Hello Readers, and Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you enjoy this new (old) chapter. The first part will be more familiar if you've read the original, but the rest is brand new!
Chapter Six: Defying Boundaries
"That was amazing, kiddo!" Sasha gushed, running over to the girl and pulling her into a big hug. "You were amazing!"
"You were wonderful!" said William, the actor who plays Fiyero. He came and patted Rachel on the back before hugging Shelby. "We're going to miss you here."
More of the crew and actors came to congratulate Shelby and Rachel on their performance, offering well wishes and hugs aplenty.
"C'mon Rach, let's get back to my dressing room. I want to get cleaned up," Shelby said once she had spoken to everyone off stage. She took Rachel's hand and led her daughter back to her room.
"Mom, that was amazing! All the people…I was on stage, Mom! I really did it!" Rachel rambled as she walked, tripping over her own feet in her excitement.
"Be careful! And yes, you certainly did! You were incredible. I'm so proud of you, sweetheart," Shelby replied, smiling.
"We should go out and celebrate, Mom! You, Aunt Sasha, and me! Let's go to dinner or something. Can we?" Rachel said as her mom ushered her into the dressing room.
"I don't think that's going to work out today, Rach, but we can ask Aunt Sasha if she wants to come have dinner with us back home," Shelby replied, smiling sadly at Rachel's crestfallen pout.
"Mom please, it's just dinner," Rachel begged, her lower lip sticking out.
"I'm sorry, sweetie. I promise I'll take you out to dinner before we head back to Ohio. We'll have a nice girls' night in—it'll be fun, I promise," Shelby said gently.
"But Mom, we haven't been out of the apartment all weekend!" Rachel whined, her pout becoming even more obvious.
"Rach, we've been at the theatre all day," Shelby pointed out.
"That's not what I mean! I want to see New York. Mom, please!" Rachel whined, stomping her foot. She crossed her arms across her chest and let out a loud sigh, looking forlornly at her mother.
"I know you do, sweetheart. And I promise I'll take you to see every bit of New York next week. I don't think we've got time this week. I've still got six more shows, and I need to sit down and figure out what interviews we will be doing. I want to get all of that out of the way so that you and I can spend all next week relaxing and doing what you want, baby. I don't want anything to get in the way next week," Shelby said, pulling her daughter in for a hug.
Rachel melted into her mother, sighing sadly. Her mom had already told her in the cab earlier that they'd go sightseeing next week. Rachel was just getting impatient. She had always wanted to visit New York, and now she was here and stuck inside.
Rachel didn't mind all the quiet time she had been spending with her mom—it was quite nice, actually—but now that she was feeling a bit more comfortable with Shelby, she wanted to go explore the Big Apple. There was so much to see, and Rachel wanted to see every square inch of it before they went back to Ohio in two weeks.
Open Arms * Open Arms * Open Arms
The next few days seemed to fly by, and Shelby felt like a chicken running around with its head cut off. Between shows, packing, the many phone calls with Jackie, and keeping Rachel entertained, Shelby was exhausted.
Shelby was immensely thankful for all of Sasha's help, but even with the extra pair of hands, she wanted nothing more than for Saturday to come so that she could be finished with her very last performance on Wicked. It was bittersweet for her. Shelby was going to miss the stage very much, along with all the amazing people she got to work with, but she was also looking forward to her next chapter with Rachel.
Shelby spent most of Monday packing up clothes and other things she wanted to take back to Ohio while Sasha was keeping Rachel occupied with stories in the living room. She had already decided that she would keep the apartment in the city so she and Rachel could visit when they wanted. The only large furniture going back home would be the piano in the office and the tall bookshelf holding all of Shelby's music books. She saw no reason to leave those behind where she couldn't use them.
Tuesday morning, Shelby and Sasha took Rachel to Times Square along with Tom and Josh so that the girl could get out for a bit. Shelby did feel bad that Rachel had to stay inside so much. It wasn't fair to her daughter that she couldn't do all the normal things other kids her age could do with their mothers just because her mother was a huge Broadway star and was being followed around by dozens of paparazzi.
Rachel seemed to have really enjoyed herself at Times Square, and Shelby even let the girl drag her into several of the tourist shops where she bought her a few souvenirs.
By Wednesday morning, Rachel was bouncing around the apartment, waiting impatiently for the interviewer and photographer from People Magazine to show up. Shelby had also agreed to a segment on Live with Regis and Kelly on Friday morning. Jackie had wanted Shelby to accept two other interviews, but Shelby remained firm saying she wanted to keep Rachel out of the public's eye as much as possible. She had to do a few interviews because that was inevitable, but two were more than enough. If the media didn't like it, well tough!
The interview with People had gone well. The interviewer had turned out to be a young woman, no more than twenty-six, who was a huge fan of Shelby's. She was sweet and focused on Shelby and Rachel's reunion, keeping Rachel's fathers out of it altogether. She asked Rachel how she liked New York so far and went into great detail about Rachel singing on stage with Shelby on Sunday.
Rachel was eating up the attention. She answered all of the questions like a pro and was completely in her element when the photographer started taking pictures. He had taken dozens of candid shots of mother and daughter as they were giving their interviews, but then had them pose for some. He even had them go into the office so that he could get some shots of them at the piano together.
