Soooo..... I left you on a cliffhanger last chappie, didn't I? 

- Rewritten as of 08/01/17. Originally written late at night and ended up like crap. 

"You're late," was simply what my mother said when I climbed into the limousine.

"So I've been told," I replied curtly, leaning against the window. 

Mum glanced away from her laptop to look at my attire, "Still in school uniform?!"

"It's Monday, Mum. I had class today," I frowned slightly.

She rolled her eyes, "We'll have to be late to dinner then so you can change into something slightly more appropriate."

"Where are we going for dinner?"

Mum looked at me, shocked. Her makeup was flawless, as always, from using her own products. She wore a white button-up blouse and a knee-length beige skirt with matching beige pumps. With her perfectly curled honey blonde hair, my mum was a living definition of a cosmetic queen. Too bad that Roberts' Cosmetics were now broke. She'd probably used business money to throw another elaborate party. 

Mum closed her laptop properly, "We're going to Bistro Papillon in the city. We've never been there before but it's supposedly one of the best French restaurants in Sydney's CBD."

"I don't have to eat snails, do I?" I wrinkled my nose.

"Of course, not," Mum sniffed, "I'd rather you didn't. When I was in Paris, I tried one. My breath smelled horrible for three days."

I smiled lightly, "Of course. So what's the occassion?"

"You and your brother are meeting your step-family, tonight," she narrowed her eyes, "You forgot?"

"You never told me," I sighed rudely and looked out the window.

"I'm sure I did," she rolled her eyes at me, "Oh! Driver!"

The man called, "Yes, Ms Roberts?"

"The boys' school is just up the block on the left."

"Of course, Ms Roberts."

Mum turned back to me with a raised eyebrow, "Any news?"

I could tell her about Christian. I could tell her about The Facility. I could tell her about...

"Mum," I said softly, "Did you know about... the, uh..."

The door opened and interrupted me. Shawn poked his head in with a wicked grin, "Hello family."

"Shawn, stop being immature and just get in the car," Mum scolded. 

Shawn straightened his face and turned back around. He waved, "Have a good holiday, Chris!"

"Christian?" I perked.

Shawn glanced over his shoulder at me and smirked, "Go."

I climbed out as gracefully as I could in my school skirt and looked around frantically. My shoulders fell as I watched him climb into his own black hummer. I stared after it for a moment as it drove off before reluctantly climbing back into my own limo. 

I sat down and Shawn looked at me apologetically, "He left already?"

I nodded, returning back to glaring out the window and ignoring the tightened feeling in my chest.

***

Bistro Papillon was located just a few streets into King Street Wharf. It had a romantic feel and I couldn't see anyone younger than my mum's age there excluding the family up the back. Mum promptly made her way towards them with me and Shawn reluctantly tagging along. Shawn had been forced to change into a blue button-up and suit pants. Mum had made the maid pick an outfit for me which ended up being a maroon floral dress with a black overcoat that had gold buttons. My feet were already aching in the maroon pumps and my face felt like it had been painted with makeup. 

At the table sat a man with salt-and-pepper hair and green eyes in a business suit. He looked to be a few years older than my mum and was easily recognisable. His face was plastered every other week or so on a newspaper about Trevors' department stores. Mitch Trevor was trying to ease his kids into a conversation it seemed about nothing. They hardly uttered two words to him whilst we approached the table. 

My mum smiled brilliantly when she reached the table, "Mitch?"

He stood up quickly with a smile of his own, "Lorelai, how are you?"

"Very good, thank you, Mitch."

"Good, good," he nodded and proceeded to pull out a chair for my mother. 

Shawn, like told earlier by our mother, pulled a chair out for me and I sat down carefully, as not to rip the dress. Shawn seated himself and subtly rolled his eyes. I covered a small smile from sight and then glanced back to Mitch. 

He asked my mother, "How was work today?"

"Busy," she rolled her eyes, "You wouldn't believe how impatient this one model was. I'll tell you later."

I narrowed my eyes. They seemed to actually get along...

Mitch nodded politely, "Of course. Well, Lorelai, these are my kids. Max is my eldest, and Brooke and James are my youngest. They're twins."

Mum smiled at them, "Nice to meet you all. Shawn and Natalie are also twins, actually."

Shawn and I swapped a glance. She was trying to find common ground for us all. Why did she want us all to get along so well? We'd only be seeing them in the holidays. We'd be at school the rest of the time. 

