ONE MONTH LATER
The front door didn't just close but practically slammed off its hinges, signaling Celine Grier's return like a tempest of vexation. Stomping through the threshold, she flung her backpack across the foyer, an act of rebellion crashing onto the floor.
"Seriously, Celine? Respect the space," Juliette's voice sliced through the tense atmosphere, her gaze unwavering from the pages exploring cosmic tales of celestial births and demises. Celine brazenly ignored her sister's admonishment.
"Okay, so it's settled," she announced, voice dipping with a heavy blend of surrender, "the whole college scene is just a pipe dream for me. Guess I'll be embracing the life of a starving artist on some boulevard."
"That bad, or just overdramatic?" Juliette quipped without looking up, her words laced with an undertow of concern for Celine's battles, especially with that dreaded pre-calculus test that had transformed into her archenemy.
"It's apocalyptic."
Around them, Ella was sunk low on the carpet deeply absorbed in an intense session of Battleship with their little bro Michael when she piped up, brimming with a trace of optimism. "There's always room for a do-over."
A heavy sigh escaped Celine as she slumped down. "Except that was my second shot at it."
Juliette flipped her book shut, offering attention and a sliver of tough love. "Crush the final exam and you might claw back to passing with a C."
"Stop joking around," snapped Celine sharply; disappointment heavy in her voice. "We both know that's like reaching for the stars."
Juliette nodded slowly; sympathy interwoven with realism in her voice. "True enough. But buckle down now and you might pull through. You won't get far with your gear sprawled out on the ground though."
Rolling her eyes but finally capitulating to practicality, Celine scooped up her bag and relocated to the sofa. She grudgingly extracted a hefty math textbook while grumbling over the relentless grind of high school arithmetic.
Focused entirely on her strategic conquests in their board game world, Ella confidently announced her next naval strike without looking up: "G-4."
"Ha! Missed again!" Michael roared with a victor's glee.
"You're not even trying to be honest," Juliette accused with a smirk, peering over his shoulder. "C'mon, integrity is key—even in this game."
"He's just sore because I'm the queen of this game," Ella retorted. Michael grumbled, a pout forming on his lips.
"Mom! Alert the authorities; we've got a cheater in our midst," Ella chimed in, her voice dancing with mock severity as she addressed their mother.
As though she had been waiting for her cue, Marissa glided into the living room from her culinary fortress, her arrival instantly soothing the siblings' playful squabbles. "Alright troops, fall back. Have you conquered your homework battles yet?"
Marissa, whose entrance into the family fabric had been delicately orchestrated by the clever conspiring of Juliette, Celine, and their eldest sister Rachelle, claimed the remaining armchair as her throne. The room was littered with evidence of their bustling life activities: Celine's textbooks lay scattered on one side of the couch, Juliette occupied another chair engrossed in her thoughts, and Ella's music sheets sprawled beside her instruments.
"I've got news that'll perk up your ears," Marissa announced with a crafty smile raising expectations. "Got a call from Hunter earlier today."
The mere mention of Hunter caught Juliette by surprise and she audibly groaned while slapping her forehead in dramatic fashion. "What does he want now? Can't be anything good."
"Keep calm—it's not another one of his 'me, myself, and I' rants," Marissa said gently patting Juliette's knee in comfort.
"Almost though," Celine interjected with a teasing lilt to her voice and a coy look at Juliette.
Marissa cast a skeptical look towards Celine, raising an eyebrow. "So, he's actually requesting a visitor this weekend at the Rosedale estate. Whoever has the guts, I guess—it's really up to us to figure out who's brave enough to go."
Celine bit her lip, unease written across her features. "Has Mrs. Rosewood been looped into this plan?" The memory of their last trip to Rosedale, swirling with tension and discomfort under Mrs. Rosewood's piercing gaze, still haunted Celine. She was only ten at the time, but the chill of that summer day lingered. If Mrs. Rosewood found out about an impromptu visit from any of the Grier girls, she would likely lose it—maybe even pack up and leave town.
