Narration Room: January 2011

Gloriously Messed-up Chapter 34 Page 2

Further down the driveway, she met Sabine who was with Reese and Billy. Gloria compared her results with her friends'. As expected, Sabine and Reese had both scored As in Maths. Seemed like everyone was doing better with numbers than Gloria was, even Billy.

"Hey, want to hang out together?" Billy asked.

"Where?" Gloria asked.

"Greasy Aunt's?" Sabine suggested tentatively.

"Sis and her basketball buddies are going there," Gloria told her, "Probably a lot of people from school will be there. It'll be crowded and noisy."

"We could head to town," Billy proposed. He grinned and winked at Gloria. "Get some fast food."

"Okay," Gloria agreed. So it was the old game of getting Reese and Sabine together again.

Her classmates had accepted Sabine. Her friend's wrongdoing had all been forgiven and forgotten. Reese and the plump girl had been spotted together often though they were still far from becoming a couple.

Her classmates had also accepted Gloria herself. There was no more of the social distancing she had felt when she had first come to school late the previous semester. Her friends spoke to her comfortably, especially since Gloria had been polite and respectful to them.

The hard work was done. Now Gloria could quietly enjoy school life and the company of friends. Her life was now that of an ordinary teenage girl. Sure it lacked excitement, but it was peaceful and there were still fun things she could do. Safely. Without worries to torment her.

Life was good.

Hang on. Billy did not really need her to get Sabine and Reese together. Was he interested in Gloria? Maybe she should test him. He should be right behind her...

Billy was talking to that skinny girl with hair of dark yellow. That was Sally Crichton, was it not? The 'Seeker of Truth'?

Ooh, that wayward boy! What did Gloria care about him!? Humph!

***

Gloriously Messed-up Chapter 34 Page 1

It was the summer holidays.

Gloria was in school that morning with Second Sis to collect her final exam results.

Her final examinations had been much more reasonable compared to her first semester exams. Gloria had been able to put a respectable effort into it and she was much more confident of her performance this time.

That was until she collected her results from her homeroom teacher. Overall, she was pleased with her results - a string of As and Bs and a single C. She was annoyed by that single C. Despite all her hard work, that accursed Maths still mocked her!

Outside the classroom where she had received her transcript, she met with Saki. When they compared results, amazingly, Gloria had scored better for English.

"Ironic," Saki commented when she had seen Gloria's results. If Gloria had not sought the Asian girl's help, she could not have scored that well for English.

Gloria smiled. "It's all thanks to you and the club." Eccentric though he was, Bill Whittington, the secretary of the Literature Club had contributed plenty of advice and comments to help her improve.

Saki returned the smile. "Have you got the club schedule for the summer?" She referred to the schedule of club activities for the holidays. Attendance was not compulsory for any of them but what fun-loving teenager would want to miss the chance to meet up with friends?

"Yes," Gloria answered, "Are you going for any of them?"

Saki nodded. "Picnic at the park sounds fun. Though Whittington will probably insist we write something of what we see. Are you coming?"

"I'd like to come," Gloria replied, "but I'll have to confirm later. I'll call."

"Very well." Saki then excused herself.

Out on the school's driveway, Gloria found Second Sis in the company of her basketball teammates. She recognized Julia, Ursula, Darren and Jake in the group.

"Hey, Annie!" Carrie called. She waved her transcript in front of her little sister. "I passed. I'm going to be a senior!"

Gloria exchanged her transcript for her sister's and examined Carrie's results. Second Sis had indeed passed. She had mostly Cs, a single B and... As for every single Maths subject!? How could she get As for each and every Maths subject!?

Second Sis had also looked at Gloria's results. On her face was her envy of her sister's grades just as Gloria's expression reflected her feelings towards Carrie's Maths scores.

Carrie returned the transcript and accepted her own results back. "We're going to Greasy Aunt's." She motioned towards her teammates. "You've got your own plans?"

"Yeah," Gloria replied, "Don't worry about me." She waved her sister goodbye.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Gloriously Messed-up Chapter 33 Page 4

Marie nodded slowly. There was a quiet moment when only the sound of the distant shower was heard. Then, the older girl asked, "Annie's never coming back?"

