Full Circle - Day 7

If you are new to this blog, start with the first post (Day 1). Happy reading and don't forget to leave your comments.

Day 7

Knowing it was Victoria, didn’t give Viola any comfort. She now found herself gripped with fear. The room felt as though it was spinning and she silently willed herself not to faint. “Victoria… ” she managed to whisper.
“Yes, Mother, it’s me. I just wanted to spend some time alone with my dear sister. Not to worry though, I wasn’t going to forget about you and Father.” She laughed, her eyes easily reading the fear on her mothers face.
Viola saw something very dark in her daughter’s eyes now. “Oh my God!” she screamed. Running across the room, she felt along the wall until she found the light switch. Frantically, she turned on the lights. “Alexandria!” she screamed. For a moment, she stood frozen in her tracks, fearing the very worst. “Alexandria!”
“Poor Alexandria,” Victoria mocked. “Oh please, Mother, she’s fine.” Getting up from the bed now, she walked slowly towards her mother.
Viola looked past Victoria to where Alexandria lay motionless in the bed. Her breathing quickened as she wondered why Alexandria had said nothing during all of this. It was at that moment that she was able to see that Alexandria had not been asleep at all. Victoria had somehow managed to place tape over her mouth and had even bound her hands and feet with a cord. Viola could imagine no greater evil… until she turned to face her youngest daughter. Covering her mouth with her hands, a scream froze on her lips as she realized Victoria was holding a gun.
Victoria let out a deep throaty laugh, amused by the look of sheer fear on her mother’s face. “What’s wrong, Mother? I thought you would be happy to have the family… well most of us anyway, all here together for the holidays.” Slowly, as if enjoying every moment she could torment her mother, she moved closer to her.
Viola fell back against the bed as she desperately tried to keep distance between her daughter and herself.
This too, amused Victoria. “What’s wrong, Mother? I just wanted to talk… catch up. It has been awhile you know.” She added, quickly closing the distance between the two of them.
Viola screamed as Victoria lunged toward her. Almost instantly, Ivan appeared in the doorway. Though startled by what he saw taking place in the room, he didn’t let on. “Victoria,” he commanded, “leave them. I think your problem is with me, not them.”
Turning, she faced her father. “Not exactly, Father,” she said flatly, “my problem is with all of you.”
Viola took advantage of the distraction Ivan’s presence brought, and struggled to free Alexandria. Untying the last bit of cord, she wrapped her arms protectively around her daughter. But Alexandria had other plans. She needed to confront her sister. Freeing herself from her mother’s embrace, she stood. Staring now, deep into her sister’s eyes, she seemed to be searching for something. “Victoria,” she said softly, calmly, “we all agree it’s time to talk this out. But is this really how you want to do it?”
Ivan silently watched the exchange between the two sisters. With most of his focus on Victoria, he soon found the moment of weakness he had been anticipating. Her eyes gave it away. Slowly, stealthily, he moved toward her. But Victoria knew her father all too well. “No, Father,” she said, quickly recomposing herself, “I will not be the blemish that you get rid of this time.”
Be sure to look for the continuation of this story in about 3 days.

Full Circle - Day 6

If you are new to this blog, start with the first post (Day 1). Happy reading and don't forget to leave your comments.

Day 6

A chill crept up viola’s spine as she readied herself for bed. Though she tried, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. Quickly slipping into her robe, she glanced over at Ivan. He was quite obviously losing no sleep over this whole situation with Victoria, as he slept soundly on his side of the king sized bed. She smiled sadly. He looked so peaceful when he was asleep. He looked young and happy and as if he didn’t have a care in the world. She only wished that was actually his reality. But was that even possible? She wondered as she left the room to check on Alexandria. After a lengthy debate, she had finally convinced her to stay the night. No one knew what Victoria was capable of. So at least for tonight, Viola felt some degree of peace just knowing that they were all in the same place together.