By the time they left, Shelby and Rachel had about an hour before they had to get to the theatre. Shelby had been happy to see them leave, but Rachel seemed to deflate once they did. That was another reason Shelby had only wanted to do a few interviews; she didn't want Rachel getting too used to all the media. She still wanted her daughter to have a regular childhood. There was plenty of time when Rachel was older to become famous.
Thursday rolled around and Shelby was surprised by how smoothly her day was going. So far, this week had been hectic and something had gone wrong every day. Today had been perfect. She was now in the bathroom of her dressing room, taking a shower to wash all the green off of her. Rachel was waiting on the sofa just outside and then they would meet up with Sasha. Shelby had decided that she would take Rachel out for dinner tonight.
Meanwhile, Rachel was sitting on the sofa, bouncing her foot impatiently. She was bored and wanted to get up and move. Her mom always took ages in the shower every night after the show because of all the makeup and paint or whatever they covered her in to turn her into the Witch. Tapping her fingers against her leg, Rachel looked at the closed door of the bathroom and then the closed door to the dressing room. She could go visit Aunt Sasha while her mom was in the shower, couldn't she? Her mom wouldn't mind, and she'd be with Aunt Sasha!
Rachel stood and after one last glance at the bathroom door, went off in search of her aunt. She found Sasha just coming out of her own bathroom when she entered her dressing room a few doors down.
"Hey kiddo!" Sasha greeted warmly, smiling at her niece. "Why aren't you with your mom?"
"Oh…uh…It's fine for me to be here," Rachel said. It wasn't technically a lie. It was fine for her to be here—her mom let her visit with her Aunt Sasha in her dressing room all the time. "I mean…if you're okay with it?" she added.
"Of course I'm okay with it, silly! Let me just get dressed and then what do you say to you and me going to check out the cool t-shirts? I'll buy you one!" Sasha said. She laughed when Rachel nodded enthusiastically.
Ten minutes later, Sasha and Rachel were heading out to the front of the theatre where the vendors were. The play had ended forty minutes ago, so the majority of the audience had left, but there were still a few stragglers. Sasha stopped to sign autographs for whoever asked. Rachel was even asked by a few people for autographs as well.
"I-I'm not in the play," Rachel said timidly to the first person who asked her, thinking she had her confused for someone else.
"But you're Shelby Corcoran's daughter. I saw you sing on stage with your mom on Sunday. You were wonderful," the woman said. "Please sign my Playbill for me."
"Uh…w-who should I make it out to?" Rachel asked.
"Stephanie," the woman said, smiling excitedly.
Rachel took the Playbill and pen that the woman offered her and wrote: To my friend Stephanie, Love Rachel Corcoran. Smiling, she handed it back to the woman. "Thank you," she said.
Sasha watched in amusement as Rachel gave her first autograph and then thanked the woman for letting her sign it. She signed the woman's Playbill next and then stood with her and Rachel for a photo.
Twenty minutes later, Sasha and Rachel made their way back to Shelby's dressing room. Rachel was carrying a large bag with several Wicked shirts, a hoodie, and two pairs of socks inside. The girl had been so excited for all of the merchandise, Sasha just couldn't say no. Besides, it was the first time she had ever been able to buy anything for her niece, and she wanted to spoil her some. She had big plans on becoming Rachel's favorite aunt.
Finally green-free, Shelby turned the water off and grabbed her fluffy towel to dry off. As much as she loved being Elphaba, she would not miss having to spend at least a half hour every night washing her off.
"Okay Rach, I'm almost ready. I just need to get dressed and—"
Shelby was surprised to find the dressing room completely empty when she stepped out. Where was her daughter? Thinking that the girl was playing a trick on her, Shelby looked behind the sofa to see if she was hiding there. Nope. Shelby tried the closet—still no Rachel.
Shelby quickly dressed and opened her door. "Rachel?" she called out. She saw a few stagehands milling about. "Hey, have any of you seen Rachel?" she asked.
"Nope, sorry Shel! We'll keep an eye out for her though," Mike said as he passed.
"Thanks," Shelby mumbled, going to grab her phone. She quickly texted Tom and Josh to see if Rachel was with either of them. They both responded saying no, but they would start looking for her.
Shelby was just turning to go search for Rachel herself when her daughter came walking in with Sasha, carrying a Wicked bag with her.
"Rachel! Where have you been?"
"Shelby, what's wrong?" Sasha asked, bewildered.
"I get out of the shower expecting to find my daughter waiting for me, only to find my dressing room empty!" Shelby said angrily, glaring at her daughter.
"Mom, I didn't think you'd mind," Rachel defended.
"Of course I mind, Rachel, I had no idea where you were," Shelby scolded.
"Rachel, you told me your mom gave you permission to be with me!" Sasha said, turning to the young teen.
"Rachel Barbra, you lied to your aunt?" Shelby exclaimed.
Rachel looked back and forth from the two angry women towering over her. She tried to back away as her mother began advancing on her, but the woman was too quick. Shelby's fingers closed around Rachel's arm and she pulled the girl towards her.
"It wasn't a lie!" Rachel protested. "Technically, I told Aunt Sasha it was fine for me to be there as long as it was okay with her."
Shelby shook her head and before Rachel could say anything more, had the teen bent at the waist and tucked under her right arm.
"You can't just wander off whenever you want to, young lady. And you most certainly cannot tell your aunt I allowed something when I didn't even know about it!" the mother scolded sternly as her hand made contact with her daughter's bottom.
"Ow!" Rachel gasped.
