Author's Note: This is a continuation from my first fanfiction - 'Discover Yourself'. In case you did not read that story, go back and read it. Just kidding. :-) Here is some background information:
- It is a few weeks before the new school year. The third and final 'Discover Yourself' summer program has just wrapped up.
- Peter and Sophie have been married since the previous December. Sophie had a flashback to being attacked when she was 17 by a family friend's son. She was able to escape before he raped her, but her mother didn't believe she was attacked. Peter doesn't know about the attack.
- Troy was a participant in the summer program. He will now become a counselor, bringing his two-year old daughter, Claire, with him. Troy's wife was killed in an auto accident a year ago by a drunk driver. Troy is interested in Lynn, someone he met at the summer program. Lynn is likewise interested in Troy but has some reservations about getting involved in a relationship.
- John was another summer program participant. He broke his leg and had to go home early. Peter and Troy met his family, including his younger sister, Sara, who bears a striking resemblance to Shelby.
- Juliette, Auggie, David, Daisy, Ezra, Shelby and Scott will all be seniors this school year.
- Shelby came back to Horizon during the summer. It was revealed that she was raped by her mother's new boyfriend, Glenn. Her mom didn't believe her and later decided to give full custody of Shelby to her dad. Shelby's dad is going to allow her to continue school at Horizon. He is going to visit before the start of the school year.
- Juliette's mother wants to send her to an all-girls' boarding school in France to give her more culture. Juliette emailed Auggie about it, but then wouldn't respond to him. Auggie called Peter, very worried, and vowed to do whatever it takes to have Juliette back at Horizon.
Back to Basics - Prologue
" Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace." - Amelia Earhart
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters associated with the original "Higher Ground" television series. This is purely a work of fiction and is not being used for any monetary gain.
"Peter, they're going to be here any minute!" Sophie Becker Scarbrow stared anxiously out the window, then glanced back over her shoulder toward the bedroom. "Why are they coming here first, instead of the main lodge?"
Peter Scarbrow walked out of the bedroom and put his arms around his wife, giving her a peck on the cheek. "I thought it would be nice to make Troy and Claire feel as much at home as possible. I know he was a little nervous about this transition, I just wanted to make it easy on him."
Sophie turned and gave her husband a small smile before resuming her gaze out the window. "I just hope this works out okay," she said to herself, almost forgetting that Peter was standing over her shoulder.
Peter frowned, surprised at Sophie's statement. "Why wouldn't it work out okay?" he asked, moving so he was standing in front of her now.
Sophie shrugged, turning away from the window and walking into the kitchen. "I'm sure it will be fine," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Peter shook his head, following her into the kitchen. "Uh-uh, Soph. Don't tell me what I want to hear. Look, if you have misgivings about Troy's ability to be a counselor, I want to hear about it."
Sophie busied herself, unloading the dishwasher. "I don't have any misgivings about his abilities. I'm sure he'll be a great counselor. So will Maria."
Peter thought back to Maria Sanchez, silently agreeing with Sophie. Maria had attended the second 'Discover Yourself' summer program. Being a product of the foster care system had stemmed her desire to improve the system by becoming a social worker. Already, though, after just three years of working, Maria was disillusioned with all the state's rules and regulations that she had to abide by. She wanted more satisfaction in her work and craved more interaction with kids. After weighing the pros and cons, Maria decided to become a Horizon counselor.
Forcing his mind back to the conversation at hand, Peter wondered what was bugging Sophie. "So, you don't have any misgivings about Troy or Maria's abilities. Then why do I get the feeling you have some doubts about Troy coming here?"
Sophie turned to face Peter, wiping her hands off with the dishtowel. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it, Peter." She paused as they both heard a car door slam shut. "They're here! Let's go greet them, shall we?" Giving Peter a little smirk, she brushed past him and out the front door.
"Troy, hi!" Sophie greeted him with a smile and a wave. She had liked Troy since she first met him at the beginning of the summer. He seemed to have a positive effect of people, and had a very easygoing manner about him.
Troy smiled and waved at Sophie as he unbuckled the car seat where Claire was strapped in. Unsure of what was happening, Claire kept her wide eyes on her father and seemed to relax a bit when he picked her up. The two came toward the Scarbrow house, where Peter had now joined Sophie on the front porch.
"Good to see you, Troy," Peter said warmly, welcoming Troy with a hearty handshake. "And who is this pretty young lady?"
Claire smiled before burying her head in her daddy's shoulder. Troy, Peter and Sophie all laughed. "This is Claire," Troy said proudly. "She can be a little shy. Honey, I want you to meet these nice people Daddy's going to be working with. This is Peter and Sophie."
Claire slowly raised her head to look at the smiling couple, then hid her face again. "She'll come around. I'm afraid with all the excitement today, she hasn't gotten her usual nap in."
"Well, come on inside. Maybe she can lay down in one of the bedrooms," Peter suggested.
