Chapter 17: Growing Up, part II

I am so screwed, Cassandra thought to herself.  More than screwed.  Shit is going to hit the fan.  I'm dead meat.  Her search on the interwebs just added to her stress instead of relieving her fears.  How could I have been so stupid?  Thank the goddess Grandpapa is not here.  He'd probably be first in line to throttle me.  Cassandra sighed to herself as she cleared the browser's cache and deleted her history to the far ends of the interwebs universe.  She pushed away from the desk and left the Manor in search of the one person who could help get her out of her mess.

Cassandra waited in the alley behind Hogan's Diner.  She caught Darryl as he was leaving from employee enterance.

"I need to talk to you now!" she hissed as she stepped out of the shadows.

"Holy Gnomes Cassandra!" Darryl yelped as he stopped short in his tracks.  "What are you doing hiding in the shadows like a thug?  Are you in trouble?"

Cassandra pulled him off to the side.  She glared at Darryl, "Yes, I'm in trouble and you're in trouble too if you don't help me."  She looked around quickly.  "I'm pregnant you moron!"

"N-n-now hold Cassandra," Darryl stuttered.  "Say that again?"

"No I'm not going to say it again.  Are you crazy?" Cassandra huffed.

"Okay.  How?"

"Really Darryl?"

"No! Stupid question," he backtracked.  "You just caught me off guard.  Are you sure?"

Cassandra glared at him like she was going to choke him to death at any second.

"Another stupid question," Darryl sighed.  "Sorry!"

Cassandra's shoulders slumped and she started to cry.  "What are we going to do?"

Darryl hugged Cassandra close.  "Don't worry," he whispered.  "We'll figure this out.  We have options."

"You keep saying 'we'.  You're into this?"

"Jeez Cassandra.  We've been best friends forever.  I'm not just letting you hang in the wind."

"I don't know about our options really," Cassandra admitted.  "We can do adoption, but our parents will know anyway and I'm sure that won't go over well.  I can't terminate now because that would require my parents permission so they'll know, and it'll be too late after my birthday.  Or I can keep it and our parents will know"  NO MATTER WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO KNOW!"  Cassandra was getting hysterical.

"Shhhhhhhhh!" Darryl pleaded.  "What do you want to do?"

"Might as well keep it since our parents are going to find out regardless."

"Well I'm not telling you what to do and I guess I'll adjust to whatever.  But Marsha is completely run down with her baby.  It's been hard for her, granted she doesn't have your money.  If our parents are going to know anyway maybe we should just terminate."  Cassandra looked at Darryl hopelessly.

"Don't look at me like that Cassandra.  I didn't say that is what I want, I'm just telling you that you don't have go through with it if you don't want to.  I need to be honest, though.  I don't want to get married and we aren't couple material.  I will be around for you always and forever, but I'm not your boyfriend.  We are best friends, and maybe we will be parents together.

"Just think about everything, okay?  After graduation you are starting your career at Doo Peas.  It is going to be hard and stressful, even more so if you have a baby.  I'll be in the police academy and then getting the crappy shifts.  My schedule is going to suck."