Viola pulled the door closed behind her, being careful not to let it click. Ivan was a pretty light sleeper and he never approved of having his few precious hours of sleep disrupted.

Quickly, she made her way down the hallway. The professionally hung holiday lights provided a soft glow, giving her just enough light to make her way safely to the room where Alexandria was. Reaching the bedroom door, she paused allowing her hand to rest lightly on the doorknob. She stood there as memories of much happier times began to race through her mind. This room… this was the room that she had spent weeks

preparing for the girls. The cribs and the bed. The stuffed animals… pink ballerina pictures that hung on each wall. Cotton candy pink lace curtains. The room had had to be absolutely perfect for her girls. A room for them all to share and grow and live a happy carefree life. A look of nostalgia rested itself on her face as she remembered how eager Alexandria had been to become a big sister. Her eyes filled with tears as she realized that those memories now seemed to have been a lifetime ago. Life at that time had seemed so simple and so perfect.

Viola sighed. The past was the past. Her reality was what was going on in her world right now and nothing seemed quite so simple and perfect anymore. So many things had changed because of just one night.

Viola tapped lightly on the door before opening it and stepping inside. She knew Alexandria was exhausted and that she was certain to be asleep. This visit was really more for her than Alexandria anyway. The room was dark, just the way Alexandria had liked to sleep every since she was twelve.

Carefully, Viola made her way through the darkened room. After years of doing this, she remembered exactly where each piece of furniture was, so she didn’t need to bother turning on the light. Quietly she made her way over to the bed where her daughter was sleeping. She knew Alexandria was curled up in the fetal position, her most favorite way to sleep. Viola stroked her long, dark hair before kissing the top of her head. She loved having her in the house again, she only wished it were a much happier visit. After giving her another kiss on the top of her head, Viola turned to leave the room. She really didn’t want to awaken her.

“What, no kiss for me, Mother?” someone called out from across the room, startling her.

Viola turned, even in the darkness of the room, she could make out Victoria’s form as she lay stretched out across the bed that used to be her own.

Be sure to look for the continuation of this story in about 3 days.

Full Circle - Day 5

If you are new to this blog, start with the first post (Day 1). Happy reading and don't forget to leave your comments.

Day 5

Ivan rushed home to find his wife and daughter huddled together in their beautifully decorated sitting room. “Viola, Alexandria… What is this, this nonsense about Victoria?

Viola started to speak but was quickly cut off by her daughter. “It’s called full circle, Father,” she answered, her words dripping with sarcasm and anger. She didn’t hate her father, she couldn’t. But she did hate the iron-fisted way he dealt with everything concerning the family. She hated what he had allowed the family to become. She hated what he had made them all do. She never spoke these words, but the message was always very clear in her eyes… especially now.

Ivan put his hand up. He loved his daughter but he had not just rushed out of a very important business meeting simply to have to deal with another of Alexandria’s very over-the-top melodramatic episodes. “Not now, Alexandria,” he said swiftly, sending a very clear message. Moving closer to his wife now, he took Viola gently, but firmly by the arm. “Viola, why didn’t you tell me last night about Victoria?” he questioned. The veins in his neck were becoming more prominent now and Viola could see that he was clenching his jaw. This was a very clear indication that he was more than just a little annoyed.

Diverting her gaze away from him, she shrugged her shoulders like a child. This is often how she felt whenever he would begin to turn into hurricane Ivan. “I… I don’t really know, Ivan,” she said softly, searching for something, anything that would defuse the situation before it got any worse. “I’m still a little confused about last night myself. I…” “You what?” Ivan angrily asked, cutting her off. He stared at her for a moment. Frustrated, he ran his fingers through his salt and pepper mane. ”Okay,” he said, softer now, “Okay, let’s just see where we are here. You found out last night that Victoria is back in Windsor, I didn’t.” he added sarcastically. “So where is she now and what does she want?” Not getting an immediate answer from anyone, Ivan turned and walked over to stand near the window. He really needed a moment to clear his head and calm down. No problem was ever solved by irrational thinking.