"You are never to go anywhere without me knowing where you are and who you're with, do you understand?" Shelby scolded, her hand descending in quick succession.
"Ah! Y-ye—Ouch! Yes, ma'am!"
"Oh, and Rachel—" Shelby paused to land another swat, "—Just so you know, letting someone believe something that isn't true is a lie in my book."
"Ow! I-I'm sorry!" Rachel yelped, blinking back tears.
"Don't you scare me like that ever again!" Shelby scolded, landing a final two spanks onto her daughter's smarting backside.
"Oh, ow, Mom! I promise!"
A hand shot back to block any more swats, but her mother had already let her go. Rachel rubbed at the sting as she straightened and turned towards her mom, red-faced and feeling very chastised.
Shelby's hands found their way to her hips as she leveled her daughter with a stern gaze. Rachel could feel her mother's eyes on her and squirmed uncomfortably.
"I really am sorry, Mommy," Rachel said sadly, meeting her mother's eyes briefly before lowering them to the ground.
The minute Rachel's big brown eyes met Shelby's, all of Shelby's annoyance dissipated. Poof. Part of her knew that Rachel had just played her, but the larger part just couldn't stay angry at that sweet face.
"Oh come here, you little brat," Shelby said, opening her arms.
Rachel needn't be told twice and rushed over to cling to the woman. Shelby wrapped her arms around the girl tightly and kissed her head. The two stayed like that for a moment before Shelby pulled back.
"Apologize to your aunt now, Rachel," Shelby said.
Rachel stepped towards her Aunt Sasha, feeling her face heat up. She had forgotten the woman was in the room and was embarrassed when she realized Sasha had witnessed everything that had just happened.
Rachel kept her eyes cast downward until she was about a foot away from her aunt. She looked up into her aunt's green eyes. She didn't look nearly as angry as her mother, but she did look annoyed.
"I-I'm sorry I lied to you, Aunt Sasha," she said quietly, hanging her head.
"Rachel," Sasha said gently, waiting until the girl looked back up at her. "I love you, and I'm looking forward to being the fun, cool aunt. I won't be able to do that if you lie to me. I won't be able to trust you."
"I'm sorry, Aunt Sasha! Are you…do you not want to be my aunt anymore?" Rachel said sadly.
She felt tears begin to fall and she quickly brushed them away. She didn't want Sasha to not trust her and feel like she couldn't be her aunt. And if Sasha didn't want to be her aunt, what if that made Shelby not want to be her mom?
Sasha looked at Shelby guiltily. She hadn't meant to make the poor kid cry! She just wanted to get across that it wasn't cool to lie. She didn't have any kids, and didn't know how to scold them properly! Crap. She just broke Rachel!
"Of course Aunt Sasha still wants to be your aunt, Rachel," Shelby said gently, motioning for Sasha to hug Rachel.
Sasha quickly pushed her own thoughts aside and pulled the girl into her arms. "I'm always going to be your aunt, kiddo. I love you, Rach," she said, kissing Rachel's head.
"I'm really sorry, Aunt Sasha," Rachel cried into her aunt's shoulder.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," Sasha soothed, rubbing Rachel's back. "Don't cry, Rach. It's all over." She continued to hold Rachel until the girl's cries turned to hiccups.
"Alright, well I think it's time we get home now. It's been a long day," Shelby said.
"Home? But Mom…I thought we were going out to dinner with Aunt Sasha," Rachel said, confused. It had been planned since Monday night. Rachel had really been looking forward to going out to dinner tonight.
"That was before your little Houdini act," Shelby replied sternly.
"I thought I was forgiven?" Rachel asked. She really wanted to go out to dinner.
"You are, Rach, but that doesn't mean you get away without any punishment. So we're going home tonight instead of going to a restaurant. We can go out on Saturday if you behave yourself," Shelby said.
"But Mom, that's not fair," Rachel whined.
"Would you prefer a spanking? Because I can turn you over my knee if you want to go to the restaurant instead," Shelby said, looming over her child. She raised her eyebrow, daring the girl to argue any more.
Rachel gulped and shook her head vehemently. "No!" she said, taking an involuntary step back. Rachel was still sore from the few swats her mother had already given her and wasn't looking for the full performance.
"That's what I thought. Now get your things and let's go find the boys," Shelby said. "Sasha, you are more than welcome to come have dinner at home with us. I know this ruins your dinner plans now too."
Sasha watched the interaction between mother and child apprehensively. She couldn't believe how brave Rachel was! If Shelby had been looking at her that way, she'd be taking off in the other direction. Not Rachel, no, she actually started to whine! Sasha felt her belly do a little flip when Shelby asked Rachel if she'd prefer a spanking instead. She breathed a sigh of relief when Rachel wised up and backed off. Sasha was definitely going to have to have a little chat with her niece about something called "survival instinct". The girl clearly didn't have it!
"Sure, that's fine," Sasha said, smiling.
Rachel cautiously walked by her mother, shielding her bottom with her hands in case her mom got any ideas to swat her any more. Shelby just shook her head at her daughter's actions. She knew that move—she had done it plenty of times herself as a teen when her own mother was upset with her about something. Shelby wasn't planning on swatting any more tonight as long as Rachel behaved herself, but she wasn't going to tell her daughter that.