"This whole thing sucks, Darryl.  I'll let you know"  Cassandra headed back to the Manor to hide in her room.

~~~~~~~~~~

Mortimer didn't know why he hadn't thought of it before, but if he wanted to catch a Deathfish then he need to fish in the cemetery.  The answer was obvious.  At first he and Floramaria tried fishing during the day but they had no luck.  Mortimer wasn't particularly fond of the idea of fishing in the cemetery in the middle of the night but he had to give in a try.  He arrived as Cassandra was walking up the hill to the Manor after her shift.  She had barely said good night when Mortimer called her over to talk for a few.  Cassandra had been like that for a couple weeks and it was starting to worry Mortimer.  He made a mental note to mention it to Bella.  Mortimer got out his fishing pole, relaxed, and waited.  The spirits started getting restless and Mortimer could have sworn he saw his father's ghost float by.

Mortimer's eye-lids grew heavy.  Swaying in place he wondered if he should call it a night and give up the fishing expedition, but since Floramaria couldn't be out in the early morning hours it was going to be to him to get the fish.  Mortimer was nodding off again when a gentle tug startled him to a full alert.  It took him a moment to realize something took the bait.  Compared to the deep sea fishing with Floramaria he was used to, reeling in the catch on his line was relatively easy.

The Deathfish glided through the air, dangling from the line, much like it had glided through the water.  Instead of scales, the fish was covered in black skin, velvet to the touch.  It was neither warm nor cold.  A mist of black nothingness enshrouded the fish as Mortimer placed it in the cooler.  He was eager to show Floramaria the prize before he handed it over to Bella.

While Mortimer was out catching the Deathfish she needed, Bella was back in the kitchen preparing the beginnings of her recipe.  She felt confident he was going to bring home the ingredient she needed this time and was eager to get started.  She began by preparing the syrup for poaching the Life Fruit.  Bella mixed together water and sugar then added pureed Life Fruit, a cinnamon stick, a splash of vanilla, and zested pomelo peel.  She reserved half on the mixture to make gelatin later and reduced the other half to a syrup.  Once the reduction was simmering Bella peeled and cored the Life Fruit and added them to the sauce pan.  After the Life Fruit was poached she put them in the fridge to keep and thickened the syrup for the garnish.

The next evening Bella was ready for the main preparation of her culinary masterpiece.  She added gelatin to the mixture she had set aside the day before and returned it to the fridge to set.  While waiting for the gelatin to firm up Bella skinned, gutted, and boned the Deathfish.  She placed it in the streamer and squeezed a quarter of the pomelo over it.  The fish was steamed until the meat turned from a shiny translucent white to a milky white that flaked with a touch of a fork.  Bella chopped together the Deathfish and one of the poached Life Fruits.  She sprinkled cinnamon on top and added it to the partially set gelatin until it was equally distributed throughout the mold.  Bella then returned it to the fridge to firm up the rest of the way.

On the third day her dish was ready to be plated to delivered to the Bistro.  She would have to have a delivery company take it since Chef Frio was holding a blind taste-test.  Bella removed the gelatin mold from the fridge and set it in warm water for a few seconds to loosen the Ambrosia.  Then she flipped it onto a platter.  Bella cut a slice and set it on the plate.  Next she cut the remaining Life Fruit in half and placed one of the halves on the plate next to the Ambrosia.   For the final touch Bella drizzled the Life Fruit syrup over the Ambrosia.  When the aura around the plate began to emit a shimmering aurora Bella knew she had created a perfect Ambrosia.  Bella covered it and sent the courier on his way.  Feeling a sense of accomplishment she leaned back against the counter and enjoyed eating the leftover Life Fruit.  Then, before anyone could come into the kitchen, Bella secretly stashed the remaining Ambrosia in the food replicator where no one could find it.

~~~~~~~~~~

The celebrations seemed endless in the Goth family.  Bella had been promoted to Five Star Chef of the Bistro and Hogan's.  The prestige that came with the job allowed for Bella to set her own schedule to fit her family's needs, as well as the responsibility of managing the chefs at the two restaurants.
Mortimer and Bella, along with their children, celebrated two more milestone birthdays.  Their youngest transitioned from a child to a teen.  They gifted him with the obligatory cell phone and Bella gave him his first recipe book.  Damen had shown some interest in the little toy oven so Bella wanted to show him the ropes in the kitchen.  Even though his brother and sisters were annoyed by most of his pranks, they gave him prank kits for his present.

Cassandra had spent her time since graduation brooding alone.  Mortimer and Bella were ready for an intervention to find out what was bothering her so much.  However, on her birthday Cassandra decided to fake her way through the small party because she knew her parents were becoming suspicious.  She needed to do something to get there minds off her business and pretending to be happy go lucky was the best choice.  Cassandra was completely shocked when Mortimer and Bella handed her a set of key to her very own car.  Her despair was creeping to the forefront of her mind when she pushed it back to enjoy the limited amount of time she had before they took the car back.  Once she told them what she was hiding she knew they would hit the roof.

