Okay, this is important. I don't know what I said before, but Liz and Morna are seven years old at the time that they live with the Malfoy's. I'm gonna have to go back and see what I said before, but that is defiantly how old they are.
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
There was a soft knock on the door. Morna's eyes snapped open, but Liz just rolled over. "Who is it?"
Narcissa popped her head in. "Girls…" she said soothingly. She sounded nervous. Both sat up uneasily. "Your parents are here… they said they've been looking for you." She smiled, as if this was good news. "They want to take you home now." Morna blinked at her, empty-eyed. Liz's looked lost, like Narcissa was speaking another language. Suddenly, she bust in to tears. They were silent, but hard enough that she was shaking.
Slowly, Morna climbed out of bed. Narcissa watched in silence as she walked over to the wardrobe and scanned over the luxurious clothes. Pursing her lips, she pulled out the least expensive thing she could find. "Thank you for your hospitality. You have been very kind." She turned to Narcissa with an empty smile. When Narcissa just stared at her, slack mouth, she repeated more firmly, "You have been very kind."
Narcissa frowned. "Those clothes were tailored for you. You can take them all home."
Morna shook her head. "They would be ruined in days, all of them." She walked over to Liz's bed and grabbed her arm gently. "Come now, you know crying doesn't help. It's early in the morning; we have the whole day for regrets. But not now." She pulled Liz out of the bed and began to help her dress. Liz was like a rag doll, limp and dull.
Narcissa shook her head and came forward. He smiled weakly at the girls and chatted with them as they dressed. "Are you excited to see you parents?" Their response was startling.
They responded oddly, the way they would have then they had first arrived at the manor, two long months ago. Morna simply nodded absently. Liz gave her a small, forced smile. "Yes, ma'am." She choked back a sob and looked away. Narcissa led the girls into the hall. Liz stopped. "Ma'am, may we please say goodbye to Josh and Draco." She looked up pleadingly, with waterlogged eyes. The boys were asleep, but she couldn't tell them no.
"Of course."
Liz ran to the door and banged on it open-handed. She pushed the door open uninvited. Draco sat up blearily, "Merlin, you're up already? What time is it?" Josh blinked.
"She's crying…" The boys climbed out of bed and walked over to her slowly. Morna hovered in the doorway. Liz flew her arms around their necks and let out a sob. Wide eyed, the boys hesitantly patted her on the back.
Morna stared on. "We're leaving." She said blandly, as if she was a shell, and not a little girl. "Our parents are here." Josh looked up at her; her hair was in her face. In shock, he noticed a tear sliding down her cheek. He blinked and it was gone. Of course, what was he thinking? Morna couldn't cry.
Awkwardly, the boys hugged Liz back. After a minute or two, she stepped away. The boys stared at Morna. They went forward and hugged her. She didn't move. Eventually, they let go. She blinked at them. She reached out ant touched Liz's shoulder. "Come. It's time to go." She quietly pulled at Liz, who had an unbelieving, glazed over look in her eyes. Morna pushed Liz into the hall and turned her to face her. "Look at me. If we make a scene, Miranda will get mad." She whispered. Miranda was their mother. "The last thing we need is for them to get mad." She turned Liz back around, and walked her towards Narcissa. "We are ready to go now." Liz looked numb.
Narcissa stared at them. For once she had no comforting words to say. "Come, then." She replied softly. It saddened her to see these girls go. Little girls who had started to become family to her, who she had finally started to understand. She stopped them just outside the door and turned them to face her. "Well, I suppose that this it the last time I'll be seeing you girls." They stared up at her blankly. "Don't worry so much. Whatever reason they left you here before, it was all a misunderstanding. They've missed you, and I'm sure you missed them, deep down." Her reassuring smile faltered at their frowns. "No matter how deep down that is. Remember that I will miss you, and you can come back anytime. Don't give your parents grieve. Promise? " Neither would.
With a sigh, she opened the door. "Hello, hello, and here they are!" She smiled warmly and gave the girls a small push forward.
Miranda kneeled down and threw her arms around the girls with a squeal. Liz flinched. "My girls! My babies!" She looked up at Narcissa with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "You don't know what it's like to wake up at the hotel and you pride and joys are gone! We've been so worried." Their father just nodded.
They began to walk away, without even a thank you. Suddenly, just in front of the door, Liz's head whipped around, her blond locks flying around. She gave Narcissa a last pleading look. Then they were gone.
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
"You stupid girls! I don't know how you came to be such little brats!" Miranda glared at them through the rear view mirror, and then took a long drag of her cigarette. "We need you again, and where are you? In some swanky mansion, like you're worth something!" John took over.
