(Paper Flowers Are Forever)
By:
Jocelyn Wichterman
Prologue
So long ago that I remember being a child. I remember it like it was yesterday when my brothers, sister and I were free of this stuffy, old, rotting place. It was just years and years ago. My mother was loved all by us, especially my older brother Christopher, but now she loved only greed. I loved my father the best of all. How I miss those days back in Gladstone with Daddy. When life was prefect. Oh Daddy how I miss you saying "Come greet me with kisses if you love me" that when you came home every Friday. Oh daddy I miss you all year tan, your small gifts and you strong arms rocking all 4 of us on your lap. Even Momma could fit in your strong arms. I miss you Daddy and I hate here with the grand parents...Were always going to be paper flowers here Daddy...Paper flowers forever...
*~Chapter 1~*
The Attic Mice
It has been 3 and half years since we were first brought to Foxworth Hall. Each day, with broken promises and dreams. I lead my younger twin brother Cory and sister Carrie with my older brother Christopher who we now call Chris. We all lived before in a small ranch home in Gladstone, Pennsylvania. Our home had 4 bedrooms, one bathroom, Momma's special room and Daddy's special room that my older brother Christopher used to wrestle in. Mine had pink peppermint color and all little dolls surrounding it. I thought life was prefect when Daddy was still alive. Daddy died when I was just 12, Chris was 14, and the twins were 4. Its sad how easily they don't remember him now, he loved them so very much. Momma...she loved us once...loved us all of us. Until, we came here 3 and half years ago. Now money has taken over her life. While we wait here, wanting to see the sun again, to play with other children our age, to feel at less the ground again, but no we just wait here and grow long hair, thinner, and sicker every day. I look at the twins oh how they must grow. I hugged Carrie close to me. "Cathy...Where's Momma?" she asked in her little bird like voice. I kissed her small hollow pale cheek. "I don't know darling, I wish I knew" I said in a whisper. 3 feet away from us was my brothers. I looked across the room. Cory looked like a child near 5 years old still compared to Chris who was 17 years old. But Cory and Carrie were 8! They were supposed to grow so much at that age. Momma said that twins grow a little smaller than single birth people but they would still grow to be tall then this! I hugged Carrie close to me more. "Cathy...you're more a momma then the real Momma is" she said sniffly as she snuggled close to my bosom. I stroked her long dull blonde hair softly as we fell asleep. In the morning that witch grand mother came and went with our lukewarm food. I slowly picked up Carrie who was too tired to walk and lead her into the bathroom. I picked up her favorite colors clothes. I picked up a purple dress and a red ribbon to tie around her waist. I combed her long hair and tied with a red small ribbon. Then, I put on her purple socks. She looked truly beautiful. I kissed her cheek as she smiled in the mirror as I did my platinum ugly blonde hair. The witch grandmother tarred my hair as a form of punishment. I was only looking at myself in the mirror...naked. Chris had seen me and we were all starved for 2 weeks! Chris and I still had whip marks the grandmother gave us when Chris looked out of the window. The twins...we wouldn't let anyone one hurt our buttercups. I put on a blue sweater Momma got me and a blue skirt. Still no bras for me, no razors for Chris. I walked out our bathroom as Carrie went to her dollhouse and went on her in chitchat. Chris led Cory in the bathroom as he dressed him and himself. Chris put on a white shirt that showed a little of light blonde chest hair by the collar and Cory in a little blue shirt and green pants as he rushed to his music. I set the table as Chris helped. He kissed my cheek. "You would make a wonderful wife Catherine Doll" he said in a low hoarse voice. I smiled. Chris and I were very close and he was my only person I told my secrets to. I sat down as the others started to come over and sit down. They said our grace and prayers. As we ate I thought about Momma. She was probably spending something with her riches. She always told us her rings and bracelets were rhinestones when to me they were always too sparkling. They meant something...I couldn't put my finger on yet but I would soon enough. I finished early that day. I went up to the attic. I felt like dancing my troubles away. I put on my leotards and tights. I slowly stretched my leg on the barr. I heard someone creek up. I turned as my knee turned in pain. I smothered a cry. I fell down onto the old attic floor. Chris ran up to me quickly. "Cathy are you all right?" he asked as he lifted me up. Oh I had such pain in my knee. I fell on my knee once before but this hurt even more! He carried me to the old smelly mattress. He kissed my cheek gently as he touched my knee. "Does that hurt?" he said in a calm voice. Chris was always calm when he did his doctoring. I wrenched in pain as he when to get the out of date medical supplies. We didn't have ice so he went to the roof slat and grabbed some snow. It was November and Chris just turned 17. Another more holidays would be here and yet another year here to fill our 3 years here. He rubbed the snow on my knee as the coldness of the snow made me shiver. He started putting the bandage around my knee with some snow in it. "Chris...why don't we escape....Momma only visits us like once a month...it isn't fair for the twins to be locked up from the sun and us too" I said in a whisper from the shivering cold. He looked away and got up. "It's too early for that yet Cathy... we could catch colds we never even had before...just wait until spring" he said through his hands. He gently kneeled beside and stroked my pale hair and smiled. "Come on lets go play with the twins" he said as he took my hand and helped me up. I put my arm around his shoulder as we walked to the main room. The twins were staring at the TV set like they were zombies. Oh how I felt so terribly bad for them. I sat by them as Chris put his arm around my waist. I rested my head on his chest. The twins talked in there weird language only they understood. Then Cory turned to me. "Cathy...why does Momma like us no more?" he asked in his quiet little voice. "Anymore" I corrected. "Does she?" he asked again. I kissed his cheek and put him in my lap as Chris put Carrie in his. "I hope she does Cory" I said lightly then Carrie asked "Why she do not look at us?" "Doesn't not, and it's because you just a little pale darling that's all" I said uneasily. I hated lying to them but I didn't want to hurt them. There faces grew paler within the years. I hated Momma so much for doing this! I wanted Little Cory to have the outside he always wanted, I wanted Carrie to have the garden she wanted back she loved so much, I wanted them both to grow, I wanted Daddy. But Daddy was dead and Momma was gone. I was now the "Momma" to Cory and Carrie. Chris was "Daddy" to Carrie and Cory too. I would look at the mirror wondering...wondering if did I really look like Corrine Foxworth when she was 15 years old? She wasn't probably this thin or this pale. I had her face...her young, beautiful face that I'll always hate. Christopher...he looked just like daddy. Daddy's nose that always shot to the heavens too. Chris sensed that I was thinking some thing and looked down at me still having his arm around my shoulders. "What is it Cathy? Your thinking of Daddy again aren't you?" he said in a low voice that sounded like jealously. I shook my head denying it. He knew I thought of life back in Gladstone a lot. I kissed the twins as they felt like they needed a nap. I took them in my arms though it hurt my knee worse. The most pain was in my heart seeing the twins like this. My little buttercups that were so tan and happy back then and now so sad and pale. I put them in one bed for a nap. It brought comfort to them. I kissed there little cheeks as I tucked them in then read them Cory's favorite book "Peter Cotton Tail." I sat in the rocker watching them sleep as I felt myself to take a nap. Chris came to me. "Cathy...we really need to escape like you said..." it was the first time ever to listen to me. I nodded "but first Cathy we need money" he said calmly.