Open Arms * Open Arms * Open Arms
Shelby sat at the dining room table Sunday morning drinking her coffee and going through emails. She received one from Lauren telling her everything went through fine with the house and it was ready to move into, as well as reminding her to look through the paint samples book that Lauren sent. Shelby's family was amazing—they offered to have painters come paint the house while she and Rachel were still in New York so that it'd be finished when they returned home. Shelby just had to sit down and start choosing colors. Perhaps she'd do that today with Rachel.
Rachel had been wired the past two days. She had remained subdued for the rest of Thursday evening, but Friday morning the girl woke up with renewed energy. She was excited to go to the set for Regis and Kelly, and talked Shelby's ear off the whole way there. Shelby didn't mind; she thoroughly enjoyed Rachel's excited chatter.
By the time they made it on set, Rachel could hardly contain her excitement and kept having to be told to sit still while she got her hair and makeup done. She wore a pink sleeveless dress embroidered with small lace flowers, an ivory braided belt secured at the waist, and cute coral-colored ballet flats.
Shelby just rolled her eyes good-naturally at the makeup artist who smiled warmly at her. She had already finished with Shelby, who was now just sitting in the chair watching her daughter be made up. She was wearing a pretty purple halter dress that flowed when she walked. She paired it with her favorite black patent leather pumps with the red soles.
The interview went well, and Kelly absolutely loved Rachel. She couldn't stop gushing over her after the interview. Shelby and Rachel had sung Defying Gravity at the end, causing the audience to erupt in applause. Kelly ran over to mother and daughter at the end with tears in her eyes, and even Regis seemed to be a little misty eyed.
Rachel was still riding off of her adrenaline rush when Shelby and her made it to the theatre later that day. She decided to stay backstage for that particular show; Shelby had been letting her decide each day if she wanted to go watch in the audience or stay backstage. Rachel had already seen the play from the audience a few times, and she liked seeing the hustle and bustle off stage. She had to promise to stay out of the way and not wander off, but that wasn't an issue. She didn't want to miss a minute of the action.
Rachel was still a bundle of energy all through Saturday. Shelby's last show had been emotional. The audience gave her several standing ovations throughout, and she could hear crying interwoven with the cheers at the very end.
The whole cast went out to dinner that night to celebrate. Rachel was excited because she had been looking forward to going out since the start of the week. She had been disappointed when Shelby punished her on Thursday night, but had since gotten over it. The entire cast had fallen in love with the little spitfire and Rachel spent the whole dinner entertaining them all.
When Rachel and Shelby finally made it into the apartment last night, it was well past midnight. Shelby was exhausted, but Rachel wanted to stay up. Shelby managed to convince the girl to take a shower and then somehow talked her into lying in bed. She rubbed Rachel's back until the girl fell into a deep sleep. With a deep sigh, Shelby quickly followed her daughter into dreamland.
Shelby was on her second cup of coffee by the time Rachel strolled out of the bedroom, her hair all over the place.
"Morning, Mom," she sighed, stretching her arms up above her.
"Morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?" Shelby said, smiling. She looked at the clock on the wall. It was already eleven o'clock. Rachel was getting better at sleeping in, especially when she stayed up extra late at night. She'd still have mornings where she wanted to get up earlier, and Shelby had started allowing her to. She decided she would pick her battles, and if Rachel wanted to get up some mornings at six-thirty, she could—though it normally meant she took a nap in the afternoon.
"Yeah. Mom, can we go to Central Park today?" Rachel asked as she took a seat across from her mother.
"Rach, you know I'm taking you tomorrow. We planned a whole day, remember?" Shelby said, closing her laptop so she could focus on the teen. She had only been surfing the internet anyway.
"I know, but I thought maybe we could go today," Rachel said, turning her big eyes on her mother.
"Tom and Josh are with their families today, sweetie. I don't want to bother them on their day off," Shelby said gently.
"But Mom, it's only Central Park. We could go by ourselves!" Rachel whined, poking her lower lip out in a pout.
"I wish we could, honey, but it's not safe for us to go out alone right now. I promise you I'll take you anywhere you want to go this coming week, Rach. I just need you to be patient for another day," Shelby said, sighing.
"But—"
"Rachel," Shelby said in warning, and the girl thankfully quieted down.
"I got an email from Aunt LuLu. She misses you and sends her love. And she sent the book of paint samples the other day—I thought we could pick out what colors we want for each room. I know you'll want to choose your bedroom color, but you can help me with the others as well if you'd like."
"I can really paint my room any color I want?" Rachel asked excitedly. She never got to choose the color at her fathers' house. They chose yellow. She didn't mind yellow, but she'd much rather have lavender or a pretty mint green or even a light blue.
"Whatever color you want, baby," Shelby smiled, relieved that she had gotten the girl excited about something other than the park.
Rachel sat on the sofa, flipping through channels. She was bored. She had spent some time looking over the paint books with her mom earlier, but had tired of it quickly. Shelby said they could look at it again another time and had suggested they watch a movie. Rachel chose Chicago, but they had only gotten through half of it before Rachel tired of that as well. Shelby had started with a slight headache, so she went to take some medicine and lay down for a bit.
Rachel sighed and turned off the TV. Shelby had told the girl to entertain herself for a while and to wake her at three if she wasn't up by then. That was thirty minutes ago. She was probably sleeping.
Rachel crept off to the bedroom to check. Sure enough, when she quietly entered the room, her mother was fast asleep. Rachel went over to poke her just to be sure. Yup, she was out.
