The car parked outside Sophie's house was a little too familiar for Lucy's
taste, so she cut around to the back door. 'I'm not running away,' she
told herself. 'Discretion is the better part of valor, after all.'
Looking out the front window, she discovered her fears were founded.
Matt.
He had come all the way across the country. 'You're married now,' she directed toward him. 'You don't get to save me from myself anymore.' Now all she had to do was make that clear to him. 'I guess it's a good thing the impossible only takes a little longer,' she told herself.
"Hey."
"Ah!"
"Calm down, I didn't mean to make you jump out of your skin. Not that that wouldn't be an interesting effect. Though the side effects wouldn't be very pleasant."
"Huh?"
"Losing your skin would almost certainly kill you."
"Sophie, you're glowing!"
She blushed, "I was talking to Steve."
Lucy made kissing noises. "Stop it. What were you doing anyway?"
Lucy pointed out the window. "My brother."
"The car? But none of your brothers can drive."
"Matt can," Lucy choked out.
"The one who got married and moved to New York?"
Lucy nodded.
"Then what's he doing here?"
"He's come after me. So I'll go back home."
"He does realize that what he's doing is illegal, right?"
"Not for a Camden," Lucy whispered.
"I'm glad you're not one anymore, then."
Silently, Lucy Melaya, née Camden, agreed.
"I'm not going to be a prisoner in my own house. You are my guest, and your family, including your erstwhile brother cannot change that," Sophie stood grimly.
"Be careful."
"I'm a black belt. It is my enemies who should be careful. Pity that they so seldom are." With that, Sophie opened the door and strode out.
Lucy peered out through the crack in the door and eavesdropped for all she was worth.
Sophie tapped on Matt's car window. "Excuse me; I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I will call the police."
"I'm not committing a crime, the people in that house are!"
"What crime?"
"Kidnapping!" Matt climbed out of the car, and Lucy shrank back into the shadows.
"Hey, who are you? Are you that Sophie girl?"
"Not to you."
"Answer me!" he yelled, grabbing her wrist.
She pulled out of his grip. "Don't touch me. Consider that advice for your own continued good health. Call me Ms. Meredith, if you want an answer."
"But I'm older than you."
"Really? From your actions I can't tell."
"Where's my sister?"
Sophie said nothing.
"Hey, I said 'Where's my sister!" he grabbed at her again.
This time, Sophie smacked his wrist. He let go, and yelled, "What was that for?"
"I said not to touch me."
"But you're a girl!"
"Woman. Exactly," Sophie kept staring straight into his eyes.
Matt seemed to reconsider his tactics. "Ms. Meredith, have you seen my sister?"
"What's her name?"
"Lucy Camden."
"I know no one by that name."
Matt paused to consider. "Wait! You said you're that Sophie girl!" he grabbed at her again.
She kicked in the ankle and he let go to nurse the bruise. "Next time you touch me, you will be going to the hospital."
"You kidnapped my sister!"
"No!" Lucy screamed. She didn't know who she was trying to protect. It probably wasn't Sophie. May it was Matt. Maybe it was herself.
"Luce!" I'm so glad no one's hurt you. Let's go home. Sgt. Michaels will take care of her."
Lucy hadn't expected to easy way out to ever return as an option. She hadn't expected it to be such a great temptation. She wasn't prepared for it. Lucy stared at Matt. 'Well, come on,' his eyes said, speaking of forgiveness. He was so certain. Certainty was a rare quality for Lucy Melaya. Certainty was seductive.
She turned to Sophie, and saw no expression at all. Her eyes neither begged Lucy to stay nor told her to go. But there was one more thing Lucy saw in her friend's eyes that made her choice very simple. Sophie's eyes didn't need forgiveness.
"Matt," Lucy said softly. "Matt, I wasn't kidnapped; I left of my own free will."
"But you can't do that," Matt stated.
"I'm 18. Yes, I can."
"But Mom and Dad would never let you."
"That's the thing, Matt, they don't get a say anymore. Neither do you."
"But-"
"I'm living my own life now," Lucy said for the first time.
"So who's the guy?" (Sophie's eyes widened in disbelief.) "Mom thought it might be one."
"No guy."
"She told me you broke up with Kevin. You would never not have a boyfriend."
"No guy!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Then is this Sophie creature drugging you? You can tell me. Not only am I your big brother, I'm also almost a doctor." He paused. "She looks like trouble. Her shirt says, 'Your Grace, I have but one question, do you want this man crippled or dead?'"
"The answer, by the way, is dead. Be careful, or I might ask your sister the same question," Sophie remarked dispassionately.
"I'm not under anyone or anything else's influence. I'm just for the first time in my life refusing to be rules by anyone else."
"Oh," said Matt in a small voice.
"I've already talked to Sgt. Michaels. You are committing a crime, and you'd probably better leave." Lucy turned on her heel and walked away. Sophie followed, a little more slowly and a lot more menacingly.
"Wow," Sophie said when they got in. "I'm impressed."