Once inside, Troy asked where he could put Claire down. "Why not in Shelby's room?" Peter directed.
"Where is Shelby?" Troy asked, remembering the sullen teenager from earlier that summer.
"Oh, she's helping Maria get settled in," Sophie responded. Troy gave her a questioning look. "Maria is the other new Horizon counselor," Sophie explained. "We have several new kids this year and realized we need not just one, but two new counselors."
"You and Maria will be heading up the Starcatchers group," Peter informed Troy. "Look, why don't you go ahead and put Claire down for a nap, then we can go over everything. Maybe later, we can meet up with Maria."
Troy shrugged, glancing at his daughter, who now had her eyes closed with her head resting against his shoulder. "Sounds good, I'll be back in a minute." He headed toward Shelby's bedroom.
"You know, we should probably get out of the habit of referring to the guest bedroom as 'Shelby's room'," Sophie said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "She'll be moving back into the Cliffhangers girls' dorm soon."
"Yeah, that's going to be quite a transition for her," Peter acknowledged. *For us, too,* he thought silently.
"Well, we all knew it was coming," Sophie said matter-of-factly. *I'm just not quite ready for it to happen,* she thought, *and I don't think Shelby is, either.*
Shelby Merrick studied the 24-year old woman as she unpacked boxes. "You sure you want to do this? It's not too late to back out, you know," Shelby remarked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.
Maria Ramirez stopped for a moment to glance up at Shelby. "I'm sure. Now, why don't you give me some help instead of sitting there, scrutinzing every move I make?" She waited, hands on her hips, looking at Shelby expectantly.
"Fine, whatever," Shelby mumbled, hopping down from her perch on the kitchen counter. She wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but Shelby secretly liked Maria. They had met during the second summer session. Maria had a no-nonsense approach and didn't let anything get by her, qualities that Shelby admired. At the same time, Maria reminded Shelby of Daisy, because Maria had a gift of being able to read people. Her frankness with other people about themselves was almost overwhelming at times. *The difference between Maria and Daisy, though, is that Daisy isn't open about her own feelings, like Maria is,* Shelby thought ruefully, wondering how anyone could be so direct while seeming fearless of getting hurt.
"Have you heard from Daisy?" Maria asked, almost like she could read Shelby's thoughts. Shelby had told Maria before that Daisy was her only friend at Horizon.
"No, but her father called Peter and Sophie. I guess he's bringing her back here next week." Shelby was less than thrilled at the thought of all the other Cliffhangers returning. That would mean classes starting again, and even worse - group sessions, something Shelby was absolutely dreading.
Maria had yet to be clued in to Shelby's problems by Peter or Sophie, but she could sense that Shelby was full of pain. She decided it best to drop the subject of friends until she had a better understanding of the demons Shelby was battling. "So, do you have any plans before classes start again?" she asked Shelby.
Shelby pursed her lips together, trying not to look worried. "Uh, yeah, my dad is coming to visit," she said dully.
"Oh." Maria wondered where this story went. "When's the last time you saw your dad?"
Shelby groaned inwardly, wishing for once that Maria wasn't so forward. "It's been awhile," she said curtly. "Look, I'm finished here. Do you need me to do anything else?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject.
"No, but thanks for your help. I can drive you back to Peter and Sophie's," Maria suggested, but Shelby shook her head.
"I'll walk," Shelby said, heading out the door before Maria could even bid her farewell.
Maria shook her head as she turned on the radio and continued to unpack. *That kid has some major issues,* she thought, curious as to what they were.
Shelby sighed as she hiked back to Peter and Sophie's house. She kept hearing Maria's question in her head: "When's the last time you saw your dad?" Shelby knew exactly how long it had been, almost two years. After living a year on the streets and turning to prostitution and drugs, Shelby had turned to her natural father for help.
#Flashback#
"You're only 15 years old! I... I just don't know how to help you." Steven Merrick looked down at his daughter with a mixture of pity and disgust.
"Please... Dad." It was difficult for Shelby to call him that, he hadn't been much of a father to her or Jess. "At least give me some money," she begged.
"Money?! For what, more drugs?" Steven forced himself to calm down, realizing that yelling at his daughter wouldn't help the situation any. He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Shelby. I have to let the authorities deal with this. They will know what is best for you, they deal with this kind of thing all the time."
"With what kind of thing, Dad? With hookers who live on the streets?" Shelby's buzz was dying, and she was starting to regret ever coming to her father for help.
Seeing her friend, Patty, lying lifeless after overdosing on heroine had been too much for Shelby to handle. For the first time in the past year, it finally hit Shelby what could happen to her if she continued down this destructive path. Going back to her mom's was not an option, so Shelby had turned to the only source of help she could think of - her father.
Shelby's dad picked up the phone and dialed the local police. "I'm sorry, honey," he said dejectedly. "This is the best thing for you." He silently hoped he was doing the right thing, as he explained the situation to the seargent. Within an hour, a squad car came out to the house. Shelby was escorted to the car by two policemen, without so much as a backward glance to her father.
