Chapter 4: Chapter 3
"Take it with you so you'll always have a way to look back...and remember me." ~Beast ( Beauty and the Beast, 1991)
Francesca
Well, that was good...I guess Vic really didn't know how to work the blender. Or maybe she is just really forgetful. Either way, the lot of us were covered in what was supposed to be a blueberry smoothie. The kitchen was an absolute mess. Blue goo covered the walls and some even made it on the ceiling. We spent over an hour getting it all off, but now the goo that had gotten on all of us had become really sticky.
When we got to my room, I opened the door and walked in. I held the door open for both of my maids. Then, I closed the door and looked at them. We looked like smurfs...no more like a smurf vomited on us.
" Guys, what are you doing up here?" I asked.
" I will be fine to get all of this off of myself. You should be cleaning yourselves up. Nevermind, I am sure that blue smoothie has already stained your clothes. Come with me," I said.
I walked around to my bathroom, grabbing towels on the way, and made sure that they had followed me.
" Sit on the edge of the bath, I will be right back with a change of clothes, for both of you," I stated.
They nodded so I walked out to my room into my closet. I grabbed a pair of simple yoga pants and tank tops for each of us. I walked back into the bathroom and showed them the clothes. Alexandra looked shocked and looked over at Victoria.
" We couldn't possibly take these from you," she admitted.
" Oh nonsense, consider them gifts. Now, Alexandra, you go clean yourself up and when you're done, come out I want to do your hair. I think it could be fun if we get out of this house for the day. There is only so much coldness and silence one person can really take," I say.
I then turned to a stunned Victoria.
" Vic, you can shower after her and then I will do your hair. We need to look our best if we are going into town today. We are representing the Jackson family, wouldn't want to ruin their image," I commented.
She smiled and giggled slightly at me. She knew that I was most definitely kidding. I didn't really care nor did they what we did to the Jackson family perfect image.
Victoria and I walk out of the bathroom and sit down on my bed. I noticed that she had something she wanted to say, but I wouldn't pry. She could tell me whatever it maybe when she is ready.
" Frankie, he doesn't deserve you," she claimed.
I look at her in utter disbelief, her outburst was unlike her and not what I was expecting. She was the quietest of the three of us.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
" Mr. Jackson, he has a perfectly amazing wife and he doesn't even care. He could have a wonderful life with you, but all he does is yell and force you to be scared in your own home. You are such an innocent beauty and he is a monster. He is cruel, crude, and he takes straight after his father," she comments.
"Thank you. I have to agree with you there, but this isn't a place where I will ever feel welcome. I do not wish to be here and if I had my way, I would divorce him and go home. There are some things that I really want to do again," I begin.
" If only you guys could meet my hometown friends. They are so kind and they don't care who you are, they will treat you with kindness and respect," I finish.
I feel the tears rushing to my eyes, but right now isn't the time for tears. I have cried too many tears already for this man, who locked me up inside a house, took me away from everyone I have ever loved, and he made me marry him. He wouldn't rule my life any longer. I needed to be strong; I would be strong.
" Enough about me. What about you? Any friends?...a boyfriend?" I asked wiggling my eyebrows, she giggles at this.
" Yes. I have some friends and I am actually engaged," she divulged.
" Oh my! Why didn't you tell me?! I could help you plan your wedding and even make your dress for you. I practically planned my best friend's wedding. She wasn't into the whole numbers thing, she just wanted to do the fun parts. What's the lucky fella's name?" I said.
" His name is Jarin. He, like all of my family, are still in Brighton, and didn't have enough money to buy a flight here," she says sadly.
I watched as her once playful smile fell from her face. Her whole demeanor changed, not being able to see your fiance really puts a damper on a happy mood.
Soon after Alexandra walked out of the bathroom, with a smile on her face. Victoria perked up and walked into the bathroom. She was practically skipping...I guess this man really made her happy. That is how being engaged is supposed to be….
" That was the best shower ever," Alexandra raved with a wide smile on her face. I laughed at her antics and she gave me a really weird look.
"Glad you liked it so much," I said through my laughs. She nodded sheepishly.
Once I had caught my breath and regained my bearings, I stood.
" Wooh...ok sit in front of the vanity. What style do you want your hair to be in, up or down?" I asked.
" Up, please," she replied.
I nodded and went to work. I brushed, tied, and pinned her hair to perfection. As soon as I finished her hair Victoria walked out of the bathroom with a smile.
" That was by far the best shower I have ever taken. The showerhead is like the perfect height and angle," She said.
" Really guys, it is just a shower. What is so great about my shower? " I ask as I look between them.
They both shrug their shoulders.
" Ok that is not an answer, but we have more important matters. Victoria how would you like your hair?" I ask.