Cassandra's happy performance may have fooled their parent's but Jada was pretty sure Cassandra was hiding something and the high school was running rampant with rumors with Cassandra as the main subject.  Cyriaque was clueless about the whole thing and once the family left the kitchen to eat cake Jada filled him in on the gossip she had heard.  She knew the part about City Hall was the truth because Cassandra had come to her to talk about it afterwards.  Jada just didn't know what to think about her classmates thinking Cassandra was pregnant.  Surely, they all would have seen the signs but Jada did think it could explain Cassandra's mood.

~~~~~~~~~~

After her birthday Cassandra packed her bags and left the Manor.  She left a note on her parent's bed explaining she needed sometime to find herself and that she would be in touch.  The reality was Cassandra just wasn't ready to face her parents and tell them the news.  Cassandra went into hiding at Darryl's house.  The morning sickness hit her hard and she couldn't stay too far away from the bathroom.  Cassandra had let too much time pass so one of her three options was no longer viable, but she still hadn't decided what to do.  She knew her parents would want answers and she just didn't have any so she decided to stay away.

Cassandra took a leave of absence from Doo Peas.  This came as a shock to everyone and it wasn't long before her father was calling her cell phone to find out what was going on.  She let it go to voice mail every time.  Cassandra eventually called him back when she knew he wouldn't answer and left him a lengthy, but vague, voice-mail telling him not to worry.  Cassandra was left alone to think things over during the night since Darryl worked third shift at the precinct.  Despite her moments of quiet reflection, she still couldn't wrap her mind around a solution and she was plagued with nightmares.  One night she would dream that keeping her baby ruined her life but another night she would dream that letting her baby be adopted was a decision she would regret forever.

Cassandra decided to finally see a doctor once she started showing.  She and Darryl were amazed at the little helicopter heartbeat they heard over the Doppler.  After her appointment, Darryl went back to work to finish his double and she went to library to meet with the one person she was sure could help her figure out how to make a decision.  Cassandra was early so she nervously looked around to see if anyone would recognize her.  She was still hiding from everybody.  Cassandra rubbed her belly without even thinking about it while she waited.

Heather rushed in late, apologizing for getting held up by explaining things to her babysitter.  Cassandra was eager for her help since Heather had already had her baby and even married the baby's father.

"Thanks for helping me talk through this," Cassandra said.  "I just can't figure this out by myself and Darryl doesn't want to make the decision either."

"Well, what are you thinking?" Heather asked.

"I'm not sure.  I have no idea what I want.  Conventional wisdom would lead me to think that a good adoptive family would be the best.  But I think my family might kill me because I can't hide for another four months."

"You haven't told your family yet?"

"No!  My parents will flip out!"

 "Cassandra, your parents could be totally supportive and give you the help you need to do this," Heather paused for a minute.

"Or...." Cassandra interjected.

"Or they can make it quite clear that maybe it is a good idea to pursue adoption."

"Why did you keep your baby Heather?"

Heather reached out and rubbed Cassandra's belly.

"Because the baby was mine.  I didn't have anything else.  My family was upset and shocked at first but they finally came around."  Heather laughed, "I think they were more upset by the wedding than they were the baby.

"Please, consider talking to your family.  Give them the chance to be there for you."

~~~~~~~~~~

 Cassandra worked up all her courage and decided to go back home.  She decided to show up for her father's birthday and talk to her mom after the celebration.  Cassandra stalled as much as she could and arrived just in time for cake.

Mortimer had hope Cassandra would make it and was thrilled when she walked into the kitchen at the last moment.  That was his Cassandra.  He was even more thrilled when he saw that she had her bags with her.  Since it was his birthday, Mortimer decided he wasn't going to pull Cassandra into a conversation about work or leaving.  When he found her note Mortimer was angry, then worried.  He knew Cassandra was rash but he never expected her leave for an extended amount of time and the fallout in the boardroom at Doo Peas was horrendous.

"Cassandra!" Bella cornered her oldest daughter in the foyer.  Her husband may have decided to confront Cassandra at a different time, but she was seeing red.

"Where have you been?  Honestly, I would have thought you would outgrow your childish, impulsive behavior after your teen years, yet you disappear in the middle of the night like some ungrateful runaway!"

