Narration Room: fernham

Glorious Beach Day Chapter 1 Page 2

"Yes, that's me." The woman smiled. She took a sip of her iced tea and sighed. "I won't be in Fernham High next year, though - my dad's got a job in another state."

"Oh, good luck then." Warning bells were still ringing in Gloria's head but she could not identify the danger.

"Before I go, there's something that's been bothering me."

"Oh?" Gloria uttered cautiously.

"I'm curious about what's happened to you."

"What do you mean?" Gloria asked blankly.

"You fell from the bridge. Yeah, trauma can mess with a person's memory. But your whole personality's changed too."

"Yes, I did fall from the bridge," Gloria confirmed.

"Okay, here's the thing." The woman twisted in her stool to face Gloria. "Everything points to you being Annie - your fingerprints and DNA matched. But somehow, something tells me you're not Annie. You're not even reacting to me now the same way Annie does."

Gloria bit her lip. It was true that she was not Annie. However, before her was a person she had barely known at school confronting her about it. She still felt uncomfortable with the other person's presence. She wished she had some time to poke through Annie's memories for more details.

"You tested my fingerprints and even my DNA?" Gloria asked.

Selina nodded.

"Why?"

Selina glanced back to see the boy running the drink stand busy with a customer. "Trade my secret for yours?" she offered.

"What kind of secret do you have?" Gloria asked.

"I'm really twenty-one."

"Really?"

"See, I've already got my wisdom teeth." Selina opened her mouth and pointed inside. "You don't get your wisdom teeth until you are seventeen."

"So what were you doing in Fernham High?" Gloria asked.

"That's the secret I'll trade for yours."

Gloria took a deep breath. "Okay. So, what do you want to know?"

"Are you really Annie Billings?"

Gloria stared at Selina for a moment. "I'm not Annie Billings," she admitted. "I'm actually Gloria."

"I guessed that much. But isn't 'Gloria' Annie's middle name?"

"That's the name I use." Gloria took a look to see that her belongings were still where she had left them on the beach. "I don't really know who I am."

"You don't?"

Gloria shook her head. "No. I don't have my previous life's memories."

"If you're not Annie, you'd have trouble adjusting to her life if you didn't know anything," Selina pointed out.

"I did have a little trouble," Gloria admitted, "Though not as much since I've Annie's memories. They were a little help, sometimes - if I can find what I'm looking for."

"Can you explain how your fingerprints and DNA matches Annie's?"

Blue eyes flicked to Selina. "How did you get my DNA?"

"Hair sample from your schoolbag. I compared that to a sample I took from Annie before the accident. So how did you fool DNA?"

"That's because this really is Annie's body," Gloria explained, "My soul got switched with Annie's."

"Does such technology exist?"

"Um, no. It was done supernaturally."

Selina looked at her closely. "What do you mean?"

"When Annie threw herself from the bridge..." Gloria began.

"So Annie really did commit suicide."

"Um, yeah," Gloria confirmed, "Anyway, when she fell from the bridge, her soul was collected. But when she survived, a soul was replaced - mine."

"How could that have happened?"

Glorious Beach Day Chapter 1 Page 1

Summer holidays was that time of the year where one could wind down and relax after studying or working for so many months. The hot weather made it the best time for an excursion to the beach, where there was soft sand, bright sunshine and lovely cool seaside breeze. And there was the wonderful water too.

After a hard year (actually, it had just been slightly longer than a semester) of studying, patching up relationships, surviving an accident, a treachery and a kidnapping, and dealing with a supernatural pervert, Gloria definitely deserved some time off to relax with her family.

It was the morning after their arrival at the resort. Gloria and her Second Sis were at the beach. Mother and Father were still in their room - Gloria did not care to guess at the reason for fear of corrupting her underage mind.

"What's taking Marie so long?" Carrie wondered about their elder sister. She wore a blue bikini and was already looking for a handsome specimen of the male side of the species among the small number of people walking or basking on the sand.

"I don't know," Gloria replied, "I'm sure she packed a one-piece swimsuit so she shouldn't have trouble finding it." When they had left, Big Sis was still in the bathroom of the room that the sisters shared.

"Maybe she's having trouble fitting into it. Ah, we should've waited for her." Carrie glanced at her little sister. "Speaking of swimsuits, aren't you going to flaunt yours?"

Gloria looked into Second Sis' matching blue eyes. "Why would I do that?"

