The next day, Cerise decided to visit Gemini. She felt bad for leaving with Tony last night and She definitely wanted to catch her friend up on everything for the past 3 months.

When she arrived, she rang the doorbell. Then she heard the dogs calling her. Ever since the Wererat incident, Cerise now has the ability to understand and talk to animals.

"Brix….Bones, guess who…" Cerise said sweetly outside the door. Then the dogs began to bark hysterically. Then She heard Gemini shushing the dogs down and opened the door. She slightly sneered at Cerise.

"Uh...Hey...Sorry about yesterday...I promise I'll spend the day with you and catch up…" Cerise smiled awkwardly. She looked up and down at Cerise's outfit, which was a brown plaid shirt, a black jacket, and black jeans with brown flats. Her natural red hair was loose and wavy.

"Alright...Just let me get ready…" Gemini said tiredly. then Brix and Bones brushed past her and began to jump on Cerise, smelling her and licking her. Cerise giggled and pet them all the while before Gemini clapped her hands loudly

"Ah ah, Get back in the house...You know better than that...Git…" Gemini yelled, roughly ushering the two Dobermans back in the house.

"Gemini...Don't you yell at them dogs now…" Cerise heard Pisces yelled.

"They almost got out again…" Gemini slammed the door, leaving Cerise astonished outside.

"I guess New York definitely changed Gemini…" Cerise thought. Then She heard a rattle outside and quickly looked around. Then She heard Brix barking.

"BRIX…" Gemini yelled trying to hush her barking dog. Then Cerise saw a vision of a blonde girl running past, looking at her. Cerise shuddered a little and then heard Gemini slamming the door behind her. She was dressed in a jean jacket and a skater dress. It was simple of her but she didn't feel like going all out.

"Ugh...Okay...Wanna get a coffee…" Gemini grumbled.

"Sure 'cause you sound like you need it…" then the two teen girls took off

At the cafe, Cerise and Gemini talked it up. Gemini drank her coffee and smoked cigarettes the whole time. The smoking was new to Cerise because as long as she knew the fashionista, She's never been a smoker

"SO how are the teachers...Do you think they'll let me catch up…" Gemini asked.

"I'm sure they will...It took me a lot of convincing but you deserve to graduate...they might move your graduation by the end of summer…" Cerise cringed at this statement. Then Gemini inhaled her cigarette

"Great...I know this week I have to catch up...3 months' worth of that good training in New York came with a Hellish price…" smoke came out of Gemini's mouth as she talked. "So I heard the twins turned ten…"

"Yeah...They're getting bigger and bigger by the minute I swear…"

"Yeah...I don't mean to sound like a stinker but I think they'll distance themselves from you soon...you know since you might go off for college…"

Then Cerise began to frown. "Well I don't know if I am going to college...and I...What did New York do to you…"

"Ugh, I don't know...California did me worse...man I gotta get out of here...Oh which brings me to this…" Gemini tossed her cigarette aside and leaned closer.

"Dolce and Gabbana wanted me to design their clothes again and I want you to model for them…"

"Really…"

"Yeah...Don't you remember we were in a magazine...I showed the managers you and your picture and my god they love you...they want you to model in Milan...maybe travel the world…"

"That's wonderful...What about Rafael...won't he miss you…" then Gemini began to sigh.

"Let's just say these past few months have been on and off between us…It's complicated...What about you and lover boy Tony...Y'all ran off and ditched us yesterday.

"Oh well...We're still going strong…" Cerise smiled. Even thinking about him just gets a warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

"I'm surprised you guys haven't done it yet…" Cerise looked up at her.

"Do what…" Gemini smiled slyly. She made a hole with her right index finger and thumb and inserted her left index finger inside. Cerise was in shock.

"No no no…"

"What's wrong with it...Rafael and I have done it a few times...It's not so bad…"

"Ugh, I can't even do that, especially since that time at the park…"

"What happened?" Cerise sighed sadly. "Here's what happened.