"What's going to happen to her?" her father asked one of the policemen.
"Chances are, she'll go to juvie hall," he shrugged. "If she's lucky, there's an outward-bound type school for troubled teens she could get sent to. It's the judge's call."
Steven Merrick watched as the car carrying his daugther drove away, his mind still reeling after her unexpected appearance. *Please, God, let the judge send her to that school,* he prayed. *And watch over my little girl.*
#End Flashback#
*I wish he weren't coming,* Shelby thought bitterly. *Why should he start acting like a father now? He never has been a father to me before.* She blinked back tears as she continued the trek to the house.
"Could I please speak with Juliette?" Auggie Ciceros stood in the phone booth in suburban Los Angeles, impatiently cradling the speaker against his ear.
"She isn't here right now." The soft, proper voice on the other end of the line belonged to Juliette's mother, Mrs. Rowe. "Who is this?" she demanded.
"This is Augusto Ciceros, her... friend. From Horizon." Auggie nervously waited for a response.
"Mr. Ciceros, I suggest you do not call here again. My daughter will not be returning to Horizon this year, and she does not wish to speak with you. Good day." The line went dead as Mrs. Rowe hung up.
Auggie stared at the receiver, not wanting to believe that Juliette wouldn't want to talk to him. He pulled out a map and began walking down the street.
An hour later, he was standing in front of Juliette's house. *It's now or never,* he thought, gathering the courage to knock on the massive oak door.
He heard someone inside scurry to the door. "Can I help you?" came a voice over the intercom.
Auggie looked around to find the intercom box, and pressed the button to speak. "Augusto Ciceros, here to see Juliette Wayborne." He tried to sound very professional.
A minute went by with no response. Just as Auggie was about to knock again, the door flew open. A butler directed Auggie to enter. "Right this way," he motioned.
Auggie followed him through the foyer, gazing in awe at the golden chandelier that hung high over their heads. "Please, step into the parlor," the butler instructed Auggie, who obliged. "She will be with you shortly," he said before departing.
Auggie couldn't believe how easy it had been to get inside. He was practically bursting with excitement, he hadn't seen Juliette in so long. He didn't hear someone enter the room.
"Mr. Ciceros." The voice was cold, saying his name as if it were a disease. Auggie turned around to see Mrs. Rowe standing before him. "I thought I made myself clear over the phone."
Auggie took a deep breath, almost flinching under Mrs. Rowe's harsh gaze. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Rowe. I mean no disrespect, but I had to hear from Juliette herself that she doesn't want to talk to me." Getting no response from Mrs. Rowe, Auggie kept talking. "I care for your daughter very much, Mrs. Rowe. She means the world to me. I just can't imagine never seeing her or talking to her again." He stopped as she held up one hand.
"I'm afraid I underestimated you, Mr. Ciceros. I had no idea, the depth of your feelings for my daughter" Mrs. Rowe approached Auggie, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Listen to me. You are not good for Juliette, and I believe she has finally realized that."
"But - ," Auggie tried to interrupt.
"Shut up!" Mrs. Rowe hissed. "You have one minute exactly to get out of my house before I call the police. You are never to contact me or my daughter again - EVER. Your minute starts...," she looked down at her watch, "now."
"Please, let me - ," Auggie started to say.
"Fifty-eight, fifty-seven," Mrs. Rowe kept counting.
Auggie quickly weighed his options. He could try to run upstairs, but he'd probably never find Juliette's room in this huge house. Plus, he didn't even know if she were home. And he didn't even want to think what his parents, not to mention Peter and Sophie, would do if he was arrested again.
"Okay, I'm going." He held up his hands in the surrender position before bolting for the door. The butler was waiting for him, holding the door open.
"Have a nice day, sir," the butler said, slamming the door behind Auggie.
"Who was at the door?" Juliette asked the butler, coming down the stairs to the foyer.
"Hello, dear," Mrs. Rowe said, grabbing hold of Juliette's hand and pulling her into the kitchen before the butler could respond. She smiled at her daughter, brushing back her hair from her big brown eyes. "Come, let's practice your French."
Troy looked around the small but cozy cabin and smiled. *It's different than what I'm used to, but we'll make it our home,* he thought with conviction.
It had been a very busy day, and Troy was starting to feel its effects. Yawning, he checked on Claire, who was fast asleep in her new room.
Sitting down at his desk, Troy thumbed through the folders of his soon-to-be students. He had already met Maria, and they had agreed to sit down together to go over the teens' information together.
Troy smiled in anticipation as he set the folders aside and picked up the phone, dialing the number he'd already put to memory. He'd been looking forward to making this call all day.
"Hello," said a breathless voice.
"Hi, Lynn. It's Troy." He smiled into the receiver, picturing her on the other end.