Marissa nodded with a conspiratorial smile. "Yeah, she's in on it. In fact—plot twist—it was her scheme all along."
A hush descended on the room; disbelief was painted on every face.
"Her plan?" Juliette repeated, her tone laced with confusion and a touch of sarcasm. "What is this, some elaborate prank?"
"It all makes sense now," Celine said as the pieces clicked together in her mind. "That's why Hunter's only asking for one of us—it's like she's out here playing some twisted chess game, trying to take us down one by one. Honestly, wouldn't be shocked if there's some ancient dungeon down there waiting for whoever shows up."
"Please," Ella chimed in with a roll of her eyes and sardonic laugh, adding to the banter. "If we're talking about Mrs. Rosewood's idea of punishment, it'd probably just be locking us up until we're bored to death—or actual starvation."
With a gentle chiding tone and an amused smirk tugging at her lips, Marissa cut through their wild speculations. "Dial down the theatrics, everyone. Hunter will spill the beans come Friday night."
They exchanged glances loaded with silent thoughts and unvoiced questions, letting the conversation settle into thoughtful silence.
Ella's heart sank as the realization hit her. "Looks like I'm stuck," she admitted, a twinge of sadness in her voice. "I've got that strategy session for the Josh Howard Sing-Off this weekend." It hadn't been long since her musical aptitude had been uncovered by Wildwood Elementary's choir director, who had nudged her from spontaneous warbles into formal vocal training. Now, she found herself on the cusp of her inaugural singing contest.
"Blow it off," Juliette tossed out the idea with a shrug, clearly not getting how much the competition meant to Ella.
Her suggestion hung in the air until Celine recoiled as if struck. "Seriously? With only four weeks to go?" She shook her head emphatically. "Ella's voice is shining a light on our entire family tree right now. She's soaring towards her dreams on gossamer wings and you're saying she should just... clip them?"
Juliette couldn't hide her annoyance, muttering under her breath, "She's not even the champ yet."
Celine faced her head-on, full of righteous fervor. "You kidding me? I'm betting on Ella all the way – the rest of those contestants might as well pack up and head home."
Marissa cut through the tension with a levelled tone, "Ease up on the hard sell, Celine." Her gaze then shifted to Juliette. "And Jules, come on, at least try to have your sister's back."
"Might be a first," Celine said pointedly, a glare fixed on Juliette.
A flicker of irritation crossed Juliette's face before she snapped back playfully. "Maybe you'd get more 'supportive big sis' from me if any of you had something interesting going on."
Not missing a beat, Juliette then swung her playful jab towards Marissa with a smirk. "I mean come on - who spends Friday nights buried in astrophysics journals?"
Marissa lifted her chin nobly at that. "For your information," she retorted with a smile tugging at her lips, "astrophysics happens to be an endlessly enthralling pursuit."
Just as Marissa was about to dive into a more profound exchange, a piercing shriek echoed from the kitchen, slicing through their light-hearted chatter like a knife.
"Nala NOOO!" The plea burst from little Kitty, the Grier's two-year-old delight, her anguish resonating through to the living room.
With a resigned exhale, Marissa caught the note of desperation in Kitty's wail. "I gotta check out what's up," she decided.
As Marissa dashed into the kitchen turmoil, abandoning Juliette and Celine in conversation, Michael—the youngest Grier boy—expressed his letdown. "Hey, what about my turn?"
"Chill, mi amigo," Celine responded with a tender tenor. "Seven's just not quite there for the epic weekend quests."
Undeterred by his sister's words and fueled by an unquenchable curiosity for geology, Michael slipped away to the backyard. There, he embarked on his solitary adventure, his enthusiasm for stones spurring him to excavate and investigate anew.
Now down to the three musketeers, Juliette pierced the quiet that had settled. "Celine, really, you should go."