"Because we're at the beach!" Carrie answered, "Now why would you hide under that shirt?"

Gloria had a white shirt along with her bikini bottom, which had a floral pattern. "I just don't feel like taking it off."

"Oh, you'll never attract guys that way." Carrie took hold of the hem of Gloria's shirt and started to pull it off. Then she hurriedly pulled the shirt back down. She leaned close and whispered, "Annie, why are you wearing your bra instead of your bikini top?"

"The top's too small for me." Because her breasts had grown! Yay!

"You can't swim in that!"

"We should go to the nudist beach," Gloria suggested impishly, "We won't need tops there."

Carrie's jaw dropped. "No way! We're going shopping later to find you something, maybe something sexy!"

Gloria gave her wavy-haired sister a dark look, which went unnoticed.

"Ah, I'm going for a swim," Carrie decided and went for the water.

Gloria looked over her shoulder at the drink stand further up the beach. It was close enough to her tote bag and their towels that she could keep an eye on their belongings. So she took her white handbag and went to the drink stand. No way would she risk bringing her favorite pink handbag to the beach, even though it was still within the relative safety of the resort grounds.

The little girl ordered herself a glass of iced orange and sat on one of the stools, facing the ocean. She checked again that their belongings were well within view. After she took a sip of her drink, she watched as a woman, carrying a surfboard, walked from the water towards the stand. The woman set the surfboard beside the stand and ordered herself a drink.

Then the woman sat beside Gloria. "Hey, Annie, what a coincidence meeting you here!"

Gloria jerked in surprise, barely keeping her grip on her glass of orange. She turned to the woman.

The woman was young, perhaps in her twenties, and she wore a wetsuit. She was small-sized, though still considerably taller than Gloria was. She had short black hair and tanned skin.

Gloria was sure that she had not met the woman before. Had Annie known her?

"Do you remember me?" the woman asked.

Gloria looked closer at the familiar woman, at her small dark-brown eyes. She searched through Annie's memory. It would be easier if she had a hint.

"I had long brown hair and glasses," the woman supplied helpfully.

"Selina Garcia from 9-B!?" But that could not be. Selina should be around fifteen. That woman looked much older. And Gloria had the feeling that she should be afraid of that woman.

Glorious Beach Day Interlude 1

Hey, there. It's me, Gloria, here in the Narration Room. It feels kind of strange to have an Interlude before the actual story. It is also strange to have an Interlude when the story has only one chapter.

Anyway, I would like to say that this story is the epilogue to Gloriously Messed-up and Handful of Sand. Things will not make sense unless you have read one or both of those stories first, so I suggest reading at least one.

If you choose to read only one of the stories, I recommend Gloriously Messed-up. It is shorter. It is also the story in which I was the main character. :D

Enjoy the epilogue!

Contents

Glorious Beach Day

Summer means time for a vacation to the beach. After the final year exams, Gloria definitely earned some time off with family.

This is a one-chapter epilogue to Gloriously Messed-up and Handful of Sand. It is so short that this content page should not be necessary since everything is explained in the Interlude.

Status: Completed.

Interlude 1

Chapter 1

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Handful of Sand Interlude 6

Hello, there. This is Selina here in the Narration Room. With this we conclude Handful of Sand. Hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have enjoyed acting in it.

Then again, I had a kick-ass mysterious character. So of course, I enjoyed it.

As to any loose ends, there are clues here and there in the story to help you make a good enough guess to address them.

Like the reason why Selina protects Sandy, even though she isn't the heiress. For that, you have to know what Selina's job was. Detective Brunel mentioned that it was to protect the heiress.

Now remember that Nick thought he had found the heiress by observing Selina.

See how it all fits together?

Take a few moments to think about it. If you still can't get it, you're not suited for mercenary work. Get a desk job or something behind a counter.

Got it? No? Give up? Or do you want to check your answer?

If you have an answer that you think is good enough, then good. Regardless of whether your answer is right or wrong, you are capable of reasoning. Able to work with information to come up with answers is an important life skill. If you are uncertain, then you should think some more until you are.

Okay, here's the answer. Last chance to stop reading if you still wish to ponder about it some more.

Sandy was a decoy. The best way to protect the heiress was to divert attention elsewhere. Because of that, the heiress got to live a peaceful life up until the time she inherited her wealth.

It wasn't Selina's original intention, though. She just stumbled across it when Nick relentlessly assumed that Sandy was the heiress. With the real heiress so close, the best way to protect her was to encourage Nick's assumption.