Cerise was at the park reading on a tree while she checked on her brother and sister. This was at least a year before Gemini left. The young girl was invested in the book The Grapes of Wrath. She had to write an essay about it for class and She had to find interesting points about it to get an A. As she looked up again, She perked up to see two boys walking towards her. She didn't know them and she saw that they looked like high schoolers, at least seniors. Then they sat beside her making her extremely nervous and uncomfortable. Renee and Auggie were too busy playing on the swings to see that their sister was in trouble.

"Hey, baby...You look sexy…" one of the boys said. Cerise could smell their breath and it was the scent of wine. They began to touch her and pull at her maxi skirt.

"Please, leave me alone...I don't want to be bothered…."

"Come here beautiful…." the second boy closed her book and tried to kiss her but she ducked out of the way. Now looking closer at the boys, She recognized that they were the same boys that have a crush on her. They didn't talk to her when Tony was around because they knew she was taken. Now that she's alone, they now have her where they want her.

"Come with us sexy and we'll treat you like a real woman…" Cerise was disgusted. They were obviously blind to how a real woman should be treated. Then the first boy stared at her breasts and licked his lips while the second boy went inside her skirt and tried to grope her. Cerise quickly punched the groping boy and head-butted the other who was still staring at her breast inside her olive green shirt. She quickly stood up

"What the hell...We didn't do anything to you…" the first boy shouted.

"Cerise...what's going on?" Renee and Auggie ran over to their big sister only for Cerise to cover them.

"Tell your sister she's coming with us…" the second boy stepped up threateningly to Renee and then Cerise pepper-sprayed him.

"Not a chance…" She fought. Then the first boy tried to launch himself after her until a man grabbed him and his friend. Cerise saw that he was a police officer.

"You don't go after her...I'm not gonna let some drunks go after a woman…" Then he dragged them to the back of the police car. Cerise grabbed her book off the ground and another officer checked up on her.

"Yeah, I'm okay…"

"One of our undercover officers saw you and called backup immediately as soon as they started touching you…"

"Thank you…"

"My god…I'm so sorry that happened to you…" Gemini told them.

"Yeah...You think that's bad, You should see the guys that harassed me at the restaurant." Cerise told her

Cerise was waiting tables at La Ratatouille. The business was slower than usual but there were customers nonetheless. As she was taking an order for a couple, She heard wolf-whistling. She rolled her eyes and saw a group of older men staring at her from the corner tables. She tried her best to ignore them and continued the order.

"If I wasn't married, she would've been mine…" She heard one of the men.

I'll get that ready for you…" Cerise told the couple and she attempted to go into the kitchen but then something was thrown at her. It was a pen. She rolled her eyes, gave the order to her mother, and then proceeded to pick up the pen. She heard the men whispering that she was going to bend over. She took the pen back and gave it to them. The people at the tables were uncomfortable at how those men were treating cerise

"Hey Cheri, forget that Tony boy and stick with us…" an older man from the group said.

"Yeah we'll treat you like a princess…" a younger man added.

"Nah not like a princess...Like a queen...ain't that right Cheri…" then Alfredo came over, hearing the commotion

"Alright...that's enough...If you harass my daughter one more time...You're out of here…" He shielded Cerise in his arm. Then the men were forced to back down.

"Are you okay sweetie…"

"Not really…" Cerise mumbled.

"She will be when she's with us…" the younger man said. Then Alfredo kicked them all out. He sent Cerise to the kitchen.

"What am I gonna do Anton...Those guys have been harassing her for a month now…"

"Well here's what I suggest...Have a male waiter besides you to be nearby...In case there's trouble…" Anton told him.

"Alfredo...What happened to Cerise…" Colette came with a crying Cerise in her arms.

"It's those guys that were harassing her...I told them to leave...We need another waiter to protect her...specifically a male…" then Cerise perked up with an idea.

"Tony...Get Tony…" Cerise suggested. "They won't say anything when he's around…." then the parents looked at each other.

"Ever since then...Tony worked at the restaurant." Cerise finished.

"Jesus...again...I'm sorry this happened…" Gemini was shocked that her best friend went through this

"Those guys never did harass me again…"

"Well...wanna get outta here…" Gemini asked her. "I wanted to go to this new place…."