Viola walked over and stood beside him. “Ivan, I really don’t know anything more than what we’ve already told you… here and on the phone. And the things that happened last night, I’ve told you, I thought it was really all just part of some bad dream. Until,” she added hesitantly, “until Alexandria showed up here today and told me about the phone call.”

Ivan turned to look at her now. “Phone call? What phone call?”

Viola took note of his posture now and felt that he seemed more panicked at this point, than simply annoyed. “It was nothing really.” she answered. “She said something to Alexandria about coming over here.” There were those veins in his neck again that were becoming all too familiar.

“Okay, so now what?” Ivan asked, looking first at Viola and then Alexandria. “Do we just sit here and wait? And wait for what?”

Alexandria shifted in her seat. “Well why don’t you tell us what we should do, Father? After all, you always know just the right way to solve every problem. Doesn’t he, Mother?” she added.

“Not now Alexandria,” Viola said sternly. She knew how much Alexandria liked to instigate ugly situations with her father, especially after Victoria left home. “Ivan,” she said softly, turning her attention back to him. “What choice do we have other than to wait? We don’t know where she is and we have absolutely no idea what she wants with us. What else can we do?”

Ivan frowned at her words. He refused to allow Victoria to have the element of surprise over them. He had to do something. He had to deal with Victoria once and for all. Otherwise, things could get messy… very messy. He had to put an end to it all now. It was time.

Be sure to look for the continuation of this story in about 3 days.

Full Circle - Day 4

If you are new to this blog, start with the first post (Day 1). Happy reading and don't forget to leave your comments.

