"CAROLINE!"
"WHAT?"
"WHERE'S MY CHARGER?"
"WHAT?"
"MY CHARGER, YOU HAD IT YESTERDAY."
"WHAT?"
"Will you two stop yelling?" Mrs. Hudson walked out from the kitchen and on to the second story landing. She looked down the stairs at Cassidy and then up at Caroline. "It's far too early for this nonsense. What would your mother say about this behavior?"
"That we are not children," Caroline answered quickly.
"And that we were brought up to not scream like howler monkeys," Cassidy finished.
"But," Caroline continued.
"Mom isn't here," Cassidy chimed in.
"And won't be back," Caroline smiled as she watched Mrs. Hudson roll her eyes.
"Until this afternoon," Cassidy finished matching her twin's smile.
"Cute. Now really, what's going on? Your breakfast is getting cold."
"I was looking for my phone charger that Caroline borrowed yesterday. I need it to take to Cynthia's today. We're supposed to meet at her house to study in a little while," Cassidy answered, without yelling.
"Oh, sorry, I forgot. I used it in Mom's study. I thought we were studying with Lucas?" Caroline questioned.
"We are but Lucas called last night and most of our study group suddenly became "sick" so we're combining groups."
"Regardless of who you are studying with on your school free day, both of you need to come eat breakfast before you go." Mrs. Hudson turned back towards the kitchen. "And no more screaming," she warned over her shoulder.
Both girls left the stair area and continued their previous tasks. It was Caroline who made it to the kitchen first.
"Geeze," She snagged a piece of buttered toast from Cassidy's plate and set it on her own, giving herself two pieces of bread and her twin none. "How long does it take to find a charger?"
Right then Cassidy came waltzing in and grabbed her plate from the counter and headed to the table. "I didn't find my charger."
"Oh, maybe it's in my room. Sorry." Caroline offered as she bit into her toast.
"That's…hey why don't I have toast?"
Mrs. Hudson, who had been listening with only half an ear, turned and looked at the two plates. "Caroline, give your sister her toast."
"Fine," she made a movement that looked as if the bread would be passed over but as Mrs. Hudson turned back towards the sink, she snatched it back and licked it. "Here."
"Gross. You licked it."
Agnes rolled her eyes. It was hard to remember that they were nearly 18 and not 8 when they behaved like this. She turned around again. "Caroline." She stared the girl down.
"Sorry." Caroline mumbled out. Agnes continued to stare. "Fine," she slid out of her chair, "I'll make you toast."
This was not the first time Caroline was forced to make toast for her sister, or pour her milk or make her a new sandwich. Caroline, for some reason relished provoking her sister. The last time landed her with The Nokia, which she just got rid of 2 days ago and now she would have to eat cold eggs because her family couldn't have a normal toaster; no they had a state of the art, takes twice as long toaster. She sliced the bread and as she pressed the lever down on the toaster she contemplated reheating the eggs. How long before they got cold? Should she eat them at room temperature or reheat them? Caroline was so focused on her eggs that she had missed whatever Cass had started to speak about but as the words filtered in she decided that eggs might be the least of her problems.
"…and I answered it but it was Emily and she was talking really fast. I don't think she meant to call here or if she did, she thought it would magically get to mom. I don't know. That woman really is…"
"Emily called here?" Caroline interrupted. "But she's on the plane."
"No, she's at the office."
"Why would she be in the office? She's with mom."
"Not that Emily," Cassidy rolled her eyes. "Obviously I meant Emily the second assistant."
"Cass, her name is Emma." Caroline stared at her twin. She didn't really think she was called Emily?
"No, mom called her Emily."
Yes she did apparently. "Hello? Cass, mom calls all of them Emily. There has only been one actually named Emily."
"There have been two but she was your mother's first assistant and before you were born. Now stop interrupting your sister and let her finish." Mrs. Hudson steered the conversation back towards the phone call.
The toast popped up and as Caroline buttered the bread while listening.
"As I was saying," she pointed a haughty look in her sister's direction, "Emma called the house phone that mom insists we have in case of emergencies. She was talking really fast and none of it made much sense but the gist of it was that it's totes hectic at Runway and both Leslie and the press are involved. After like 30 seconds of speed talking she hung up. Oh and Leslie would be calling."
Caroline had seated herself at the table, ultimately deciding on the cold eggs versus eating reheated rubbery ones. She passed over the toast as Cass finished talking.