Cassandra let her mother get it all out.  She knew she deserved it.

"Okay Mom," she began.  "You have every right to be mad.  I shouldn't have left the way I did and I'm sorry about that.  I have something I need to talk to you about and you may get more angry, but please just try not to.

"I'm just going to say it, I'm pregnant."  Cassandra waited for Bella to let the news sink in.

"That is fairly obvious Cassandra.  Did you think I was born yesterday?"

"How long have you known?"

Bella looked into her daughter's sad eyes, "I knew the minute you walked in the door."
Cassandra smiled sheepishly, "It is getting fairly obvious isn't it?"
"I've suspected for quite some time," Bella continued.  "It would have taken something big for you to leave like you did after your teen years.  We've been through your habitual ignorance of curfew, arrest, and community service; you being pregnant and freaking out was a plausible explanation for running off.  Of course I didn't share that with your father.  He is a man and doesn't much understand the millions of thoughts which race through a woman's head when she finds out she's pregnant, especially under unplanned circumstances.  Unless you became a master of secrets in the last four months and you are hiding a relationship with an unknown guy, Darryl is the father isn't he?"

"He is.  I've been at his place.  He's been helping out the best he can with his schedule but when it comes to making the big choice he isn't willing to say what he wants one way or the other.  I don't know what to do."  Tears welled to the brim in Cassandra's eyes.

"Don't cry sweetheart.  Everything will work itself out," Bella reassured Cassandra.  She reached out and felt her daughter's growing belly attempting to think of herself as Grandma Bella.  How am I old enough to be a grandmother already? she wondered.

"Mom, what do I need to do?"

"First, you need to relax.  This isn't the end of the world.  Have you seen a doctor yet?"

"Yes, I started my appointments with Dr. Jolina."

"She delivered you, you know."  Bella smiled.  "How far along are you?"

"I'm four months.  The ultra sound is next month.  Everything has been normal so far."

"How can your father and I help you?" Bella asked.

"I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to keep the baby."

"And that is what Darryl won't help you decide?  Are you two planning anything for the future?"

"No," Cassandra responded wistfully. "We aren't marriage material.  I love him, but I can't see myself married to him and having more children with him. I just don't see him wanting any of this."  Cassandra gestured around foyer.  "He agrees for the most part."

"Your father and I will help you anyway we can.  You are inheriting this house so we expected you would have children at some point.  It seems some point is just sooner rather than later.  You also have four teen siblings who wouldn't mind some cash for babysitting.  You have five months to come up with something.  For now just enjoy being pregnant and growing the baby healthy and strong.  I'll talk to your father."

Talking to Mortimer was easy.  He was glad for the answers and to have Cassandra home.  He needed to do some damage control at Doo Peas.  Landgraab attempted a mutiny in the boardroom.  Nick Alto's grandson Monte was able to keep Malcolm from completely taking over.  Monte was young but he had a head for business.  Mortimer just needed to bring in someone to represent Goth interests until Cassandra went back to work.

After her conversation with Mortimer, Bella set up time to meet with Bebe.  They were going to be grandmothers together so it was time to plan.  Bella needed some time since she was upset that Bebe knew about Darryl and Cassandra yet said nothing.  They met for dinner at the bistro to talk the situation over and Bella wanted to see if Bebe had any idea what Darryl wanted.

It wasn't long before Bella was over the moon with idea of a new baby in the house.  Cassandra still hadn't said what she was planning to do and it took Bella every bit of self control to not try to sway Cassandra toward keeping the baby.  Bella gladly accepted when Cassandra asked her to be the backup support person.  Darryl couldn't get time off for the ultra sound so Bella accompanied Cassandra to the hospital.  It was nice to meet with Dr. Jolina without being the patient.  Cassandra decided not to find out the sex of the baby just in case she decided to have the baby adopted.  If she was going to go that route, she didn't want to know anything about the baby.  Cassandra did allow for Dr. Jolina to tell Bella the baby's sex as long as she promised not to tell.

