The alarm clock on my cell phone goes off and I slowly get dressed in the dark, it is only 4 AM. I silently make my way downstairs only to bump into Prue and Piper who are wide awake, do to their jetlag. I grab my MP3 player, wave goodbye, and start on my 7 mile run. I have been doing this routine for awhile now, trying to build my endurance before boot camp starts. I've found that running helps clear my head and lately that has been something I have needed. About an hour later I am back home and start working on my sit-ups, push-ups, and pull-ups. I then go back in to the manor and see all 3 of my sisters sitting around the island drinking coffee. I couldn't believe Pheobe was actually up, but I guess it is technically 8:30 am in New York. I grab a bottle of water out of the fridge and Piper asks me to hand her the eggs while I'm there. I smile, Piper is going to make breakfast which means I don't have to have oatmeal today. I sit down next to Pheobe and my sisters try to start a conversation with me.
Prue: So are you excited about this evening, with your graduation and everything?
Paige: Yeah, I can't wait for it to be over.
Pheobe: You are going to love college Paige. You don't have to go to school as much as you do in high school and there are tons of parties.
Piper: Pheobe! Don't set a bad example for Paige. Paige, college is fun but it is important to also take it seriously, it helps determine your future.
Paige: I know. I'm kind of sick of partying anyway, that is all I have been doing for the last 5 months.
My sisters all look at each other wondering if they should continue talking about my unusual behavior lately. Thankfully, Prue changes the topic at hand.
Prue: So how long have you been getting up early to go running? You never used to do that.
I look at Prue like she is crazy and then remember only Pheobe really knows my morning habits since they started well after Prue and Piper moved out.
Paige: I have been running like this for the last 2 and a half years. It relaxes me and gets me started on my day.
Pheobe: Well Paige it's crazy. No one should get up to workout when it is still dark. You are missing some prime sleeping time.
Paige: Pheobe you know me I never sleep more than 4 to 5 hours a night anyway so it is no big deal for me to wake up early.
Prue: Why don't you sleep more? You should always try and get at least 8 hours a night.
I sigh. I swear these guys have forgetten everythin about me when they moved out. Even when I was little I was the last to fall asleep and the first to wake up. I can't explain it I just don't get tired at night until like 1 am and then my body naturally wakes you at like 5 am, I don't get tired during the day so I can't take naps during the day.
Paige: You guys I have always been like this, don't you remember?
Piper: Well I think Paige should keep it up. She must enjoy it or she would have stopped by now. What do mom and dad say about you running around the city when it is still dark out.
Paige: They don't know, so don't you guys say anything.
Prue: Paige! You need to tell them, you could get hurt and no one would know where you were.
Paige: I have my cell and id on me when I go running. I'm not telling them besides I am moving out in like 2 weeks so it doesn't even matter.
Prue starts to respond but is inerrupted by mom entering the kitchen.
Mom: What are all my girls doing awake this early? Smells good Piper, your dad will be happy not to have oatmeal for breakfast.
Piper: No problem mom. I had to make Paige's favorite since it is her big day today.
Mom: I know I can't believe all my babies are done with high school. The house is so quiet with you 3 gone and in 2 weeks when Paige leaves it will be so empty.
Paige: It shouldn't be too different from now, I'm hardly ever home as it is.
Mom: I know but we'll still miss you.
Victor enters the kitchen.
Victor: Smells good. Who are we going to miss?
Mom: Paige, when she leaves in 2 weeks.
Victor: Oh Yeah, we'll miss you.
Piper: Breakfast is ready!
We all sit around the table quietly eating breakfast, Victor is smiling at me across the table. Probably ecstatic that his burden will soon be gone. When I am done eating I quietly excuse myself from the table to go get ready for the day. As I gather my stuff in my room and start heading to the bathroom Victor walks in and shuts my bedroom door. He has this smirk on his face and I can tell I will not walk out of this room with out a bruise somewhere. He slaps me hard across the head, careful not to hit my face and leave a mark. My stuff falls out of my arms and I look up into his eyes refusing to let any tears come to the surface. I wait for whatever he has in store for me. Victor pushes me to the ground, "You shower last. I pay the bills around here and MY daughters will not be taking cold showers." I look up at him careful to avoid his eyes and nod my head. I stand up as he is leaving, but he quickly turns around hitting me in the stomach. As I am bent over trying to catch my breath he tells me, "Pick up your crap off the floor, and remember don't tell anyone about this or everyone will find about your father." He leaves the room and I sink to the floor still trying to regain proper control of my breathing and picking up my stuff. I then grab my walet and MP3 player and head to the garage to get my bike. I ride around the Golden Gate Park and the city for the next 2 hours and return home to get ready for the day.