The flutter of Celine's initial excitement quickly became tangled with a web of contradictory thoughts. Her deep-seated yearning to reunite with Hunter was at odds with her commitment to ace her exams. Chewing on her lower lip, she eventually convinced herself, murmuring, "As much as I'd love to, I can't just ditch studying. I'd be shirking my responsibilities."
However, Juliette was insistent, nudging Celine towards what she desired most. "Come on, we both know this is about Hunter," she coaxed with a meaningful glance.
Brushing off the insinuation that she was neglecting her studies, Celine exhaled a weighted sigh, conceding, "Okay, okay, you have a point. It is Hunter we're talking about here."
Juliette's fidgeting betrayed her inner turmoil. "He's not exactly waiting for me to show up."
Celine's voice softened as she inquired, "Is it that he's not ready for you? Or maybe it's you who's not ready for him?"
Caught by the conundrum, Juliette groaned in exasperation and yielded, "Maybe it's a bit of both? Just... tell him we all can't make it this round."
Ella interjected with her usual pragmatism. "Celine, you seriously need to consider going to Rosedale. We shouldn't let Juliette's hesitancy stop us from catching up with Hunter."
Defensiveness crept into Juliette's tone as the pressure mounted around her decision; she retorted sharply, "I am right here in the room with you! It's not like I exiled him or anything."
Celine didn't waver but delivered her words with precision that struck home. "Ella's on point though. I'm heading out. Just because Juliette can't come to terms with owning up to her feelings doesn't mean we should all miss out on seeing Hunter."
Juliette's face flushed with indignation as she clapped back fiercely, "Who are you calling scared?"
Remaining unflappable despite Juliette's heatiness, Celine gently probed further. "Why do you recoil from love as if it's a four-letter word?"
A heavy silence loomed between the sisters after their emotional tug-of-war until Celine cut through the tension with an abrupt shift in conversation. Averting her eyes from the others, she directed at Ella casually yet deliberately changing the subject: "So Ella, have you picked out a number for the talent contest yet?"
Ella, keenly aware of the mounting tension, went with the flow. "Honestly, I'm still on the fence. I've not really settled on -"
"I've got zero issues chatting up Hunter!" Juliette blurted out defiantly, her voice rising above the conversation, betraying her inner chaos.
"We hear you loud and clear," Celine replied calmly. "Go on, Ella, you were saying?"
"Well, it's tricky," Ella mused with a touch of confusion colorfully lacing her voice. "Do I go all out with an energetic pop anthem or opt for something deeper, like a soul-stirring ballad about love's high and lows?"
Celine couldn't hold back a snicker at that moment, which she clumsily disguised with a quick, unconvincing cough in hopes of hiding her laughter.
Facing her own battle to regain equilibrium after the earlier clash, Juliette managed to pull together a front of control. Anger still simmered in her eyes as she threw back defiantly, "Yeah, ha-ha. Very funny guys. I can handle it. If you're choosing not to believe me, whatever. Just watch me prove both of you wrong." With that resolute pronouncement, she whirled around and stormed away from the living room. Her departure was underscored by the percussive echo of her footsteps marching down the hallway.
"Where do you think you're off to?" Celine called out playfully after her, an impish sparkle in her eyes as she relished Juliette's obliviousness to her own sense of triumph.
"PACKING!" echoed Juliette's terse and vexed response from afar.
"Nice one, oh brave warrior," Celine quipped with a mischievous smile as she turned to Ella after making sure Juliette was out of earshot. Entering into the spirit of jest, Ella gave an exaggerated curtsy sending waves of comic relief rippling through the tense air. Unable to resist any longer, Celine burst out laughing—the stress melting away as it was overtaken by their joint merriment.
"You realize there's going to be hell to pay once she catches on to our little ruse?" Ella commented half-jokingly, half-warily.
"Oh totally," Celine chuckled in response, fully acknowledging that they would soon be facing Juliette's fiery comeback once she unraveled their scheme.