By the eighth month Cassandra began to feel like a mother.  Every time the baby moved Cassandra was overwhelmed with happiness (and an obnoxious need to pee).  She enjoyed the kicking, squirming, and hiccups.  Darryl's schedule changed and he was able to go to the doctor appointments. The baby moved at the sound of Darryl's voice and he eagerly rubbed Cassandra's belly to feel the kicks.  He tried to be distant at first, in case Cassandra chose adoption for their baby, but over time he was just too excited.  He secretly wanted Cassandra to keep the baby but he wouldn't tell her because he didn't want her to be stuck with something just because of him.

Chapter 16: Growing Up, part I

Mortimer and Bella spent a quiet morning in the garden.  Both had the day off and each of their five children was exactly where there were supposed to be; in school and learning something.  Well, they hoped they were learning something.  Cassandra did what she needed to do to get by, Jada had so many activities they didn't know how she managed to excel,  Alexander was too smart for most of the teachers, Floramaria kept getting caught daydreaming in the middle of lessons, and Damen had been to the principal's office too many times to count for playing pranks.

It seemed no matter the stage of life their children were in the challenges Mortimer and Bella faced as their parents were abundant.  Yet, they cherished each and every moment; working as a team, keeping it all in order.  Unable to escape the hustle and bustle of daily life Mortimer and Bella cherished quiet moments they could find with each other.  Since their children were more independent, they realized soon they were going to have even more time to themselves.  They doubted they would ever truly be empty-nesters, but Mortimer didn't feel like he should be tied to the Manor for all of his life.  Mortimer and Bella started toying with the idea of moving to a beach side condo once Damen became a young adult and Cassandra fully prepared to inherit the Manor.

