As the students all sat around in the living room with their parents, all of the adults questioned them about their school lives and the many relationships that had seemed to form since they saw them last. Each of them were in a relationship, of some sorts. Whether dating, flirting, or in Sophia's case, getting involved in love triangles, all of them had news to tell. KT had come without her husband, thankfully, as it was too cold for him to travel. Tree didn't mind, and assured his mother that it was okay.
"Alright my loves, let's get you all together with your parents and we can take a group photo!" Trudy cheered, excitedly. All of them shifted and moved to get into a comfortable position for the picture. Piper and Ben stood on one end with Melody, Patricia, Eddie and their kids being next, then the Clarkes, the Rutters, Amber with Chloe -and to Chloe's despise, Mitchell-, Alfie, Willow and Alfina, then KT and Tree on the other end. Trudy grabbed her camera and stepped in front of the group.
"Alright, say, "Merry Christmas!"" Trudy instructed.
"Merry Christmas!" the group repeated, smiling. Trudy snapped the picture and awed.
"You all look so lovely!"
"We have to get one with you, Trudy!" Chloe called. Flattered, Trudy asked Jasper if he wouldn't mind taking another, which he didn't. Trudy squished in with them and they all cheered Merry Christmas again while Jasper snapped the photo.
"Perfect," Trudy adored. "I'll have to have these framed." Dispersing from the large clump, the kids went off different directions, as did the adults. Chloe grabbed her hot chocolate mug and was soon approached by her mother.
"Hey," Amber greeted her. Chloe smiled weakly. "I need to talk to you," she reluctantly informs her daughter. Chloe gets nervous, tensing up.
"What about?" she dares to ask. Amber pulls her aside to talk in private.
"I know you don't get on well with Mitchell," she starts. Chloe rolls her eyes.
"Save it mum," she turned to walk away. Amber grabbed the blonde before she could, turning her back around.
"Listen to me. I know you two don't get on well, but I need you to try and be nice."
"Why should I? He's nothing to me." Amber frowned.
"Chloe... He's your-" she was cut off by her daughter.
"Cousin. He's my cousin, and that's what he'll be for the rest of my life. He's nothing more. In fact, I wish he was less."
"Why can't you except the truth, Chloe? I know it's hard for you to forgive it, but it's not his fault," Amber reasoned.
"No, it's not. It's the damn reason he's here's fault. He shouldn't even exist!" Chloe barks.
"Chloe, don't you dare speak that way, it's beyond disrespectful. It's not his fault, and you know it. If it's anyones you can blame it on me, Chloe, but you have to face the facts sooner or later."
"I choose later! Maybe things would be different if you had actually told me from day one, but here we are 15 years into the future and you're still lying to me! Maybe not about this, but other things. You never told me the truth! I found out from him, when I was eleven years old! He was twelve at the time, and he called me..." she stopped herself right there. "I will never, forgive you for that, mum. I have forgiven numerous mistakes on your part as you have with mine, but this is one thing I can't let go." Amber sighed, hugging her daughter tightly. Chloe sobbed into her mother's jacket, the older blonde stroking the younger's hair.
"I'm sorry, baby, you wouldn't have understood."
"You didn't have to tell me how, or why, you just had to tell me," Chloe mumbled. Amber hushed her, trying to calm her down. Chloe's makeup was running, her breath was shaky and her face blotchy.
"I know, baby, and I'm so sorry. If I could take it all back, I would, you know I would. I'm being honest, I didn't know Mitchell was moving here so soon. I was going to tell you but he's already here. I know you hate me for not telling you, and I know you may not like him very much, but please, love, be nice. He only wants to protect you, and become friends with you. Don't do it for me, do it for yourself." Chloe sniffled hard, backing away from her mother.
"Fine," was the only thing she found herself capable of speaking at that moment. Amber smiled, kissing her on the forehead.
"Now, let's get you cleaned up a bit for that man of yours," she teased, making Chloe laugh, but only for a second. She didn't want confrontation about this subject. She had been avoiding it this entire time, and now she was being slammed with it. She sincerely hoped no one expected her to be involved with anything else crazy or extreme that day.
This was a lot for Chloe; opening up to her mother about her true feelings. She hardly ever did that, especially not when it involved her own mother. She tended to keep quiet about it unless she felt the strong urge to confront her about them. Chloe had done that with everyone really. She had built up the perfect palace of expectations, and the perfect life, all surrounded by a wall of lies. Mitchell wasn't her cousin, and deep, way deep down she knew that this was true, but she had convinced herself that not only was Mitchell her cousin, but that she was a totally different person; always very serious, on point, precise. Whereas life was spontaneous and you didn't know what kind of truth would arise from them, or how other people would live and react in different ways and to different things. The truth of the matter was that Mitchell was her half-brother, and there was nothing either of them could do about it. Amber mothered them both, but never told Chloe.