"Troy, hi!" Lynn exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't expect to hear from you for another few days. I thought you'd be busy moving and all," she explained hurriedly, hoping he didn't think she didn't want to hear from him.
Troy laughed. "Do you always talk so fast?" he teased. "I figured I'd go ahead and call, and see if you had any plans this weekend." He paused, not hearing a response. "I'd love to see you before the school year starts and everything gets crazy. Plus, I would love for you to meet Claire."
Lynn hesitated, torn on what to do. *Go for it,* an inner voice urged. "This weekend looks open for me," she said casually. "What did you have in mind?"
Troy was now grinning ear to ear. "Well, how would you like to come back to Horizon for the weekend? The weather is just perfect right now, and the air is so clean."
Lynn chuckled. "It sounds like you're already loving the place. Sure, that sounds great. Where will I stay, in the dorm again?"
*With me,* Troy wanted to say, but knew it wouldn't be appropriate, especially with Claire around. "Maybe in the dorm, I'll check with Peter and Sophie. We'll figure it out." He was secretly hoping to get someone to babysit Claire Saturday evening so he could take Lynn out to dinner. "I'm really looking forward to seeing you," he said softly.
"Yeah, me too," Lynn answered sincerely. "So, I'll see you Saturday?"
"Saturday it is," Troy agreed, sighing contentedly.
The next day, Sophie and Shelby walked out of the hospital and headed toward Sophie's car. They started the ride back to Horizon in silence. Sophie glanced over at Shelby, who was brooding, arms crossed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Sophie asked quietly.
"I'm not going back there," Shelby said stubbornly.
"Shelby, maybe you need to give it more of a chance," Sophie suggested, before Shelby cut her off.
"Why, Sophie? Why do I need to sit there and listen to these people's sob stories? I don't see how it's supposed to help me, to hear over and over again how they were all raped and then share all our feelings." She angrily wiped her moist eyes.
Sophie sighed, mulling over the decision. The truth was, she didn't like going to the group counseling, either. It brought back painful memories of the night Ted had attacked her all those years ago. She had tried to bury those memories, unsuccessfully. "Tell you what, I'll discuss it with Peter. Maybe there's a better way for you to 'share your feelings', as you put it."
"Okay, fine." Shelby looked over at Sophie, noticing her distraught expression. "You don't like going, either, do you?" she asked quietly.
*She's so perceptive,* Sophie thought in amazement. "It's not on my top ten list of favorite ways to spend an afternoon," Sophie admitted. She reached over and squeezed Shelby's hand, who didn't pull away. "Shelby, Peter and I are just trying to do what's best for you. It may take a while to figure it out, but the important thing is that we keep moving forward. Not only did you go through hell and back once before, but now something unthinkable has happened to you again." Shelby stared out the window but continued to allow Sophie to hold her hand. "There's no right or wrong reaction here, Shel, except for violence. You know that."
Sophie let go of Shelby's hand, debating whether or not to push her luck. *We'll have to talk about it sometime soon, might as well be now,* she thought apprehensively.
"Shelby, you know that the rest of the Cliffhangers, and Jess, will be coming back soon," Sophie said slowly. "Peter and I are going to have to insist that you participate in group. And that means talking, not just sitting there."
Shelby nodded slightly. "I know," was all she said.
"You'll also be moving back into the Cliffhangers girls' dorm within a week or so. Are you okay with that?" Sophie inquired.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Shelby replied, hostility creeping into her voice.
Sophie sighed, trying to stay concentrated on the road. "Don't get defensive, Shelby. I'm just concerned, that's all. It will be a big adjustment." Sophie pulled into the Horizon driveway.
"I'm sure you and Peter will be glad to have me out of your hair," Shelby muttered, wishing things could be different. She didn't want any Cliffhangers to find out what had happened to her, but it wasn't going to be easy to hide if they heard her screaming from the constant nightmares.
Sophie pulled up to the house and turned off the ignition. She turned to face Shelby, who looked absolutely miserable. "Shel, look at me." Shelby obeyed and looked over at Sophie, the sadness in her eyes practically tearing Sophie's heart in two. Sophie grasped both of Shelby's hands in her own. "You are NEVER in our hair. We just have to go by the rules here, that's why you have to go back to living in the dorm."
Shelby looked down and barely whispered something Sophie couldn't quite hear. "What did you say, sweetie?" Sophie asked, still holding onto her hands.
Shelby looked back up at Sophie. "I'm scared, Sophie." She couldn't contain the tears any longer, they spilled over onto her cheeks.
Sophie put her arms around Shelby as best she could in the car, and held her as she sobbed. "We'll get through this together, Shelby. We will."
Coming Attractions:
- Peter receives another call concerning Juliette's future.
- Shelby's dad visits, and he has a suprise for Shelby.
- How will Lynn and Troy's first date go?
- Jess returns to Horizon as part of the Starcatchers group, along with 5 other students.
- Sophie is surprised to hear from a family member.
