REVEIW RESPONSES: To Rogue Honey: Yep, a sister. Thanks. Here's the update. To SyberiaWinx: Thank you. Yes, it will be interesting to see how she reacts, but don't forget about the the Eppses are going to react!
A/N: Please review. Reveiws make me squee with joy.
Homecoming
Chapter 1:
"Samantha. Samantha! Samantha!" the calls became more and more intense.
"Wha…?" Sam finally mumbled before turning over in bed, away from the pesky voice.
"Samantha, get up. It's already past noon." The urgency of it being past noon was foreign to Sam. She usually slept 'til tea after a party like the one last night. "It's Friday," the British woman explained to the semi-lucid Sam. "The eighth," she tried again after no response.
Sam bolted upright. "Shit!" She threw back the covers and stumbled out of bed, cursing all the way. She stripped and jumped into the shower, not even bothering to take the time to adjust the tap. When she got out and toweled dry, Kimberly had already laid out an outfit and could be heard making coffee in the kitchen.
"I'm so late," she exclaimed as she threw her wet curls into a ponytail, knowing she'd regret not styling it later.
"Yes, you are," Kimberly agreed and handed her a cuppa.
Sam gulped down the hot drink and slammed the mug down. After yanking on her boots and throwing on her coat, scarf, and sunglasses, she grabbed her shoulder bag and ran out the door, Kimberly closely following.
"What were you thinking not setting an alarm?" Kimberly scolded in her perfect, polished, stereotypical English accent, as she drove through London's traffic.
"I wasn't. I was tired. That party, my God – "
"Oh, do not get me started on that party, Samantha Mann."
"What?"
"Don't you dare act innocent. Did you dance with a single man you might actually be interested in?"
"Kimberly… I'm just… I'm not ready."
"What are you waiting for? A sign from God? It has been ten years since Stephen died. I'm getting worried."
"He was your brother."
"And I know you loved him, but one date with a nice guy will not kill you."
"I have to think about Dannie."
"Yes, you're doing a brilliant job at that," she commented sarcastically.
"I can't date and have her get attached and then break it off."
"She's ten, not five. And she's away at second'ry school. How will she get attached?"
"Kimberly, please, just drop it." Sam could see in the window's reflection Kimberly looking at her.
"Fine… for now. You need to put on your makeup anyway. You look bloody terrible."
"Thank you," she replied, ignoring her best friend's last comment. She carefully made up her face, taking care to make it perfect just in case a photographer caught her. Her hair was already a mess, no need to give them more than that.
The two friends remained silent until half way through the three-hour drive, when finally not being able to take not speaking anymore Kimberly struck up a conversation about Sam's next album. Kimberly, who doubled as Sam's manager, had scheduled the recording to begin just after the New Year. Sam really couldn't care less – the business of the music industry was just a pesky din in the background of her mind. Kimberly was better at thinking of stuff like that.
They finally arrived – only forty-five minutes late – at Dannie's prestigious boarding secondary school. Thanks to Sam's erratic living style that came with the beginning of her career, which also happened to be the beginning of Dannie's life, Sam had hired a tutor to travel with them, rather than enroll Dannie in full time school, providing Dannie with an accelerated education and landing her in secondary school a year ahead of others her age.
She ran through the hall and skidded to a stop in front of her daughter who sat in her blouse and plaid skirt on a bench outside a teacher's office.
"You're late," she said frankly in her mixed accent.
"I know; I'm sorry. Forgive me?"
Danni folded her arms and stood, trying to look cross. "I'll think about it," she said mock-solemnly. After the two stared at each other for a minute, mirroring their stances, both dissolved into a fit of giggles. Sam embraced her daughter and kissed the inherited mass of brunette curls on top of her head.
"Ms. Mann," Sam looked over to where the imperious call had come. A prim old woman with a pinched face stood at the end of the corridor.
"Headmistress Waterfield – "
"You are late."
"Yes, I realize that. I am so sorry – "
"Follow me please."
"If I'm not out in thirty minutes, check under the floorboards for my body," she whispered to Dannie.
"Good luck," she whispered back.
"Ms Mann," Waterfield called again sharply.
"Yes, I'm coming." Sam hurried after the martinet who always managed to make her feel like she was a misbehaving student rather than an adult and parent.
They walked silently to Waterfield's office where a young man sat in a bench, until he saw them approach and he rose.
"Ms Mann, this is Mr. Brune, Danielle's mathematics teacher. Anthony, this is Ms Mann."
"A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Brune."
"And you, Ms Mann." They politely shook hands.
"Mr. Brune has requested a meeting with you after ours. Anthony, we will be out in a moment." Waterfield ushered Sam into her office, and with a quick glance back at the smiling Anthony Brune, she entered the lion's den.
-
Don stared at his computer screen, hands poised over the keyboard. He'd sent everyone home for the night, but he remained, claiming he needed to do paperwork.
"Samantha Mann," he typed into the Google search bar and hit enter. Results 1-10 out of about 350,000. He stared at the long list of blue links. Several weren't even in English.
"The Official Website of Samantha Mann," boasted the top link in big letters. He glanced around to make sure he was alone and clicked the link.