She thinks it over for a few seconds and then answered,
" Down in a fishtail braid, if you can. It doesn't have to be very fancy," She replied and I did just that.
Once I was done, I showered myself and did my hair. When I walked out of the bathroom, I put on a pair of yoga pants and a tank top. If we were going out, I didn't want to draw any attention to myself. With my parents I always had to be dressed to impress, but here I can make my own decisions. Pulled the girls onto my bed. And sat criss-crossed, in front of them.
" Ok, since I have no idea what is in town. What should we do?" I asked.
" How about we just go into town and walk around. None of us have been here very long and it would be an adventure," Alexandra says.
" That could be fun. Are there any cute shops?" I asked.
"No idea. I haven't gone into town yet. I was late getting here. Victoria has been here the longest," Alexandra replied. We both looked to her and a smile made its way onto her face.
She grabbed our arms and pulled us down the stairs. I grabbed my purse and a pair of flats, on my way out. Wow, for such a frail girl, she has got quite a grip. She let Alexandra and I go when we got to the front door and looked back. Then opened the door. We stepped out and I had to let my eyes adjust to the light since I hadn't been outside in two days. I then realized we were in the middle of a forest, with nothing around us other than trees.
" Wow," we said in unison. It was all I could get to come out.
They giggled at me and pulled me to door and then, to the driveway. Alexandra pressed a button and a man's voice came over an intercom.
" This is Albert. What can I do for you Mr. Jackson?" the person on the other end of the intercom asked. They pushed me forward and made me reply.
" Sorry Albert, but this isn't Mr. Jackson. This is Ms. Francesca Chase," I said.
" Oh, you are Mrs. Jackson. What can I do for you?" he asked.
" Firstly, I do not mean to sound rude, but please just call me Francesca. Secondly,I was wondering if you take me and two of my ladies maids, into town," I said.
" I most certainly can. Give me twenty minutes. I have to finish my drive with Mr. Reed and then I will be there to get you," he replied.I then close the com and looked at them.
" So Albert, drives for Scott, his business partner and me?" I ask and they nod in response.
I kept my serious face on, but then said,
" Awesome! This means we can go into town all we want. I can get all the supplies I need for your dress Vicky. Oh, Alex, we are planning Victoria's wedding, by ourselves," I say, then look straight at a happy looking Victoria.
Her entire expression changed to one of shock. She had no idea that I was going to do this.
" We will find a way to get him and your friends and family here for that date. I can be extremely persuasive when I want to be. This is our secret, so you can't tell anyone, especially Scott. He would flip if he knew and that prick is as scary as all get out, as much as I hate to admit it," I say; they nod and then we sit down on the front steps, waiting for Albert to arrive.
At the 20 minute mark, Albert was there to get us. I am realizing now that he is a very punctual man. Once we were settled in our seats and had our seat belts on, Albert looked back at me through the mirror.
" Mrs. Francesca, where in town should I drop you lot?" he asked.
"You can just drop us off at the closest fabric store," I reply.
He nods and starts the car. I watch as our view of him is blocked off by the divider.
I waited for what seemed like forever for the car to stop. I didn't think that we lived that far from town. I guess the Jacksons like their privacy more than I originally thought.
Finally, the car stopped and the door opened, letting in the only light source we had the whole ride. It was quite dark in the back of the car. I unbuckled my seatbelt and took Albert's outstretched hand. When I stepped onto the street everyone stopped to look. I guess they were curious about who was riding in a limo.
"Thank you. We would have never gotten out of that godforsaken house without your help." He smiled and handed me something.
I looked down at the thing and saw it was a little black box with a button. He saw my clear confusion.
" This is a clicker. Click it when you would like me to come to get you and I will. Now Francesca, just to warn you if anyone was to find out who you were you would be swarmed, so try to keep that fact to yourself. The Jacksons are the celebrities of this small village. They have probably helped every one of the families sometime over the centuries, " he informed me.
I nodded, then he smiled again and left us there. I stuck the clicker in my bag and looked to see a very adorable small town, with tons of people staring at us with wide eyes. I turned towards the girls.
" Ok Vic, where should we go?" I asked.
" There is a small coffee shop that way just a wee bit. Their expresso is amazing and they have the cutest little coffee cakes," she raves.
"Ok we can go there first and then go straight to the fabric store for everything that we need," Alexandra said.
I nodded then looked back at Victoria and saw she was blushing.
" Hey Vic, why are you so embarrassed? This is what friends do for each other. I have the time, the money, and the skills to do it. I also have prior experience in the wedding planning job," I say. She just blushes even more and her gaze dropped to her hands.
