Chapter 60- Scarlet Starr

JR invited Skye to his basketball tournament coming up in a couple weeks, which Dixie hesitantly agreed to. After everyone left—minus John—Mac arrived to ask Skye more questions about the kidnapping. Skye, Kendall, and Lila all confirmed that it was Luis Alcazar behind all of it along with his now deceased daughter and nephew. None of them could confirm or deny Lorenzo being involved, though Rae told them after Skye went upstairs that she suspected he at least knew where they were held captive. Mac also told them that Janet was still in jail for trying to run off with Colby. Even though this now became a case for the PCPD, John offered his services to help Mac investigate since he was so invested in it, and the men planned to go ask Lorenzo questions.

Rae was surprised and a little disappointed the next couple days when Skye didn't seek her out to cuddle, though she wasn't exactly pulling away from her. She still kept an open communication about things (minus explaining why she suddenly didn't have the need to cuddle when that's all she wanted to do before) and seemed to still want to spend time with both Rae and Myrtle. Even though Rae was missing it, Skye still seemed happy there so that's what mattered. Skye was receiving late night phone calls and would talk for over an hour. Rae was concerned that she was receiving more threats from someone continuing Luis' work, but Skye assured her that wasn't the case. It was Kendall calling and they were working on a project together but wouldn't give too many details.

Skye came downstairs Friday morning after sleeping until 10. "Where's Grandma?" she asked as she poured some orange juice.

"She's spending the day with Erica," Rae said as she sat across from Skye and sipped on a cup of coffee. "But she and I were talking. You've been home for a few days now and start back to work tomorrow. You've had plenty of rest, so we think it's time you start your chores again."

Skye groaned. "Do I have to? They're so daunting…"

"You don't have to do them all today. Just a little bit. I have a new client this morning. I took the week off while you were missing and I'm not officially starting back until next week. But I'm doing this as a favour to Viki."

Skye started to panic. "Is it Todd?"

"What? No, no. Todd is still in jail. It is his daughter though."

Skye rolled her eyes. "The little brat?"

"As you know, Starr is in Viki's care right now and she's not handling her parents being in jail very well."

"If you ask me, she's better off without them."

"Anyway," Rae continued. "They'll be here soon. I thought maybe you can work on your chores while I'm with Starr."

"No can do," Skye said. "I have company coming over."

Rae scrunched her face. "Company?"

Knock. Knock.

Skye's eyes lit up. "That must be her!"

"Who?"

Skye returned a few seconds later with Kendall and each were carrying large paper bags.

Rae cleared her throat. "Hello, Kendall."

Skye set her bag onto the table and prodded Rae to her feet. "We need the kitchen."

"What are you girls up to?"

"Well, you see Mom, we're—"

Kendall smacked Skye's arm. "You swore you'd keep this secret until we're both ready to tell!"

Skye sighed. "It's just my mom… no one important."

Rae raised an eyebrow. "No one important?"

"Even she can't know yet!" Kendall said.

"I'll tell you when the time is appropriate…" Skye said. "Like you wouldn't tell me who my dad was until the time was appropriate…"

Rae sighed. "Skye…"

Skye ushered Rae to the living room.

Rae crossed her arms. "No one important?"

"Oh, come on…" Skye whispered and looked back to make sure Kendall wasn't listening. "You were embarrassing me."

Rae scoffed. "How was I embarrassing you?"

"I didn't mean it, okay? I just didn't want Kendall to think I'm some Mama's girl or something."

Rae sniggered a little.

"It's not funny," Skye said. "Just stay out here with your new client. I'll tell you about it later."

Rae watched as Skye hurried back to the kitchen and there was another knock on the door. Rae let Viki and Starr in. After Viki updated Rae a bit and told Starr she'd be back in an hour, she headed out.

Starr sat on the couch, swinging her legs back and forth, not even looking at Rae.

"Starr, sweetie, how are you feeling?"

Starr finally turned to her with a glare. "How am I feeling? You're not a doctor!"

"Well, I am a doctor, just a different kind of doctor than you're used to. Usually when a grown up asks how you're feeling, they mean your tummy or your head. But what I mean is do you feel happy or sad or angry?"

When Skye heard voices, she opened the door a crack and watched them as they talked.

Starr lowered her gaze. "Sad. And angry…"

"Skye?" Kendall broke her out of her daze. "What are you doing? I need your help…"

FargateFargateFargate

"She won't answer any of my phone calls and won't answer the door when I go over," Erica complained as she and Myrtle pulled into the PCPD parking lot.