Already in a tank and shorts, Rachel decided to grab a pair of socks and her tennis shoes before tiptoeing back out into the living room. She found her mother's purse easily enough—it was sitting on one of the dining chairs like usual. She opened up her mom's wallet and took out the first credit card she found and pocketed it. She also took the silver key with the house topper on it and stuck that in her pocket as well.
Rachel was just about to leave when she remembered her mother's scolding from Thursday. She knew she couldn't go off without letting her mom know where she was. The girl quickly found a pad and pen and scribbled out a note to her mom letting her know she went for a run and would be back soon.
The teen reread the note once before placing it on the dining room table. She then made her way quietly to the door, not wanting to wake her mother, and locked it behind her.
Once outside, Rachel made her way confidently towards the street to hail a cab. She saw one further down the street and her arm flew upward, waving excitedly as she bounced on the balls of her feet.
The girl smiled to herself as the car pulled up besides her moments later and she climbed in. The cab driver barely turned in his seat before Rachel was telling him she wanted to go to Central Park.
"You got money, kid?" the driver asked. He wasn't going anywhere until this little girl proved she would be able to pay him.
"Is a credit card okay?" Rachel asked, pulling the card from her pocket. She was careful not to show the man the name on the card as she did so.
"Works for me, kid," the driver replied, facing forward. He shook his head as he forced his way into traffic. Kids these days had everything. Really he shouldn't have been surprised, picking up the teen in this area. No doubt her parents had money.
Rachel stared out of the window in awe at the hustle and bustle of the city. New York City was alive and exciting—the exact opposite of Lima, Ohio.
As Rachel stared out the window, the price of the ride continued to climb. The streets were busier than usual on this mid-Sunday afternoon and the drive that would normally take about twenty minutes was closing in on forty. Of course, it didn't help that the driver was taking advantage of the traffic and had chosen the slowest route possible.
As the cab finally reached its destination, the driver stopped the counter and turned once more to look at the kid in the backseat. "That'll be forty-six fifty-nine, kid," he said in his gruff voice.
Rachel happily swiped the card and said good-bye to the man before jumping out of the cab and joining the crowd of people entering the park. It was a nice day, not too hot, and there was a gentle breeze rustling through the trees. Rachel took off at an easy jog, no destination in mind. She'd let her feet take her where they wanted.
The girl's path took her passed couples sitting close together on benches, children climbing on jungle gyms or running around playing tag, and dozens of families enjoying one another's company. She rounded a bend, hearing the splashing of water up ahead, and in the distance, the sound of music called to her.
Rachel let her feet carry her towards the vibrant melody, finally coming upon a steel drum band. Three men and one woman played and sang songs Rachel had never heard. Their voices, intertwined with the playful harmonies of the drums, were mesmerizing and Rachel forgot all about her run. She found a bench to sit and watch, everything else around her slipping away.
She bobbed her head to the music and was humming along to herself when she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder. She turned and nearly jumped out of her skin at the man and woman standing behind her.
"Are you Rachel Corcoran?" the woman asked, leaning in to be heard over the loud music.
Rachel's heart thumped rapidly inside her chest as her brain worked fast. "W-Who are you?" she yelled back, her voice cracking. How did they know her name?
"You are!" the woman shrieked. "Can I get a photo with you? Pete, take our picture!" she turned to her companion, handing him her phone.
Rachel sat stock still as the woman sat on the bench with her and wrapped an arm over her shoulders. The flash from the phone dazed Rachel as spots appeared before her eyes.
"I can't believe our luck. Thank you, Rachel," said the woman, her eyes now scanning the crowds. "Is your mom around here anywhere? I'd love to get a photo with her!"
"I…I need to go. I've got—uh—somewhere to be," Rachel stammered, jumping to her feet.
She was a yard or so away from the couple when the band finished their song. In the lull, Rachel could hear the woman exclaim, "Can you believe it, Pete? Rachel Corcoran!"
The hair on Rachel's neck stood on end as she felt people begin to stare. Excited shouts erupted all around her as strangers drew nearer. She heard her name being called from every direction, and hands reached towards her as the group jostled to get close. The clicking of cameras and cell phones rose to a crescendo, echoing in Rachel's ears. A hand came to rest on Rachel's shoulder and the girl screamed.
"Easy, kid!" a male's voice eased.
Rachel turned to see a police officer wearing a helmet, his expression kind.
"Show's over, folks," the officer said, breaking up the crowd. "Let's all take a step back and leave the kid alone."
A chorus of groans met the officer's announcement, but the crowd dispersed as quickly as it formed. Rachel's heart rate slowly returned to normal and she smiled gratefully at the officer.
"Thanks," she said as she turned away from him. Maybe it was time for her to get home. She had enough adventure for one day.
"Whoa, hold up! Where are you going?"
Rachel frowned as she looked back to the police officer. "Home, uh…sir," she replied nervously.
"Not alone, you aren't," said the officer. "Do you know why all those people swarmed you like that?"
"My mom is Shelby Corcoran. They were, uh, hoping she was with me."
"Well this makes a whole lot more sense now," the officer sighed, pulling his helmet off and running a hand over his close-cropped hair. "What's your name?"
"Rachel."
"Rachel," the man said, holding his hand out to shake hers, "I'm Officer Stedman. It's nice to meet you."
Officer Stedman led Rachel over to his bicycle, telling her to take a seat on the bench besides it. He spoke into his radio, requesting assistance from the nearest cruiser.