As I walk in the house I hear Prue yell, "She's back!" Then my mom comes rushing in to the front hall and gives me a big hug, "Where have you been? You said you were taking a shower and when we didn't hear the water running Pheobe went up to check on you and you were gone." I push back from the hug and looked at my worried family and try to think of an explaination, "I figured these 3 weren't used to cold showers lately so I went for a bike ride to give everyone a chance to get a warm shower before I came home. Sorry, I didn't think you would notice and get worried." Prue throws her arm around my shoulder and leads me towrd the stairs, "Of course we would notice you disappearing for 2 hours, squirt. Go upstairs and get ready then your three sister are taking you shopping for dorm stuff and going to lunch."
The rest of the day goes great, my sisters try and help me pick up stuff for my dorm room. I do reject a lot of the things they pick out, knowing they were unacceptable at Westpoint. I explain to my sisters I only want the bare minimum so it is easier to pack and travel. They put up a small fight to this eplainantion but eventually give in knowing I wasn't going to back down. Then the four of us stop at a deli and have lunch before heading home. The whole time I was pretty quiet, but my sisters did enough talking for me not to be noticed too much. When we arrive home Pheobe drags me up the stairs to our room.
Paige: Pheobe, what are we doing? I don't have to be ready for like anouther 3 hours.
Pheobe: That gives us just enough time to get you ready for graduation.
Paige: Uh, Pheebs I am going just like I am dressed now. No one is going to notice with the graduation gown so I didn't think I would dress up.
Pheobe: Non-sense! We are helping you get ready, Glenn is going to be there right?
Paige: Yeah, but we are just friends, well sometimes friends - with benefits, but right now just friends. So see no reason to go through all this fuss.
I am silently praying that Pheobe will drop this idea, she knows I hate dressing up and the whole make-up thing. I never really got over the tomboy thing.
Pheobe: It's no fuss, besides Prue and Piper will be so disappointed if they can't help. Prue, Piper get in here!
I cringe at thought of the next 3 hours, there is no way I will be able to get out of this torture. Prue and Piper both come walking into the bedroom with their stuff in hand. I fantically try to think of anything to escape.
Paige: I'll be right back, I have to go to the bathroom.
I practically run into the bathroom. The next thing I know the bathroom door opens and Victor walks over to me grabbing my arm and slapping me on the head again. He hits my head so hard that for a moment I see stars dancing in front of my eyes. Ugh, I am so going to have a headache.
Victor: You will your sisters do what ever they want and won't give them any grief. You got that?
I nod my head and walk out of the bathroom and back to my room.
Piper: You ok Paige, your a little pale.
Paige: I'm ok Pip, just have a headache thats all.
Piper: Well why don't you just laydown on your bed while we pick everything out. Then we'll get you ready.
I nod my head and Prue guides me over to the bed. As I lay down she lays a hand on to my forehead and notices that I feel a little warm.
Prue: Are you sure you feel ok? Your a little warm, maybe your getting sick.
Paige: I'm fine, just a bad headache. I just need to close my eyes for a bit.
I can sense that my sisters are starting to get worried, because I never try to sleep during the middle of the day.
Prue: Ok. Piper run downstairs and get Paige an icepack for her head while I get her headache medicine.
My sisters run off to do their tasks and Pheobe sits next to me on the bed running her hands through my hair trying to relax me enough to sleep for a bit. I take my migaine medicien from Prue and I can feel my eyelids getting heavy and I barely notice the cold feeling of the icepack being place on my head. I am woken up about 2 hours later and see my mom's concerned eyes looking me over. I squint my eyes trying to ward off the brightness of the room.
Mom: Are you feeling any better, honey?
Paige: I'm ok, just a headache. What time is it?
Mom: 5 pm, so it is time for you to get ready for your graduation.
Paige: Ok, where is everyone?
Mom: Your sisters are waiting anxiuosly in the hallway wanting to help you get ready for tonight.
I sigh and sit up a bit, but I feel real sick to my stomach. I get up and run into the bathroom and lose my lunch. My mom also rushes into the bathroom and helps me sit up and gets me a glass of water.
Mom: Oh honey, are you sure you want to go tonight.
Paige: I'll be fine, I'm already feeling a little better. Everyone came in town to see me graduate so I should go.
Mom: Alright, but if you start to feel worse just let me know. Your sisters came in to visit you not to just see you graduate. I'll tell them to take it easy on you when your getting ready.