Max tried to break the ice, "Well, I'm pleased to meet your family, Lorelai. I'm sure we'll all get along famously."

"Sure," Shawn said curtly. 

The waiter approached the table with a pad and a thick, fake French accent, "Have you all decided what you would like to eat?"

Before I could regret saying it I blurted, "Do you have a kids' menu?"

The waiter and Mum frowned deeply at me. The waiter sniffed poshly, "Only for children under twelve years of age. Though, I suggest you the Roast Linchenshire Belly Pork and Summer Vegetables?"

"I'll take it," I said immediately. Anything for proper food.

"Manners," Mum whispered harshly. 

I rolled my eyes obviously. She knew I didn't like French food. They served it all the time at the FSWC Sydney and it tasted horrible. 

Shawn handed the waiter his menu, "I'll take that too, thank you, sir."

"Of course," the waiter turned promptly to my mother, "And you, madame?"

"Mademoiselle," she corrected, handing over the menu, "I'll have the truite grill aux amandes."

"I highly recommend that; it is quite delicious when prepared by our chef here."

"What is it?" Max wrinkled his nose. Okay, so he wasn't so bad.

"Whole trout grilled, Château potato, honey and almond dressing," the waiter responded.

Brooke grinned, "I'll have that then, thanks."

She barely looked twelve and wanted to have Château potato? I didn't even know what that was. 

"Me too," her twin chorused. 

Max sighed, "I'll have the pork belly and vegetables."

The waiter sniffed again at his vernacular slang. 

Okay, Max was alright. I could picture Shawn and I getting along with him. 

***

I raked myself up and down in the mirror. My hair was in an elaborate crown braid that one of the other bridesmaids had insisted on doing for me, my face was covered in nudes and pinks of makeups and my dress was a floor-length pink satin dress with a white sash in the middle. 

Mum called loudly, "I need help with the veil!"

I rushed to her as quickly as I could in the white strappy heels I had on and took the veil from her arms. She smiled gently at me as she sat down in front of her mirror, "I can't believe I'm remarrying."

"You don't even love the guy," I muttered, trying to pin the veil beneath her curly masses of blonde hair.

My mum winked lightly, "I might not have when we decided to help each other out but the more time I spend with him I feel something... there. Y'know?"

Christian. The name tugged at my heartstrings forcefully. 

I nodded slowly, "I do know."

"Oh, and isn't his son, Max, just darling!" one of my mother's friends-slash-bridesmaids giggled, "I may be thirty-five, but that boy is divine."

Max wasn't nearly as hot as some other guys I knew but he did alright. When Shawn and myself had met him, almost two weeks ago, when we got to holidays, we'd seen him at the table in the eloquent restaurant with his dad and two younger twin siblings. They all had shocking jet black hair and sea-green eyes - a perfect pair. They were an alright-looking family. Mr Trevors was probably very good-looking when he was younger. That would explain why my mother would have started falling for him as of recent. 

"Natalie?" the lady called, "I said, don't you agree?"

"Oh... to what do I agree?"

"That we all deserve a little drink tonight," Mum answered, "I reckon as the bride I can convince the bartender to let you have a little champagne."

"Shawn will be all over the beer if you allow that to happen," I smirked, "Don't be too hasty."

"Have you never had a drink, girl?" a bridesmaid said in a posh British accent, "You sound like an alcoholic virgin!"

"Oh, no, trust me... I've been drunk before." I finished successfully pinning the veil in. 

Mum smiled at her reflection, ignoring me, "Great. Something new is the dress. Something old is the veil. Something borrowed and something blue?"

I reached around my neck and took off my necklace. The end had a blue gemstone hexagonal charm on it. I placed it on my mother, "That makes for both."

She smiled gently, "Thank you, sweetpea."

"You're forgetting one thing."

Her eyes widened and there was a collective gasp in the room.

I whispered with a smile, "And a sixpence in your shoe?"

***

Shawn was already on his third beer when I joined him at the bar. I slid onto a stool and Shawn groaned, "I just wanna go back to school, already."

"Agreed," I said, raising a hand to the bartender.

Shawn continued, "I wanna see Emily on the town, y'know?"

"I know, Shawno."

"Hey, at least you got a little PDA before you two separated. I got nada."

"Shut up if you wanna not die."

"What are you complaining about? You and Christian are goals, sis."

"Shawn, what have you been drinking?" I sighed at him.

"Just Carlton Dry, Talie," he answered.

I rolled my eyes and then the bartender approached, "Maid of honour?"