Back at the apartment, Shelby was just rolling over in her bed. Her eyes fluttered opened and she became vaguely aware of the fact that her head was no longer hurting. She blinked the sleep from her eyes and yawned as she sat up, reaching for her phone. It was just before two; Shelby had been asleep for little more than an hour.
Shelby padded to her closed door and opened it, surprised at the extreme quiet that greeted her. She had at least expected to hear the TV on in the living room. Wondering if Rachel was asleep, the mother made her way quietly towards the front room. When she didn't see Rachel on the sofa, Shelby checked in the kitchen before heading towards the office.
"Rach, you in here?" she asked as she poked her head in the room. It was dark and undisturbed. Frowning, the mother checked all of the bathrooms before returning to the living room. Her eyes darted over to the balcony, hoping to see her daughter sitting outside, but the girl was missing from there was well.
Shelby wracked her brain trying to think where else her daughter could have gone, and an idea popped into her head. Perhaps Rachel was exploring the apartment building—there was a pool and gym, and several different rec rooms that may have lured the curious teen away.
The mother's feet carried her out of the apartment and towards the pool. Shelby heard peels of laughter and splashing in the hall before she was even at the door to the pool area. She was able to look through the glass walls and there was no sign of her daughter, but she went inside just in case.
Several of her neighbors smiled and waved to her; Shelby was too distracted to do more than nod at them. Rachel wasn't here.
Her next stop was the gym on the fourth floor—still no sign of her daughter. The beginning stages of panic began to build in Shelby's chest as her brain went into overdrive, but Shelby shook it off and scoffed at herself. There were still plenty of places Rachel could be.
By the time Shelby checked all of the rec rooms, it was harder to keep her panicked thoughts to a minimum. Still, Rachel had to be somewhere. She couldn't have just disappeared.
"The lobby!" said Shelby, hurrying to the elevators.
The mother was running towards the main desk before the elevator doors were fully open, calling out apologies as she barreled past passerby.
The woman behind the desk jumped in surprise as Shelby came to a stop in front of her, her hands slamming onto the desk in haste.
"Stacy," Shelby breathed hard, "Have you…seen Rachel?"
"No, Shelby, not since last night. Are you okay?" Stacy replied.
"I can't find her anywhere. I've looked everywhere I could think," said Shelby, her mind working fast. The events of Thursday suddenly popped into her head and she gasped.
"Thanks for your help, Stacy!" Shelby yelled as she tore off for the elevators once more, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she went.
"Uh…Anytime, Shelby!" Stacy's voice carried through the lobby.
"Sasha!" Shelby exclaimed as her friend picked up. "Is Rachel there with you?"
"I—What? Why would she be here with me?" Sasha faltered.
"I can't find her anywhere! She isn't here, Sash!" Shelby's voice quavered as she smashed her finger against the up button.
"Have you tried calling her?" Sasha returned.
"Of course—Call her! Why didn't I think of that?"
"Try to get in touch with her. Call me back if you need me to come over, okay?" Sasha said soothingly.
Shelby hung up with her friend and looked down at her phone. She would call Rachel; she couldn't believe she hadn't thought of that to begin with. She stared at her phone for what felt like ages, knowing something was wrong. But what was it?
Shelby's stomach dropped, and it wasn't because of the elevator. The doors opened to her floor and she stepped into the hallway. "Rachel doesn't have a phone!" she gasped.
In the recent commotion, it had simply slipped her mind. Shelby cursed herself. She had no way to get in touch with her daughter. How could she have let this happen?
Shelby stopped at her apartment, her hand reaching out to turn the knob. It was locked. She shook her head at her action and patted her pockets in search of her keys.
"Shit," she breathed. She was locked out.
Without thinking, Shelby knocked on the door several times. "Rachel," she called, hoping the girl was somehow in the apartment, "It's me. Let me in, baby."
Shelby sighed. "Dammit," she groaned, reaching once more for her phone.
Sasha picked up before the first ring.
"Sash, I'm locked out. I need you to bring your key."
"Locked out? Have you found Rachel?"
"No! I was sleeping and now I can't find her anywhere…She's been kidnapped!" Shelby broke down, the anxiety that had been kept at bay up until this moment overwhelming her.
"She hasn't been kidnapped," Sasha reasoned. "I'm sure she's in the building. She can't have gone far. I'm on my way. You just stay where you are, okay? We're going to figure this out."
"Hurry," Shelby begged.
"I will," Sasha promised.
Shelby slumped to the floor, exhausted. Her thoughts turn even darker as they begin to play out the very worst scenarios she could imagine. Shelby's hand shook as she pulled the keypad up on her phone. She needed to call 911.
Her finger had barely touched the nine when the elevator doors opened and three people stepped out.
"Oh my God. Rachel!" Shelby gasped, running towards the group.
Tears stream down Shelby's face as she pulls Rachel into her arms, holding her tightly. "Oh Rachel, where have you been? I've been so worried!"
Rachel frowned against her mother's chest. Why was she worried? She had expected her mom to be upset when she saw Rachel being escorted home by the police—not that that was her fault—but not worried.
"But I left a note telling you I went for a run and would be back," Rachel said, barely having time to return her mother's hug before she was being held at arm's length.
Shelby was still trying to process her daughter's words as she looked into the girl's eyes. "What note? Where did you go?"