Mortimer and Bella celebrated each day as if it were a holiday if they weren't contacted by the school about one of their children.  Bella always managed to whip up one of the best desserts for after dinner on those days. Of course, the children never caught  the correlation.    As close as they were, they were each caught up in their own world without one hint of how, sometimes, their parents were juggling consequences and guidance for all of them at the same time.  Mortimer and Bella maintained the individuality of each of their children and, unless the event was huge, created a sense of privacy within the household when it came to caring for each of the children.

~~~~~~~~~~

After their first date Jada and Cyriaque became inseparable.  They arranged to take the same classes, had lunch together, and spent unoccupied time on the phone or out on dates.  The only time they didn't seem to be together was when they were at their respective after school activities and jobs.  Any time Jada was home if anyone needed to find her they always checked the phone first.  Even if she was sitting silently doing homework, Jada still had the phone to her ear with Cyriaque silently doing his homework on the other end.  Despite Jada's phone curfew, Bella would often find the phone with an open line on her pillow after she fell asleep.  Once Cyriaque asked Jada to prom the phone calls were endless and usually excitedly loud with the planning of a perfect night.

Jada and Cyriaque had invited Alexander to go to prom.  Even though she was head over heels in love with Cyriaque she still couldn't imagine going through life's big events without Alexander there.  Jada knew he wouldn't just go by himself.
Alexander contemplated their proposal over breakfast.  He had only stared at them with an arched eyebrow before he conceded to thinking about it.  The last thing he wanted to do was be Jada's third wheel; standing around the punch bowl looking pathetic.  He knew no girls would want to dance with him and he wasn't going to be a charity case for his sister.  Alexander thought Cyriaque was a pretty decent guy and, though it was for Jada's sake, Cyriaque even tried to befriend him.  Having a friend who wasn't Jada was nice, but Alexander doubted Cyriaque wanted him tagging along.

A couple weeks before prom Jada and Cyriaque spent their date planning their special night.  Jada had heard the Riverview Philharmonic Orchestra was going to be performing a symphony the same night.  Famed conductor Ebenezer Clavier would be headlining the orchestra during the tour stop in Sunset Valley.

"So what so you think of seeing a symphony before heading over to prom?"  Jada asked.

"That's a lot to cram into one evening.  I kinda already made reservations for dinner," Cyriaque responded.

"Well it is just Hogan's, I'm sure they can move it.  They probably got confused when you asked for a reservation," she laughed.

"Well, you see, the reservations aren't at Hogan's," he replied sheepishly.  "I'm not going to be able to afford dinner and prom plus tickets for a symphony."

"You got reservations at the Bistro!" Jada squealed with excitement.  She beamed the biggest smile at her boyfriend.  "I guess the symphony isn't such a big deal, anyway"

Alexander was reading in the cattails by the pond in the yard when he heard Jada and Cyriaque walk up the path.  Jada was blubbering and repeatedly apologizing for ruining a surprise.  Alexander rolled his eyes.  She was acting like every other snivelling girl at their school. 

Alexander was surprised by the sudden silence.  They couldn't have made it to the house yet.  He peeked out from behind his book and saw them locked in a steamy embrace.  Alexander was suddenly flushed with embarrassment.  He was an unwelcome interloper in Jada's private moment.  Alexander knew he should have moved away or at least put his nose back in his book but he looked on in fascination.  He wondered what it would be like to kiss a girl; wondered if the feel of her lips would outweigh the germ exchange involved.  Alexander had a sudden desire to punch Cyriaque in the face.  Alexander didn't know if he could handle sharing the one person who knew him better than anyone with someone else.

Alexander retreated to the dining room before Jada realized he was around and he needed to stutter his way through an awkward excuse.  He had promised Jada and Cyriaque that they would work on homework together but Alexander got started anyway.

He was only a couple pages in and really getting into his zone when Floramaria broke his concentration skipping into the room.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked in a sing-song voice.

"I'm doing homework.  Go away," Alexander muttered without looking up.

"Hey come outside with me."

"No, Flora, go away."

"Pleeeeeeease," she begged. "Why don't you want to go outside?"

"I just don't.  Go away."  Alexander refocused on his homework and ignored Floramaria.  She stood there stubbornly, hoping he would change his mind but she eventually gave up.

"I'm going to tell Mom you are being boring and mean!" Floramaria shouted, running from the room and blowing raspberries at him.

With less than a week until the big night Jada grew increasing restless and amped up her workout regimen.  She found she couldn't stay still enough to go to sleep with out a good cardio sweat first.  Jada also wanted to make sure she looked perfect in her form fitting dress she bought.

The only place with enough room to put on some music and move was in Cassandra's room.  After a bit of begging and deal making Cassandra allowed Jada to exercise there.  Cassandra wouldn't allow Jada to run through a full workout because she didn't want her room to smell like a nasty gym, but she couldn't say no outright because her parents would just force her to let Jada in eventually.

Cassandra stewed at the bottom of the stairs to her room when she heard the workout music blaring from her stereo. Jada was up there.  She was trying to avoid Jada until next week.  Cassandra was peeved that Jada was going to experience another "first" before her.  Sure, Cassandra could just stop at Jada getting to go to prom while she doesn't, but she knew better.  She had overheard Jada and Cyriaque trying to make plans for after prom.  Cassandra just couldn't believe Jada was going to have her first woohoo before she was. When Cassandra couldn't avoid Jada for whatever reason she became extremely competitive.  Heading upstairs Cassandra threw on some workout clothes and jumped in to outsweat Jada.

It wasn't long before Cassandra thought about giving up.  She knew there was no way to outdo Jada when it came to anything athletic.  Jada finished her workout and smiled at Cassandra, then wished her good night.  Cassandra let out an exasperated sigh after Jada left.  She wanted to fall to the floor in a sweaty puddle; instead she gathered up her laundry and headed to the laundry room.Cassandra took to doing her own laundry when she started buying her own clothes and she didn't want her parents or the maid to come across her skimpy lacy panties.  While she waited to switch loads she fumed over not being able to go to prom.  Cassandra had wanted Darryl to take her, but he was going to be working that night and she was not going alone.  Not to mention their relationship was still undefined; everything was still as before only they mixed it up with making out every once and awhile if they got bored.  

~~~~~~~~~~

The moment she had been waiting for her entire adult life had finally come.  Bella was an accomplished mother and wife; and soon she was going to be an accomplished chef.  Her life-time wish was about to be reality.  Bella rushed home.  She wanted Mortimer to be the first to know.  Bella rushed into the house and found Mortimer before she went to change out of her chef coat and pants.

"I've done it!  It is going to happen Mortimer!" Bella exclaimed.

