Immediately the child looked forlorn. At that moment Blayne was coming down the staircase. Gabriella looked up as Blayne was walking down leisurely. She was wearing tight black leather pants and jacket. Blayne seemed like something wild and untamable and for a moment she forgot to tell herself that she must hide what she felt like doing to the woman coming down the staircase. Blayne's eyes never left hers.
Elle looked towards the staircase sadly.
Blayne walked up to the small group. "My father will tell you that I have never had an accident on the bikes."
Elle looked from Blayne to her mother. "Please mom."
"No."
Elle took off running.
"Elle! Elle wait." Gabriella went after her daughter.
"I didn't mean to…" Blayne said as she stared after Gabriella.
"Gabriella is very protective of her daughter. The child is very withdrawn." Arthur added.
"She's just afraid." Blayne said distracted as she stared after mother and child.
"What is she afraid of?" Arthur looked at Blayne with curiosity.
"Everything, she's thirteen." Blayne still stared at the door that both Elle and Gabriella had run out of.
"Blayne…?"
Blayne faced her father. "Yes?"
"Are you all right?" Arthur touched his daughter's arm.
Blayne looked down then met his eyes again. "What is all right?"
"Blayne…"
"No…" Blayne said as she walked out of the house.
"Elle?" Gabriella walked up to her daughter slowly.
"I don't fit anywhere…" Elle sobbed. "I want to go home."
"Elle… come here baby." Gabriella reached out to her daughter.
The girl turned away then suddenly ran into her mother's embrace and cried even harder.
"Elle." Gabriella caressed her daughter's hair softly and kissed her head. At that moment the roar of the motorcycle got Gabriella's attention. Blayne was pulling out of the garage and stopped looking towards her.
Gabriella smiled and raised her daughter's face. "Go…listen to what Blayne tells you."
Elle's features where instantly filled with joy. She kissed her mother and ran towards Blayne.
Blayne got off the bike and helped Elle with her helmet. She then got back on helping the child climb in behind her. Before pulling out Blayne looked towards Gabriella for a moment then the bike and its two riders pulled out of the driveway.
"It's a nice bike." Elle said sitting next to Blayne on the grass. They had stopped after they had ridden for a good hour.
"Thanks. You like it, huh?"
"Yeah, it's awesome." Elle said excitedly.
Blayne couldn't help but smile at the excitement emanating from the girl in front of her.
"What grade are you in?" Blayne said looking towards the horizon.
Elle took a deep breath and looked from Blayne to in front of her as well. "I'll be starting high school in the fall."
Blayne looked at the girl then back at the horizon again. "Scared?"
Elle was about to give her usual smart mouth answer when she looked at Blayne. Suddenly she realized that Blayne was really asking her. She wasn't laughing at her or staring like most people did when she told them.
"Yeah." Elle said softly looking down at the ground at her feet.
"You can tell your mom you don't want to go and she will understand." Blayne said softly as she turned to look at Elle now.
"My dad will get mad. He made all the arrangements." Elle got up and took a few steps away and turned her back to Blayne. "They fight a lot. I don't want them to fight because of me."
"I'm sorry."
Elle nodded. "My mom likes you."
It was Blayne's turn to stare at the ground as Elle turned around to face her.
"I saw the bust of you." Elle waited to see Blayne's eyes rise to meet hers.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah… that's how I know she likes you." Elle said seriously.
Blayne's head turned to the side. "I went to high school when I was thirteen too."
"Did you hate it?" Elle asked
"Yeah." Blayne kicked the ground with her boot then she got up a well. "Why do you hate it?"
"I won't know anyone. All the kids will make fun of me."
Blayne turned sad eyes towards the girl. She knew the pain of being different only too well.
"Talk to your mom." Blayne said again softly. "She will understand."
"Maybe."
"Come on let's go before your mother thinks I've kidnapped you."
Elle looked towards Blayne and they both laughed.
"You let her what?" Joseph could not believe what he was hearing.
"Blayne will take good care of her."
"What is happening with you? We have always thought that motorcycles are dangerous. I can't believe you allowed it." Joseph walked away from her furious.
Gabriella sat down on the bench. Why had she allowed it? Because Elle had seemed happy and happy was not something Elle had been for a long time. She desperately wanted to reach her daughter. It had been such a long time since she had understood what her little girl needed. She was loosing Elle and she knew it. Joseph was just too blind to admit it. Elle had an incredible mind but where as once it was filled with curiosity and wonder these days all Elle seemed was sad and depressed.
"Mom, grandpa and I are going to go fishing want to come?"
Gabriella suddenly noticed Christopher next to her and smiled. "I'm sorry sweetheart I didn't hear you."
"Want to come fishing with grandpa and me?"
Gabriella smiled and looked up at Arthur who suddenly seemed pale.
"Are you feeling all right?" Gabriella asked as she got up.
"Yes, I'll be fine. I am going fishing with my grandson."
Gabriella saw the sadness hidden behind the smile. He wanted to spend as much time with his grandchildren as possible. Time was the only thing he didn't have.
Gabriella nodded sadly. "Don't stay out too long."
Arthur smiled and nodded. "Come on Christopher. Have I told you about the trout I caught at your age?"
"How big was it?"
Gabriella smiled sadly as she saw them walking away.
"I don't know how you two think you are going to pull this off." Chaz said mockingly as he walked up to her in the garden.
Gabriella's eyes went up to the sky and back down again in exasperation before she turned towards Chaz.
"What ever are you talking about Chaz?"
"You and my sister." he said as he bit into an apple. Chaz seemed relaxed and handsome as usual. How he could say such insensitively cruel things and yet manage to look like it was just light conversation Gabriella would never understand. What seemed to disarm her about Chaz constantly was how much like Blayne he looked; there of course is where the resemblance's stopped.
"I still don't know what you are talking about."
"Okay, keep playing your little games. I just hope I'm around when it blows up in your faces." Chaz laughed loudly.
"Chaz are you behaving yourself?" Diana asked suddenly standing next to both of them.
"Me?" He asked incredulously. "You mean our big and little sister don't you?"
"Chaz you are being a boar again."
"Fine look the other way if you want to." Chaz walked away from them.
"Are you all right?" Diana asked Gabriella.
"Chaz is someone I won't miss when I leave here."
"That's not what I meant." Diana sat down on the bench. "I love you both you know."
Gabriella smiled and sat down next to her sister. "I know." She had known exactly what Diana had meant.
"What are you going to do?"
"I don't know." Gabriella was about to say something when she heard the roar of the motorcycle pulling into the driveway. "Blayne and Elle are back." Gabriella said as she got up.