"I went to Central Park—" Rachel started. The look she received sent chills down her spine. Her mother's tears did nothing to soften the steel in her eyes that burned deep into Rachel's soul.
"Rachel Barbra Corcoran! I told you we'd go tomorrow! I can't—You scared me half to death, Rachel! I thought you had been kidnapped!" Shelby sputtered, turning Rachel to her side and landing a mighty swat to her bottom. Two more quickly followed, causing Rachel to rock up on her toes and cry out.
"Don't you EVER scare me like that again! Do you understand me?" she said as she turned the girl around to face her.
"Y-yes…I-I promise!" Rachel choked out, her eyes wide. Her bottom stung where her mother struck her, and she wanted nothing more than to reach back and rub the sting. She then remembered that there were two police officers that had just witnessed everything, and her cheeks burned red.
One of the officers cleared his throat and gave a small smile when Shelby met his eyes. "I think we should take this, uh...reunion…inside," he said.
Shelby felt her own face heat up as reality settled back around her. She hadn't meant to lose her composure like that in front of the two men. She had honestly forgotten they were there and had simply been reacting to the moment. She had been so angry at Rachel in that instant, she hadn't even thought about it—she was swatting the girl before she knew what was happening.
Shelby turned towards the door and then back to the men. "I would, but I locked myself out. My friend is coming with the spare key."
"Oh, well—"
"I…I have it," Rachel said in barely more than a whisper. She stepped forward and pulled the key from her pocket, avoiding her mother's gaze. A quick turn of the key and the door was unlocked.
Rachel caught her mother's eye briefly before scurrying into the apartment; she was still feeling the effects of the swats she had already received and didn't want to give her mom the opportunity to dole out more.
Shelby removed her key from the doorknob as she followed Rachel inside, the officers behind her. "I'm sorry, I haven't thanked you both for bringing her home," she started, a thought suddenly crossing her mind. "Why did you bring her home? She isn't in any trouble, is she?"
"No, ma'am, she isn't in any trouble," the taller of the two officers said. "There was a bit of an incident at the park involving your daughter."
"Incident?" Shelby questioned, her eyes locking onto Rachel. The girl shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, but remained silent.
"One of our bike patrols noticed a growing group surrounding your daughter. Apparently she was recognized and then some had started in on her, wanting photographs and to know where you were. It was getting a bit rowdy by the time Officer Stedman got there," he explained.
Shelby looked over at her daughter again, her expression softening. It was clear now that her girl had had a stressful afternoon as well. She hoped that Rachel's adventure today, coupled with the punishment Shelby knew she had to hand out would keep the teen from making the same mistake again.
Shelby thanked the police officers again for their help and saw them out, but not before signing an autograph for the shorter officer. "It's for my daughter, she absolutely adores you," he said sheepishly.
She was just about to shut the door when she heard Sasha's voice. Shelby almost forgot she had called her friend and asked her to come over.
"Shelby, what's going on? Where's Rachel?" Sasha asked as she stopped in front of her friend. She pulled her into a hug and kissed her cheek.
"She's inside. Two police officers brought her home," Shelby said.
"What happened?" Sasha asked as she followed Shelby inside. She made a beeline for Rachel, pulling the girl into her arms.
"Don't scare us like that, kid!" she chided gently, planting a kiss to the teen's head.
"I wouldn't have if Mom had read my note," Rachel pouted as her aunt pulled back.
"Where's the note?" Shelby questioned from across the room.
"On the table," Rachel pointed.
Shelby turned and saw—for the first time—the note her daughter was talking about. She read it quickly and then looked back over to Rachel and Sasha. "Rachel, you are not allowed to go anywhere without permission—I thought I made that clear on Thursday."
"You told me I had to tell you where I was and who I was with," Rachel returned. She didn't understand why her mother was angry with her; she had done exactly as she was told.
"You snuck out while I was sleeping, Rachel!" Shelby bit back, her voice rising. The anger she had initially felt when Rachel told her she had gone off to Central Park rose in her chest, burning ten times hotter than before.
"I didn't sneak out! I told you where I was!" Rachel yelled, her own anger growing.
"You are a child, Rachel. You don't tell me anything—I am the mother and I am in charge. You need to ask for my permission," Shelby roared.
"I never had to ask my dads before doing anything!" Rachel argued, stomping her foot in frustration.
Shelby's eyes flared and her jaw clenched. Two strides brought her over to Rachel and she grabbed the girl's arm firmly. She raised her hand to bring it down on Rachel's backside, but stopped herself. Shelby realized she was too angry to deal with this situation right now.
"We are not going to yell back and forth like this," she said, releasing the girl. "I need you to go to the bedroom and stay there."
"Why?" Rachel asked.
"Why? Because I'm too angry to have this conversation with you right now, Rachel. I want you to go shower and then you are to stay in the bedroom until I'm ready to talk to you. Is that understood?"
Rachel glared at her mother, upset and angry with her for being upset and angry with Rachel. It wasn't fair. "But I didn't do anything wrong!"
"Didn't do anything…Rachel, are you seriously—" Shelby stopped herself before she could finish that sentence. Taking a moment to collect herself, Shelby tried again. "Rachel, I love you. You scared me so much today. You disobeyed me and I don't think you understand that, but you and I will have a long talk in a little bit and you will."
"Whatever," Rachel growled, stomping away.