The original tracers in Sandy's sneakers and puppy figurine were placed long before Nick came into the picture. When you have a friend as troublesome as Sandy is, you would want to keep an eye on her too. Naturally, when Nick found those tracers, he assumed that Sandy was the heiress.

And there you have it.

Are there any other loose ends?

Who is Selina? There are some clues here and there. Enough for you to guess that she is a...

Last chance to look away...

Okay, she's a kunoichi. She went a bit overboard when she first started since it was her first time in a public school. Training had been a large part of her life and had robbed her of public-schooling experience. So she was excited to finally get the chance to go to school.

Unfortunately, kunoichis specialize in doing things behind the scene. So we don't get to see much of what Selina does. Maybe next time we'll have a gung-ho soldier protect Sandy. That'll guarantee lots of explosions.

Did I miss any other loose ends? Well, you should be able to reason it out if I did.

Anyway, thanks for reading Handful of Sand. Hope you enjoyed it!

***

Handful of Sand Chapter 43 Page 4

"Esper, wait," Ariel called after her curly-haired friend.

The curly-haired girl turned back.

"Esper, who did you inherit the money from?" Ariel asked.

"My grandfather."

"What's his name?"

"I don't know if you've heard of him." Esper thought for a moment. "It's Oscar Killington. I really have to go now."

"Okay, bye!" Ariel waved her former classmate goodbye.

Esper waved back once before boarding the first cab.

Sandy watched the cab drive away. The name of Esper's grandfather seemed familiar.

"San-dy..." Ariel behind her began with an ominous tone, "Do you remember the time when we were kidnapped...?"

"By that man in that broken down house?" Sandy asked. Strange that Ariel wished to discuss the event that had driven a wedge in their friendship.

"Remember that he wanted you to sign a document...?" Ariel continued.

"Ah... yes..." Sandy was unsure where that was going.

"Do you remember what was the name on the document?" Ariel asked, "The name of the person whose money you thought you would get?"

"Not really," Sandy said. The disappointment of not getting that money still hurt and she was uncomfortable about being reminded of it.

"Was it not 'Oscar Killington'?"

Sandy's brown eyes suddenly widened as she made the connection. So the person who had inherited all the wealth that Sandy thought was hers was Esper!? Esper was the heiress!? Was that why Selina had always kept close to Esper? Was Selina's real job to protect Esper?

"San-dy..." Ariel interrupted the brown-haired girl's thoughts, "that means that the person that that man was looking for was actually Esper..."

"Yeah," Sandy agreed.

"And not you..."

Sandy was suddenly aware of the silent threat in Ariel's voice. Apprehensively, she turned to look at her friend.

"That means that we could've been free any time if you had just signed that meaningless piece of paper...," Ariel summarized as she leaned closer. The dangerous glints in her narrowed bespectacled eyes were a sharp contrast to the cute stuffed cat in her hand.

Sandy swallowed.

Ariel grabbed a fistful of her friend's brown hair with her free hand and pulled down hard. "We could've gotten out anytime!" she cried.

"Ow, ow, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Sandy pleaded.

***

Handful of Sand Chapter 43 Page 3

The girls rested after lunch with ice cream and slushies while watching a puppet show with other children and their adult chaperons. No one wanted another ride on a full stomach. Instead, they went into the hall of mirrors (guess who paid for admission again) to laugh at absurd images of themselves.

Esper paid for games after that. The girls tossed basketballs into hoops together. They shot at targets with waterguns. They tossed rings onto pegs.

They played enough games to earn enough tickets to exchange for a stuffed toy for each of them. Sandy chose a small black monkey that looked a lot like the one she had lost when she was small. Ariel got herself an orange cat. Esper selected a purple snake, which she stuffed into her backpack.

At the end of the day, which really was just late afternoon, the girls were outside at the taxi stand in front of the amusement park. They were happy, for all the fun they had together. They were tired, from all the excitement they had experienced. And they were sweating heavily - the sun had been smiling the entire day.

Sandy gathered with her friends under the shadow of the shelter by the street where cabs lined up to collect passengers. Her legs ached from all the walking she had done. But she had fun, and with her closest friends too!

"I hope the two of you will be good friends," Esper told the other two girls, "All you've in school now are each other."

"What are you talking about?" Ariel asked.

Esper sighed and glanced up at the clear sky. "I'm not going to be in Fernham High next year."