"I don't think she can, ever," Gloria replied.

Marie took a deep breath. She looked directly at the younger girl. "Gloria, you're a much nicer person than Annie was." She smiled meekly. "Will you be my little sister?"

"I'd like that very much," Gloria accepted and returned the smile.

Marie gave her a gentle hug.

"Can I call you Big Sis again?" Gloria asked.

"Yes, you can," Big Sis consented.

After the hug was done, Gloria asked, "Do you think I should tell Mother and Father? About me not being Annie, I mean."

Big Sis thought for a short moment. Then she shook her head. "Mother won't believe you. Father will want you to see a shrink, seriously. You don't really need to tell them. In fact, you didn't need to tell me."

"Yeah," Gloria agreed, "But I needed to tell someone. It didn't feel right going on as Annie without telling someone about it."

Big Sis shrugged. "Don't worry about it. Now help me out of this dress. It's a pain to take it off on my own." She turned and presented the zipper at her back.

"Is this really okay?" Gloria asked with concern.

Big Sis tossed a smile over her shoulder. "It's okay. We're sisters, right?"

***

Big Sis sat at her computer, leaning sideways against the back of her chair, which faced the door. Gloria was laying out both dresses on the bed next to her handbag and other accessories. She was laughing at a funny story that her elder sister had just told her about college.

Suddenly, Second Sis burst into the room. "Hey, are you having a slumber party without me?" Then her jaw dropped when she saw her sisters. Gloria was standing there without her clothes. Above the back of the chair, Marie's bare shoulders could be seen.

"You're both naked!" Carrie exclaimed disbelievingly, "You too, Marie!?"

"Oh, do join us," Big Sis invited.

Gloria pulled Carrie's hand. "Yeah, take off your clothes and join us!"

Second Sis stared hesitantly at Gloria for a second. "No!" she cried as she snatched her hand away. "You're both crazy!" she added before she fled the room, slamming the door behind her.

Big Sis chuckled. "You're right. That look on her face was funny." She pulled the straps of her bra back up. The back of her chair had hidden from Carrie the fact that Marie still had her underwear on.

Gloria laughed with her.

The next day, it was even funnier to watch Second Sis' behavior. Carrie refused to be alone with either of her sisters for any length of time and definitely not with both. She hid in her room most of that Sunday. And she very cautious whenever she went to the bathroom. She would listen at the door and peek in to be certain that it was absolutely empty.

She definitely avoided her sisters' rooms.

Whenever Gloria bumped into Big Sis that day, their thoughts would immediately turn to their sister's reaction. They would then share a private moment of quiet laughter.

Mother wondered why her usual verbal-dance partner was abnormally quiet at dinner. But she was easily distracted by Gloria with talk about the family dinner the night before. Then Gloria mentioned going through the photos together with Big Sis in her room. That drew an amused smile from Marie and a look of horror from Carrie.

The day after that, things were back to normal. Second Sis appeared to have forgotten about the whole affair and was her usual cheerful and chatty self.

***

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Once they were in the room, Marie switched her computer on. Then she took her camera out of her handbag and waited for the computer to be ready.

Marie had a corner room. There were two layers of curtains at each window guarding her privacy from the outside. The layers of thin white curtains had been drawn completely close while the thicker ones on the side of the room were just slightly parted.

There were books on shelves and on the writing desk, which was separate from the table with the computer. A mirror was attached to the door of one of the cupboards in the room. There was only one stuffed toy, that of a cat, sitting at the corner of the bed, next to a couple of pillows. On closer inspection, Gloria saw that the cat was the same design as the one she had in her room, only this was black instead of orange.

Marie had only one chair, though, so Gloria remained standing.

Once the computer booted up, Marie linked her camera to it via a wire and started uploading the pictures. Through the room wall, the muffled sound of the shower could be heard from their shared bathroom.

"Gloria, do you remember I told you that you were in the hospital four times?" Marie asked quietly as she looked over her shoulder.

The younger girl nodded. "Yes, I do."

Marie slowly got up from her seat and faced Gloria. "The first time you, no, Annie was there, it was because she was bleeding badly from her head."