- It is a few weeks before the new school year. The third and final 'Discover Yourself' summer program has just wrapped up.
- Peter and Sophie have been married since the previous December. Sophie had a flashback to being attacked when she was 17 by a family friend's son. She was able to escape before he raped her, but her mother didn't believe she was attacked. Peter doesn't know about the attack.
- Troy was a participant in the summer program. He will now become a counselor, bringing his two-year old daughter, Claire, with him. Troy's wife was killed in an auto accident a year ago by a drunk driver. Troy is interested in Lynn, someone he met at the summer program. Lynn is likewise interested in Troy but has some reservations about getting involved in a relationship.
- John was another summer program participant. He broke his leg and had to go home early. Peter and Troy met his family, including his younger sister, Sara, who bears a striking resemblance to Shelby.
- Juliette, Auggie, David, Daisy, Ezra, Shelby and Scott will all be seniors this school year.
- Shelby came back to Horizon during the summer. It was revealed that she was raped by her mother's new boyfriend, Glenn. Her mom didn't believe her and later decided to give full custody of Shelby to her dad. Shelby's dad is going to allow her to continue school at Horizon. He is going to visit before the start of the school year.
- Juliette's mother wants to send her to an all-girls' boarding school in France to give her more culture. Juliette emailed Auggie about it, but then wouldn't respond to him. Auggie called Peter, very worried, and vowed to do whatever it takes to have Juliette back at Horizon.
Back to Basics - Prologue
" Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace." - Amelia Earhart
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters associated with the original "Higher Ground" television series. This is purely a work of fiction and is not being used for any monetary gain.
"Peter, they're going to be here any minute!" Sophie Becker Scarbrow stared anxiously out the window, then glanced back over her shoulder toward the bedroom. "Why are they coming here first, instead of the main lodge?"
Peter Scarbrow walked out of the bedroom and put his arms around his wife, giving her a peck on the cheek. "I thought it would be nice to make Troy and Claire feel as much at home as possible. I know he was a little nervous about this transition, I just wanted to make it easy on him."
Sophie turned and gave her husband a small smile before resuming her gaze out the window. "I just hope this works out okay," she said to herself, almost forgetting that Peter was standing over her shoulder.
Peter frowned, surprised at Sophie's statement. "Why wouldn't it work out okay?" he asked, moving so he was standing in front of her now.
Sophie shrugged, turning away from the window and walking into the kitchen. "I'm sure it will be fine," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Peter shook his head, following her into the kitchen. "Uh-uh, Soph. Don't tell me what I want to hear. Look, if you have misgivings about Troy's ability to be a counselor, I want to hear about it."
Sophie busied herself, unloading the dishwasher. "I don't have any misgivings about his abilities. I'm sure he'll be a great counselor. So will Maria."
Peter thought back to Maria Sanchez, silently agreeing with Sophie. Maria had attended the second 'Discover Yourself' summer program. Being a product of the foster care system had stemmed her desire to improve the system by becoming a social worker. Already, though, after just three years of working, Maria was disillusioned with all the state's rules and regulations that she had to abide by. She wanted more satisfaction in her work and craved more interaction with kids. After weighing the pros and cons, Maria decided to become a Horizon counselor.
Forcing his mind back to the conversation at hand, Peter wondered what was bugging Sophie. "So, you don't have any misgivings about Troy or Maria's abilities. Then why do I get the feeling you have some doubts about Troy coming here?"
Sophie turned to face Peter, wiping her hands off with the dishtowel. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it, Peter." She paused as they both heard a car door slam shut. "They're here! Let's go greet them, shall we?" Giving Peter a little smirk, she brushed past him and out the front door.
"Troy, hi!" Sophie greeted him with a smile and a wave. She had liked Troy since she first met him at the beginning of the summer. He seemed to have a positive effect of people, and had a very easygoing manner about him.
Troy smiled and waved at Sophie as he unbuckled the car seat where Claire was strapped in. Unsure of what was happening, Claire kept her wide eyes on her father and seemed to relax a bit when he picked her up. The two came toward the Scarbrow house, where Peter had now joined Sophie on the front porch.
"Good to see you, Troy," Peter said warmly, welcoming Troy with a hearty handshake. "And who is this pretty young lady?"
Claire smiled before burying her head in her daddy's shoulder. Troy, Peter and Sophie all laughed. "This is Claire," Troy said proudly. "She can be a little shy. Honey, I want you to meet these nice people Daddy's going to be working with. This is Peter and Sophie."
Claire slowly raised her head to look at the smiling couple, then hid her face again. "She'll come around. I'm afraid with all the excitement today, she hasn't gotten her usual nap in."
"Well, come on inside. Maybe she can lay down in one of the bedrooms," Peter suggested.
Once inside, Troy asked where he could put Claire down. "Why not in Shelby's room?" Peter directed.
"Where is Shelby?" Troy asked, remembering the sullen teenager from earlier that summer.