"It's only been a few days, Erica," Myrtle said. "How often are you calling her?"

"Well, about ten times a day…" Erica held her hands up. "I know. I know. That is so unlike me."

"You need to give her space, darling. She's still very upset about the video presentation. She needs time."

"Time? We've already lost so much time."

Myrtle and Erica parked their car and headed into the PCPD. Officer Spencer led them back to the holding cells where Luis Alcazar was sitting.

Erica walked right up to the bars and gritted her teeth. "How dare you kidnap my daughter!"

He just stared at her in response.

"And my granddaughter!" Myrtle growled. "No one kidnaps my granddaughter and gets away with it! That's right. You answer to me now." Myrtle patted her chest. "You might have no problem dealing with other low-life mobsters like yourself, but me? You haven't got a chance in the world!"

Erica crossed her arms. "And do you know who I am?"

Luis rolled his eyes. "Citizen Kane?"

"I built Enchantment from the ground up. I am good at what I do. And I would protect my company with my life. Anyone who even tries to tear it down always comes out penniless. There is no competition. And that's just my work. But you go after one of my daughters, you live to regret it. Myrtle, Rae, and I are going to make sure you go to Pentonville and you're not getting out."

FargateFargateFargate

"Erica isn't going to know what hit her," Kendall said as she stirred the pot of the product. "Come taste it. Skye?"

Skye had made her way back to the door to the living room.

"So, you planted the snakes in your Uncle Ben's dresser drawer to scare him off?" Rae asked Starr.

"He's trying be a dad to me," Starr huffed and crossed her arms. "I only have one dad!"

"That's true. No one can replace your dad. But maybe your Uncle isn't trying to replace him. Maybe he's just trying to be there for you and help take care of you when your dad can't."

"It's just not fair! The dumb police took Mommy and Daddy away. And they stole my baby brother!"

Rae's eyes grew wide. "Baby brother?"

"The one Daddy promised me a long time ago!" She lowered her gaze. "But now they're gone and I'm all alone."

Rae frowned and went over to the couch with her. "Oh, sweetie." She wrapped an arm around her. "I know it's hard. But you're not alone. You have your Aunt Viki and Uncle Ben. I know they're not the same as your mom and dad, but they do love you and want to help you."

Starr leaned against her and pouted.

Skye's chest went heavy, and she felt like she was punched in the gut.

"Skye!" Kendall repeated. "Are you going to help me or not?"

Skye shut the door and walked over to her. "Sorry… What are you using for colour? Tomato juice?"

"Actually, that's beet juice and some natural pigments. I'm wearing it. What do you think?" Kendall tilted her head back to show off her lips.

"Not bad. So, what's in this concoction so far?"

Kendall handed her a clipboard with a list. "This and an undisclosed mount of sweet almond oil." She held the wooden spoon out to her. "Taste this."

Skye scrunched her face. "Taste it?"

"You taste the lipstick you wear, don't you? Take a little sip."

"Why me?" Skye asked.

"Because I've done most of the work so far!"

Skye sighed as Kendall spoon-fed her.

"Ugh!" Skye said in disgust as she swallowed it. She hurried over to the fridge to get some juice. "That's foul! What's wrong with this recipe?"

"Well, maybe if my potential partner wasn't hanging out the door all jealous of her mother's new client then I'd have some help with the recipe!"

Skye frowned. "Potential?"

Kendall smacked the side of Skye's head. "I'll find someone else if I have to do all the work!"

Skye looked around the messy counter. "What we need…" She lifted a plate and took it over to the pot. "…is beeswax." She scooped it in.

"Eew," Kendall said. "Well, turn up the heat."

Skye did so just a bit, but Kendall plopped down at the table in frustration. "Who are we kidding? There's no way we can top Erica Kane and Adam Chandler. And neither of us have money to really get us started."

"Well, if Grandma was here, she'd tell you to get up off your butt and don't give up so easily," Skye said. "What we need is a sponsor."

"Who the hell is going to sponsor us?" Kendall asked. "It certainly won't be Enchantment or Chandler Enterprises."

"I think I can get Jasper Jacks to help out."

"The hotel owner?"

Skye nodded. "And maybe ELQ too. But I'm definitely not going to my grandfather… maybe my brother can help out."