I nod my head and get up so I can take a shower and brush my teeth. By the time I get back into my room I am feeling a little better, but I must still look bad because the moment I walk into my bedroom Prue sits me down on my desk chair.
Prue: Are you feeling better?
Paige: Yeah.
Prue doesn't look too convinced, but Pheobe comes over and hands me the dress I am suppose to wear. I look at it and can't remember it from anywhere, it must be one of Pheebs. I get changed and then sit back down and let my 3 sisters do whatever they want to my hair and make-up. Once they are done we go to the ceremony where I sit down with 800 of my classmates. I pretty much space out through the whole thing, but I do get through it and even manage to have a conversation with Glen. After the ceremony my family takes me out to dinner at my favorite restraunt, Quake. I pick at my food not really feeling up to eating at the moment. Victor gives me a look and I try to eat some more of my dinner. Piper puts her arm around me and takes the fork out of my hand, "Honey, if you aren't feeling well you don't have to keep eating. We'll just get it wrapped and you can have it tomorrow." With my head on her should I nod and close my eyes. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I know Piper is helping me walk out to the car. Once we get home my sisters help me go upstairs and get ready for bed.
The next morning I am feeling 100 better and go for my usual run. By the time I get back everyone is in the kitchen enjoying breakfast. I grab a bottle of water and sit down next to Prue and dig into the omlete Piper made for me. The week goes by quickly and before I knew it my sisters were packing up their belongings and heading back to Chicago and New York.
Prue: You be good squirt. I am going to be busy this week with a photo shoot, but give me a call when you get to school next week.
Paige: Ok. Thanks for coming Prue I really had fun with you guys.
Prue: So did I squirt. See ya. Let's go Piper or we'll miss our flight.
Piper: Relax Prue we have plenty of time. Missy Paige you have to come visit me in Chicago, I'll make you a great meal at my restraunt. Then Prue and I will show you all around the city.
Paige: I'll try. When I get an idea of my schedule I'll come visit all of you guys. I won't be too far from Pheobe so I might visit her first.
Pheobe: That is because I am the best big sister around, righty Paigey.
Paige: Ugh, I hate when you call me Paigey. I'll see or talk to you guys soon. Bye and have a good flight.
My sisters go back to their lives and life at the manor goes back to normal, lots of fighting. The week is going by pretty fast, I spend most of my time at Glen's or with my mom who wants to take me shopping. my last night in the manor is a little weird. I am packing my stuff in my room and I can hear my mom crying in her bedroom. I think she is crying because I am leaving and then I hear Victor yelling at her, "Don't worry about her, this will be great. We will finally be rid of her and start living the life we were suppose to." I hear my mom's muffled response, "Don't say that Victor, I love Paige and this is the life we are suppose to be living. I am sorry that Paige isn't yours, but we were seperated at the time and Sam was a good man. We went out for a couple months and then he died in that horrible car accident and you came back wanting to try again at our marriage. You knew when we got back together that I was pregnant, it was your decision to take on Paige as your own. I just can't believe that she is all grown up and leaving tomorrow morning."
I am sitting in my room with my jaw practically hitting the ground and only one thought going through my head, 'Sam wasn't a rapist, he was a good man.' I stayed up the whole night just thinking about how I have felt horrible about how I was concieved for the past 7 years and now I find out that it was a lie. My mother was never raped, Victor just wanted to keep me under his thumb. All of a sudden Victor bursts in to my room, I stand up and face him. I can barely contain my anger, "I heard everything. You lied to me, mom was never raped." Victor looks surprised but then starts clapping, "About time you figured it out. You are so easy to trick, you never once doubted the story I told you. However, you still can't tell your mom or sisters what has been going on, because your sisters really do believe that you are their sister and you don't want to ruin their family do you?" I shake my head knowing he is right, I don't want to ruin my mom and sisters perfect family. It doesn't matter what I feel about this family because I never really belonged. Victor grabs my chin and makes me look him in the face, he obviously wants to hear my answer so I stutter out, "n-no." He then hits me in the stomach and I fall over in pain and he kicks my rib cage. I don't cry out because I am too busy just trying to remember how to breathe. I hear Victor walk out of the room, closing the door behind him. I lay there until I hear my mom calling for me to get my stuff because it is time to leave. I slowly get up and grab my bags and head downstairs. My mom and Victor drop me off at the terminal to say their goodbyes. The whole time I am thinking of how I am so glad to get out of the house and move on to my new life.