Gloria thought for a moment. "It was an accident. She fell against your desk," she recalled. She pointed at the corner of Marie's writing desk. "That desk."

"That was the lie we told everyone else," Marie admitted softly, "That time, she was shorter than you are now. Falling from such a height wouldn't have hurt her that badly."

Gloria searched deeper into her memory for details of the event. Dread grew within her even as she remembered the truth.

"I threw her against that desk," Marie confessed. She took a long breath. "Back then... back then, I really disliked her grabbing my breasts all the time. That one time, I got so mad, I pushed her hard."

Marie rubbed her hand over the corner where Gloria's, no, Annie's head had hit. "It was horrible," Marie continued, "She was bleeding everywhere."

Gloria took Marie's hand and gently pulled it away from the desk. "It's okay, that's in the past."

"Since that time, I could never refuse her." Marie voice quivered. "Once she realized that, she... she took advantage of it. She made me do all kinds of things for her."

Things that Marie obviously did not want to recall. Gloria chose not to look into Annie's memory for that information.

Annie was unbelievable. Not only had she bullied her friends, she appeared to have done the same with her elder sister. She had taken advantage of her sister's guilt and used it against Marie.

So that was why Marie had acted strangely in the past whenever she was alone with Gloria. She was truly afraid of Annie, of what the younger sister would demand. It must have taken a lot of trust for the older girl to disclose something as painful as this to Gloria.

"It's okay, Marie," Gloria told her, "Annie's gone now."

"Yeah," Marie agreed, "It's just... in spite of all she is, was... Annie's my sister and I loved her. I just wished I could do more for her, you know?"

Gloria shook her head. "There's no more you can do for her," Gloria advised, "But you can forgive yourself. Yes, you did wrong but you shouldn't dwell on it. You'll always feel this guilt unless you let go. It's time to stop punishing yourself."

Gloriously Messed-up Chapter 33 Page 2

When they had enough pictures, the family waited in the living room for their last member. Marie was back on her magazine and Father checked through the photos in his camera. Mother, however, sat staring at the stairs.

As the seconds ticked by, Mother grew increasingly impatient. The tapping of her fingers on her chair arm grew increasingly agitated. When Carrie was finally, finally down, Mother barked, "You're late! No pictures for you!"

Father took a quick one anyway.

The Billings family piled into Father's silver sports sedan. It was the first time Gloria remembered riding in her Father's car.

Despite the powerful roar of the car's engine, Gloria felt safe seated in the back seat sandwiched between Marie and Second Sis. She was confident of Father's driving and she was with family.

She did not have to worry about her kidnapper. Detective Larioza had called earlier in the week to inform the family that that creep Mark Zamback had been apprehended in a neighboring state. She could breath easier. Not that she had any worry before.

Father brought his family to Jean Sheppard's. The restaurant had been Mother's choice. Of course she had chosen the place for the dessert.

Paul the head waiter was there to welcome the family. He winked at Gloria, who trailed behind her family. Gloria smiled back.

A waiter escorted them to their reserved table. Father helped Mother into her seat while the waiter helped the girls in an order according to their age, starting with Marie.

Dinner was a polite affair. The usually chatty blonds were more subdued, with their words flowing out in moderated bursts. It was probably the setting. It could be the dim lighting with the pianist playing a slow melody. Or it could be the civilized eating style that required the gracious cutting of food into tiny portions and the chewing of each portion thoroughly.

Or it could be the very unlikely reason that they were just considerate enough to keep the noise down for the other customers of the restaurant.

Second Sis, Mother, considerate? Nah.

"I don't think we should order wine this time, dear," Mother said as she paged through the dessert menu looking for her favorite treat.

"Okay," Father agreed. He was probably happy that they would save some money.

"We shouldn't tempt the girls with a life of alcoholism," Mother added, "After all, one of them has already drunk herself out cold once."

"It wasn't my fault!" Gloria blurted out in protest. Then she winced when she realized that she had said it loud enough for the next table to hear.

"Are we ready to order dessert?" Father asked, diplomatically changing the subject.