"Thanks."
Caroline shrugged. As she opened her mouth to ask a question Mrs. Hudson's phone rang.
"You girls finish up your breakfast. I'll be right back." She stepped out of the room.
"So," Cass began, speaking around mouthfuls of toast, "what do you think?"
Caroline finished off her eggs and then took a drink of the juice Mrs. Hudson had poured for them. What did she think? "I think it's about mom."
"Well, duh."
Caroline rolled her eyes. "And" she stressed the word "her dating."
"We don't even know if she's dating someone."
"Please. That Woody Allen routine before she left," Caroline hiked her eyebrow up. "That's proof enough. She's definitely seeing someone or wanted to. Oh," Caroline snapped her fingers at Cass, "where's your phone? It must be online if Emma is calling Leslie."
"Why do we have to use my phone?" Cass asked while fishing it from her pocket.
"Mine's upstairs."
"Fine. What am I looking for?" Cass pulled open a browser.
"I don't know, search her name and gossip, I guess."
"Whoa."
"What?" Caroline moved closer.
Cassidy clicked open the first link.
.
.
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7:28 AM EST-TMZ STAFF
Dragon Snaps up Damsel or
Does the Queen Privately Pardon Dragon
Pictures are surfacing of Runway's Miranda Priestly canoodling with Queen of Genovia, Andrea Thermopolis. Miranda had tapped new comer Rene Thermopolis as the one to watch 5 weeks ago but now we have to wonder if there isn't some family connections happing there. They say a picture's worth a thousand words and here are two.
Seems a bit intimate for a business meeting at The Ledbury. And again Her Royalness is seen leaving from a hotel that The Queen of Fashion has a room at, at 5 AM. Coincidence? A Royal meeting? We didn't think so either. Eyewitness claim that Ms. Thermopolis was very into Ms. Priestly during a dinner with designer Donatella Versace. Maybe the Versace Mogul knows more than she's telling.
.
.
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See also
Miranda skips out of Milan
Armani Blasts Wintour
More than Clothes Being Passed Around In Paris
Read more: .com
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They looked at each other before Cass clicked a different gossip site.
.
.
Inside sources are claiming that hot and heavy is the words used to describe the couple. So who is this woman that has melted The Snow Queen? Surprise, surprise she is also Royalty. With a capital R. Owns her own country. We have to wonder if The Fashion Queen is looking for another kingdom to impose her will. Has New York gotten too small? Pictures floating online show more than a thousand words.
.
.
"Well, that one was stupid" Caroline leaned back into her chair.
"Do you think it's true?"
"Do you?" Caroline asked back.
Cass took a moment, "Yeah. I mean mom was never nervous before and then she didn't say anything about dinner out. I mean even when we talked with her she didn't say she was meeting anyone."
Caroline nodded with each point. "Wait, go back to TMZ."
"What? Why?" Cassidy asked while already bringing up the article.
"There, click on Miranda skips Milan." Caroline leaned closer to the screen to read.
After a moment Cass put the phone on the table. "Did you know?"
"About her skipping? No."
"I can't believe she lied to us."
"I don't think she did. Wait just a second before you jump all over me but what did she say when you talked with her."
"She said she was having a nice time in Milan." Cassidy answered quickly.
"No. Think. She called us and what did she say exactly."
Cassidy huffed out an exasperated breath. "I told her about my day at school and then I asked her how her day was."
"Right, I did too. What was her answer?"
The lightbulb lit. "Oh she said she was having a lovely time."
"Right. A lovely time. Nothing about the clothes or the incompetence of Runway. A lovely time. We should have figured it out then." Cass nodded. "When has mom ever said she was having a lovely time, other than with us?"
"Your right. I even asked about the shows and she said she'd seen a few pictures from Nigel that looked promising. I thought that they just went to different shows but…"
Caroline nodded once, "Yeah she was being very careful with her words but she never lied."
"So what do we do?" Cassidy asked.
Caroline looked towards the door. Mrs. Hudson was still on the phone. She lowered her voice and leaned in. "What do you mean?"
"Pranks and stuff, how do we make sure she's not after mom's money or just with her for fame."
"Cass, think about it." Caroline's lips pulled into a smirk. "The woman is a real Queen, like of a whole country. I doubt she needs mom's money or fame. Also I think we've out grown pranks."
"Oh, yeah. Shit. I hadn't really thought about that. Is this the first time mom's dated someone richer?"
