Cerise- 9
The twins- 1-year-old
Cerise was reading a book while watching her parents playing with her baby siblings. Colette was busy cooing at her son Auggie while Alfredo blew gentle raspberries on Renee's tummy.
"Who's my petite boy, coochy coochy coo," Colette cooed in a high pitched voice, making Auggie giggle.
Cerise couldn't help but smile. It made her heart swell seeing her baby brother and sister happy. However, some of it became familiar with her on how her mother would try to make her happy despite their tough circumstance. Cerise's smile slowly turned into a frown and she closed her large book and began to leave. Then a noise from Renee alerted Alfredo that Cerise was leaving
"Cerise are you okay…" Her adoptive father asked. Cerise nodded and pointed upstairs and typed on her translator. It was on a low volume so the twins won't be bothered by it. I'm just gonna turn in. She quickly turned away and ran to her room. Alfredo and Colette glanced at each other in worry.
Cerise quickly shut the door to her room and she slowly trekked towards her small dresser where her frame stood proudly. She took it and took a good long look at it. Her mother was cradling her present self and they were both smiling. Tears began to slowly form on the child's face and they dropped onto the glass of the frame. She sniffed silently and covered her mouth, cradling the picture close to her chest. Then she heard footsteps coming to her room. She placed the frame back onto her dresser, tucked herself in, and closed her eyes. It was only her parents checking in on her, giving her a kiss goodnight
This happened a few more times. Cerise would turn in early and leave. It concerned her friends too that she was acting distant.
"Cece are you okay…" Gemini would ask her, seeing her upset. Cerise nodded and told them that she was okay when she really wasn't.
It would pain her too much to tell them about the incident with her father and mother and she knew that now wasn't the time because they wouldn't understand what she had to go through and how many hoops she had to jump to get here. The worst part about all of this is that it is near Mother's Day.
At school, most of the kids gave their mothers their gifts and they embraced their children. All Cerise could do was watch in sadness.
The sadness continued when she worked at the restaurant and then she saw someone outside giving their mother a flower, making Cerise frown. She had the same frown the entire time she was working at the restaurant, making her parents, Anton Ego, and the rats concerned for her.
"I've never seen her this upset before…" Emile commented
"Mother's day is coming soon...Maybe that's why she's upset…" Avalon answered. "It's been at least a year since Rosaline died.
By the time the family got back to the apartment, Cerise departed her room instead of joining the family for dinnertime. She glanced at her mother's picture again and gently sobbed into the frame
"Sweetheart this is scaring us that your...Hey, are you crying?" Linguini came in with Colette holding the twins. They quickly put the twins in their cribs and went to console Cerise.
"You've been upset lately…" Colette wrapped her arms around her adoptive daughter
Alfredo glanced at the picture Cerise was holding and gave a sympathetic look.
"Cheri...I think I know what this is about...You miss your real mother don't you…"
It took a while for Cerise to respond but she nodded her head, a few sniffles following behind her. She gently typed on her translator.
I didn't have time to say goodbye...I miss her Cerise had a point too. She had no time to mourn for her mother and she had to leave before she too could've met her death.
"We know you do…" Alfredo and Colette embraced her for a while, allowing her to sob in their arms. After an hour or so, Cerise typed on her translator.
My mother would always try her best to make me happy, even when we were at our worst...She was much braver than me…
"Now wait a minute, You're a brave girl too Cerise…" Colette told her
Not as brave as her… Cerise replied on her translator
"Your mother...She seemed amazing...a very brave and powerful person to protect you in an abusive situation…" Alfredo told Cerise
Cerise nodded in agreement Sometimes she wasn't always that way
"What do you mean?" Cerise sighed through her nose and typed on her translator. It took her a long time but she finally got the message across
When I lost my voice, my mother was so devastated, knowing that I may never speak again...Not being able to hear my voice...It broke her heart to pieces
"When you became mute…" Colette inquired. Cerise nodded. She demonstrated how her voice was gone. She drew the best depiction of her father. She walked towards the door and showed them slamming the door on herself a few times. This made Alfredo gasp and Colette was in an angry rage
"I oughta kill that man for doing it to you…"
"Cerise…"
If I tried to talk right now I would've sounded horrible Cerise typed on her translator
"Mon Dieu…" Alfredo whispered.
But she tried to give me a good childhood...When you named me at the restaurant...the name reminded me of her...She loved cherries too…You see
Cerise and her mother Rosaline were nearby a cherry tree. Her father left to get food and it gave them a bit of comfort that he wouldn't be back for a while because it was peaceful when he wasn't around
"You see my child, the juice in those cherries are very good for you…the little things we have around us like the trees, the leaves, and the soil mean much more than they seem…" Cerise looked around at the country scene around them as she listened to her mother. "The cherries blossom along with the flowers to give us the harmony and love that we need...We need to appreciate the little things in life...We might not know what we have until we lose them." Rosaline picked some cherries for her and her daughter to eat. Cerise smiled and enjoyed them. Rosaline gently stroked her child's short red hair and they continued to enjoy the ripe fruit in their hands.