"Oh, she's helping Maria get settled in," Sophie responded. Troy gave her a questioning look. "Maria is the other new Horizon counselor," Sophie explained. "We have several new kids this year and realized we need not just one, but two new counselors."
"You and Maria will be heading up the Starcatchers group," Peter informed Troy. "Look, why don't you go ahead and put Claire down for a nap, then we can go over everything. Maybe later, we can meet up with Maria."
Troy shrugged, glancing at his daughter, who now had her eyes closed with her head resting against his shoulder. "Sounds good, I'll be back in a minute." He headed toward Shelby's bedroom.
"You know, we should probably get out of the habit of referring to the guest bedroom as 'Shelby's room'," Sophie said, a hint of sadness in her voice. "She'll be moving back into the Cliffhangers girls' dorm soon."
"Yeah, that's going to be quite a transition for her," Peter acknowledged. *For us, too,* he thought silently.
"Well, we all knew it was coming," Sophie said matter-of-factly. *I'm just not quite ready for it to happen,* she thought, *and I don't think Shelby is, either.*
Shelby Merrick studied the 24-year old woman as she unpacked boxes. "You sure you want to do this? It's not too late to back out, you know," Shelby remarked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow.
Maria Ramirez stopped for a moment to glance up at Shelby. "I'm sure. Now, why don't you give me some help instead of sitting there, scrutinzing every move I make?" She waited, hands on her hips, looking at Shelby expectantly.
"Fine, whatever," Shelby mumbled, hopping down from her perch on the kitchen counter. She wouldn't have admitted it to anyone, but Shelby secretly liked Maria. They had met during the second summer session. Maria had a no-nonsense approach and didn't let anything get by her, qualities that Shelby admired. At the same time, Maria reminded Shelby of Daisy, because Maria had a gift of being able to read people. Her frankness with other people about themselves was almost overwhelming at times. *The difference between Maria and Daisy, though, is that Daisy isn't open about her own feelings, like Maria is,* Shelby thought ruefully, wondering how anyone could be so direct while seeming fearless of getting hurt.
"Have you heard from Daisy?" Maria asked, almost like she could read Shelby's thoughts. Shelby had told Maria before that Daisy was her only friend at Horizon.
"No, but her father called Peter and Sophie. I guess he's bringing her back here next week." Shelby was less than thrilled at the thought of all the other Cliffhangers returning. That would mean classes starting again, and even worse - group sessions, something Shelby was absolutely dreading.
Maria had yet to be clued in to Shelby's problems by Peter or Sophie, but she could sense that Shelby was full of pain. She decided it best to drop the subject of friends until she had a better understanding of the demons Shelby was battling. "So, do you have any plans before classes start again?" she asked Shelby.
Shelby pursed her lips together, trying not to look worried. "Uh, yeah, my dad is coming to visit," she said dully.
"Oh." Maria wondered where this story went. "When's the last time you saw your dad?"
Shelby groaned inwardly, wishing for once that Maria wasn't so forward. "It's been awhile," she said curtly. "Look, I'm finished here. Do you need me to do anything else?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject.
"No, but thanks for your help. I can drive you back to Peter and Sophie's," Maria suggested, but Shelby shook her head.
"I'll walk," Shelby said, heading out the door before Maria could even bid her farewell.
Maria shook her head as she turned on the radio and continued to unpack. *That kid has some major issues,* she thought, curious as to what they were.
Shelby sighed as she hiked back to Peter and Sophie's house. She kept hearing Maria's question in her head: "When's the last time you saw your dad?" Shelby knew exactly how long it had been, almost two years. After living a year on the streets and turning to prostitution and drugs, Shelby had turned to her natural father for help.
#Flashback#
"You're only 15 years old! I... I just don't know how to help you." Steven Merrick looked down at his daughter with a mixture of pity and disgust.
"Please... Dad." It was difficult for Shelby to call him that, he hadn't been much of a father to her or Jess. "At least give me some money," she begged.
"Money?! For what, more drugs?" Steven forced himself to calm down, realizing that yelling at his daughter wouldn't help the situation any. He sighed, scratching the back of his head. "I'm sorry, Shelby. I have to let the authorities deal with this. They will know what is best for you, they deal with this kind of thing all the time."
"With what kind of thing, Dad? With hookers who live on the streets?" Shelby's buzz was dying, and she was starting to regret ever coming to her father for help.
Seeing her friend, Patty, lying lifeless after overdosing on heroine had been too much for Shelby to handle. For the first time in the past year, it finally hit Shelby what could happen to her if she continued down this destructive path. Going back to her mom's was not an option, so Shelby had turned to the only source of help she could think of - her father.
Shelby's dad picked up the phone and dialed the local police. "I'm sorry, honey," he said dejectedly. "This is the best thing for you." He silently hoped he was doing the right thing, as he explained the situation to the seargent. Within an hour, a squad car came out to the house. Shelby was escorted to the car by two policemen, without so much as a backward glance to her father.