"It is not," came a voice from the doorway.
Both girls shot up straight, blushes creeping up their necks. They should have known not to talk here. Mrs. Hudson was silent like a ninja.
"Your father was quite a bit wealthier than Miranda when they first met. But that is either here nor there. Your mother would not appreciate you gossiping about her."
"Do you know this woman, Andrea?" Caroline asked.
"What did I just say? I am not going to stand around gossiping about your mother and neither should you. I'm sure your mother will speak you about Andréa when she arrives."
"Andréa." Cassidy drew out the second symbol.
"Not Andrea." Caroline said.
Cassidy tilted her head, Caroline mimicked her actions. "Andréa" they said in tandem.
Mrs. Hudson rolled her eyes. They were worse than their mother at times.
"Why does that name sound…" Caroline began.
"Familiar?"
"Yeah," Caroline nodded.
"You both can head upstairs and begin working on your studies." Mrs. Hudson quickly chimed in, trying to steer them away from their current line of thought. This was something their mother should speak with them about. "The press has begun to camp outside. I am sorry but neither of you can leave the house today."
"What!" they both exclaimed.
"That's not fair," Cassidy continued.
Mrs. Hudson held up her hand to stymie any objection. "I know it's not fair but it's only today. Your mother will be home this afternoon and it's a normal school day tomorrow, until then you both need to stay inside, away from the paparazzi. You can use the skyping to study with Lucas."
"It's not the skyping, just skyping Mrs. Hudson" Cassidy corrected.
"Either way." She waved off the correction; she had heard it many times before. "Today will be difficult for your mother and you will not make it worse."
"Yeah, we get it," Caroline chimed, "nothing makes mom lose her cool like us on Page Six."
With a long protracted sighs of suffering, both girls slowly left the table to head up to the third floor to begin studying.
.
.
.
They made use of the library and their individual desks set near the fireplace. Their bedrooms were also on the third floor but further from the stairwell and neither wanted to study alone. Thirty minutes passed before Cass exclaimed, "Harry Potter."
Caroline looked at Cass. "Cass, it's Chemistry not Magic."
Cassidy rolled her eyes. "I know that. I was thinking about the woman mom's dating."
"Isn't it a little weird that mom's dating a woman?" Caroline asked the question that had been bouncing around in her head.
Cass tilted her head and looked at Caroline. "I don't know? A little I guess. But she couldn't be worse than Stephan."
"Of course but…"
"I don't think," Cassidy interrupted, "mom would care. She always said it didn't matter to her who we fell in love with as long as they treated us well."
"I know. It's just…"
"What? Do you think mom should only date certain types of people?"
"No, it's just…"
"What?" Cassidy asked.
"If you'd let me finish a sentence."
"Sorry, go on."
"It's just mom hasn't dated for a while and I guess it's just weird to think that she might start now. " Caroline finally finished her sentence.
"Oh," Cass sat back in her chair. "Yeah that's a little weird but we were worried she'd be all alone after we left for school."
"Right."
"And now she won't."
"Uh huh." The girls stared off into the distance, both lost in their own thoughts until Cassidy again broke the silence.
"Harry Potter. I knew I knew that name."
"It's a name in Harry Potter? I don't remember an Andrea." Caroline looked at her sister quixotically.
"Not Andrea, ANDRÉA." Cassidy elongated the name. At her sister's blank look, Cassidy huffed and narrowed her eyes. "Andréa call Patrick, tell him I want those proofs on my desk tonight, not tomorrow, not next week. Tonight. Am I asking for the impossible? No. We have a contract and if he finds himself unable to fulfill it there are a million other photographers who would kill for the chance."
"It's scary that you can remember and mimic mom's conversation." Caroline stated looking mildly impressed.
"Whatever. So?"
"So what? Cass, I'm not getting what you're trying to say."
"Aggh. Andréa. It's Andy. One of mom's assistants." Cassidy made a vague hand motion, trying to will her sister into connecting the dots.
"I don't think mom would have hired a Queen to get Starbucks for her. Well," she amended, "mom would definitely hire a Queen and demand Starbucks, but I doubt a Queen would take a job like that. I'm sure there's other Andréas."
"Fine." Cass flipped open her laptop and started trolling celebrity news. Paris 2009. "There," she pointed to a picture.
"What? So, that's mom."
Cass wanted to strongly roll her eyes. "I know, behind her."