Kendall sat up straighter. "Which brother?"

"AJ."

Kendall blushed a bit. "You think they would?"

"I think I could convince them."

After adding more ingredients, Kendall wanted to test it on Skye.

"Why am I the guinea pig?" Skye complained.

"Because I said so." Kendall held up the lip gloss stick. "Now purse your lips." Skye obeyed and Kendall painted it on.

Skye pressed her lips together.

"It looks great!" Kendall gave Skye a hand-held mirror. "It looks good."

Skye stared at her reflection.

Kendall smiled. "Well, the colour's fabulous. Don't you think, Skye?"

Skye nodded and tried to open her mouth to speak but her lips her glued shut.

Kendall scrunched her face. "Your lips are sealed? They're glued together? You're kidding, right?"

Skye glared at her.

"Okay, well, sit down…" Kendall led her to a chair. "Maybe it just needs to sit for a few minutes, then they'll open."

Skye crossed her arms and pouted.

Kendall sat across from her. "Yeah, we'll just wait it out." She took a sip of water. "Thirsty?"

Skye furrowed her eyebrows and pointed to the door to the living room.

"What? No, no. We're not getting your mom. No one can know about this yet. Other than our sponsors."

Skye pointed more angrily at the door.

Kendall groaned. "Okay, fine. Just your mom though. No one else can know yet."

Kendall made her way to the door.

"It's just not fair," Starr said with a little whine to her voice. "All the other kids have their mommys and daddys. Why can't I have mine?"

Kendall cleared her throat. "Excuse me? Skye's mother?"

Rae looked over at her.

"We have a tad problem." Kendall smiled nervously. "No biggie."

"I'm sorry, Kendall," Rae said. "We have ten more minutes. I'll be there right after."

"Okay, it's actually kind of an emergency. Skye's lips are glued shut."

Starr busted out laughing.

Rae scrunched her face. "What?"

"Uh, yeah… she can't open her mouth."

Rae headed to the kitchen and Starr followed them.

Skye looked up at Rae and pointed to her lips.

"What are you girls doing in here?" Rae asked and bent over in front of Skye to inspect her lips.

"Okay, you have to promise not to tell anyone," Kendall said. "We're starting our own cosmetics company, and this is supposed to be our first lip gloss."

Starr sniggered.

"Okay, well, what are in the ingredients?" Rae asked.

Kendall handed her the clipboard.

Rae sat next to Skye and read through the list. "Did you apply it on wet?"

"Yes," Kendall said. "Hot out of the pot."

"Well, with this much beeswax, no wonder. I think a little more heat will melt it."

"Oh!" Kendall lifted her hands to her sides. "Of course!"

Skye tilted her head to the side.

Rae took her hand. "Come on, we'll go use the hair dryer. Starr, please stay with Kendall until I get back."

Starr crossed her arms and eyed Kendall up and down.

Kendall went back to the pot. "I don't think we'll ever get it right…"

"Are you deaf or what?" Starr asked. "Dr. Rae said to add more heat!"

"You think it'll work?"

Starr rolled her eyes. "Maybe you're not deaf, maybe you're just stupid."

Kendall scoffed. "I am not stupid!" She turned up the heat.

Upstairs, Rae finished blowing the hair dryer onto Skye's lips and shut it off. "Okay, try to speak."

"And say what?" Skye smiled as she sat on the closed toilet. "Hey, it worked!"

Rae smiled back at her. "Good. So, you and Kendall are starting up a cosmetics company?"

"Maybe…" Skye looked away from her but rose to her feet. "I have to get back."

"Wait…" Rae reached for her arm. "Are you okay?"

Skye pulled her arm back. "I'm fine."

Rae followed Skye back downstairs to find Kendall painting Starr's lips.

"Kendall…" Rae set her hands on her hips. "You can't be experimenting on Starr."

Skye frowned. "No, Mother wouldn't be happy if we hurt Starr."

Rae raised an eyebrow at Skye.

But Kendall finished up. "Okay, now try to speak."

Starr moved her mouth up and down. "This is fun!"

Kendall held up the mirror for her.

"It looks great," Skye said.

"That's a beautiful lip gloss," Rae said. "You girls did a great job."

"I have a name for it!" Kendall exclaimed. "Scarlet Starr."

"Naming it after her?" Skye asked.

"Yes, catchy isn't it?"

"I guess."

Starr beamed. "I didn't know therapy was like this."