"What's going to happen to her?" her father asked one of the policemen.
"Chances are, she'll go to juvie hall," he shrugged. "If she's lucky, there's an outward-bound type school for troubled teens she could get sent to. It's the judge's call."
Steven Merrick watched as the car carrying his daugther drove away, his mind still reeling after her unexpected appearance. *Please, God, let the judge send her to that school,* he prayed. *And watch over my little girl.*
#End Flashback#
*I wish he weren't coming,* Shelby thought bitterly. *Why should he start acting like a father now? He never has been a father to me before.* She blinked back tears as she continued the trek to the house.
"Could I please speak with Juliette?" Auggie Ciceros stood in the phone booth in suburban Los Angeles, impatiently cradling the speaker against his ear.
"She isn't here right now." The soft, proper voice on the other end of the line belonged to Juliette's mother, Mrs. Rowe. "Who is this?" she demanded.
"This is Augusto Ciceros, her... friend. From Horizon." Auggie nervously waited for a response.
"Mr. Ciceros, I suggest you do not call here again. My daughter will not be returning to Horizon this year, and she does not wish to speak with you. Good day." The line went dead as Mrs. Rowe hung up.
Auggie stared at the receiver, not wanting to believe that Juliette wouldn't want to talk to him. He pulled out a map and began walking down the street.
An hour later, he was standing in front of Juliette's house. *It's now or never,* he thought, gathering the courage to knock on the massive oak door.
He heard someone inside scurry to the door. "Can I help you?" came a voice over the intercom.
Auggie looked around to find the intercom box, and pressed the button to speak. "Augusto Ciceros, here to see Juliette Wayborne." He tried to sound very professional.
A minute went by with no response. Just as Auggie was about to knock again, the door flew open. A butler directed Auggie to enter. "Right this way," he motioned.
Auggie followed him through the foyer, gazing in awe at the golden chandelier that hung high over their heads. "Please, step into the parlor," the butler instructed Auggie, who obliged. "She will be with you shortly," he said before departing.
Auggie couldn't believe how easy it had been to get inside. He was practically bursting with excitement, he hadn't seen Juliette in so long. He didn't hear someone enter the room.
"Mr. Ciceros." The voice was cold, saying his name as if it were a disease. Auggie turned around to see Mrs. Rowe standing before him. "I thought I made myself clear over the phone."
Auggie took a deep breath, almost flinching under Mrs. Rowe's harsh gaze. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Rowe. I mean no disrespect, but I had to hear from Juliette herself that she doesn't want to talk to me." Getting no response from Mrs. Rowe, Auggie kept talking. "I care for your daughter very much, Mrs. Rowe. She means the world to me. I just can't imagine never seeing her or talking to her again." He stopped as she held up one hand.
"I'm afraid I underestimated you, Mr. Ciceros. I had no idea, the depth of your feelings for my daughter" Mrs. Rowe approached Auggie, her eyes narrowing into slits. "Listen to me. You are not good for Juliette, and I believe she has finally realized that."
"But - ," Auggie tried to interrupt.
"Shut up!" Mrs. Rowe hissed. "You have one minute exactly to get out of my house before I call the police. You are never to contact me or my daughter again - EVER. Your minute starts...," she looked down at her watch, "now."
"Please, let me - ," Auggie started to say.
"Fifty-eight, fifty-seven," Mrs. Rowe kept counting.
Auggie quickly weighed his options. He could try to run upstairs, but he'd probably never find Juliette's room in this huge house. Plus, he didn't even know if she were home. And he didn't even want to think what his parents, not to mention Peter and Sophie, would do if he was arrested again.
"Okay, I'm going." He held up his hands in the surrender position before bolting for the door. The butler was waiting for him, holding the door open.
"Have a nice day, sir," the butler said, slamming the door behind Auggie.
"Who was at the door?" Juliette asked the butler, coming down the stairs to the foyer.
"Hello, dear," Mrs. Rowe said, grabbing hold of Juliette's hand and pulling her into the kitchen before the butler could respond. She smiled at her daughter, brushing back her hair from her big brown eyes. "Come, let's practice your French."
Troy looked around the small but cozy cabin and smiled. *It's different than what I'm used to, but we'll make it our home,* he thought with conviction.
It had been a very busy day, and Troy was starting to feel its effects. Yawning, he checked on Claire, who was fast asleep in her new room.
Sitting down at his desk, Troy thumbed through the folders of his soon-to-be students. He had already met Maria, and they had agreed to sit down together to go over the teens' information together.
Troy smiled in anticipation as he set the folders aside and picked up the phone, dialing the number he'd already put to memory. He'd been looking forward to making this call all day.
"Hello," said a breathless voice.
"Hi, Lynn. It's Troy." He smiled into the receiver, picturing her on the other end.