"How'd you know?"

"The pout on your face," he admitted, "Bride's daughter, too?"

"Yep," I frowned, "What's the strongest you've got, sir?"

"I got 192 proof vodka?"

"Perfect," I nodded my head at him. 

***

Shawn grumbled, "I'm an idiot."

"No, you're not, Shawny," I said, rubbing his back, "You and EmEm are both being smart."

"Then how come we ain't together?" he whined.

"Because you and Emily both care for me," I fumbled slightly across my words, "You don't want me to get hurt do you?"

"But you don't care if I date Emily... right?"

"No. There's nothing stopping you."

"Then... why ain't we together?"

"Timing was wrong or something."

He suddenly straightened, "Brilliant idea! I could catch a plane to Monaco right now and meet her!"

"She's in Melbourne for the holidays, Shawny, not Monaco."

"Then off we are to Melbourne."

The bartender reapproached us and slapped a glass of water in front of Shawn, "Drink."

I smiled kindly at the bartender, "May I please have another vodka?"

The bartender examined my face for a moment before nodding slowly, "One more."

Shawn whispered, "That's what he said last time, hehe."

He put the vodka in front of me and I took a small sip. 

The alcohol rushed through me again, burning the back of my throat slightly. The entire rush was so quick, fiery... like Christian's kiss.

Christian. 

Whom I wouldn't be seeing for another six months...

"Shawn," my voice broke and I began crying soon enough, "I miss Paaaa~rk."

"I know you do," he patted my shoulder, "You'll see him soon enough."

"N-no, I won't," I wiped a tear away, "Not until December!"

I began bawling again and Shawn petted my head, "Don't fret, sister dearest. You guys are emu altos... no... Soulmates! Yeah. You belong together."

"But we aren't together," I cried out, "I want him... I need him... I beg him... I love him..."

"You love him?"

"Like Kat loves Patrick..." I frowned, "Not the starfish. The bad boy. But Christian's not a bad boy. He's student body president. Like me! See! We're destined to be together..."

"Water," Shawn croaked, "Make that two."

He pushed the vodka away slightly from me.

I frowned, "I want that. It helps me forget."

"I'm sobering up, so you can too," he said wisely and I groaned even louder at him. 

***

"Park?" I whispered, walking through the halls, "Where are you?"

In the back of my head, I heard him whisper back, "Natalie, where are you?"

"Are you in the classroom?" I asked, stepping into it.

His voice soothed but scared me at the same time, "Yeah. Where are you?"

"I'm in the classroom too..." I murmured, looking around.

"Don't be scared," he said in the eerie place in my mind, "We'll find each other."

"Park?"

"Park?"

"Park?!"

***

I went back to school the following week with little to no sleep. I couldn't sleep, more like. Each time I did, I never saw Christian either. 

Stupid me hadn't thought to ask for his phone number. And technically, I wasn't supposed to have any communication with him either. That was what the withdrawal period was for. 

Stupid doctors.

I sat in the Teresa common room on Friday morning, reading Snugglepot and Cuddlepie - the large, hardcover, colour and illustrated version - in my lap when Opal walked out of her room. She smiled at me and came to sit beside me. Then she did a double-take, "You're awake."

"Yes, I am," I said weakly.

"Before seven a.m."

"Yes, I am," I repeated.

"And you look like hell."

"Probably true."

She frowned at me and then asked, "Sweetie, did you get any sleep last night?"

"One or two hours," I shrugged. Ones where I dreamt about Channing Tatum saving me from the White House and my father sacrificing himself in an outer-space oil rig so my fiancé could live. 

"Do you need a doctor?"

I stiffened, "No! No doctors."

Whitney chose that moment to walk out of her room, "Yeah. We've had enough with doctors to last a lifetime."

"Surely The Facility wasn't that bad," Opal scoffed, "I found it pretty fun last year."

"You obviously don't know the definition of fun," I groaned as my head tightened. I grabbed one of my temples to ease the pain slightly. 

Whitney winced, "You okay, Nat?"

I felt a slight wave of dizziness come over me and I shook my head, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Opal rushed to me, "What hurts?"

"Everything," I moaned, "My head, my sinus', my heart..."

Whitney said, "The doctors said before we left that if she's reacting like this then everything's perfect."

"Reacting to what?" Opal sighed.

"To being away from her soulmate, as stupid as it sounds."

***

Song: Roman Sky - Avenged Sevenfold

Edited as of 08/01/17.

xx Sharky.