ChapterTwo: Finding the Source
"Spill it, Sister." Auntie Chiffon says over a glass of iced tea. The weather was somewhere in the mid-seventies, the grass cool under Lucy's bare toes. She swung her legs under the picnic table she and her aunts sat at. Her eyes followed the ice cubes in the pitcher as they melted. She could vaguely hear Mama singing through the open window in Jamie's bedroom, most likely to calm him down so his fever would drop.
"Well? Why'd you call us down here?" Crystal's voice broke her thoughts. She lowered her voice.
"You guys lived in the same city as my parents, right?" Lucy looked up. The girls shared an unreadable expression and nodded. Lucy pressed on. "Well, I accidentally got into some digging... I uh.. discovered somethin'."
"Lord, don't tell me it's about the plant." Mumbled Crystal.
Lucy fidgeted.
"Why? What happened? Why is it such a secret? Why didn't Daddy tell me? What else are they hiding?!"
"Sugar, calm down," Ronnette touched her shoulder carefully. "Your parents are just about the sweetest darn people I know. They're very kind, and loving, and after all they've been through— incredibly strong. They gotta protect you from some things."
"I wanna see it."
"The plant's gone, Sugar."
"No, not the plant," Lucy stood up, her palms smacking the wood. She lowered her voice more. "The town. Take me to Skid Row."
The train departed West every thirty-five minutes and took about ten to get to its' next stop. Then, you take the South route to its' stop, get off, and take the Transit bus to Skid Row.
It was a hike.
Frankly, Chiffon found herself strangely not reluctant to take Lucy there. She and her girls left here years ago to live in the city and sing at nighttime Jazz clubs. How bad could it have gotten? Surely it got money and attention from the plant.
It was almost worse than they'd remember.
She tightened her grip on Lucy's hand as they stepped out of the bus and into a brown puddle. It was so familiar her body shook upon first glance.
To their left, brick buildings in questionable condition lined up, walls stained or dotted with bullet holes. A little walk later brought them closer to where they lived. It was almost the same. Almost.
"Gee." Lucy said. She didn't seem disappointed— but intrigued. They promised her parents they were just going out while they took care of Jamie. God, Audrey was trusting them with her baby girl and here they were.
"Is that it?"
It was, in fact, it. You could just tell by the bits of window paint that remained. 'Mushnik & Son's Skid Row Florist' cracked between broken glass. At first it was a surprise that nobody had fixed it up, but then they remembered what town they were in. The ladies shuddered.
To distract the shock, Ronnette turned her niece's shoulders across the street. "Look, your Mama lived there."
"That little apartment? Where did Daddy live?"
Ronnie turned her shoulders back to the flower shop. "The basement."
"They lived across the street? That's so romantic. Did they send love notes to each other?"
"Nah. Ya Daddy was awful shy around her and Mama had a boyfriend."
"What happened to him?"
"He disappeared. Nobody knows."
Lucy pondered for a moment, but walked on.
Maybe it was the feeling of guilt for lying to her parents, or the screeching of tires, but Lucy's heart dropped all the way down in her gut. She felt like a deer caught in headlights. The headlights of Daddy's car.
"Lucille Alana Krelborn!" Her father's voice boomed as the car came to a screeching halt. Seymour's voice did not boom, regularly. Nor did it utter her full name. Everyone froze in their footsteps.
His wife pushed the door open from the passenger side and rushed to her daughter, gathering her in her arms. Her tears soaked into Lucy's sweater. This felt even worse. To avoid the gaze of her father, she buried her face in Mom's hair. When she looked up, Daddy was glaring. She reburied herself.
An inaudible argument erupted between Daddy and Crystal, Chiffon and Ronnette while Audrey fussed over her daughter. The voices were meshing together.
"You know how bad Skid Row is and you— you brought her here?! You know we wouldn't ever let her come here!"
"Oh, you aren't hurt, are ya? Did anybody come up to ya?
"She's nearly fourteen, boy. She needs to explore her curiosity."
"Not here! NEVER here!"
Audrey grabbed her daughter's hand and pulled her to the car. "Ladies, I think it's best if you take the train. We'll discuss this later tonight."
"We're awful sorry, Audrey." Crystal shrunk back.
"I know." She says, adverting her eyes. Audrey opened the car door and let go of Lucy's hand.
The drive was silent, but Lucy kept her eyes on Mom's reflection in the window. She watched the streets with a frightening familiarity in her eyes. Tears graced her cheeks. Lucy was able to catch Daddy reach over and grab Mom's hand, stroking it with his thumb. "It's okay," He whispered. "We're leaving now." Lucy's heart broke.
"Lucille." Seymour's voice was thick as a brick wall. She shuddered as she shifted on the couch. Mama was dealing with the ladies in another room. Faintly, their voices were audible. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"I lied."
"And?"
"I went where you told me not to go."
"And?"
"And what?"
"You went behind my back about your little research project." Lucy gasped. He continued. "You think I didn't notice? Asking strange questions, my books going missing... newspaper archives? Lucy—" he pushed his glasses up onto his forehead as he pinched the bridge of his nose, then adjusted them and sat back beside her.
"I'm sorry Daddy. But.. why didn't you tell anyone? You.. you were famous! On TV, even."
"I know, Luce. But I needed to put that aside and focus on my life. It's such a long story that I don't know where to begin. If I ever begin, you'll be much, much older. And I probably won't tell you then."
"But why?"
"Because, Lucy, it's in the past. That was behind me. You're my focus now— you and Mama and your brothers... you guys are worth so much more than the fame."
Lucy shuffled her feet. "Will you teach me how to grow an Audrey II?"
"Absolutely never. Also, you're grounded for three months."
The girl huffed and adjusted her glasses. Fair. "... You named the plant after Mama, right?"
"I did."
"You really stole her away from her boyfriend?"
Seymour rubbed his hands on his pants. "...Guess you could say that."
"Don't get mad at Auntie Crystal, Chiffon and Ronnette. It was my idea. I convinced them."
"Lucy," Seymour sighed, reaching over to touch her shoulder. "They're adults. They should know better. And, honestly, so should you. Don't ever lie to us again. You really, really scared us."
"I know. I'm sorry. I promise I'll be better."
Her father moved closer to her and pulled her into an impromptu hug. "I know. I know you will. I'm just glad you're home and safe."
"I love ya, Daddy."
"I love you so much more than you could ever know, Luce."
A/N: Stay tuned! there's more to come. also, lucy's middle name is a surprise for mybabybumblebee. The use of that name in its context belongs to her