PROLOGUE:
TELL ME THAT I'M
ALRIGHT
" 'Cause I wanna feel for once that I belong.
That's what's going on."
*•*
Holidays, in a sense are supposed to bring, families together. Or at least that's a concept that Ciara Blossom was taught since a young age.
Christmas and Thanksgiving were the big ones because those were the two she was allowed to come back for, that and the summer.
Summers were full of opportunities for the youngest Blossom triplet, opportunities to build friendships, opportunities to get to be with her siblings, opportunities to explore the town she was born in.
Some of them were scarce, exploration was mostly forbidden by her mother and she had to sneak out to even go outside. She managed to make a few friends though, one being the town loner, Jughead Jones. They had met at the Twilight Drive-In three summers prior, bonding over their similar outside statuses.
Another friend she had made was Reggie Mantle, the polar opposite to both her and Jughead. Where she was introverted he was extroverted, where she was admittedly not very active, he was captain of multiple sports teams. But polar opposites attract and they were the definition.
Her social activities in the summers were well known to both of her siblings, Cheryl and Jason. Cheryl was blunt in her support, less emotional, but as a sister, promised to keep it a secret. Jason on the other hand, was always available to confide in, taking over the emotional side of their relationship. Often telling her about his girlfriend and self-proclaimed love of his life.
The summer was her favorite time of year, and July marked the beginning of the end. At the end of July she was shipped off to school in another country, so her mother could ignore the daughter she had never wanted.
In a way, her banishment was an escape, but her summers are what she looked forward to. Just enough of home to keep her sane.
But like all good things, they must come to an end.
The morning of July fourth held a longstanding tradition for the Blossom triplets, every year they would wake up before the sun rose, before the bird even chirped, and their parents showed even an inkling of waking up; and they would spend the morning watching the sunrise.
This year, however was different.
Ciara knew something was wrong the moment she awoke. There was a small plate next to her bed and the door to her room was slammed open, revealing her father who was uncharacteristically disheveled.
The whole morning was a blur, and as they made their way to Sweetwater Lake, the pit in her stomach grew.
Little did she know, that upon arrival, Ciara Blossom's life would be changed forever, and unknowingly, she had everything to do with it.