As they waited for dessert to be served, the family took the opportunity to take a few pictures. The waiter was very helpful with a few of the family shots. They stopped when the nearby table complained about the camera flashes. Sudden bright lights were blinding in a dim environment after all.

As expected, Mother had ordered Sheppard's Special Chocolate Surprise. And unsurprisingly, Second Sis wanted one of her own. Father and the other girls opted for modest desserts. Such sweet works of art deserved to be captured in photos. A few quick photos were taken before the neighbors could complain.

After the bill had been paid, it was time for the journey home. But before that, they had a few quick photos outside on the sidewalk with the restaurant as the background. It was something to pass the time while waiting for the valet to drive the car from the parking lot.

The car ride home was uneventful. Mother and Carrie were quiet as the family enjoyed music on the radio. From her seat, Gloria could see the night scene outside brightened by street lamps and lit windows. Traffic was smooth.

"Bathroom's mine," Second Sis claimed once they were home. She was the first up the stairs, followed by her parents.

"Let's go to my room and upload the photos from my camera," Marie suggested to Gloria.

"Okay," Gloria agreed.

Gloriously Messed-up Chapter 33 Page 1

Gloria studied her image in her bedroom mirror as she posed before it in her red dress.

The fabric of the red dress was soft and lovely on her skin, just as she had remembered it to be. And it had the refreshingly dry scent that was the result of the cleaners best work.

Her hair was tied up in a French twist and secured with a black hair clip. She wore a thin black scarf around her neck that served to highlight her bare shoulders. She also had the new black leather handbag Mother had given her for her birthday. She chose it since it was smaller, slimmer and cuter than her other black handbag.

Gloria sighed. It was probably the last time she would flaunt that dress in public. She was growing taller and the dress was beginning to get tight around her chest.

Yes, her breasts were finally growing! Yay!

It had been decided, or rather, insisted that the Gloria went out for an evening meal with her family that weekend. It had all started at the dinner table at home earlier that week. Father had just returned from another of his business trips that very afternoon so the whole family had been present.

Conversation had somehow turned to the red dress. Mother had asked if the dress had returned from the cleaners - it had, a very long time ago. Then Gloria had mentioned that she had been growing and might not fit in the dress.

Mother had immediately marched her upstairs and had squeezed her into the dress to see for herself. Horror of horrors, it was true! Gloria had been growing.

Thus, it had been determined that dinner that weekend would be at a fancy restaurant. The red dress and cameras were compulsory. Actually, Mother had made the decision. Everyone else had to follow the orders of the Queen of the House.

Her majesty had even made Father postpone his business trip that weekend.

Gloria went down from her room to find Father waiting at the base of the stairs. He was dressed in his tuxedo with a bow tie at his collar, and he had a digital camera. Marie stood a few steps behind looking rather comely in a blue dress even though she wore her spectacles instead of contacts. She also had a camera.

"You look beautiful, Annie," Father complimented her with a smile. Mother had forgotten about her directive to call Gloria by her middle name so her family was back to calling her 'Annie'. Everyone except for Marie.

Gloria smiled. "Thanks, Father."

"Why don't you pose right there?" Father suggested as he raised his camera.

Gloria put on her most glorious smile and stood with her hand resting on the banister of the staircase. She held her pose for Father and Marie to take pictures. They had plenty of time for photography. Mother was taking her sweet time preparing herself. So was Carrie.

The ladies were still not done by the time the photographers had taken enough pictures. So they sat waiting in the living room. Gloria waited quietly in one of the chairs. Marie read one of her favorite entertainment magazines while Father browsed through the pictures in his camera.

Seeing a shadow at the edge of her vision, Gloria turned to find that Mother was finally, finally down. She stood at the base of the stairs in her black dress with a thin black shawl around her shoulders. She had her contact lenses on and carried a black leather clutch. Her blond hair was tied up in a bun and she had the most beautiful smile.

"You look lovely, dear," Father complimented her.

"Thank you," Mother said, "Aren't you going to take a picture?" She posed elegantly at the foot of the stairs.