"Troy, hi!" Lynn exclaimed in surprise. "I didn't expect to hear from you for another few days. I thought you'd be busy moving and all," she explained hurriedly, hoping he didn't think she didn't want to hear from him.
Troy laughed. "Do you always talk so fast?" he teased. "I figured I'd go ahead and call, and see if you had any plans this weekend." He paused, not hearing a response. "I'd love to see you before the school year starts and everything gets crazy. Plus, I would love for you to meet Claire."
Lynn hesitated, torn on what to do. *Go for it,* an inner voice urged. "This weekend looks open for me," she said casually. "What did you have in mind?"
Troy was now grinning ear to ear. "Well, how would you like to come back to Horizon for the weekend? The weather is just perfect right now, and the air is so clean."
Lynn chuckled. "It sounds like you're already loving the place. Sure, that sounds great. Where will I stay, in the dorm again?"
*With me,* Troy wanted to say, but knew it wouldn't be appropriate, especially with Claire around. "Maybe in the dorm, I'll check with Peter and Sophie. We'll figure it out." He was secretly hoping to get someone to babysit Claire Saturday evening so he could take Lynn out to dinner. "I'm really looking forward to seeing you," he said softly.
"Yeah, me too," Lynn answered sincerely. "So, I'll see you Saturday?"
"Saturday it is," Troy agreed, sighing contentedly.
The next day, Sophie and Shelby walked out of the hospital and headed toward Sophie's car. They started the ride back to Horizon in silence. Sophie glanced over at Shelby, who was brooding, arms crossed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Sophie asked quietly.
"I'm not going back there," Shelby said stubbornly.
"Shelby, maybe you need to give it more of a chance," Sophie suggested, before Shelby cut her off.
"Why, Sophie? Why do I need to sit there and listen to these people's sob stories? I don't see how it's supposed to help me, to hear over and over again how they were all raped and then share all our feelings." She angrily wiped her moist eyes.
Sophie sighed, mulling over the decision. The truth was, she didn't like going to the group counseling, either. It brought back painful memories of the night Ted had attacked her all those years ago. She had tried to bury those memories, unsuccessfully. "Tell you what, I'll discuss it with Peter. Maybe there's a better way for you to 'share your feelings', as you put it."
"Okay, fine." Shelby looked over at Sophie, noticing her distraught expression. "You don't like going, either, do you?" she asked quietly.
*She's so perceptive,* Sophie thought in amazement. "It's not on my top ten list of favorite ways to spend an afternoon," Sophie admitted. She reached over and squeezed Shelby's hand, who didn't pull away. "Shelby, Peter and I are just trying to do what's best for you. It may take a while to figure it out, but the important thing is that we keep moving forward. Not only did you go through hell and back once before, but now something unthinkable has happened to you again." Shelby stared out the window but continued to allow Sophie to hold her hand. "There's no right or wrong reaction here, Shel, except for violence. You know that."
Sophie let go of Shelby's hand, debating whether or not to push her luck. *We'll have to talk about it sometime soon, might as well be now,* she thought apprehensively.
"Shelby, you know that the rest of the Cliffhangers, and Jess, will be coming back soon," Sophie said slowly. "Peter and I are going to have to insist that you participate in group. And that means talking, not just sitting there."
Shelby nodded slightly. "I know," was all she said.
"You'll also be moving back into the Cliffhangers girls' dorm within a week or so. Are you okay with that?" Sophie inquired.
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" Shelby replied, hostility creeping into her voice.
Sophie sighed, trying to stay concentrated on the road. "Don't get defensive, Shelby. I'm just concerned, that's all. It will be a big adjustment." Sophie pulled into the Horizon driveway.
"I'm sure you and Peter will be glad to have me out of your hair," Shelby muttered, wishing things could be different. She didn't want any Cliffhangers to find out what had happened to her, but it wasn't going to be easy to hide if they heard her screaming from the constant nightmares.
Sophie pulled up to the house and turned off the ignition. She turned to face Shelby, who looked absolutely miserable. "Shel, look at me." Shelby obeyed and looked over at Sophie, the sadness in her eyes practically tearing Sophie's heart in two. Sophie grasped both of Shelby's hands in her own. "You are NEVER in our hair. We just have to go by the rules here, that's why you have to go back to living in the dorm."
Shelby looked down and barely whispered something Sophie couldn't quite hear. "What did you say, sweetie?" Sophie asked, still holding onto her hands.
Shelby looked back up at Sophie. "I'm scared, Sophie." She couldn't contain the tears any longer, they spilled over onto her cheeks.
Sophie put her arms around Shelby as best she could in the car, and held her as she sobbed. "We'll get through this together, Shelby. We will."
Coming Attractions:
- Peter receives another call concerning Juliette's future.
- Shelby's dad visits, and he has a suprise for Shelby.
- How will Lynn and Troy's first date go?
- Jess returns to Horizon as part of the Starcatchers group, along with 5 other students.
- Sophie is surprised to hear from a family member.