A woman walked over. “You must be Honor’s sisters.”
“What gave it away?” Brit asked.
The woman offered a pleasant smile. “You’re Honor’s special guests, so you’ll be sitting up front.”
As they followed her, Brit whispered, “Liliana did that to Honor, now she’s doing that same thing to us.”
“I know,” Addison replied.
At about fifteen feet from the stage, the woman gestured to a white line on the dark carpet. “Please don’t cross this.” She retreated to the back.
The burgundy curtains were partly open, revealing an oversized white chair in the middle of the stage, illuminated by a single spotlight. Dozens of silver-framed photos lined the stark white walls.
Rather than sit, Brit said, “I’m going to check out the pictures.”
Addison caught up to her. “You’re not leaving me alone.”
Brit looped her arm through her sister’s. “Creeped out?”
“Aren’t you?”
As they moseyed around the large room, studying the photos, Brit’s pulse quickened. “It’s Mom.”
For what felt like a long time, they stared at the picture.
“That’s how I remember her,” Brit said.
“I remember people telling her how much we looked alike,” Addison said. “Long, dark hair, big smiles.”
“I got Dad’s dark eyes,” Brit said. “You have mom’s light eyes.”
“She doesn’t look like that anymore,” Addison said.
Sadness shone in Addison’s eyes.
“No, she doesn’t,” Brit agreed.
“I remember when she left, Dad threw out her pictures,” Brit said. “I didn’t recognize her when we first saw her, but I definitely know the woman in these photos. Feels like a lifetime ago.”
“There you are!” Honor’s big smile filled her small face. She hugged each of them before addressing the photo. “There are more pictures of Liliana, if you want to see them.”
Honor had worn a black shirt, black pants, and an oversized black suit jacket that looked like it belonged to Jordan. Normally, she dressed in earth tones, but tonight she stood in sharp contrast to the sea of white.
She’s making a statement with her clothing. She’s letting them know she’s not like them.
Honor pointed out several more pictures of Liliana, then pointed out one of Jordan. “That’s when he first got here.” She ran her finger over his photo. “He’s lost a little weight since then and he’s definitely a better dresser now.” Her lighthearted laugh caught Brit’s ear.
“I’m surprised he’s not here,” Addison said.
“Oh, he’s coming,” Honor said.
“I thought you said he didn’t like Craig or the cult,” Brit added.
“He doesn’t,” Honor said. “But he’s very proud of me, and he wants to support me. Today’s a big day for me. I’ve dreamed of this for a long, long time.”
Joaquin
Rebel spenta balls-to-the-wall day with his BLACK OPS team. They’d covered the gamut from target practice, to rescue drills at Henninger’s faux village, then concluded with rope drops from the helo.