"What?" Ariel blurted, "Why?"

Esper turned to the blond. "I'm going to a private school."

"A private school?" Sandy asked.

"It's an expensive school with better facilities and better education," Ariel clarified. She turned back to Esper. "Why are you going there?"

"I just received a large inheritance," Esper answered, "My parents thought that I need a better education to manage my wealth."

The news of her friend's windfall had Sandy's attention. Ariel was interested too as she listened intently.

"One morning last week," Esper began her story, "a man showed up at my doorstep and told us this incredible story, that I had a dead relative who willed me some money. The next day, my parents and I and that man were at an attorney's office with a lot of people I don't know. I thought it's just a small sum, you know, maybe pay for college, then maybe a car."

Esper paused for a breath. "It was much more than that. Not just money but stocks and property. My parents wanted me to learn to manage all my wealth. Well, it will be mine once it's fully transfered to my name on my eighteenth birthday. My grandmother's holding it in trust until then. She's the grandmother I didn't know I had until we met at the attorney's."

"Oh," Sandy uttered at the end of it all. Was she ever going to see her friend again, her rich friend?

Esper smiled. "Hey, I'll still be around town, just not in the same school. We can still hang out during the holidays."

Ariel smiled back. "Yeah, I guess so."

Esper took out her handphone from the pocket of her slacks for a look at the time. "Hey, uh, look. I've to get home and get ready. I've dinner tonight with my grandmother." She sighed. "It's going to take a whole hour to wash all this sweat off."

"Okay," Ariel said.

Esper took out her purse. "Here, let me pay for your cab fare home."

Ariel would not accept it. "Thanks, but no. You've already paid for so much!"

Oh, no, no! Ariel was denying free money! Should Sandy asked for her fare? It would not be appropriate, would it? Yeah, she could not do it. Ariel would not like it. And she had just become friends with the bespectacled blond again.

"Well, okay, then." Esper put away her purse and glanced at the cabs. There were a couple available and no passengers were queuing. "See you around!"

Handful of Sand Chapter 43 Page 2

Just beyond the front gate was a raccoon mascot greeting a few children. The mascot had a red turtleneck sweater over his thick suit. Considering the day's expected weather, the poor man inside would soon be sweating, if he were not suffering already.

Ariel turned to Esper. "Where's Selina? Shouldn't she be with us?"

The mention of Selina's name brought back a little of Sandy's disappointment but she pushed it aside. Her friends could not have known of what had happened between her and their mutual friend. Sandy was going to have fun that day and not worry about her lost dream.

"Oh, uh, she's left town." Esper glanced down at the asphalt driveway they stood on. "Her dad suddenly had a job offer in another state and they had to move immediately."

"I didn't hear about that," Ariel said.

"It was sudden," Esper added, "She didn't even have time to say a proper goodbye, only a phone call."

Perhaps it was for the best that Selina had left. Sandy was not certain how she would act if she ever met her former classmate again. She was still sad that she was not rich. And she was not certain who she should pin the blame on.

Esper took out a digital camera from her backpack. "How about a photo with the mascot?" She gestured towards the poor guy in the raccoon suit.

After a few photos, the girls decided on a roller coaster ride. The SkewerShot was Bellington Acres Amusement Park's star attraction, which included an exciting ride through two sections of twisted tracks. The first twist to build the anticipation, and the second longer one for the climax. The long queue promised that its high price of admission was worth it.

After a ride of high-speed twists and drops, ending with a gentle dock at the platform, Ariel was left wobbling unsteadily and struggling to keep her breakfast down. Sandy and Esper fared much better and were already looking for their next excitement.

The girls tried the pirate ship next. After the last ride, Ariel was a little apprehensive about riding a giant swinging boat but it turned out to be mild compared to the roller coaster.

Seeking a repeat of their first exciting ride, Sandy and Esper went for another go on the SkewerShot. The long queue failed to dampened their enthusiasm. Ariel wisely skipped the ride. Instead, she took photos of her friends from the ground with Esper's camera.

As the day grew hotter, Esper bought her friends cold drinks and souvenir hats. After they had a brief rest, they rode the teacups for a more relaxed ride.

By lunch time, Sandy's mood was already much brighter. Ariel had spoken to her normally as they chatted during lunch. Even after Esper had left them alone together when she had gone to the washroom.

"So today has been great so far," Sandy was commenting.

"Yeah."

Ariel's brief silence had Sandy concerned. Their relationship was just getting better.