Day 4

Victoria laughed again. “Hello, dear sister,” she said with deadly calmness.
Alexandria struggled to compose herself. “Victoria, where are you? Where is Mother?” she asked, determined not to show any sign of fear. She knew her sister would only feed on that.
Victoria laughed. “Well, unfortunately I have not been over to see Mother yet. I’m sure I will see her soon enough though.”
Alexandria let out a small sigh of relief. At least she knew that she would get to her mother first since she was only two blocks away now. “Listen, Victoria,” she said softly, hoping to reason with her or at the very least just keep her on the line until she arrived. “I know how you feel about Mother for allowing Father to send you away. I know how you feel about Father and me as well. But I don’t think…” she stopped mid-sentence, knowing the exact moment when her sister hung up the phone. No one had known, but she had tried several times to reach out to her sister, to heal the relationship, but nothing had worked. Alexandria had never been interested in reconciliation, only revenge.
As she pulled into the driveway of her parents’ home, Alexandria tried to shake the images of that night almost four years ago, that were beginning to resurface. That was the night that had changed all of their lives forever. The images were clear and rapid now, as though she was flipping through the pages of an old photo album. The long hallway… the basement… These images were so vivid, so real now that she could feel the damp, dark coldness of that very night. She could remember the shrill crying… the panicked, raised voices.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she shook her head, trying to erase the voices and images of that night from her mind. But she couldn’t. It was all too real and overwhelming. Suddenly, she was seventeen again and helpless as the pictures played out in her head. “No!” she cried as she raced from the car, trying desperately to escape the past that haunted her. Sobbing uncontrollably, she collapsed against the front doors of the house. She was so completely lost in the haunting pain of that night, she never saw the car that pulled into the driveway and parked behind her own.
Viola pulled into the driveway and parked behind her daughter’s car. Although happy to have the company, she wondered what her oldest daughter was doing here in the middle of a work day. As a surgical nurse, Alexandria had always taken great pride in her work and very rarely allowed herself to put anything before it.
As she continued to contemplate the reason for her daughter’s visit, Viola slung her oversized Louis Vuitton over her shoulder and slid out of the car. She made a mental note, reminding herself to tell her husband, Ivan about the small scratch she had gotten in the door of the car today. Of course, to him it would be considered a blemish… and that would never do. A blemish- she cringed. It was a word that he used often to describe anything undesirable. Anything less than absolute perfection. Oh yes, Ivan demanded perfection. Perfect house…mini mansion. Perfect cars… his and hers Mercedes. Perfect wife, and of course, perfect children. Not so much as a hair out of place was acceptable to Ivan. Anything less… any blemish would have to be removed.
Viola shook her head sadly. They had made a lot of sacrifices for the sake of perfection. Too many. Tears began to fill her eyes as she fumbled through her bag for her keys. Because of this, she was unaware of the crumpled heap that lay just a few feet away from her, until she heard sobbing like that of a lost child. One swift move of the hand and the tears were gone, leaving no evidence that she had even been the least bit upset. Clearing her throat, she smoothed out invisible wrinkles on her black, sleeveless Donna Karen dress. It would never do to have someone see her disheveled. Now holding her head up high, she quickened her pace as she made her way to the front door. As she got closer, she soon realized that the person lying there was in fact not a child at all.
Quickly reaching into her bag, she grabbed her cell phone. With one finger on the speed-dial for 911, she cautiously stepped closer for a better look. Her eyes widened with disbelief as she realized it was her daughter, Alexandria. “Alexandria!” she said firmly.
At the sound of her voice, the crumpled heap shifted, enabling Viola to see that Alexandria’s eyes were red and swollen from crying. How long had she been here? Viola wondered as she began to gently help her up to her feet. “Let’s get you inside,” she said in a hushed tone, “before… “ Her words trailed off. Ivan had them so conditioned for absolute perfection, that her first thought was to simply get her inside so that no one would see them in any sort of uncomplimentary light. It pained her that her immediate reaction had not been to cradle her daughter in her arms and just hold her there until she felt well enough to talk about whatever it was that had upset her so greatly. But that simply was not the Van Cort way.
Upon entering the house, Viola helped Alexandria to the antique chaise in the sitting room. She left her there briefly while she went to make her a cup of tea. When she returned, she found Alexandria standing, staring out of the window. She must be feeling better now, Viola thought to herself as she handed her a beautiful gold-trimmed tea cup. “Would you like to talk now?” she asked softly. As she waited for a response, she walked across the room and took a seat in one of the two oversized arm chairs near the fireplace.
Alexandria waited for her mother to be seated. Without ever taking her eyes off of the window, she whispered, “she’s here.”
Viola sat silently, waiting for her to continue.
Wrapping her arms around herself, Alexandria spoke the words again. “She’s here. Victoria is here, Mother.”
Viola felt a knot rise from the pit of her stomach and move steadily upward until it formed a lump in her throat… swelling…. Preventing her from speaking.
In the silence, Alexandria turned slowly now from the window to face her mother. “I think you know why she’s here. I think it’s time… “
“No!” Viola shouted, rising quickly from the chair. “I’m going to call your father. He will handle this.”
Alexandria laughed, mocking her mothers words. “Yes, Mother, he will. Father takes care of everything, doesn’t he? How do you think he will handle it this time?” she asked, sarcastically.
Viola stopped dialing the number and held the phone in her hand.. Looking directly at her daughter, she said, “You don’t know what you’re saying, Alexandria. You have absolutely no idea how big this really is. You have no idea,” she repeated as tears began to fall down her cheeks.
Be sure to look for the continuation of this story in about 3 days.

Full Circle - Day 3

If you are new to this blog, start with the first post (Day 1). Happy reading and don't forget to leave your comments.