Shelby sighed as she watched her daughter head to the back of the apartment. She closed her eyes when the girl slammed the door and then slowly turned towards her friend; she had forgotten Sasha was there.
"I bet that was quite a show," she said, blushing slightly.
"I had flashbacks of myself as a teenager," Sasha laughed. "What the hell happened?"
Shelby let out a mirthless laugh as she slumped down on the sofa, resting her head in her hands. "Oh, Sash," she moaned. "I think she aged me ten years."
Sasha sighed and came to sit next to her longtime friend. She was quiet as she listened as Shelby told her everything that happened in the last hour.
"Well, the first thing you need to do is get that kid a cellphone so this doesn't happen again," Sasha said when Shelby finished.
"Oh, it's not happening again. She's not leaving my sight—ever," Shelby declared.
"Shelby," Sasha sighed, "You can't keep her under lock and key. She's fourteen. She wants and needs her own space. You need to give her room to explore and grow—let her figure some things out on her own."
"I'm not giving her more freedom after she disobeyed me!" came Shelby's retort.
"Slow down, Queen," Sasha chided softly. "I'm not saying that. All I'm saying is that you have a teenager and she's going to want to spread her wings. You can't always be right there. Teach her how to be safe in the city and make sure she understands the real dangers of a life in the public eye."
Shelby laughed at the use of Sasha's old nickname for her—she had taken to calling her "Queen" whenever Sasha felt Shelby was being too dramatic.
"Okay, point made," Shelby conceded. "I still can't believe she snuck out and doesn't see what's wrong with that."
It was Sasha's turn to laugh. "I think it's more the fact that she's upset about being in trouble and doesn't want to admit she was wrong."
"When did you get so wise?" Shelby cracked.
"I've always been wise, you just never paid attention to me," Sasha returned.
By the time Sasha left, Shelby was feeling calm and collected. She appreciated her friend's support, not the mention the kick in the pants she was given. Shelby could always depend on Sasha to call her out when she was being unreasonable or overdramatic.
She sighed deeply after locking the door and turning back to the sofa. Her anger was long gone, but she still didn't feel ready to go talk to Rachel. She needed a few more minutes to compose herself. Actually, she needed her sister. Grabbing her phone from the coffee table, she quickly dialed her Lauren's number.
"Lu…I have a problem," Shelby said, a lump forming in her throat.
"What's wrong?" Lauren asked, hearing the crack in her baby sister's voice. She listened as Shelby went over the details of the day she was having.
"Oh Lu. I know I have to do this, but what if…what if I can't? I've never given a spanking before," Shelby said dejectedly, wiping a few tears from her cheek.
"I know it's hard, Shel. No parent wants to have to resort to spanking, but sometimes it's unavoidable. This is one of those times, I'm afraid," Lauren said gently.
"I don't want to hurt her. What if I do it wrong?"
"You won't," Lauren reassured, "You've been on the receiving end enough times to know the basics—"
"Lauren!" Shelby blushed. She wanted her sister's help, not to be reminded of her own spankings growing up.
"Hold on, I'm not finished," Lauren laughed. Shelby groaned.
"I'm just saying, you remember how they're given—over the knee, bare-bottomed, with the hand. You want the very first swat to be hard—you want to make sure it gets her attention—but then you need to give her a warm up so there's no bruising. That's important, Shelby."
"How do I know when that's done?" Shelby asked.
"You want her whole bottom to be a light pink before you move on to harder spanks. Rachel will probably be squirming around by that point. She may even be starting to cry. You need to ignore that and continue."
"Is there a certain number I should give her or…" Shelby sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "How will I know when to end it?"
Shelby had made her decision as soon as she found Rachel and realized the girl was okay. She had been angry to discover that her daughter had gone behind her back and snuck out. A spanking seemed the obvious choice and had been an easy decision to make when her adrenaline was still pulsing in her veins. Now that she was calm, doubts had settled in her heart.
"No Shel, there's no magic number," said Lauren. "I always end it after the kids stop fighting me and accept their punishment—I give them a few more swats, normally half of their age, and then it's all over. You'll know when it's enough."
"I don't think I can do this. I'm not…not ready for this," she choked out.
"Oh baby girl," Lauren soothed, "No one is ever ready the first time. You have to be consistent though. If you've gone over the rules and consequences and have told Rachel that she can expect a spanking when she does something dangerous, then you have to follow through. She expects you to—whether she realizes that or not. She's looking for you to step up and be the parent and give her structure and consequences. And that's exactly what you are going to do. You'll feel like a complete jerk and it'll break your heart, but you have to remember this is to teach Rachel a lesson. Trust your instincts, Shelby."
"I don't want her to hate me," Shelby whispered.
"Shelby Elizabeth Corcoran, that girl adores you. She could never hate you. She's testing you because she needs to know that you will be there for her and will do what you say. She knows you are here in the good times, but she now needs to know you're here through the bad too," Lauren said.
"I hope you're right."
"I'm always right."
Shelby couldn't help but laugh. "Alright, you're right," she conceded. "I guess I'll go talk to her. Thanks, Lu."
"Anytime, baby girl. Love you," Lauren said before ending the conversation.
Shelby sighed and sat quietly for a few more minutes before making her way to her bedroom where her daughter was waiting for her. She paused once more before taking a deep breath and opening the door.
That's the it for this chapter. I'm about 67% finished with Chapter 7, but if you want to catch a few sneak peeks, check out my Tumblr! Until next time, dear Readers!