who will see kick out first?" Luke looks to everyone in the room.
"Luke. You're worried about being replaced" Danielle is staring at her converse as she spoke "You're not worried she'll kick you out, you're worried she'll find another son. Someone to replace your role as father of this family. Lily wouldn't kick out her blessed sons" Luke stares at the youngest of the family. The girl he's put through hell in the past and is exposing Luke for his true colours.
Before Danielle could expose anything else, Luke storms out of the room, slamming the door shut on his way out.
The room is silent again. The only noise coming from Danielle's converse as she taps them again. Katherine let out a breath before speaking. "You didn't have to point it out to him. You know he doesn't like it"
"He shouldn't be a jerk. That girl out there is like us. She has no one. Just like us a few months ago. He wants to stop that because he can't take being replaced. She should have what we have, Kat. A family" Katherine wasn't looking at her sister as she spoke, but she knows she's right.
Katherine sat for a minute before standing up and leaving the room to look for her boyfriend, leaving Mark and Danielle alone in the room.
Danielle doesn't say anything to Mark and Mark doesn't say anything to Danielle. Just the tapping of Danielle converse is the only sound that could be heard. Mark wants to speak. But something was stopping him. Danielle wants to leave the room, leave Mark to be by himself. But something was stopping her.
Mark was the first to leave. He didn't even say goodbye to the youngest on the floor. He just quietly made his way out of the room. Leaving Danielle to tap her converse in peace.
Danielle's eyes flickers from left to right. She took her phone out of her pocket and checks the time. 12.37pm. Kat was due to meet her at 12.15pm. She's late. Danielle did try calling her but there was no answer. She called Luke too. And no answer there either. Danielle nuzzles her chin and mouth into her pink cotton scarf around her neck. She's standing outside a café in the middle of Paris. It's a busy afternoon. People flood the streets. Coffee cups in their hands. Women in blazers and men wearing suits rushing back to their offices. Danielle was getting her phone back out of her pocket when a hand grabs her arm. When Danielle looks up, she saw a bright, smiling face looking down at her.
"Mark? What are you doing here?" Danielle shifts closer to Mark.
"Katy called me 10 minutes ago. Said Luke was taking her somewhere. Sorry I'm late, I drove as fast as I could" Mark makes his way towards the café door, pulling Danielle's arm, not forcefully, with him. Danielle rolls her eyes as she walks across the wooden café floors towards one of the only tables available. Danielle knew exactly what Katherine is trying to do. Luke and Kat always spend most of their time together. But this was different. Kat can be without her boyfriend for one hour. But Kat calling Mark to go meet her was not accidental.
Mark pulls out the chair for Danielle at the table for two. The table is sitting by a window, a clear view for the two to stare at the passers-by. Danielle smiles at Mark before sitting on the pulled out chair and he helps her in. He sits in front of her, taking off his navy coloured coat and black scarf. Danielle lays her bag safely on the floor between Mark's feet.
Mark squashes the bag with his shoes. A known habit of Danielle's when she's out and about. Instead of putting the bag on the back of the chair, for safety reasons she rests her bag between her feet on the floor. But when she's out with Mark, she'll lay her bag between Mark's feet. And Mark knows this habit very well. She's been doing it for the past two months.
The two aren't looking at each other. Mark nervously clears his throat, scanning the café. Danielle looks down at her hands, picking at her purple nail polished fingers.
"Que puis-je vous les gars?" A waitress had approached the table quietly because Mark turns to look at her, almost shocked. She is young, blonde and tall. She's holding a notepad and pen, looking straight at the two of them. Danielle looks up too. But she didn't know French.
"What would you like?" Mark asks the young girl, leaning towards her on his elbows.
"Tea. One sugar. And a chocolate chip cookie" She replies, looking Mark in the eyes, a glimmer in her eyes.
Mark looks down, a smile creasing over his face like he is trying to not laugh.
"Un thé, une bouilloire. Et deux biscuits aux pépites de chocolat. Un aller. Et nous aimerions que Giselle ... pour nous apporter notre ordre" Mark politely said to the young waitress and flashes her a sweet smile.
Danielle looks at Mark more confused but he's looking down, his fingers playing with the napkin in front of him.
"Mark we all can't speak French, what did you tell her?" Danielle said impatiently.