Mortimer smiled, "You are talking about a new job at the Bistro, right?  That's what we are getting excited about?"  

Bella nodded enthusiastically.  Her eyes welled and she could barely form words.

"Chef Frio is retiring as the Five-Star Chef at the Bistro," Bella explained.  "I still have to seal the deal.  I need to submit a dish with a couple other applicants, but I have it on good authority that I'm up for the job and the taste-test is just a formality.

"I have the perfect dish in mind," she continued.  "I'm making Ambrosia.  We have the Life Fruit needed.  Now I just need you to catch me a Deathfish.

"I'll see what I can do Bells.  I'll put it on the top of my priority list," Mortimer told her and scooped her into a big hug.

Mortimer headed out first thing in the morning in search of the elusive Deathfish.  Since Floramaria was becoming quite the expert fisherwoman Mortimer decide to have her come along on the fishing expedition.  By mid morning they still had no luck.  Not only were they having a difficult time finding the Deathfish, it didn't seem like any fish were taking the bait.  Mortimer and Floramaria took a break for a picnic lunch on the beach while they discussed their options.  After lunch they decided they would move further into the cove to see if they could find better fishing spots in the deeper water.

Floramaria had better luck once they found a different location but the fish were still being dodgy.  It wasn't the best of fishing days.  Mortimer had barely a nibble.  Floramaria was mostly catching fish that were much too small to keep and released them back into the ocean.  Nothing was even close to perfect.  The excitement of the day came when Floramaria reeled in an Alley Catfish weighing ten kilograms.  Mortimer snapped a picture of his daughter with her prize and offered to send the fish in to be mounted.  Floramaria decided that she would rather bring it home and let her mom use it to make her birthday dinner in a couple days.

Floramaria was beyond excited on her birthday.  In her old family birthdays were no big deal and usually passed without much thought; often experiencing growing up happened alone and off guard.  Floramaria didn't remember becoming a child, but as child she watched her older biological brother become a teen as if it were nothing special.  Then her real family showed her what birthdays were all about.  Floramaria was going to get a special dinner made from her record catch and her mom was going to bake her a cake just to celebrate.  Even Cassandra got into the birthday spirit; acting more cheerful and ignoring her precedent of keeping her room off limits to everyone.

Everyone came home for Floramaria's birthday dinner.  Bella had decided to do a fish fry with the Alley Catfish.  Despite the casual dinner Bella pulled out the best dishes and everyone gathered in the dining room.  She was over doing the celebration a little but Bella felt Floramaria deserved her first celebrated birthday to be something to remember.  After a dinner filled with love and laughter everyone gathered in the kitchen for Floramaria to blow out her candles on the cake.  Everyone encouraged her to make a wish.  She closed her eyes and pretended to wish for something.  For Floramaria there was nothing left to wish for.  She had been given everything she ever wanted when Mortimer and Bella became her parents and Cassandra, Jada, Alexander, and Damen became her sisters and brothers.

The morning after her birthday Floramaria was up before sunrise to go fishing.  Her parents had given her permission to be out all day to fish without checking in.  They had given her a cell phone for her birthday, just like her older siblings, so she could call if she came across trouble.  Her brothers and sisters chipped in to buy her a top of line fishing pole , a new tackle box, and fishing gear.  It was everything she ever wanted.  Floramaria was on a mission to help her dad catch a Deathfish for her mom.  One way or another they were going to catch one.

