Chapter 1

Meredith felt like she was swimming up from a deep black pool. Her mind tried to figure out what was going on because she couldn't remember how she got there.

"You're gonna be okay, sis." Charlene was holding her hand. Meredith felt like she was freezing but her sister's hand felt burning.

"Don't move, I'll get Aunt Miranda." Trina said softly, as Meri heard her scurry out.

"Hang on, Meri. You'll be fine." Charlene had a tone that Meri knew too well, it was the low rumble of a volcano before the eruption and she wondered who had done what, fleetingly hoping it wasn't her.

Moments later, the old town doctor came in with their mother Miranda. He turned Meri's head slowly toward him. A bright light flashed in her eyes as he held her eyelids open. "Good, good, responses look normal. Can you squeeze my hands, dear?"

Meri tried to squeeze them but the side with the cast on it hurt. Dr. Vandemire mumbled something she didn't understand. She watched him limp out of the room with his cane before closing her eyes. Their parents' voices and the mayor's came from the hall a few moments later, the exchange sounded heated.

"Meri? Meredith, look at me." Charlene begged, so she pried her eyelids up. Everything looked strange.

"What happened?" Meri licked her dry lips. "Did I fall and break my arm?"

"You don't remember?" Char worried.

Meri tried to shake her head, but it came out lopsided and she cried out in pain.

"Don't move your head... You were riding and we were following. Heather was driving too fast and swerved around us. She bumped your back tire; you went over the top of Heather's car into the guard rail then down the hill." Char sounded pissed off. "Your helmet saved your life."

"Yah, but you dotted her good. There is no way she can cover it up with makeup for the first day of school," Trina added, coming back in, "You should have seen her, Meri, it was like watching The Black Widow meets Mean Girls. She dropped all three of them! It was awesome!"

"It won't be awesome, if the mayor presses charges against you for attacking his daughter and her friends," their mother Miranda snapped as she walked in. "What were you thinking, Charlene?"

"I was thinking that Princess Stoner and her posse killed my sister," Charlene snapped back. Their mom got that look like she was about to slap her.

Trina added hotly, "She didn't even need to swerve in front of us that close. She was trying to cut us off."

"No one was coming the other way. She and her friends were just being biyatches as usual," Charlene snarled. "She should be in jail for attempted vehicular homicide."

Meri wanted to nod but felt the bruises on her neck. Bullying was a problem at the High School because the rich kids treated everyone else like dirt. The fact that their dad was police chief and the sisters with their cousin crusaded against bullying meant nothing to the elites of the town. Morality and the law didn't seem to apply to someone rich like Heather and her friends.

"Enough," Miranda snapped.

'If we weren't in the hospital, I am sure Mom would give Charlene a smack,' Meri thought as her sister narrowed her eyes and dropped her tone.

"They threatened Trina, and I not to tell what happened really. And now, you are defending that stupid, rich cow! I am sick of her bullying everyone. None of the teachers do anything about it because of who her dad is." Charlene's voice had that tone that meant business. "She was driving high! Don't you care that she could have killed Meredith?! Dad should demand a blood test and lock that..."

"I said enough!" their mother interrupted. "It was an accident and you're just making trouble for your father. He's the police chief, he sees the mayor every day." Then she turned to her niece. "Katrina, your mother is here. Go home."

Knowing better than to refuse, Trina kissed Meri on the cheek, "See ya around, Cousin Wiley Coyote."

Impatiently, Miranda grabbed Trina's arm and forced her out of the room.

They left as Charlene rubbed her face. "Sorry, sis."

"Don't be. Thanks for defending me." Meri croaked out. Her throat felt like she had been eating sand. Char held a straw to her lips, and she drank greedily. Something pressed on Meri's cheek painfully, but she couldn't reach up to touch the wad of gauze.

"Your face got scrapped up really bad," Char said slowly; there was a tremor of her chin which made Meri wonder how bad it was, but before she could ask her sister about it, their parents came back in with the mayor.

Mayor Richmond looked unhappy. "Meredith, I am very sorry that Heather drove poorly, and you were hurt. I will have a very stern conversation with her, and she will be punished. I'm sorry they cost you the cycling season. We will, of course, cover the cost of your medical and whatever cosmetic surgery you need." He waved at her face then turned and walked out.

Charlene stared after him with an enraged look.

"Dr. V-Vandemire, wha-what did he mean 'cost me the season'? When can I ride and run again?" Meri's fear stammered out her words. "I'm supposed to compete in the state triathlon."