As Gemini rambled on...Cerise looked to the side and saw the same blonde girl that was near Gemini's house. Then she slowly disappeared.

"Cerise…" Gemini asked

"Yeah...Yeah...Let's get out of here…" Cerise mumbled. The two teenage girls then left the cafe.

A little later, Cerise returned home with a few shopping bags in her hand.

"Cerise where have you been…" Colette asked her.

"I was with Gemini...We got a coffee and we went to a few shops…I felt bad for leaving her yesterday...I even got a few things for Renee and Auggie…" then on cue, She heard Auggie yelling. She frantically raced to the room and then Auggie turned around from his computer chair and saw her.

"Oh hey, Cerise…" then Cerise slightly groaned.

"Don't scare me like that…I got you and Renee something from a shop Gemini and I went to…."

"Thanks…" then Auggie paid more attention to the screen.

"Whatcha doing…"

"Game night…"

"Oh say hi to Georgie, Kirk, Jim, and Douglas for me…"

"They can hear you…" then voices came out. Cerise greeted them and left the room where Renee was waiting for her

"You got me a present?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'll give it to you now…" She took out a pearl necklace...A Tahitian pearl necklace

"Wow…" then Cerise put on the necklace with Renee pulling her slightly long hair up for easier access. The girls went to the bathroom mirror.

"What do you think…" then Renee smiled and frowned

"I like it…"

"Hey, I can give it to Gemini…"

"No no...I love it...It's just that...Margaret has a better necklace than me…"

"Hey...Who else can buy Tahitian pearls in a shop…"

"Margaret can buy at least a million more of those…She's the richest girl in my school and she said that she's prettier than me…" Cerise then tilted her head. She knew she had to do something.

"Hey...Look at me...Nobody is prettier than anybody...We have our own beauty...Just because she has a lot of money...It won't make her happy...It's something I learned a long time ago…"

"From your old mom…" Renee asked. Cerise nodded and continued.

"She told me that no matter how many material possessions you have...It won't make you any happier...and we have our own beauty…Her anniversary is coming soon…"

"She sounds so wise…" Renee hugged her elder sister.

"She was wise…" then Cerise began to sniffle and she sat on top of the stairs. Renee and Auggie joined her.

"I can't believe it's been ten years since she died...Still can't believe it…"

Later that night, Cerise was dreaming about her mother and the farmhouse.

Cerise walked over to the house and it looks much different than it was before. Her mother was there planting cherry trees in the garden but then she felt a little pain.

"Mama…" Cerise raced to her side. "Are you okay…"

"Yes, Cheri...When you get older you might experience a little pain…" Rosaline told her.

They later sat together having a picnic in the yard. Cookies, sandwiches, and food galore were spread. Then Cerise started to have feelings of gloom

"I can't believe it's been ten years since you're gone…" Cerise said out loud.

"I know...I wish I could be with you…Your father will never touch you again...but there's more to him than you know…" Cerise turned to her

"What is it…"

"I can't explicitly explain it but there is someone out there that might have a connection with him…"

Then the two young women heard "Cerise…" Rosaline smiled recognizing that voice.

"I think someone needs you…" She told her. "We'll meet again in your next dream…" Rosaline kissed her daughter's head and waved goodbye.

Cerise was shaken awake by Auggie. She sat up in her bed and tilted her head

"Hey, Auggie, What's wrong…" She asked softly

"I can't sleep…"

"Want me to read you a story…" Auggie shook his head. "Sing you a song…" He shook his head again. "What would you like me to do…"

"It's stupid but can you...can you…" then Cerise placed a hand on Auggie's shoulder

"I'm sure whatever it is, it's not stupid…" She told him.

"Can you….uh...Can you pick me up…" Auggie quickly said.

"Like when you and Renee were little…" Auggie nodded. Then Cerise smiled.

"I have an idea…" then Cerise ran to the living room and brought back her iPod. She turned on her song and placed it in a low volume. She picked up her brother and began to slowly sway him and Auggie snuggled into her arms. She smiled at her brother who fell asleep. She knew that the twins still loved her, even when they were getting older

She gently placed him back in bed and she began to head to bed herself.