Mark looks up at the pale girl in front of him. Looking straight into her eyes.
"I said what we ordered and asked for Giselle" Mark put it simply.
5 minutes later, a young, slim French waitress walked over to their table, a tray on her hands with their order.
The young girl doesn't say anything, she carefully places the tray on their table. She looks exhausted, dark circles under her eyes. She was about to turn away when Mark spoke "Giselle?"
Giselle looks down at the stranger calling her name. She stares at him and then glances at Danielle. As if she's trying to remember their faces.
"Do I know you?" She spoke in French, with a strong French accent.
"No. But my mother does" Mark spoke French to her too. "You know Lily Gray?"
Giselle nods her head slowly. But her eyes have brightened up at Lily's name. "Yes. She's been coming in for coffee most days. She said…" Giselle pauses and looks around her. Chatter fills the small café and cluttering of plates and mugs could be heard all around them. Mark nods at her to continue. "She said I could come stay. She offered me family"
A middle aged man, with a bald head calls Giselle's name from behind her, his head popping out of the kitchen. He is shouting in French to her, gesturing her to continue serving paying customers.
"I'm sorry" She said in French, looking extremely apologetic. Like she was about to burst into tears. But before Giselle could take one step away from the table, Mark stood up.
"We're leaving" He announces. Danielle looks up from her mug of tea. During Mark and Giselle's conversation in French, Danielle somehow managed to sneak her book out of the bag between Mark's feet. She was stirring the tea, her eyes glued to the pages when Mark interrupted her.
She stares up at him and to Giselle in confusion. Giselle looks just as confused as she does.
"And you're coming with us Giselle" Mark spoke in French while he put his coat and scarf back on, picking up Danielle's bag from the floor.
The two girls didn't have much time to argue. Danielle packs her two cookies and slips her book under her arm. Mark is gesturing to the young French girl out of the café, Danielle quickly following. Nobody notices the three of them leaving the café without paying. It was only two cookies, not much they will miss.
Giselle has settled into the house perfectly. She has her own room. A king sized bed to sleep on at night. Endless amounts of food in the fridge in the kitchen waiting for her if she got hungry. Danielle is even helping her learn English. With Mark's help of course. And a handsome young man that smiles at her whenever they walk past each other in the hallway. That certain young man happened to be Katherine's boyfriend. Whenever she caught him staring, she would slap him on the arm, but recently, she has been punching him on the arm. Like at breakfast time, he would glance up at her. And she would glance back up at him. He tries to hide it but Katy could see it all. She always does. She has an eye for detail.
A small purple bruise has appeared up Luke's arm. He looks into the bathroom mirror, flexing his muscle, staring long and hard at it. Kat and Luke share a bathroom, but lately, Kat had been sleeping in the guest room. Away from her 'naughty' boyfriend. When the door slowly opens, he expected it to be her.
"Babe, I knew you would come around" Luke turns around. Instead of seeing a blonde Katherine, he is staring straight at a dark haired Giselle.
"Sorry…sorry" She spoke in a quiet voice. But she didn't sound sorry.
Luke was standing right in front of her. A towel wrapped around his waist. Spots of water like tear drops ran down his body and his abs to finally disappear in the towel. Giselle didn't turn away from him embarrassed; instead she stares directly at his exposed body. She is still wearing her pyjamas, an old tee shirt and shorts. Her hair tied up in a messy ponytail.
She creeps towards him, her feet stepping closer and closer to him. Luke is stuck in place like a statue, curious of this woman.
When Giselle finally reaches him, she places her hands on the sink he's leaning against on either side of him. Giselle is smaller than the tall, muscular man in front of her. She presses her tee shirt to his wet chest, standing on her tip toes to look at his slightly parted lips.
Luke arms finally move from his side to press his hand against Giselle's back, forcing her more towards him, pressing his body to his. That's when he makes the first move. His lips against hers. But she didn't pull back. She kisses him back. Their mouths and lips colliding with each other. A sloppy kiss.
Luke is first to pull away. Giselle's eyes are closed. Her lips pursed, asking for more.
"Patience jeune cher. Votre temps viendra" Luke whispers in her ear before disappearing out of the bathroom.
"Patience young dear. Your time will come"