"I'm sorry, dear, but you have a very bad knee dislocation with fractures in your femur, fibula, and tibia that need to be pinned and cast. Your knee will also require reconstructive surgery. There are fractures in your pelvis. Your collar bone needs to be broken the rest of the way and pinned too. The leg and shoulder will never be as strong as they were," he said it gently, but it felt like he was punching her heart. "We are sending you to the Trauma Center in Denver as soon as the helicopter arrives."

"But I'm a senior, I'm supposed to letter as a triathlete and cyclist this year. It's already on my scholarship and college applications. I'm supposed to try out for the Summer Olympics team next year!" Meredith tried to sit up but couldn't make her head lift from the pillow.

"Easy, you have a severe concussion. You will have headaches, dizziness, nausea, vertigo, and memory issues. If these don't clear up in a month, come back and we'll run some more tests." The doctor looked at her sadly, as he said, "I'm sorry, but you won't be able to do any running on your leg for at least a year, and no more cycling."

Instead of sobbing like she wanted to, Meri bowed her head down and begged, "My head really hurts, can I go back to sleep?" She wanted to scream or cry or both, but she didn't have the strength to even reach up and wipe the tear that leaked down her cheek. Char dabbed at it.

Dr. Vandemire tucked the blankets around Meri, "You need more rest, but I want you to try to stay awake and calm." To their parents, he said, "The AirLife Ambulance is coming, I'll call ahead to a few orthopedic surgeons I know and make the referral for the knee reconstruction, but they probably won't want to do it until the femur, fibula, and tibia are healed. We will have to wait and see what the..."

Ignoring them as they left, Meri closed her eyes. All her hopes and dreams of being an Olympic athlete were gone and she couldn't even remember what happened. Charlene stayed, holding her hand. Their parents didn't come back.

"I'm so sorry, sis."

"Did you know? Did you know I couldn't compete anymore?" Meri couldn't stop the tears.

"No. But I am not surprised. When Heather clipped you, you flew over her car like a ragdoll, then cartwheeled after hitting the guardrail with your leg."

"I don't remember."

Charlene shrugged. "I'm not surprised."

"Did you really fight her and her friends?"

"Yeah... I... I thought you were dead when they put you in the ambulance." Charlene looked at Meri gently. "Heather started yelling at me about why were you in the road. I punched her and dragged her to the back of the car to show her the orange Cyclist Ahead sign. Then I began slamming her face into it... Sherry and Karen had to drag me off her, then I went jujitsu queen on them too."

"Was she really high?"

"She smelled like it, but by the time Dad got there she had doused herself, her friends, and her car in so much perfume, it smelled like the Beyond Bubblebath Store," Charlene revealed, then growled, "But I could still smell it. I don't know how Dad couldn't. I swear he didn't smell it because he didn't want to. His job means more to him than us."

"I'm going to lose all my scholarships. I won't be able to leave Veil Falls," Meri blubbered. Her ribs hurt every time she inhaled. Everything hurt.

