Early the next morning, After a sleepless night, Jennifer was determined to find out what Aubrey had meant when she said that they only cared about Katarina and the boys, she admitted to being preoccupied with her youngest child but that was because at an age where she should be walking, dressing and eating by herself, she didn't do any of that, it was like she was literally stuck in infancy
All the doctors they'd been couldn't find the reason, numerous tests had been done and so far all off them were inconclusive, the best they could hope for was that for some reason, she'd maybe forgotten to breath in the womb and it caused some long term affects and countless therapies didn't seem to be working, She admitted that sometimes she overlooked her oldest daughter's needs for her youngest but that's what any mother would do, but she never felt like she completely neglected Aubrey
The past few months, she realized how much Aubrey had distanced herself from the whole family, before she'd loved playing out in the yard with the boys or rollerblading, but now it was like they were a bothersome and any conversation between the three of them ended with someone getting hurt.
Jonathan had noticed it too, he tried to engage her in the same interests as the boys with him but she didn't want to, he often took the boys up in Hart One which she loved or to the ball game but now she suddenly spent every moment at the mall.
Aubrey's mouth was continually getting her into trouble, from mouthing off to her teachers and the principal to her and Jonathan and Pearl, who a few times came dangerously close to slapping her only to be held back at the last minute.
Giving her space wasn't working, grounding her wasn't working, nothing was working and Jennifer was at her wits end, as a mother she usually could anticipated every move of her children but Aubrey literally left her clueless. At 11 years old the boys were a cake walk, as long as she was there to patch them up and keep from killing each other, and torturing their big sister, they were happy campers
Jennifer figured if she let Aubrey get some sleep, she might calm down enough to explain herself, that maybe the reason for her meltdown was she embarrassed, or exhausted, something she was desperate for answers.
The morning came too soon and she found herself standing outside Aubrey's door, waiting for the usual growl of "It's too early!"
But nothing, figuring she fell asleep with her IPOD in her ears, Jennifer opened the door and crossed into her room.
Which had certainly changed since Aubrey came home, once littered with stuffed animals and kiddy books and her big girl bed with it's pink walls were now purple grape with rock star posters, a large water bed and a tattered couch next to the desk where her computer was, a large television mounted on the wall underneath the bookshelf.
The floor with its once blue carpet was now littered with clothes and shoes, she'd lost the battle with Aubrey over the condition of her room a year ago, now she was grateful if Aubrey remembered to throw out the pizza boxes that seem to be appearing almost nightly
She nearly broke her neck over a boot and landed on the bed, floating up a little bit she realized Aubrey wasn't in the bed, frustrated she pounded the bed and heard the clatter of silverware under the comforter
"I'll kill her, She won't have to worry about finishing high school because she'll be sharing a plot with Max" Jennifer muttered "We'll make another one just like her except hopefully that one will be civilized" She got off the bed, kicked at some clothes and marched down the stairs, hearing Katarina starting to whine, she turned back, picked up the baby and walked back down the stairs ready to either call her husband or the police, she was half way in the kitchen when she noticed the refrigerator door open
"Who ate all yogurt?!" the familiar raspy voice asked with her head inside
"You did, what are you doing out of your room" She put Katarina in her high chair
"I was hungry, even prisoners' get breakfast" Aubrey slammed the door and reached for a cup to drink her juice
"Well, we need to discuss last night"
"No we don't, I don't want to talk about it, just punish me and get it over with" Aubrey pulled herself on top of the counter
"You're already grounded until the end of the century, what else could I possibly take away from you?" Jennifer dropped some cheerios into Katarina's highchair table
"Good Point, so we'll just let this slide" She smiled hopefully
"Nice try but no, when Daddy comes home, we'll figure out what to do with you, in the meantime confinement and your meals will be brought to you so there will be no need for kitchen runs "
Aubrey rolled her eyes and stomped upstairs, they could hear her footsteps above them and heard her door slam
"Oh Kati, what are we going to do with her," Jennifer smiled sadly and kissed her baby's head
Aubrey had just slammed the door and was headed back to her bed when a hand reached out and pulled her back, before she could scream a voice said quickly
"Don't yell, it's just me" Harvey cautioned her, she turned around and saw his face was badly bruised
"Oh my god, are you okay" she made a move to touch his face but he flinched
"Yeah, I'm fine, can I hide out here for the day" He asked kissing her nose
"Okay" She felt so naughty, hiding a boy in her room, her friends would consider her a God after this
He kicked off his shoes and climbed into her bed, making he comfortable, she went into the bathroom and got a cold cloth to put on his face
"What happened after your Dad picked you up last night"
"Let's just say, dinner won't be served on the good silver," Harvey rolled his good eye
"Oh Baby I'm sorry" She knew that the black eye was because of her, she pressed the cloth to his face and he tried not show his pain
"It's not your fault," he ran his hands over her arms giving her shivers
"If Roxy hadn't taken me to the party we wouldn't have gotten busted"
"It was only a matter of time" he leaned forward and kissed her, she melted into his body and suddenly she couldn't get enough, she wanted more
It didn't matter that she was 14 in her bedroom at her parents' house, she wanted to be one with this boy whom she loved.