Lucy merely grinned and thought, 'I no longer do consent to creep! I feel the urge to fly!'
Matt.
He had come all the way across the country. 'You're married now,' she directed toward him. 'You don't get to save me from myself anymore.' Now all she had to do was make that clear to him. 'I guess it's a good thing the impossible only takes a little longer,' she told herself.
"Hey."
"Ah!"
"Calm down, I didn't mean to make you jump out of your skin. Not that that wouldn't be an interesting effect. Though the side effects wouldn't be very pleasant."
"Huh?"
"Losing your skin would almost certainly kill you."
"Sophie, you're glowing!"
She blushed, "I was talking to Steve."
Lucy made kissing noises. "Stop it. What were you doing anyway?"
Lucy pointed out the window. "My brother."
"The car? But none of your brothers can drive."
"Matt can," Lucy choked out.
"The one who got married and moved to New York?"
Lucy nodded.
"Then what's he doing here?"
"He's come after me. So I'll go back home."
"He does realize that what he's doing is illegal, right?"
"Not for a Camden," Lucy whispered.
"I'm glad you're not one anymore, then."
Silently, Lucy Melaya, née Camden, agreed.
"I'm not going to be a prisoner in my own house. You are my guest, and your family, including your erstwhile brother cannot change that," Sophie stood grimly.
"Be careful."
"I'm a black belt. It is my enemies who should be careful. Pity that they so seldom are." With that, Sophie opened the door and strode out.
Lucy peered out through the crack in the door and eavesdropped for all she was worth.
Sophie tapped on Matt's car window. "Excuse me; I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I will call the police."
"I'm not committing a crime, the people in that house are!"
"What crime?"
"Kidnapping!" Matt climbed out of the car, and Lucy shrank back into the shadows.
"Hey, who are you? Are you that Sophie girl?"
"Not to you."
"Answer me!" he yelled, grabbing her wrist.
She pulled out of his grip. "Don't touch me. Consider that advice for your own continued good health. Call me Ms. Meredith, if you want an answer."
"But I'm older than you."
"Really? From your actions I can't tell."
"Where's my sister?"
Sophie said nothing.
"Hey, I said 'Where's my sister!" he grabbed at her again.
This time, Sophie smacked his wrist. He let go, and yelled, "What was that for?"
"I said not to touch me."
"But you're a girl!"
"Woman. Exactly," Sophie kept staring straight into his eyes.
Matt seemed to reconsider his tactics. "Ms. Meredith, have you seen my sister?"
"What's her name?"
"Lucy Camden."
"I know no one by that name."
Matt paused to consider. "Wait! You said you're that Sophie girl!" he grabbed at her again.
She kicked in the ankle and he let go to nurse the bruise. "Next time you touch me, you will be going to the hospital."
"You kidnapped my sister!"
"No!" Lucy screamed. She didn't know who she was trying to protect. It probably wasn't Sophie. May it was Matt. Maybe it was herself.
"Luce!" I'm so glad no one's hurt you. Let's go home. Sgt. Michaels will take care of her."
Lucy hadn't expected to easy way out to ever return as an option. She hadn't expected it to be such a great temptation. She wasn't prepared for it. Lucy stared at Matt. 'Well, come on,' his eyes said, speaking of forgiveness. He was so certain. Certainty was a rare quality for Lucy Melaya. Certainty was seductive.
She turned to Sophie, and saw no expression at all. Her eyes neither begged Lucy to stay nor told her to go. But there was one more thing Lucy saw in her friend's eyes that made her choice very simple. Sophie's eyes didn't need forgiveness.
"Matt," Lucy said softly. "Matt, I wasn't kidnapped; I left of my own free will."
"But you can't do that," Matt stated.
"I'm 18. Yes, I can."
"But Mom and Dad would never let you."
"That's the thing, Matt, they don't get a say anymore. Neither do you."
"But-"
"I'm living my own life now," Lucy said for the first time.
"So who's the guy?" (Sophie's eyes widened in disbelief.) "Mom thought it might be one."
"No guy."
"She told me you broke up with Kevin. You would never not have a boyfriend."
"No guy!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Then is this Sophie creature drugging you? You can tell me. Not only am I your big brother, I'm also almost a doctor." He paused. "She looks like trouble. Her shirt says, 'Your Grace, I have but one question, do you want this man crippled or dead?'"
"The answer, by the way, is dead. Be careful, or I might ask your sister the same question," Sophie remarked dispassionately.
"I'm not under anyone or anything else's influence. I'm just for the first time in my life refusing to be rules by anyone else."
"Oh," said Matt in a small voice.
"I've already talked to Sgt. Michaels. You are committing a crime, and you'd probably better leave." Lucy turned on her heel and walked away. Sophie followed, a little more slowly and a lot more menacingly.
"Wow," Sophie said when they got in. "I'm impressed."
Lucy merely grinned and thought, 'I no longer do consent to creep! I feel the urge to fly!'