By the end of the day she caught about everything she could but still no Deathfish.  Her day was relaxing.  Over the course of the day Floramaria came to the conclusion that she wanted to be a professional angler and have the perfect aquarium filled with fish she had caught herself.  She wanted to compete with other anglers for catching record holding fish.  Her day ended twice as well as it started.  First, she had caught the perfect Goldfish.  She was going to stop by the store on the way home to get aquarium supplies.  Then, just as she was about to leave her line snagged on something.  She doubted it was a fish because there wasn't enough drag on the line, but the hook was stuck on something.  Floramaria finally waded out to release the hook and found another treasure chest from Firebeard.  She couldn't wait to show it to her dad and Damen.

~~~~~~~~~~

Prom night had finally arrived.  Bella took Jada to get a mani/pedi at the spa.  At home Bella helped Jada with her make-up while Floramaria took pictures.  Bella and Jada had travelled to Bridgeport to shop for a dress.  Mortimer and Bella offered to pay for half the cost of the dress, which allowed for Jada to pick out something beyond what she had planned.  Jada settled on a teal floor-length silk gown by EA Designs.  She picked out some subtle earrings and styled her hair .  Cyriaque picked her up and they posed for dozens of photos.  After giving them a head start Bella headed up to the Bistro.  She sat silently on the patio while Jada and Cyriaque enjoyed dinner.  Bella was busted after Jada caught sight of her while looking out the window.  Jada excused herself for a moment to go beg her mom to leave.  Bella relented and went home.  She reminded her daughter to be safe and smart and left them to enjoy the rest of their evening alone.

After dinner Cyriaque and Jada decided to have dessert on the patio.  They shared a serving a Angel Food cake in the candle light while violin music played quietly from the Bistro's speakers.  Cyriaque got up and pulled Jada into an open area.  He pulled her close and began to sway to the music.  They became lost to the world around them; ignoring everyone.  Jada was so in love she thought her heart would surely burst from happiness.  She felt butterflies in her tummy and wanted to melt when Cyriaque leaned in and gently brushed her lips with a kiss.

Jada never wanted the moment to end but too soon the concerto was over.  She took Cyriaque's hands, "I suppose we should head over to the school."

Cyriaque smiled slyly, "Or we could stay here and dance to lovely violin music all night."

"I want to so much!  But we would miss prom and that is part of the whole night."

"Alright," he conceded.  "We'll go, but one thing first."  He kissed Jada gently. "I want to talk about our plans later tonight.  This is going to sounds stupid because I'm a teenage boy..."

"I would never think you are stupid"

"Well, you might.  I was thinking  that I'm not ready for that next step yet.  I should have said something sooner, but I was sure you would have thought I was a bad boyfriend."

"No, that's okay!" Jada responded with relief.  She had been having her own dilemma in the back of her mind.  "I think I was going to chicken out."  They smiled at each other, both relieved that waiting for their first woohoo wasn't going to cause a fight or a break up.  Arm in they headed to the car and over to the school for prom.  After prom they returned to the Manor and changed into pajamas to watch a movie.  Jada fell asleep snuggled into the crook of Cyriaque's arm and he rested his head against hers.

In the weeks following prom the senior class began preparations for graduation.  They took their final exam earlier than the other classes.  For senior skip day the parents bused them over to Appaloosa Plains for a day of horseback riding and track races.  Cassandra hung out with Darryl for most of the time, but she also made a new friend with newly outcasted Heather.  The rumor mill picked up wind that Heather was dating a much older man and had gotten pregnant.  Cassandra knew all to well what it was like not to fit in and she wasn't going to ostracize Heather over something like getting pregnant.  The were graduating soon and Heather could go on to do whatever she wanted.  They all could.  Cassandra thought it was pretty cold to shut out Heather.  It wasn't like they were freshmen anymore.

After senior skip day the juniors and seniors held the traditional candle light ceremony.  Cassandra passed the flame on to some juniors she didn't know then blew out her own candle.  The next day the senior class headed over to City Hall for graduation rehearsal.  While no one was looking Cassandra seized an opportunity and pulled Darryl into the judges' chambers.  The morning after prom Cassandra discovered her sister hadn't followed through with her plan when the family came downstairs and saw them snuggled, fully clothed, on the couch.  Cassandra wasn't going let this "first" slip through her fingers.  She was the oldest and she was going to be the most experienced.  Cassandra caught Darryl off guard and before he could object she kissed him.  She knew they got a little carried away when they started making out so she didn't stop kissing him until he was kissing her back with equal relish.  Cassandra manoeuvred behind the desk and pushed Darryl into a judge's oversized, plush leather office chair.   Stripping out of her skirt and shirt, she quickly undid Darryl's belt buckle and pants.  Without getting caught Cassandra had her first woohoo in the judges's chamber of City Hall.