Day 3

News travels fast in small towns. Windsor Maine was no exception. Within a couple of hours of Victoria arriving at the precinct, Alexandria, her oldest sister had already heard the news. Quickly she packed a small bag as she prepared to travel the eleven miles it would take her to reach her parents home. Her heart raced as she thought of her mother having to face Victoria alone. Victoria was dark and dangerous and she blamed her family for everything that she felt was wrong with her life. Most of all, her mother and that’s why Alexandria knew that she would be headed straight over there as soon as she got the opportunity. Quickly, she rushed out of the house, knowing that she needed to be there first. No one really knew what Victoria was capable of doing.
The normal half hour drive through town would take much longer today. Although it was still quite early in the morning, the roads were crowded with eager holiday shoppers. Alexandria loved this time of year most of all. As she watched the tourists mingle through the streets and into the shops amongst the locals, she tried to calm down and not allow herself to think of what might happen if Victoria arrived at their parents home first.
Though she desperately tried, as she was faced with stop lights and stop signs as she made her way through the city, Alexandria found it very difficult to remain calm. She had been trying to reach her mother all morning and had still not gotten an answer. She had even tried to reach her father in his office but was told he would be in meetings all day and was not to be disturbed.
While stopped at another light, Alexandria frantically tried dialing her mother’s number again. With the phone on speaker, she listened as it continued to ring, all along she prayed that at any moment she would hear her mother’s voice on the other end. Still no answer. She hung up. Wanting desperately to shake the negative thoughts that were beginning to envelop her with fear, she tried again to enjoy the winter wonderland that was all around her. She tried to lose herself in the beautifully decorated shop windows, the beautiful lights that hung on windows and trees and especially the fluffy white blankets of snow that covered trees and rooftops and sidewalks. A smile crept across her face as she watched the children happily skipping through the snow. She knew they were looking forward to all the fun the holidays brought… gifts, sledding and snowball fights. The most spectacular sight of all for Alexandria though, was the sight of a beautiful deer prancing across someone’s lawn with eyes bright as though it too, loved the joyfulness that this time of year seemed to bring to everyone.
Alexandria sighed. She began to feel a lot better as she was now able to move quickly along the roads, having finally gotten out of the city. But her newfound state of calmness was soon disrupted by the sounds of Jingle Bells playing on her cell phone. “Hello, Mother?” she said quickly, not taking the time to check the Call ID. There was a deafening silence on the other end of the phone. As she was about to move the phone from her ear to see who had placed the call, she heard the most menacing, mocking laugh she had ever heard. But it was one that she easily recognized. “Victoria!” she gasped. In that instance, she could actually feel her blood turning cold.
Be sure to look for the continuation of this story in 3 days.

Full Circle - Day 2

Thank you for taking the time to read my story and post your comments. As promised, Day 2...