"We're low on money, so we'll get you in some commercials," He sneered at them, "if you're still pretty enough."
In the back seat, Liz was curled up in the corner. She had her thumb in her mouth. "Mommy, are we going back to Illinois?"
Miranda sneered, "Yes, we are going back to Illinois, back to that same old house. Or are you to good for that now?" Liz closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
Both girls slept through the next nine or so hours. When they woke up, they were back in their familiar closet. Liz reached up and felt the cold padlock placed on the door. "They've locked it again."From the other end of the closet, Morna chuckled darkly. "What did you think they'd do?" Silence overcame them for a few minutes. "Hey,was all of that real?" Her frown was deep and her eyebrows scrunched up.
Liz cocked her head to the side and stared at her blankly. In the dim artificial light, she looked pale and sickly. "What was all real?"
Morna shook her head. "Never mind."
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
The End!
Gotcha! Sorry, but it had to be done. Go one, keep reading.
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
A month. That was how long it lasted. A month of eating only the most meager of meals. A month of smiling at talent agents when you were least happy. A month of getting screamed at and slapped around for the littlest things, like tripping in the mall. Then, they got out. Morna slipped them out in the middle of the night, right into the city. Glorious Chicago, a place they could start over in.
The first year or so was rough, a lot of living in alleys or the train station. But by the time they were nine, they had enough connections to live in a small apartment near the edge of the city. If they only went out the back door, they didn't get much trouble from the rough crowds that lived nearby.
Throughout the next few years, they lived in different apartments in Chicago, as their stars rose within the underbelly of Chicago life. Morna was an assassin by eight. In fact, her first raid was the day of her eighth birth. She became well known for her ruthlessness.
Liz stayed home for the most part. She was the little girl of the two. Every once in a while, she got a small job, such as a mall clerk. For the most part, she just stayed in the mists of the city, making connections with street crawlers and hustlers. She flirted and flitted around, always hovering near the best of the best, getting well known and liked. She told hard core city slickers about Morna's profession, advertising her skill and accuracy. She smiled and sweet-talked. She was well known to always be bright, and bubbly, and good natured. And by 14, she was well known to have a new boyfriend every fortnight.
Morna became hardened and strong. She rarely slept, because with sleep came horrific nightmares. She got used to this life and distracted herself with missions and hard training sessions. She set up a homemade gym in one of the apartment rooms. By day, she set of with her gun on one hip and a knife in her boot. By night, she slipped out of bed and worked off her fear. Fear that she was becoming a monster.
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
Liz danced around the apartment, hips swaying to the music that played from her iPod. She flitted around the second hand furniture, and socked feet padded over the creaky floor. She was a sultry seductress, dancing under the spotlight of a dark club. She was a belly dancer in a dinner show at the Thai restaurant. She was a hip-hop hottie, a background dancer in LL Cool Jay's latest music video. She was on top. Her skirt swished teasingly around her thighs. Her top was cut ruggedly, just under her chest, and right above her slim, well muscled stomach. She plopped down on the purple bean-bag chair with a contented sigh, tapping her foot to the music.
Morna banged in, hair in her face, and slipped her gun into its leg hostler. "Lazing around again, are we?" She threw a manila folder of cash onto the kitchen counter.
Liz looked up and smiled, "How is it that you make so much money, and we live like bums."
Morna rolled her eyes. "It's called savings kid." She went to the sink and scrubbed all remaining blood off of her fingers. "But that brings me to another thing."
She sat herself down on the sofa. "What do you think about moving?"
Liz smiled. "Where? Closer to the Water Tower I hope!" She laughed.
Morna grinned mischievously. "Well, I've been saving up, and I was thinking of something a little farther…"
Liz frowned; Chicago was their home. They grew up here. "But… where?"
Morna's grin widened, "Don't look at me like that! You'll like this one! I was thinking," she paused, for dramatic effect. Liz rolled her eyes. "England!"
Liz's eyes widened like saucers, "AHHHHH!" She jumped up on the sofa and did a little dance. "Oh, you know I've always wanted to see what England was like!" She leaned down and hugged her sister. The shadow to her golden shine. Suddenly, she frowned. "But, Morna, why England?"
123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012
Well? What do you think? For anyone who's confused, the girls told themselves that the whole time in England wasn't real, because it simply couldn't have really happened. Now, they have no memory of it at all. Not yet anyway. wink.
Anyway, I love you, FireFantasma!
p.s. YOU ROCK DRACO"S SOX!