MARY
The house was small. Small would be an understatement actually. It was microscopic.
"It's not much but its home!" Mark had bellowed as he slipped the key in the door and swung it open to reveal a house decorate with homemade crafts and A+ papers and tests.
Yeah, no kidding. I've put witnesses in nicer digs than this. Mary thought. It looked like an old doll house, cluttered and tired, filled with misplaced cabinets and drawers that a child had absent mindedly tossed in before being distracted by another toy. Mary looked around the one floor, two bedroom and tried to imagine her daughter growing up there; reaching on her tip toes to watch her dad cook one of his "special recipes", coloring on the living room coffee table, placing her tooth under her pillow before dozing off to dream of fairies and coins. Something was tugging at her. Guilt, maybe. Guilt. Definitely guilt. Guilt that Wiley had never swam in her pool or played computer games in her office in the chair that spins and lifts and sinks with the pull of a little black lever. She glanced at her daughter; she also appeared to be taking in the house, as if she hadn't seen it every day for 15 or so years. Mary saw flecks of everyone; Brandi's frame, small and wiry but tough. Jinx's lips, set and stubborn. Her own eyes. Tragic and lost. There was someone else in there, too. Someone Mary couldn't place. Obviously Mark was there but... there was another person, ghost-like and mysterious.
WILEY
She hated this. The last thing she wanted was for this woman to see her home. The whole car ride there she had seriously considered tucking and rolling out the door on to the side of the road. She always felt jittery when she had to show someone her home; her mother, this stranger, was no exception. She knew it was small and crowded. But it was her home and she did what she could to keep it in shape. Mark was a good dad, he made her laugh and tried to keep her happy but Wiley learned from an early age that her father would need help. So she did all she could. This lady is like, a Supreme Court Judge or something; I bet her house is gorgeous. All sliding glass doors and Mexican tiles. Wiley caught herself staring at this mystery woman. The fact that she knew nothing about her but could still see the similarities between them made her stomach ache. She quickly looked away.
She hadn't even noticed her father had taken a call. "Oh- oh yeah, no I understand. Definitely. Uh- No, no, I could come in now! " Mark was gathering up his keys and jacket. "I'll be there in a jiff!"
A jiff, dad? Really? …Wait, what! "You're leaving?" Wiley's voice had seemed strange to her until she realized that Mary had asked the same question at the same time, the same look of terror in her eyes.
"Yeah! They need me at the garage, chickie! I'm sorry! I'll only be a minute, just some forms to fill out! Why don't you and Mary hang out here and catch up? I'll be back in time to take you to Grandma and Grandpa's for dinner tonight."
"What?" Mary spat.
"Did I not tell you? Yeah, my parents heard you were coming into town so they asked us over! I said you'd love to."