Raelyn had woken up late last night, and heard much of her sisters' heated altercation. Now, she wandered timidly into the kitchen for breakfast, afraid of what she might find.
Her sisters were at opposite ends of the kitchen; Rachel at the table, Rhianna sitting at the counter. They both looked like they'd been crying, though each girl had tried her best to hide it. Neither would look at the other. The tension in the air was so thick that Raelyn could choke on it.
"Hey, guys," Rae said a little too cheerfully.
"Hi, honey." Rachel replied.
"Morning, sweeite." Rhianna said at the same time. Neither sibling took notice of the other.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Rachel broke it by rising. "I have to get to work." she said to Raelyn, ignoring her other sister. "Have a good day, honey."
"You too." Raelyn murmured. She watched Rachel leave, then poured herself a cup of coffee and took her older sister's seat. "So," she started, turning to Rhianna. "What are you doing today?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Rhianna snapped irritably. "I'm going out."
Raelyn was left alone in the kitchen. She sipped her coffee, wondering how to get her sisters to make peace.
And hour later, her coffee was cold, and she still didn't have any idea what to do about her sisters. This was much deeper than sibling rivalry, and it scared her. She got up, pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind. There was nothing she could do about it now.
To distract herself, Raelyn went down into the basement to sort through some of their old things. She'd been meaning to do this since Wyatt had died, but had kept putting it off. Now, she thought, was as good a time as any.
It wasn't long before she uncovered things she'd forgotten even existed. In one box, she uncovered the old dollhouse that had been passed down from her great-grandmother. She turned the dolls around in her hands, remembering the many hours she'd spent in front of the dollhouse as a little girl, with her sisters. In another box, she found Rachel's old collection of porcelain dolls. Rach had loved them, but she'd forbidden her sisters to so much as touch them. Smiling, Raelyn put down the doll and moved on. In a third box, she found the old spirit board that the girls' grandmother had given them. Raelyn blew the dust off; it looked as good as new. Temporarily abandoning her work, she brought it upstairs to play with.
She set it down on the kitchen table, and tried to think of a good question. When they were little, Rachel and Rhia used to ask the simplest little things: What their husbands' names would be, if they would get rich, etc. Raelyn was the only one who'd ever taken the thing seriously. She'd believed her grandmother and great-aunts when they told her of the board's magical properties, and she still believed them. That's why she wanted to ask something good, so as not to waste the magic on trivial things.
Finally, she came up with a question. Tentatively, she put her hands on the pointer and whispered, "What will make Rachel and Rhia stop fighting?"
The pointer quivered, and jerked to the letter 'A'. Raelyn, taking one hand off the pointer, reached for a pen and pad, and scribbled it down as the pointer jutted to the letter 'T'. It shot back to the center of the board, then back to the same letter. From there, it went to 'I', then came to a stop on 'C'.
Raelyn held the paper to her, squinting through her eyeglasses to make out her own shaky handwriting. On the paper was written one single word: "Attic."
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A/N: I know this chapter is kindof short, but I've been a bit busy lately. I really need encouragement to finish this fic, as I'm experiencing a bit of writer's block, so please review.
Her sisters were at opposite ends of the kitchen; Rachel at the table, Rhianna sitting at the counter. They both looked like they'd been crying, though each girl had tried her best to hide it. Neither would look at the other. The tension in the air was so thick that Raelyn could choke on it.
"Hey, guys," Rae said a little too cheerfully.
"Hi, honey." Rachel replied.
"Morning, sweeite." Rhianna said at the same time. Neither sibling took notice of the other.
There was a long, uncomfortable silence. Rachel broke it by rising. "I have to get to work." she said to Raelyn, ignoring her other sister. "Have a good day, honey."
"You too." Raelyn murmured. She watched Rachel leave, then poured herself a cup of coffee and took her older sister's seat. "So," she started, turning to Rhianna. "What are you doing today?"
"I don't want to talk about it," Rhianna snapped irritably. "I'm going out."
Raelyn was left alone in the kitchen. She sipped her coffee, wondering how to get her sisters to make peace.
And hour later, her coffee was cold, and she still didn't have any idea what to do about her sisters. This was much deeper than sibling rivalry, and it scared her. She got up, pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind. There was nothing she could do about it now.
To distract herself, Raelyn went down into the basement to sort through some of their old things. She'd been meaning to do this since Wyatt had died, but had kept putting it off. Now, she thought, was as good a time as any.
It wasn't long before she uncovered things she'd forgotten even existed. In one box, she uncovered the old dollhouse that had been passed down from her great-grandmother. She turned the dolls around in her hands, remembering the many hours she'd spent in front of the dollhouse as a little girl, with her sisters. In another box, she found Rachel's old collection of porcelain dolls. Rach had loved them, but she'd forbidden her sisters to so much as touch them. Smiling, Raelyn put down the doll and moved on. In a third box, she found the old spirit board that the girls' grandmother had given them. Raelyn blew the dust off; it looked as good as new. Temporarily abandoning her work, she brought it upstairs to play with.
She set it down on the kitchen table, and tried to think of a good question. When they were little, Rachel and Rhia used to ask the simplest little things: What their husbands' names would be, if they would get rich, etc. Raelyn was the only one who'd ever taken the thing seriously. She'd believed her grandmother and great-aunts when they told her of the board's magical properties, and she still believed them. That's why she wanted to ask something good, so as not to waste the magic on trivial things.
Finally, she came up with a question. Tentatively, she put her hands on the pointer and whispered, "What will make Rachel and Rhia stop fighting?"
The pointer quivered, and jerked to the letter 'A'. Raelyn, taking one hand off the pointer, reached for a pen and pad, and scribbled it down as the pointer jutted to the letter 'T'. It shot back to the center of the board, then back to the same letter. From there, it went to 'I', then came to a stop on 'C'.
Raelyn held the paper to her, squinting through her eyeglasses to make out her own shaky handwriting. On the paper was written one single word: "Attic."
****************
A/N: I know this chapter is kindof short, but I've been a bit busy lately. I really need encouragement to finish this fic, as I'm experiencing a bit of writer's block, so please review.