3.0 Slow Down

They had all gotten out of the car in which they had spent the last twelve hours, and looked at the house before them. It was greyish, and didn’t look big enough to host six people. If this was their new home, things were bound to get difficult very soon. 

While the kids still stood and stared, Britney walked over to the other side of the street and cleared her throat. It took a moment until all ten eyes were on her, but she waited patiently. What she had to say would affect all of their lives, and she was not going to spill the beans about her plan as long as someone was still distracted. Britney’s five children stood there, facing her, waiting for her to say something. She took a deep breath. This was it. 

When she asked Christina to join her, Cyra shot her mother an irritated look. She couldn’t possibly understand why her mother would want to have her twin sister next to her when, clearly, Cyra herself was the most promising heir of the family. Britney had to take another deep breath, then she said the words. Christina was going to carry on the family tradition and Britney was going to move into another house with her. 

Cyra couldn’t believe it, and she let out a cry of frustration. She was the popular one, the one with the better grades, the outgoing one. She deserved to stand over there, next to her mother. And instead, she was given the task to take care of her three younger siblings? This was not a good trade, and she refused to accept it. Britney and Christina, who couldn’t understand what was going on, either, stood and stared at Cyra basically throwing a tantrum. There had to be some reason for all of this happening, and hopefully the siblings would soon be able to figure it out. For now, it was goodbye. Britney and Christina got into a taxi and drove to what was going to be their new home.

 

Christina felt her mother’s glance at her when they got out of the taxi. It was intense, and she didn’t know what to make out of it. This was all wrong. She didn’t want to continue living her mother, the person who had hurt her the most over all these years. Was this some kind of apology? Was she trying to make up for what she had missed before? It was so unlike Britney, and that was what frightened Christina the most. It was not the new responsibility crashing down on her, but her mother’s attention.

She went inside and took a tour of the grand house that appeared extremely modern. On the way over there, her mother had told her that it had belonged to an unusual couple – she was a cop and he was a criminal. Apparently, they had been offered a lot of money for this amazing property, and eventually gave in. Now it was the new Vocis’ residence, at least for the former heir and the current one. What an odd thought this was. Christina stopped in front of the TV in their personal gym and turned it on, searching for distraction. A romantic comedy was on, and she stood there for a couple of minutes, looking at the screen and trying to focus on the story that was being told. She didn’t notice her mother slipping in right away, and only looked up when Britney chuckled at a joke that had been made. 

They watched the rest of the movie in silence, and when the credits came on, Christina turned to her mother. With a one-word question she expressed all the thoughts she had been carrying throughout her entire childhood, the confusion about being chosen and the insecurity about the two of them living together now – why? Britney looked at her daughter and opened her mouth to give the most difficult speech of her life. 

Author's notes: Generation 3 has begun! The family has now moved to Moonlight Falls, where exciting adventures and experiences are waiting for them. Britney's motives for her decision remain unclear - I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!