Day 2

Viola could feel someone tugging her and pulling on her robe. She tried to open her eyes and sit up but her body felt too weak to cooperate and her head was throbbing. As she lay there unable to move, she realized she could hear voices and rushed footsteps all around her. Her heart raced. She had no idea what had happened. Maybe I had a heart attack, she thought, panic quickly setting in. “Oh God, please don’t let me die,” she silently prayed.
Mrs. Van Cort? Ma’am, can you hear me?” Someone was leaning over her, very close to her face. So close, she could feel his warm breath on her cheek..
Viola tried to speak. Her words were inaudible. “Uhhhhh,” was all she managed to get out.
“Mrs. Van Cort, do you remember what happened to you? I need you to open your eyes for me..” the unfamiliar voice gently commanded.
Viola managed to open her eyes. The room and everyone in it were a blur. She willed herself to sit up but couldn’t. “What… what happened? Why are all of these people here?” she asked as she slowly regained her focus.
“She’s conscious now, guys” She heard someone call out. It was then that she began to hear the chirps and beeps of the walkie talkies and medical equipment.
“Did I have a heart attack?” she whispered.
“No Ma’am,” the paramedic assured her. “You seem to have fainted and it looks like you probably bumped your head here on the nightstand. You have a pretty nasty little bump here.”
Viola felt herself breathe a little easier. A bump. Nothing serious she thought to herself.
She still had no idea why she would have fainted. Her head still throbbed and her thoughts felt muddled.
“Okay, Mrs. Van Cort, we are going to get you ready for transport,” the paramedic informed her. He said something to the guy on the other side of her, who had been standing there with an oxygen mask in his hand. Viola had not even noticed him. But after a quick exchange between the two men, he packed his equipment away and left the room.
Viola called out weakly to the paramedic who had been leaning over her when she came to. “How did you get here? Who called you?” She knew her husband was not in from the office yet and there was no one else in the house.
“The call came in over the radio. 911 response,” he added, as he moved about gathering up his things. Viola watched, slowly feeling strength begin to return to her body.
“We’re ready here, Jess,” someone called out as he entered the room. It was the paramedic who had left just moments ago.
“Ready for what?” Viola asked, watching him maneuver a stretcher in her direction.
“We have to get you to the hospital to have that bump checked out, Mrs. Van Cort,” the paramedic reminded her.
Viola quickly shook her head. “No, that won’t be necessary. I’m fine. My husband will be home soon.”
“Well, Ma’am, I told you that you have a pretty nasty bump there. You could possibly even have a concussion. We think you were out for several minutes before we arrived,” he said, trying to reason with her.
“I’m fine, really,” Viola insisted.
“Okay, Ma’am it’s your call. But you should have your doctor check that out in the morning,” he cautioned, waving the other paramedic away with the stretcher.
Gently he eased Viola up, helping as she struggled to rise from the floor. Other then the dull ache in the back of her head, she felt fine now.
Silently she followed him to the door. “Thank you,” she called out behind them, her voice still a little shaky. As she closed and locked the door, she noticed that her hands were trembling. That’s odd, she thought to herself. Her hands were normally as steady as the most skilled surgeon.
Viola turned the lights off and made her way back to her bedroom. As she walked through the house though, she could feel a chill crawl up her spine and spread throughout her entire body. She knew something was wrong, very wrong. But what?
Be sure to look for the continuation of this story in 3 days.

Full Circle a short story - Day 1

Day 1

Viola knew something was wrong the instant she heard the phone ring. Her hand trembled as she reached out to answer it. “Hello?” she said, nervously, perhaps a little too softly since there was no answer on the other end. “Hello?” she repeated, commanding strength to return to her voice.

“Um… Mrs. Van Cort?” the unfamiliar voice asked.

“Yes. Yes, who is this?”

“I’m sorry to call so late, Ma’am. My name is Lieutenant Davis, I’m calling from the 22 precinct.”

“Yes?” Viola asked, willing him to quickly get to the point.

“The reason I’m calling tonight, Ma’am is because we have a young lady here that one of our officers picked up wandering around the rail yards. She says her name is Tori and that she is your daughter. Would you be able to verify this information and come down to the station to pick her up since she is still a minor?”

Viola didn’t respond. The last thing she had heard was ‘she says her name is Tori.’ Oh my God… No. Victoria… But it couldn’t be, she thought in disbelief. She had not seen her in almost four years. She had not even heard from her. Not even so much as mentioned her name. There had been no word from, or contact with Victoria… until now. But why? Why would she return now? She wondered. Victoria had left home, a difficult and troubled child at the age of fourteen. She had gone to live with her grandmother, who was more like Victoria than anyone would ever admit. So now, at almost eighteen years of age, why would she come back to a town that she despised… and a family she hated even more?

“Ma’am,” Lt. Davis continued, unaware that Viola was somewhere else, deep in thought. “We really don’t want to have to hold her here at the station for this. She can be released to you as soon as you can get here.”

Viola was only faintly aware of what he was saying. Something about all of this made her very uneasy. She felt frozen, gripped with fear. She really wanted nothing to do with Victoria . Nothing at all. Not after what she had done. Viola shivered as she involuntarily began to recall that awful, awful night that, until now, seemed like a lifetime ago. She gripped the phone so tightly that the color drained from her knuckles. Suddenly, she heard someone let out a horrifying scream. It wasn’t until she heard Lt. Davis repeatedly calling her name, that she realized it had actually been her who had been the one screaming... Be sure to look for the continuation of this story in 3 days.