"We'll figure it out. We'll find a way," Char promised as they waited for the flight that would take Meri away.

~~~

Ten Days Later...

It was afternoon, Trina brought Meri some cookies she made with her mom and Meri's homework for the first week of school. The homecare nurse was kind, but Meri wanted to go to school and see the rest of their friends. She hated that she had missed the end of summer vacation because of the accident.

"See you Monday." Hearing the garage door, Trina skirted out through the door to the tennis court so Miranda wouldn't see her and left with her motorcycle.

"Please don't say anything about Trina coming over," Meri begged, then added, "I need to go to the bathroom, and can I have a shower before you go?"

"Of course, dear. Your mother doesn't like your cousin?" Mrs. Spencer asked in concern as she helped her to the bathroom.

"It's more like Mom doesn't like Aunt Layne and Trina by proxy," Meri answered. "Mom didn't like her sister-in-law refused to have an abortion when she got pregnant at eighteen or marry whom her and Dad's father wanted her to when she was twenty. Mom has always said she doesn't know her place and is an embarrassment to the DuBois family." Gritting her teeth as she stood, Meri focused on how she hated that about her mother. Miranda was always so concerned with social status and reminding everyone she was somehow better than them after she married the sheriff because his family had a lot of money, they are all judges, lawyers, and high-ranking cops in several states, not just Colorado.

"Oh my," Mrs. Spencer answered as she helped Meri from the toilet to the shower chair. "Well, everyone in Valleyview loves your aunt and her bakery."

"I am certain they do," Miranda's cold voice came from the door. Meri's mother didn't hide her glare at the elderly caregiver.

"Mrs. DuBois, welcome home. Meri had a good day. I was just giving her a shower before I left," Mrs. Spencer announced as she wrapped the leg cast with plastic. She tested the water and began gently washing Meri's still-bruised body. The accident had been almost two weeks ago, and she was still covered in the sickly orangish yellow and purple of healing bruises.

"Be careful of her face," Miranda reminded unnecessarily. "We don't want it to scar after the cosmetic surgeon spent all that time on it. Come and get me when you finish." Then she turned and left.

Meri sighed and murmured, "Thank you for helping me."

"Of course, dear."

Once the shower was over, Mrs. Spencer dressed Meri and put her back in bed with several pillows behind her back. "I'll see you tomorrow."

An hour later, Meri was trying to get comfortable when her mother came in. "Your electric wheelchair will be here tomorrow but since we cannot get it up and down the stairs, I decided to move you into your brother's room by the kitchen."

"But... this is my room." Meri looked at her in shock.

"Was your room," Miranda corrected. "And you are going to be attending online school until you can move around without your wheelchair."

"You took me out of school?!" Meri was shocked. "But... It's my senior year! No. I won't do online classes! I want to be with my friends, and I am not giving up my room. If Chuck wants a bigger room, he can have your home office or Dad's mancave."

"This is not open to debate. If you hadn't had the accident, I wouldn't have to do this." Miranda opened Meri's closet and looked at everything in it. Shaking her head as she riffled through the hanging clothes.

"Are you punishing me because Heather hit me with her car while she was high?!" Meri demanded in horror as her mother began pulling out her clothes and dividing them into two piles. "It wasn't my fault that Princess Stoner tried to run my sister off the road and hit..."

"Now, this is the exact reason for virtual school. You are addicted to drama like your sister and do not understand that discretion is important. I will not have us tangled up in the valley's gossip." Miranda huffed as she continued to sort the clothing.

Downstairs, Meri heard the front door open and close, so she shouted for her sister, "Char! Help!"

Two pairs of feet pounded up the stairs as Miranda hissed for her, "Be quiet."

"Meri?" Char stopped in the door with their little brother Chuck beside her. "What's going on?"

"Does that mean I get to repaint this weekend?" Chuck asked at the same time.

"You knew?" Meri demanded.

"Oh, stop being so dramatic. Honestly, Meredith, you are worse than your grandmother!" Miranda snapped them pointed. "Charlene, help sort your sister's clothes out. We are moving her downstairs. I won't have the walls torn up to put a lift chair in for such a short time."

Char gaped at their mother, stammering, "Sh-short time? Are you freaking kidding? It's going to take months for her broken leg to heal and she still has to have knee reconstruction surgery. Dr. Vandemire said it could take a year!"

"All the better for her to move downstairs into Chuck's room," Miranda insisted, shaking her head as she threw more things into the larger pile.

"You aren't throwing my clothes out. Please, that's my state championships hoodie," Meri begged as she watched her mother's familiar sorting method.

"You're not an athlete anymore, you don't need these horrid clothes or those gaudy trophies either." Miranda waved her hand around the room. "And there isn't room for all this junk in your new room."

"Why can't she have your office? Why can't Chuck have Dad's mancave in the basement?" Char argued as she picked up the larger pile of clothes. "I'll keep her clothes in my closet." She stormed out.

"Your father needs his space; he has a stressful job. And I need my home office for client meetings on the weekends." Miranda protested. "Stop being difficult, this is for your sister's recovery."

"You haven't had a client meeting at home in months!" Charlene pointed out as she stormed back into the room, shouting, "Mom! Just... just go away. I'll pack her stuff."

Miranda slapped Char. "You will not yell at me. I am your mother!"

Clutching her cheek, Char snarled back, "And you love us and protect us from your friends so well!"

Miranda stared at her eldest for a moment then, turned and stomped downstairs, ranting over her shoulder. "Be finished by morning or it all goes into the dumpster! You and your sister need to accept that she isn't a triathlete anymore and holding on to all that junk is pathetic!"

Panting, Char looked ready to chase down their mother and attack her, but Meri's heartbroken sob drew her to her sister's side.

"She's right." Meri cried.

"Oh sissy, don't cry. A lot of athletes come back from injuries worse than this. It hasn't even been two weeks. Just give it time. Don't give up hope." Char tried her best to sound hopeful like Aunt Layne and Trina.