"Um, Sandy?" Ariel started.

"Yes?"

"Sorry I tried to kill you that time," Ariel apologized.

"It's okay," Sandy said, "I'm sorry to have dragged you into that mess in the first place."

"So, best friends again?"

"I'd like that."

The girls looked at each other for a moment. "According to girlie movies, we're supposed to hug at this point," Ariel stated.

Hugging was a little awkward to do since they were still seated at their table for lunch. Plus their fingers had traces of ketchup and oil.

"Let's just eat," Sandy decided as she picked up her half-eaten burger.

Esper returned to catch the girls talking about their holiday plans. Actually, it was more of Sandy complaining about nothing to do. The curly-haired girl put on a bright smile and asked, "Want to get some ice cream?"

"Later," Ariel said, "you should finish your lunch first." She indicated the food that Esper had yet to finish.

"Yes, Mum," Esper obeyed.

Ariel frowned at that reply.

Handful of Sand Chapter 43 Page 1

Since the Friday she had returned home, Sandy had been depressed. She was safe. But her promised inheritance had never existed. It was not real. There was never any money for her.

Her fortune card had been returned with the rest of her belongings that she had left at the police safe house. But Sandy had shoved the card deep into a desk drawer and had pushed all thought of it out of her mind. She had never found her wealth. What was the point of a life without something to look forward to?

She had heard that Officer Murphy's condition had improved. The policewoman was on the road to recovery. However, the news merely removed a worry from her mind. Depression was still a thick, stuffy cloud over her.

Her roommate, the eternally cheerful Ditz had not been able to shake Sandy out of her gloomy mood. The middle-schooler had tried juggling. She had bounced around their shared room. She had even danced. All of which failed to lift Sandy out of her dark mood.

Though, to be fair, Ditz had not acted any differently from normal.

Sandy had done her chores lifelessly. She had looked at the flashy images on the television without paying any real attention. She had gone to bed early each day and had woken up late. And she had never once indulged in her favorite pastime of lying in bed and listening to music. What was the point? The cheerful music and romantic love songs had not appealed to her. In fact, it had pained her to be tempted by happiness and fuzzy-good feelings when her dream had been crushed.

Instead, she had spent much of her time staring out the window, either in the kitchen or in her bedroom. The silence had been a welcome comfort, a reliable presence when she had brooded in self-pity.

Celeste had been too busy with her job to be with Sandy. Momma Lois had counseled Sandy twice. However, both sessions had not helped Sandy feel any better.

On Tuesday evening, Sandy had a phone call from Esper, inviting her out to the amusement park. Maybe she would find something fun to do with her classmate. The opportunity to spend time with a friend and enjoy herself appealed. It somehow reached through her despair and offered a little hope. Her mood changed from deeply gloomy to mildly depressed.

Thus, early on Wednesday morning, Sandy sat waiting on the threshold of the front door. It was a long wait for her since she was ready long before the appointed time. She had not felt like doing anything else. So she sat there, watching the occasional traffic or the passing pedestrian.

Sandy was dressed in T-shirt, shorts and sneakers - appropriate clothes for the weather. The sun, on its way up to the clear sky, promised a hot day.

A light brown SUV arrived. Sandy recognized Esper in the front passenger seat. She also noticed Ariel in the back.

"Morning, everyone," Sandy greeted as she joined Ariel in the back.

"Sandy, this is my Mum," Esper introduced the adult behind the wheel.

"Morning, Mrs Valverde," Sandy greeted the driver politely.

"Oh, it's Mrs Carpenter," Esper's mum corrected her with a smile, "Valverde is Esperanza's surname."

Then Sandy remembered that Esper had been adopted. It made sense that her mum did not share her surname. It also explained the reason Mrs Carpenter had fair skin and red curls while Esper's skin was olive. And her friend had curly black hair.

Most of the conversation during the car ride was between Esper and her mum. Sandy just did not have anything to say to Ariel. She was too depressed to think of anything. Ariel, she assumed, was still feeling a little distant.

Things were still a little awkward when Mrs Carpenter dropped the girls off at the Bellington Acres Amusement Park, located on a small plot of land just outside the city. After a few private words with Esper, the mother drove away.

The girls joined the queue at the amusement park entrance. The line was moderate in length and it moved quickly. The girls did not have to wait long before they reached the ticket counter. Esper paid for each of the girls' entrance tickets.

"Thanks, Esper," Sandy said to her friend as they entered the park together. She gave a weak smile.