"Are you sure about this," He whispered
"I think so"
Well she went about as far as she could without actually having sex, she was down to her underwear and him as well, she wanted to do more but she was so nervous, the sex talk her mother had given her early had driven home the point that she wasn't ready for all the consequences of it, like if she accidentally got pregnant
Kissing her neck, Harvey had to confess something "Aubrey, I have to leave,"
"Now?!" She said looking down at her half naked body
"No! After School on Friday, I'm leaving for my Aunt's house in Nashville; I can't stay here anymore with my father"
Aubrey wanted to cry, everything was falling part and now the most important person in her life was leaving too
"I understand," She said quickly
"No you don't, I want you to come with me," Harvey lifted her chin
"What? I can't leave here, I'm barely 15 technically jailbait!"
"We can cross the border into Mexico and get married, it'll work for both us, we can be together and not have to deal with our parents, we'll be each other's family" He took her hand
"I'm not sure," She wasn't sure she was ready to be a wife before she could drive
"Think about it, okay?"
Aubrey nodded
Downstairs, Jennifer was trying to get Katarina to walk when she heard a car door slam
"Who's that?" She asked placing Katarina on the floor and going to the door to find her husband and sons back, unloading the SUV
"Hi Mama!" the boys shouted
"Hi guys, what are you doing home so soon?" She'd been anticipating them gone until Wednesday so she could plan on telling Jonathan about Aubrey in a way that wouldn't cause his head to explode
"Hi Darling, We didn't caught anything except a cold for Andrew plus two growing boys ate us of food within a few days and I missed you" Jonathan kissed her nose
"Oh Baby, you're sick?" She ran her hands over Andrew's round face
"Just a stuffy nose" He snuffled to prove a point
"Mama, look at the fish we caught" Lucas was so proud of the little fish he'd got in a plastic bag
"You said you didn't catch a fish" Jennifer smiled
"Petco Darling Petco" Jonathan laughed
"Where's Aubrey?" Jonathan asked handing her a sleeping bag
"Upstairs , grounded …" She was hesitant to tell him the rest
"Oh boy, guys finish unloading the car, go take showers and get ready for dinner" Jonathan ordered his boys, turning back to his wife "Office now"
In the twelve years since the attacks, the house had been re-arranged to accommodate the kids, the boys had their own rooms so they wouldn't get on each other's nerves and Katarina's nursery was next to their rooms so Jonathan's office had been relocated downstairs in Max's old room
"Wait, Kati's in the Living room," Jennifer remembered
"She'll be alright for a minute," Jonathan was eager to know what had transpired over the weekend with his oldest daughter
Upstairs, Aubrey had heard the car door slam shut and looked out the window to see her brothers unpacking
"Oh Shit!" She scrambled back to the bed where Harvey had fallen asleep "You gotta get up, my Dad's home!"
"What-?" Harvey wasn't sure what was going on
"Get up and get dressed, my Dad catches us and it's a curtains for both of us,"
"SHE WAS WHAT?!" Her father's voice screamed through the house
Harvey jumped up and started throwing on his clothes on, the footsteps on the stairs suddenly became louder and louder
"How do I get out of here?" Harvey panicked, trying to put his shoes on
"Listen to me, go down the window sill to the second story roof then down the escape ladder on my brother's window, careful of the third rung it's broken and then you can jump onto the lawn, cut across the pond and down the dirt road, go through the gate and down to the major road" She grabbed his face and kissed him
"Alright, will you think about what we talked about?" He asked climbing over the windowsill
"I don't need to think about it, I'll marry you, now go!" She pushed him but before he jumped down he kissed her face
"Aubrey Rose Hart!" Her father called jingling the door handle
"Hold on I'm getting dressed!" She threw on her shorts and t-shirt, ripping open the door and trying to flatten her hair
Jonathan tried to control his anger but he was tired of her behavior and her attitude
"I want to know why you snuck out on your mother last night and got arrested, Aubrey Rose this isn't you and I want to know why you are doing this"
"Because I can," She raised her eyebrow as a challenge
"Excuse me?" Her father asked
"Oh come on Daddy, you can't tell me when you didn't do this when YOU were my age?"
"That was different, the times were different and besides You are my daughter and I will not allow this to continue further,"
"So what does that mean?"
"It means We're pulling you out of School and homeschooling you, a change of school might improve your attitude"
"Daddy, No!" She never imagined that he'd go this far, homeschooling?!
"It's the only way you'll learn, Maybe after the semester if your attitude improves as well as your behavior, in between homeschooling you'll work at Hart Industries as a lackee"
"This is worse than a nightmare, this is hell" She wanted to cry but wouldn't give him the satisfaction
"Well you do the crime you do the time,"
"Wait Daddy, when were you going to pull me out," She couldn't leave with Harvey if she was trapped in the house
"End of the week, you'll be able to clear out your locker and say goodbye,"
"Fine," She knew she was being awfully agreeable but she figured she'd better play along
They left her room but not before Jennifer noticed her sudden switch in behavior
"She's plotting, no way that child who's spent the better part of a year screaming to be left suddenly agrees to be homeschooled"
"I'm not sure but I have a feeling, whatever she's planning will be tremendous," Jonathan sighed and looked at the portrait on the wall of Aubrey taken in her first year of Kindergarten, the smiley face with the ribbons in her hair and press on earrings