Chapter Nine

Forbidden Fruit

It was hard to believe that today was our last day in this house. We had come here just children, today, three years, 5 months and 28 days later Chris and I were leaving as adults trapped in teenage bodies; bodies that hid how old and crippled we were on the inside. The twins, if possible, seemed much younger than when we first arrived, but when I gazed into their eyes, I saw, buried under the sorrow and childish innocence, understanding. We all had a darkness within us that would never be gone and would tarnish us forever.

The packing was done before mid-day; our excitement was too much to bear. Around one o'clock I had hastened to the attic wearing a leotard and shorts, with my pointe shoes gripped tightly in my right hand. The ribbons were frayed and they had become far too soft, the hardening surrounding the shoes had almost gone and I felt as though I was dancing on my toes wearing slippers. The hardening in me was as hard as fresh pointe shoes and would take a lot of breaking in to soften even slightly. I was now whirling and twirling through the dust mites and I was almost positive my feet were bleeding. Almost as positive that someone was watching me. I could see his face in my peripheral vision, marred by the shadows.

'What are you doing, Cathy?' he asked.

As usual I ignored him, I wasn't Cathy, I was Giselle; I was heartbroken that the man I had thought loved me, loved another and my dramatic death was coming up. I had just run the length of the room in preparation of a grande jete, when strong arms caught me around my mid-drift and I missed my cue. Frustrated, I spun around and glared at him.

'What?' I demanded, hands on hips.

'Cathy, your feet are bleeding, badly, you need to stop for a while.'

I looked down and sure enough I could see patches of blood through the material of my worn out shoes. I sat on the floor and began to untie my ribbons, shaking off the frayed bits that clung to my hands.

'Why do you do this to yourself?' Chris asked, 'your already skin and bone, Cathy couldn't you have waited a day?'

I glared up at him, my shoes still tied.

'I like it,' I stated through gritted teeth. 'I don't ask you why you study so incessantly, do I.'

I pulled off my first shoe and began to untie the second, my right foot was bleeding quite badly, and I hid it under my left leg as I untied the other shoe. The music was still playing and for some reason, instead of soothing me as it usually did, it annoyed me.

'Turn that off would you?' I gestured towards the record player. As Chris turned off the music I slipped my left foot out of my shoe. Good golly, this foot was worse than the other; the blisters had all popped and begun to bleed. I rose to my feet and began to walk downstairs, intent on washing my feet before Chris saw them. I entered the room below and stopped suddenly. Cory was the only one in the bedroom, Carrie playing in the attic school room with her dolls I wagered. That wasn't what stopped me. Cory was eating a white-powdered doughnut.

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I shrieked and ran towards Cory leaving blood streaks on the floor, my hand outstretched towards him. I always left the doughnuts in the picnic basket, Chris and I had told the twins that the doughnuts had merely stopped coming with the rest of the food; once the twins were asleep Chris and I hid the doughnuts in one of the trunks in the attic, always wrapped in the packaging they came in, we were too frightened to even touch them, and now Cory was eating one. I snatched it from his hand; he had eaten at least half.

'Cory! Where did you find this?' I shouted, I wasn't angry, I was scared, terrified really.

Cory didn't answer me; he just stared at me with wide eyes, cowering.

'Cory, tell me, now, it is very important.'

'Cathy, what's wrong?' Chris asked coming through the closet doorway. I turned to him and wordlessly handed him the half-eaten doughnut. He stared at it for a moment.

'Who?' he whispered, his lips frozen. I inclined my head towards Cory. Tears filled his eyes and I knew mine were exactly the same. His hand crushed the doughnut and the crumbs sprinkled to the floor.

'Cory, this is very important, where did you find the doughnuts?' he asked softly, not angry like I had. I felt guilty as I looked at Cory's small frightened face. I knelt down and clutched his shoulders.

'You aren't in trouble Cory we just need to know where you found the doughnuts.'

'I didn't find them,' Cory said, 'Carrie did and she showed me them, we were hungry so we each had one.'

'When was this Cory?' Chris asked,

'It was a few days before our Birthday,' Cory said, his voice weak and frightened.

'Where did you find the doughnuts?' Chris asked, 'In the picnic basket?'

Cory shook his head.

'Where?' I asked and shook him slightly.

'In the attic, this big trunk had lots! It was like going to the candy store again!'

A small moan escaped Chris's mouth and I turned my head slightly and saw his head bowed, the doughnut still clutched in a powdered mush in his hand.

'Cory, I want you to go and have a bath, okay. Can you run it yourself?' I asked him, tousling his hair slightly. He nodded slowly, 'okay then, you go and have a bath okay? Go on.'

He ran into the bathroom, his small thin legs seemed as though could snap right underneath him. I turned to Chris, he hadn't moved. I slipped my arms around his waist and buried my head in the crook of his neck. I heard Cory shut the bathroom door and let go. My body shook with sobs and the tears slid down my cheeks and wet Chris's neck. I felt his arms wrap around me and felt safe.

'What are we going to do?' I whispered.

'We have to check the trunk, see how many they have eaten and then we get out tomorrow as planned, only we make it even more essential that we find a good doctor.'

I nodded. He took my hand and led me up the stairs.