Caroline leaned closer. "Okay. Andy."
"Right, the one that got us Harry Potter. And this," Cass clicked open Page Six, "is Andréa, Queen of Genovia and mom's not so secret girlfriend."
"Holy Shit."
"I know, right?"
"Holy Shit."
"So what do we think now?" Cassidy waited for Caroline to answer.
Caroline moved back to her desk and threw herself down into her chair. She looked at her Chem book and then at the library ceiling. Cassidy could see her practically planning out every possible outcome. She got that from mom.
After a minute, she sat up in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair. "I think that we should be supportive and ask to meet Andréa. If," she stressed that word if, "she's the person we think she is and she really cares for mom then we stand 100% behind their relationship."
"And if she's not?"
"If she's not the person we think she is or if she isn't really into mom?" Caroline asked for clarification.
"Yes."
At that both girls chucked and could feel the seriousness seeping out of their conversation. "Then we glue her purse shut, toss her phone into the gutter and lock the front door."
Cassidy smiled and replied, "I thought we we're too old for pranks."
Caroline just shrugged her shoulders and offered her younger sister a smile before turning back to her chemistry book. Mom would be home in a few hours and she really need to get studying out of the way.
.
.
.
"Excuse me."
Andrea looked away from the tablet she was currently reading. "Yes?" She focused her attention to the flight attendant standing at her side.
"There is a call for you." The attendant handed her the plane's onboard phone before she turned away.
Andrea looked down at the phone. It wasn't often that she needed to take a call while in flight. "Hello? This is An…"
"Hey!"
"René?"
"Yeah, uh have you seen the gossip blogs?"
"Which blogs? I've been in meetings all morning and I just took off."
"Uh, like any of them."
"René you know I don't read gossip. Did you do something?"
"Uh, yeah, no. It isn't what I did."
"God, could you be more annoying. René, I really don't have time for this." Andrea set the tablet down on the seat next to her and reached over to the table for her cup of coffee.
"You better make time cus because you're their leading headline."
"What? Fuck." Andrea spilt her coffee across the table. The flight attendant quickly appeared with a towel. "Thank you." Andréa turned her attention back to the phone.
"…but then Grand-mère called and…"
Fabulous, Andrea thought. "Wait. I spilt coffee and haven't heard anything that you've said. Start at the beginning."
René took a deep breath. "Apparently someone saw you leave the hotel and from the gossip I've managed to read and hear about they've linked you to Miranda. There are eyewitness accounts surfacing about you having dinner together and having dinner with Donatella."
"Women eat dinner together all the time."
"Yeah, but someone got a picture of you entering the elevator with Miranda and you do not look like friends."
"What?"
"You're kissing in the elevator."
Andrea thought back to last night. It had been torturous to sit at the table while Miranda had snuck small, unnoticeable touches throughout the meal. It was all she could do not to turn and grab her at the table. When they had bid their goodbyes and entered the elevator, Andrea hadn't waited until they reached the safety of Miranda's room. As the doors closed she pressed Miranda to the wall and kissed her until the elevator dinged at their floor. She hadn't thought about someone snapping a picture in those few seconds.
"Okay, so it's just one photo and…"
"Yeah," René cut her off again, "but then the rumors started."
"What rumors?" Andrea wanted to lean her head on the table. It wasn't that she planned on hiding. She just thought they'd have a little more time before the press started hounding them.
"The rumors about Miranda disappearing into a locked room at my show and her taking off in the middle of Milan's fashion week. People have started connecting the closeness of Genovia to Milan and it's only a matter of time before someone at the airport confirms that she arrived there."
Andrea sighed. "What were you saying about grand-mère?"
"She called me to find out where you are? She is not pleased."
Of course, Andrea thought why not add this on top of everything else. "Tell me you're going home today?"
"I hadn't planned on it. I was thinking about driving down this weekend."
"How about a change of plans? I could pick you up." Andrea motioned to the flight attendant. As she drew near she covered the mouth piece. "Can you ask the pilot to change course and head to Paris?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"René, get to the airfield. We'll pick you up."
"Andréa it's not that I would mind flying home instead of driving but I have so much to do and fashion week…"
"You can use the plane to fly back. Please" she cut him off in desperation, "I need you to help me with her. She likes you better."
At that, René snorted. "That is so untrue. But fine. I'll be there in an hour."
Andrea gave in and laid her head down on the small table. It had started as such a good day.