Cerise typed in her translator. When you were playing with the twins, It reminded me about how she would play with me…
"That was why you were upset…" Colette deduced
"We don't want you to be…" Cerise stopped Alfredo and continued
I love my siblings too much to be jealous of them...In fact...I would never be jealous of them... I took an oath to never treat them like I was treated by my father...I'd rather have myself hanged than abusing them…
"Cerise...We know you would never abuse them...They love you too much to see any bad in you…" Alfredo placed a hand on Cerise's shoulder.
All I could think about was the day I lost my voice
"What happened?"
Cerise continued to type into her device and it told them what happened
Around 6-7 years ago, baby Cerise crawled around the house, getting used to her surroundings. Rosaline smiled, watching her baby, while her father on the other hand wasn't too impressed.
Then Cerise began to babble as she crawled. Rosaline loved her voice. Her father was in the middle of having somewhat peace and quiet and he started to get irritated.
"Can it kid…" He nearly shouted. Cerise began to sniffle and let out a cry. Rosaline rushed to her child and gently hushed her.
"You cannot yell at her...She is only a baby…" Rosaline scolded
"A baby who I wish would stop making all that noise…" The man fought
"Babies cry when they need something…"
"I'm trying to have some peace and quest when this little rat has to make noise…"
"You have to put your child's needs before your own…"
Then the baby cried a little louder because she hated the arguing that was going on between her mother and father. This pushed her father over the edge
"Okay that's it…" the man tried to forcefully take the baby from Rosaline's arms
"What are you doing to my baby?!" She shouted. He took baby Cerise and walked off with the mother following after them. "STOP"
The man stopped nearby the bedroom door and Rosaline finally caught up to them
"Do you love this baby more than me?"
"She is my child...a child you put in me...Of course, I love her…"
"Or more than me…" He had the door opened slightly and placed baby Cerise on the wall
"What do you plan on doing to her...Give me back my baby…"
"SHUT UP….DO YOU LOVE THIS BABY MORE THAN ME…" the man shouted again
"I love her just as much as you...I'm shocked that you don't love her as much.."
"IT'S either the BABY or ME" he shouted
"I'll take her any day than you…" Rosaline growled
With anger built already inside of him, the man took the door and slammed it onto the baby's neck
"STOP, you're going to kill her…" the baby screamed and wailed, but he was numb to her distress.
With one more slam, the baby's cries sounded like a wailing baby bird. Rosaline snatched baby Cerise and slapped her husband
"You horrible human being…" Rosaline gently hushed her hurt baby.
Eventually, Rosaline called the paramedics and they examined the baby girl
"Her vocal cords are damaged...She may never speak again…" one of the doctors spoke in a serious tone
"How did this happen?" the nurse asked
"The kid fell down the stairs…" Rosaline began to open her mouth to contradict the statement but her husband gave her a glare, making her conformed to what happened.
All they did was warn them to be careful with me, Cerise finished, leaving a stunned Linguini and Colette.
Then Cerise began to fly in an angry rage and punched the wall angrily, tears in her eyes, making her small fists red and numb from the anger that she should've taken out on her father. By the time she was done, Cerise slid down to her knees and silently sobbed once again. Then the twins cried, terrified of the noise that Cerise just made
Linguini and Colette weren't mad at her for doing it. Cerise was just letting out the anger that she had boiling inside her.
"We'll be back okay…" they left the room to leave her alone with her thoughts.
Cerise had so much sadness and anger in her. She was upset about Mother's day and how much she missed her mother, but she was angry at her father for causing so much despair in her and her mother's life.
She just wanted to turn back time and wished that none of the abuse happened to her, but it would change how she met her new family
"CERISE...CERISE...Come Quick…" Cerise quickly rushed to the twins' room to find her adoptive parents holding both of the twins, smiling. She was confused as to why they called her smiling
"The twins said their first word…" Colette told her. Cerise brightened up and wiped her tears from her face and went a little closer
"Come on guys...Say it again…" Alfredo coaxed. It took them a while but the word finally came out
"Cece," Renee said first. Cerise's mouth widened a little with a smile. Tears of happiness began to fall and sniffled.
"Cece," Auggie said in worry. Cerise just emerged from the depressed state she was in and hugged her baby brother and sister.
"Cece…" the twins say together, happy that they were being hugged.
"Yeah...That's your big sister Cece…" Alfredo told them.
Cerise was in utter bliss that the twins said their first words and it got rid of her sorrow from her mother and in this very moment, She was happy for the past few days.
She really loved being a part of this family
A/N- This is one of the saddest chapters I wrote. I thought about writing another sequel when Cerise finds out more about her mother. Let me know in the reviews if you would want to read that.