Twenty One - Sixth Sense (.035)

"Wow." Faven breathed the first words. The group stood on the lawn gazing at the house before them.

Ellyn had caught glimpses of houses similar to this. Vaughn spent a lot of time floundering with his more blessed aquatints and of course Ellyn had to parade along with him. By the looks on the rest of the family's faces, they had never seen anything remotely close to something like this. Compared to the other houses they had seen on their way here and surrounding it, this house was the most modern of the bunch. Glass windows lined the home, revealing the intimate details of the interior within. The grass surrounding it was a shade greener than the grass adjacent from it.

"I guess the grass is greener on the other side." Faven whispered.

 "You can say that again." Shirley agreed.

"Just go knock in the door. Someone will answer." The driver, whose name ended up being Frankie, called from behind as he struggled with everyone's bags.

Everyone kept a slow pace as they walked towards the unknown house. They walked on the patio and paused. They looked at one another, waiting to see who would be brave enough to knock on the door.

A petite woman appeared from behind the glass door. Her tan skin flushed red as she almost broke the door handle trying to open it. "Ahhhh! Oh my Marry! You all have finally made it! I'm so happy to finally see you all! Come in! Come in!" Ellyn's eyes flashed open in not surprise and worry. Was this Shirley's replacement? Ellyn quickly looked over at Shirley who was giving the woman a faint smile. Ellyn could tell that deep down inside, Shirley's greatest fear had unfolded right in front of her eyes.

She led the group towards the living room, continuing her rambling. "Ayyee! How was the flight here? My god! I feel like I know you all already! Micah talks about you all the time! Oh my, where are my manners?" The woman with a very thick accent suddenly slapped her hand across her forehead. "I am Zoë, but you can call me Zee Zee for short. I'm Mr. Micah's assistant!" She suddenly stopped and looked towards the door. "Frankie take their luggage to their rooms ¡por favor!" She said, finally acknowledging the man standing in the door frame with every ones luggage. After speaking to the drive, she motioned for everyone to sit on the couch.

Once everyone was seated, she abruptly darted off towards the kitchen. Once again, everyone began exchanging looks.

 Zoë appeared back with wine and other snacks on her little hospitality cart. "I know you all can use a drink or something to eat! I know you all may be exhausted! Flying is so crazy!"

"I hate flying, but it's not for everyone. "My Marry! You all look so tired! You should get some rest! You all have the rest of the day to relax, take a soak in the pool, blah blah blah." Zoë flailed her hands around in the air then took a sip of her wine and sat it down on the table. "So let me see if I can guess names." she placed her hand on her chin and squinted her eyes at each member, who sat quietly and awkwardly on the couch.

"Well obviously you Shirley!" Zoë beamed as she turned her attention to the woman sitting across from her. Mr. Micah keeps a picture of you everywhere he goes. You much more beautiful in person!"

"Thank you." Shirley said weakly, and then cleared her throat. "How long have you been Micah's assistant?"

"For about nine year and a very rough nine year at that! My Marry!" She dramatically whipped her forehead. "Ok now you are Faven, right? Shirley's sister?"

 Faven simply nodded.

 "Okay, okay. And I believe we have the famous twins! My Marry! You both have grown so much from the picture!"

 "Well it's been eleven years..." Isaiah mumbled under his breath. Ellyn turned and gave him a harsh look.

"Ayee well it is very nice to meet you all! Oh I'm sorry; Mr. Micah never spoke anything about you. What is you name?" Zoë now has her attention in Ellyn. 

Ellyn's face reddened, now suddenly the center of attention. "Uh..."

"She is my girlfriend, Ellyn." Gabriel spoke up. Everyone, including Ellyn, snapped their necks towards the man who had dared to speak the word no one had the guts to say aloud. He turned to face Ellyn and smiled at her. They were all aware that she and Gabriel were more than just roommates, but Ellyn never really slapped a title on what they really were until he did. What scared her the most was that it didn't bother her. Being someone's girlfriend. Ellyn knew Gabriel was every thing she needed right now in her life. She couldn't help but smile back.

"Well, I'm going to let you all go, you all look pretty—" she paused, looking for the right word. "Oh never mind." She took another sip of her wine. "Oh before I forget, tomorrow night is the annual Christmas Eve Gala for honorary musicians and its being hosted here in Barcelona! Only the most exclusive people are invited and Micah just so happened to be one that will be nominated for a lifetime achievement award. He and his family members are invited, of course--"

"Is that why he brought us down here?" Gabriel's harsh voice rough suddenly shifted the atmosphere. "To brag and show us off like some damn trophy? He doesn't even know us! I thought he wanted to get to know us. The people he left behind. The people that aren't the same people after eleven years." Gabriel's hands where going a mile a minute.

Everyone held their breath, looking at the suddenly enraged man, awaiting his next move.

"Uh," Zoë mumbled, "I'm sure seeing you all is in Mr. Micah's best interest--"

"Whatever. I'll be in my room." Gabriel rested his hands then stormed off.

Shirley turned to Zoë. "I'm sorry about that. He's usually not like that."

Zoë waved her hand at Shirley. "After dealing with Mr. Micah for ten year, I'm use to it and you all had a long day..." There was a long pause before Zoë continued. It was like the fire that was in her voice only a minute ago had disappeared. "Well I should probably get going. If you all need to go anywhere or do anything, Frankie will be here so just let him know. I'll be back around four tomorrow with your gowns and tuxs. As a matter of fact—" she quickly being sorting through her purse and suddenly pulled out a small notepad and a long band of measuring tape.

 "Sizes." She held up the band and quickly stood in front of each person gathering their waist, chest, and hip sizes. It would have been an understatement to say everyone was uncomfortable throughout this process.

Finally, she was done gathering her information, said her goodbyes and left everyone to enjoy the luxurious house.

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Once everyone had come to an agreement on which room they would claim as their own, the family said their good nights and went to sleep. Based on the room arrangements, Shirley was left to fend for herself against the anxiety and pressure of what tomorrow held for her. She laid in the king sized bed staring at the ceiling above her.

Never did she think that at this very moment, she would be a step closer to finally seeing the man she has always loved. Just thinking of it brought back old, childish butterflies into her stomach and made her more eager for the sun to rise the next day. What did he look like after all these years? Did he even love me anymore? Was I even a major part of his life anymore? 

She turned onto her side, and shook those assumptions from her head, because at the end of the day, she would finally be in his presence. After eleven long years, Shirley would finally touch the soft chocolate skin and kiss the lips she had gone too long without. That night she fell asleep with a smile on her face equivalent to the moon.

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I REALLY apologize for the wait. 2 whole months.
*sigh* I could kick my own ass.
I gave up Sims for lent, which unfortunately included GF.
I hope you all enjoyed it.
This was just a transition chapter, so the juicy stuff is coming VERY soon. :)