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A third of them were gone. A third, there had been over 2000 doughnuts in the box, collected since a year and a month ago when the maid had told us we were the mice intended to be killed, one for each of us, and a third of them were gone. Between them Carrie and Cory had eaten 680 doughnuts. I collapsed against Chris and he dropped the lid of the trunk to catch me.

'Chris, what do we do?' I felt helpless.

He sank to the floor and I sank with him. I felt as though I was drowning and he was my raft.

'Its just, unbelievable.' Chris was simply staring in shock. 'Unbelievable, unbelievable…' he continued to chant the same word until I felt like screaming. I rose out his embrace and looked him in the eyes. He had shut down, he couldn't even see me!

'Chris!' I shouted, he didn't come out of his trance. It was almost as though he was catatonic. I was beginning to tremble. 'Chris! Chris!' he remained the same. On sudden inspiration I lent forward and kissed his right cheek, then his left cheek before I kissed his lips. At first he remained as still as stone and I was about to stop and try another method when I felt his lips move against mine. I began to pull away but he gripped me tight and whispered against my lips, 'don't leave me, not yet, not yet.' He crushed me against him and captured my lips again. The kiss became more heated. His hands began to roam and they were rough yet sure. I felt him harden against me and tried to pull away again.

'Not yet, Cathy, I need you. Please. Please,' his words were whispered, yet I still heard the pain he was feeling, the guilt at not burning them or throwing them to the birds as I had suggested. As I was remembering this Chris had begun to kiss my neck, as he ground into me I realised what he wanted.

'We can't Chris, we can't' I whispered.

'Why?' he grunted, his hand massaged my breast and I felt my head fall back.

'The twins,' I muttered.

'There having a bath,' he murmured as he lips found the base of my shorts, and my breath quickened.

'Only Cory is, Carrie is-' I moaned as his hands slipped up my shorts and I felt him smile into my neck in triumph. His hands slid out of my shorts and he began to pull them down, painstakingly slowly, I have never been a patient person and this was too much. I groaned when he kissed the inside of my thighs, the shorts had reached my ankles now after what had felt like hours but had been seconds with him kissing and teasing me. He stopped. I was just about to drag him back to me when I heard what he had. It was Carries sweet singing voice and she was getting closer. I pulled my shorts up quickly as Chris pulled me onto his lap to hide his 'problem.' When Carrie rounded the corner she was also eating a doughnut and I felt tears well into my eyes again when I saw this and how small she was. She didn't notice us and continued down the staircase. I lent back against Chris and whispered to whisper into his ear.

'We need to get rid of them, hide them better, something before we leave.'

He nodded and I rose pulling him with me. Together we lifted the trunk and placed it in the darkest place in the attic. A place that neither of the twins would enter as they still believed that darkness had long scary teeth. If they only knew I thought smiling wirily.

'We have a while until night, it's only just turned five, we can eat dinner now, keep the twins occupied. After dinner keep the twins downstairs and away from the doughnuts.' Chris told me.

'What are you going to do?' I asked.

'Im going to hide this so that nobody will find them, not even us,' he said grimly. I nodded shortly. Tears filled my eyes and he hastened to my side and hugged me tightly. He kissed the back of my neck and I lifted my face to meet his eyes, they were as wet as mine, he lent down and kissed my lips. It was a sweet kiss, filled with longing and desperation. He pulled away first and I felt a little confused.

'If I don't stop now I won't be able to,' he murmured into my hair. I nodded and pulled away, smiling slightly.

'We best go check on the twins,' I said. He nodded. I turned to go downstairs and was near the barre when I realised Chris wasn't following.

'Are you coming?' I asked, perplexed.

'In a moment, I have to sort something out first,' he smiled at me and I smiled back.

I turned for the stairs again, straightened my shoulders and strode downstairs. I heard the voices before I even opened the cupboard door. I whipped it open and my eyes landed on Momma. She was standing with what appeared to be a pile of presents. How sweet. I thought. In her hands was a plate and on it were some white-powdered doughnuts, she hadn't seen me yet as she was offering them to Carrie and Cory. Tempting them as the devil had tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden with forbidden fruit, only this fruit would kill them. I ran forward and knocked the plate out of her hands, the doughnuts scattered across the floor and I saw Momma follow them with her eyes. Devils eyes. If they flashed red I wouldn't be surprised.

'What are you doing you stupid girl!' she snapped,

'Get out now,' I shouted.

'I beg your pardon Catherine?' she demanded.

'You are in my room, Mother and I would like you to leave.' I spoke quietly, the anger underlined my words and I felt myself shaking. We gazed at each other in silence, I felt as though I was having a staring competition with a boa constrictor and I was waiting for it to strike. I saw Mommas hand flash with the diamond rings she wore as she slapped me. I did not hear the slap or the three that followed. When she was done I was on the floor staring up at her. She gazed at me as though I was dirt under her shoe.

'You listen to me Catherine Leigh Foxworth! You are not in any position to order me to do anything! Do you understand you silly little girl? I am your survival! If not for me you would be dead a long time ago!'

I shakily rose to my feet, 'no Momma, you are not my survival; you are death in stylish clothes. I feel nothing for you, nothing!'

A flash of diamonds was the last thing I saw before darkness overtook.

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Authors Note…

Hey  if this seems a little random I apologise… it will make sense in the next chapter  promise :D

Thnx for everyone that has reviewed all ready :D you make me s-m-i-l-e! :D

Please review :D :D

Gracias :D