Thus there was another photo session with Mother, and then with the other members of the family together in various parts of the house downstairs. They took pictures of Mother with each of her daughters and with Father. They took pictures of the girls together. They took pictures at the stairs, in the living room and in the dining room.

Gloria felt like a celebrity promoting her latest work.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Gloriously Messed-up Chapter 32 Page 5

"Can't your wife buy it herself?" Gloria asked to get the man talking.

The stranger gave a meek smile. "She's busy taking care of junior. She demanded I do something useful and kicked me out with a shopping list." He looked at Gloria, then glanced back in the direction they came from. "Maybe we should wait outside," he suggested.

"Yes," Gloria agreed and followed him back to the corridor outside where there were more shoppers. They leaned against the railing that separated the corridor from open space. Across the space, they could see the shops opposite on other floors.

"It's nice of your friend to help," the man remarked after a minute of quiet waiting.

"She's my sister actually."

The man turned to her. "Really? You don't look alike."

"Except for the eyes."

The man studied Gloria's blue eyes. "Maybe."

More time passed. Then the man pointed out Carrie, who had returned with a small paper bag in her hand. The blond sister quickly turned into the passageway leading to the back staircase.

"She didn't see us," the man commented.

Then Gloria's handphone played a short tune. She took it out of her handbag and saw that it was a phone call from Second Sis. "Yes, Sis?" she answered mildly.

"Where are you?" Second Sis demand with alarm. She stepped out into the corridor searching up and down frantically until she saw her sister. She hung up her phone and marched towards them.

"Is she always like that?" the man asked.

"First time I've seen her like this actually," Gloria replied.

"Where were you?" Carrie demanded once she was in front of Gloria.

"Here." Gloria quickly changed the subject, "Did you get it?"

"Yeah, I did." Carrie held the small bag up for the man and showed him the receipt.

The man checked the contents of the bag and the receipt and hid them in his jacket. Then he pulled out a note from his wallet. "Thanks. Keep the change." He walked away, satisfied.

"I noticed you tried to protect me back then," Gloria said.

"I can't have anything happen to you on your birthday," Second Sis told her.

"Even if I'm not really the sister you know?"

Carrie looked at her directly. "Look, you're my sister. Even if you had your head mixed up with someone else."

"It's still Annie's head," Gloria pointed out, "It's just that I am not really Annie."

"Doesn't matter. You're still my sister."

"But I'm not Annie," Gloria repeated.

"Doesn't matter," Second Sis insisted, "Look, Annie's gone and you're here. Nothing's going to change that, right? You said it yourself. So I may as well accept you as my sister."

Gloria gazed steadily at her. "That's the wisest thing I've ever heard you say."

"Why, thank you." Carrie giggled.

Then Gloria waited for Second Sis to say something really silly. Strangely, Carrie had not said anything stupid for the rest of the day. Had she suddenly grown wisdom?

Or could that cowled stranger have somehow replaced Second Sis' soul with that of someone wise?

Nah.

***

The following week, Gloria had a nice surprise waiting for her in school. In the latest edition of the Fernham Post was a short article written by a previously unknown freshman named Sally Crichton, Seeker of Truth.

Why must all of Fernham High's reporter-wannabes have such ostentatious titles?

Anyway, Sally's story was an entertaining read of how Keith McDowell interviewed people so aggressively that he could make little girls cry. Accusing him of being a bully was a nice touch.

Served that Keith McDowell right for publishing weird stories about other people for his own good reputation. Though there was a little concern if Sally Crichton would turn out to be a similar person who wrote bad reports of other people.

Strangely, there was no mention of Sabine or Connie's trial at court. Neither was there or had there been anything about their suspension or Connie's alleged transfer.

***

Gloriously Messed-up Chapter 32 Page 4

Suddenly, Carrie pulled Gloria aside. "See that man in the dark blue jacket?" She indicated the person that had been behind them as they peeked from behind a pillar.

"Yeah?"

Second Sis stepped back. "Isn't that the guy the cops warned us about?"

"My kidnapper?" Gloria took a good look.

Sure he had the combed hairstyle. But from that distance, she could not see his face clearly. Also, his demeanor felt wrong. He was a little jumpy, fidgeting nervously with his hands in his pockets. He was unlike the confident face she had seen in the wanted poster.