Ariel too expressed her gratitude.

"It's my treat today," Esper said to the girls cheerfully, "I'll pay for everything. So don't worry and have fun!"

"Really?" Sandy's smile grew.

"Yes, really!" Esper told her.

Maybe it would not be such a bad day after all. Sandy had been worried about her budget, which was small despite Momma Lois giving her a little extra to enjoy herself with. Since Esper was paying, what she should do first?

Monday, September 5, 2011

Handful of Sand Chapter 42 Page 3

Sandy put on her hat and walked over to the edge of the parking area, where she sat on a bench. From there, she had a closer look at the park behind her. There were a few young women reading their books under a tree. There was a mother taking a group of children for a walk. There was a couple walking their canine friends.

Everyone was out to enjoy the fine weather.

That park was where it had all started, where Sandy had heard her fortune. Well, the fortune teller's tent had been deeper in the park but she was in the general area. Her fortune card was no longer with her - she had left it behind on that rainy night when she had run from the police safe house. Hopefully she would get it back after it was all over. The card deserved to be framed for accompanying her through most of her journey, one that would end soon, with lots of money!

Then Sandy noticed a brown sedan enter the parking lot. It stopped a short distance from her. Out of the passenger side of the vehicle stepped Detective Brunel with his familiar fauxhawk hairstyle.

The detective stepped up to the teenager. "Hi, Ms Gould," he greeted.

Sandy smiled at him. "Hi, Detective."

Detective Brunel glanced around. "She's gone?"

"Yeah, Selina's gone."

"I've got a million questions for that girl." The detective sighed. He gestured an invitation towards the car. "Let's go."

Detective Brunel sat in the front passenger seat while Meir, his bald partner was the driver. Sandy took off her hat and entered the back.

"We'll drive you home," Detective Brunel looked back to tell Sandy, "I hope you'll come by the station tomorrow to answer some questions."

In the back seat of the car, Sandy asked, "Did you get whoever wants me dead?"

"We're getting there," Detective Meir at the wheel replied evasively, "We've an idea who it is."

Sandy sighed. "I'm just glad that Selina was there to keep me safe. I wonder who hired her."

Detective Brunel answered her, "We believe that she's part of a team hired to safeguard the heiress. The whole affair's a mess. Someone wants the money and is willing to kill for it. Someone else doesn't want this someone to get the money. Someone thinks that the heiress should get all the money." He sighed. "Don't worry about it."

"But I'm the heiress, right?" Sandy asked.

"What do you mean?" Detective Brunel asked back.

"I'm the one who'll inherit all the money, right?" Sandy asked again.

Both detectives glanced at each other. "She didn't tell you?" Detective Brunel asked.

"Who didn't tell me?" Sandy asked, confused.

"She's a crafty one," Detective Meir muttered.

Detective Brunel looked back at the teenager. "Look, Ms Gould... Sandy, you're not the heiress. There's no money for you."

Sandy sat up. "What!? Why?" Anxiety grew within her.

"You were never in the will, you're not one of the beneficiaries."

Sandy stared at the detective. "This can't be."

"The meeting to read the will and distribute the estate of Oscar Killington had been concluded this morning," Detective Brunel informed her.

"Shouldn't I have been there!?" Sandy was in a panic.

Detective Brunel shook his head slowly. "Sandy, you were never one of the beneficiaries," he repeated, "The real heiress was there and she inherited all the wealth that was stipulated to her in the will."

Sandy remained silent for the rest of the trip. There had never been any money for her? Had her fortune been a lie? Then why had Selina protected her the past few days, the past few months? What had Selina's role been in all that?

The car pulled up in front of the Sunshine Girls Home.

The teenage girl quietly got out of the car. Belatedly, she remembered to take her hat with her. She saw that Momma Lois and Celeste had stepped out of the house and were waiting for her.

When Sandy had been locked in that basement, in that filthy room so many months ago, she had not cried. When her best friend had tried to kill her, she had not cried. When she had been alone in the woods with an assassin, when her life had been in danger, she had not either. She had survived kidnappings and murder attempts and each time, she had not cried.

It was because she had believed in her fortune. She had looked forward to the time when she would inherit her great wealth. All her trials and tribulations had paled in comparison to the reward that she would receive.

But then she had discovered that her promised wealth had been an illusion. The goal that she had reached for had never existed.

Sandy ran into Momma Lois's arms and cried.

***