Amber had always explained that they were cousins, but Mitchell got to know the truth from day one. It wasn't exactly easy to keep it from him, since Amber was the one to have given birth to him. Then one year, when he called Chloe his sister, that's when it all clicked for her. He was mad at her for some stupid reason that kids got mad at each other. They were arguing, and Mitchell let it slip that Chloe was the younger sister, so he was right and she was wrong. He hadn't realized he said little sister instead of cousin until Chloe's eyes were widening with fear. She remembered that day like it was yesterday; screaming for her mother to explain herself. Everything was over at that point; the secret was out. They used to be extremely close; they would play with each other every day and hang out all of the time. Mitchell was always looking out for her, which she used to adore, until she found out the truth. From that day on, Chloe refused to ever need him, or want to be near him ever again. It's gotten harder since he's always around now, but that's why Chloe never tells anyone the truth; she's gotten herself caught in this world of lies, so why not continue it? In her mind, she was always an only child. Mitchell didn't live with them, or anything. It was just Chloe and her mom and dad. Although, her dad wasn't always around since he had to travel a lot. Her mom did as well, but not nearly as often.
Since that day, Mitchell had moved back with his father, previously having lived with his aunt and uncle. Now that he was here, it had shaken things up a bit. But if one thing was for sure, there was a reason Mitchell had to move back, and Chloe was about to make it her personal goal to find out.
While Amber took her daughter to calm down, Eddie was sitting down with his father, having a talk. "So, you and Chloe, huh?" his dad teased.
"Dad, come on," the younger replied, rolling his eyes.
"I'm just asking. You've been gone for a while, I need to catch up. Your mother's doing the same with Scarlett, don't worry." The two of them shared a laugh. "So, tell me about her; what's she like?" Younger Eddie sighed, thinking of where to begin.
"Well, when I first met her, she was kind of stuck up, and snobby, sort of like those stereotypical rich people in movies and junk. In fact, the first day I met her, we all decided to watch a movie, and I just felt like I should have stayed away after that. She kind if assumed I belonged to her, but I think it was actually her way of saying she liked me," the young boy explained. "I don't know, once I got to know Chloe, instead of Chloe's ego, I started to like her too. I guess we flirted for a while, and we just sort of started dating officially today." Eddie's father smiled, impressed.
"Sounds like you have gotten yourself into one hell of a roller coaster relationship, son." The younger boy laughed, running a hand through his hair.
"I mean at first I was skeptical, because she's probably the chosen one, but then I thought, well she had to be chosen for a reason, right?" The boy had forgotten who he was talking to when he saw his father's eyes widen. The man spoke in a low hushed whisper.
"Eddie, is it true?" The son nodded. "I thought this day would never come... Listen to me, this is important. If Chloe is the chosen one, you cannot let her out of sight when you're not in Anubis house or a safe environment. If its public, its okay, if not, watch her every move. Not because you need to watch out for her, but watch out for people trying to get her. There's a lot you don't know, Eddie. Did you get the book?"
"Yeah, Amber made sure."
"Good. Don't lose it, and remember who the real enemy is. The book will explain." Eddie straightened up, throwing his arm around his son and threw his head back in laughter as if they had told a joke. Not knowing what that was about, younger Eddie saw it best not to intervene just yet.
By the window sill, Patricia, Joy, Sophia, and Scarlett were having a group chat. "Patricia I swear, it's like looking in a mirror when I talk to her," Joy spoke, chuckling.
"So, how have you girls been doing? Getting good grades, flirting with boys..." Patricia prodded them. Scarlett rolled her eyes while Sophia blushed. "Come on, let's hear it. Spill the juicy news. Scarlett, I know you're with Oscar, whatever you two have goin on." Scarlett shrugged.
"We're dating, that's all." Patricia rolled her eyes.
"I think it's adorable, the way he talks about you all the time," Joy lets slip.
"And what about you, Miss Sophia? Who've you got your eye on?" Sophia could feel her cheeks flush.
"She's with two boys," Scarlett just had to bring up. This caught both adult women's attentions.
"No, I'm not, really. Well... It's complicated... I like James, and he likes me. I'm with James," she confirmed, breaking the Ben strand holding her back.
"Aww, how cute, they're like a little you a Fabes from back when," Patricia reminded Joy. The brunette smiled on the memories.
"I think it's sweet. He's good for you, Sophia." Sophia agreed, nodding. He was good for her, and she was good for him.
"Well, I'm going to get more hot chocolate," Patricia stated.
"And we're gonna head out!" yelled the girls before leaving.
"Oh, alright." Joy was left to mingle on her own with Willow and Alfie.
"Thank god," Scarlett groaned. "I thought they would never stop talking." Sophia laughed.
"My mum was right though; Oscar does talk about you a lot. I think you two are a cute couple." Scarlett cringed at her words. Not because she didn't like Oscar, but because maybe she liked him a little too much. She was never comfortable with people commenting on friendships she had made, let alone relationships. She really liked Oscar; she just wasn't one to blab about boyfriend and girlfriend stuff.
"I like you and James together too. Then again if you were with my cousin I wouldn't mind either. Ben can be... hard to understand, sometimes."
"More like all the time.." the brunette huffed. Scarlett laughed.
"But don't worry about him; I'm sure another girl will be flirting with him by tomorrow." Something in Scarlett's words hit Sophia the wrong way. Could she really be jealous of Ben? He wasn't even seeing anyone else. Then again... was he? She didn't know, but it gave her an uneasy feeling. Luckily her friend changed the subject. "So tonight, movie marathon? It can be me and you, us, Oscar and James, or I could just see if everyone wants to watch?" People; that's what she needed in order to clear her mind. Sophia needed to be around people.
"Why not ask everyone. It's Christmas, after all." The girls shared a smile and it was agreed upon; they would try and get everyone to watch a movie tonight, though that may not end up being the case