Gloria turned back to her sister. "It might not be him," she said.

Carrie pointed at Gloria's white handbag. "Don't you have a picture of him?"

"No, it's at home." It was creepy to have his picture in her handbag, especially since he was such a handsome fellow. No one was going to mistakenly think that she was attracted to him!

"Why didn't you bring it?"

"Why would I? It's not like he's my boyfriend that I'd have to admire his face all the time."

Carrie peeped around the pillar again. Then she pulled Gloria to the back staircase behind the stores. "If he follows, then it's him," she said.

Yeah, right. If it was him, it would be safer out there where there were more people!

The girls waited - Second Sis with bated breath, Gloria with casual ease. The little girl jumped in surprise when the man did follow them to the stairs. Carrie pushed her sister behind her.

The man stopped three paces away. "Sorry to startle you," he apologized, "but, ah, I was hoping you can help me."

"With what?" Gloria asked from behind her sister.

"Erm, you see," the man began sheepishly, "I need to get some... tampons, for my wife..."

"And you're embarrassed to buy it yourself," Gloria finished for him. She stepped out. "Sure, I can get some for you."

"Hey, wait," Second Sis stopped her, "it'd look weird for a little kid to buy them."

Little kid!?

"I'll go," Carrie offered and hurried off before anyone could object.

Close up, Gloria saw that the man did look a little like Zamback. However, his nose was wrong and his chin was not as striking. It was all well and good that he was not the kidnapper because that idiot sister of hers had just left a little girl alone with a total stranger in the secluded back staircase of the mall!

Gloriously Messed-up Chapter 32 Page 3

Lunch turned out to be fast food.

Gloria glared at her sister across the table, imagining the label 'cheapskate' on the wavy-haired blond's forehead.

"What?" Second Sis asked innocently.

"Fast food?"

"Yeah," Second Sis said nonchalantly, "I've got to save my money."

Gloria's jaw dropped.

"To buy you something special for your birthday," Carrie added. She grinned teasingly. "You thought I was a cheapskate, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Gloria admitted softly. Feeling a tiny shred of guilt, and only a tiny shred, she removed the 'cheapskate' label that she had mentally attached to her sister earlier.

Second Sis leaned forward and patted her on the head. With the same hand she had used to feed herself fries! Oily, salty fries! Ewww!!!

After they had finished lunch, Second Sis got them each an ice cream cone. As they walked along one of the many corridors of Miss Megamall, Carrie asked, "Should we get you clothes? Or shoes?"

"We always go shopping for those whenever we're out," Gloria said, "I think I've got enough clothes for now. And shoes will be a waste if I outgrow them. Let's look at books for a change."

"Books!?" Carrie blurted.

"I'm Gloria, not Annie," the younger sister reminded her, "Annie would want clothes and shoes and bags. Gloria wants books."

"Oh yeah," Second Sis agreed. She sighed. "Looks like some things do have to change, huh?"

Yes, things had changed. At that moment, they were spending time in a bookstore instead of keeping up with fashion. Gloria wondered if Second Sis had ever set foot in a bookstore before this. Still, she had to admire her sister's patience. Not once had Carrie complained as the younger girl flipped through book after book. Well, that was because Second Sis was not beside her.

Where was that wavy-haired blond sister of hers anyway? She must be somewhere within the bookstore, that much Gloria was certain of.

Gloria searched between the many bookshelves of the store but did not find Second Sis anywhere. It was when she ventured into the lounge area at the center of the shop that she found Carrie seated on a couch. Next to her sat a rather good-looking boy - smooth-faced, fair-skinned, spiky haired.

Figures.

They were chatting softly and happily, not at all interested in the books around them. Maybe that boy had a little sister buried among the books between the shelves somewhere.

Oh well, more time for her to hunt for books.

In the end, Carrie bought her three books - two novels and a book on grammar. It was a great day to take full advantage of Second Sis' generosity.

Gloria strolled happily past other stores of the mall with her sister by her side. "Where to next?"

"Hmm... oh." Second Sis was distracted. She had been glancing behind her shoulder.