" I have never had someone do so much for me when they barely even know me. But ok, I do really want to get married and I like your style. You will have to show me pictures of your friend's wedding, I want to see how everything came out," she said.
" This is going to be fun. And you are going to look drop-dead gorgeous on your special day. I am also giving you another reason to talk to your faraway fiancé and tell him about your insane new friends," I said, she blushed even more.
Her face reminded me of tomato, like one that is really ripe and slightly sunburnt. We went to the café, that wasn't a wee bit anywhere. It was like a mile away from where we were, but I'm not complaining. Their espresso was really good and I needed it. It was going to be a long day, full of fun. We walked/trekked the mile that we had just done uphill. Did I mention that this town was built on steep hills? They stretched on forever and man they were hard to walk up.
We finally managed to get back to the fabric store and it wasn't all that big, but I could tell that we were going to find everything we needed.
Alexandra and I told Vic to go off and chose her favorite white fabric. In the meantime, we went to go look at the needles and sewing machines. And ended up looking at the small section of wedding invitations that the store carried, as well.
When she came back, a few minutes later, she had chosen a beautiful white fabric, it had lace and small flowers sewn into the design. I couldn't have chosen a better fabric myself; it was absolutely beautiful and it was thick enough to keep the chill-out...this fabric was perfect.
I gasped, " Vic, this is beautiful! I can't wait to start; I already have so many ideas. I just can't wait to see you walk down the aisle in it. Now we need to go the art supplies shop, across the street for a sketchbook and a few other things," I said.
When we finally got to the front of the checkout, the cashier ran us up and with the fabric, needles, thread and a brand new, baby blue sewing machine. The total came out to be..$770.00. Victoria looked at the screen and her eyes grew wide.
" Frankie I can't pay for this. I don't have that much money," she said.
" That's ok because I do, "I said with a smile.
I handed the cashier my credit card and she stared at like it would catch on fire at any moment. I was confused as to why she was doing that then remembered. I just got married to Scott Jackson and I got a new credit card with the name Francesca Jackson on it. When Scott's butler gave it to me, he said that my father-in-law said that I should only represent the Jackson family in every way, but I still had no connection to Scott's money unless Scott allowed it.
I looked back at the girls and they had a knowing look. The cashier swiped my card and gave it back to me. She then avoids my gaze at any cost; it was like if she were to look me in the eye; I would turn her to stone like Medusa. I guess I underestimated the popularity and respect that this town held for the Jackson family.
" Thank you for shopping in our small store Mrs. Jackson. I hope we see you again and if there is anything, anything at all, that we could help you with just ask," the cashier said and I looked around as all the people in the store looked right at me.
We grabbed our bags and made a mad dash for the door. I pulled my clicker out of my purse and clicked the small button on its face. It blinked red a few times and then it turned blue. Hopefully, that meant that he was on his way…
We hid behind a tree. I know very cliche, but it worked. As we searched the streets for the uncommon limo. People walked by talking about how they saw me and how lucky I must be to be married to the richest man around. I wish I could tell them that it is not all that glamorous.
I waited and soon enough I saw the familiar limo; Albert stepped out and opened the door for the lot of us. Once again the people on the street watched in awe. The mob of people that had followed us outside of the fabric store was halfway down the street when they saw us drive by. I silently thanked the gods that they hadn't found us; I don't really know what they would've done, but I am certain it would've been weird.
When we got back to the secluded mansion that we all lived in, we were all slightly calmer. I thanked Albert again and waved as he drove away. All the while, feeling like I was being watched by someone. I looked into the tree line, but it was already too dark to even see what was right in front of me; nevertheless something fifteen feet away.
I then noticed the slight twitch of curtains, in an open window. I stared up at it waited to see a person, but no one ever showed. I shrugged it off as a maid just adjusting the curtains. I walked into the house and followed the now-familiar path to my side of the manor with my ladies maids in tow. When all the bags had been safely hidden in my closet, I flopped down on my bed and took a deep breath. This was the only part of the house that smelled like home. I once had Heather's favorite, homemade candle form Momma's burning, and the blankets that she had knitted for me still smelled of her cinnamon perfume. I sat up to address my friends.
" Well, that was an eventful evening. Now, I think we would all benefit from a good night's sleep. See you all in the morning and there is no need for you to come in early; I am a late sleeper, so you can just sleep in and come in when you are ready. And you really don't need to wear your uniforms. Unless there is something that you must do on Scott's side of the house, which is highly unlikely; you can just wear anything that you are comfortable in, " I said, they both nodded then left me alone in my room.
I got ready for bed silently and fell asleep quickly. I had one thought before I fell into dreamland, who had been watching me from that window? Was there even someone watching me or am I just going crazy...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone