A Sister's Heart

Chapter 5

DIANA

The flight was due to depart at four thirty; it was now three forty-five and having just made it through security, Diana barely had enough time for her double shot caramel latte with two pumps of vanilla. Rooting around in her bag for her purse, she made a beeline for the Starbucks ahead of her, not really paying attention to her surroundings. She was so distracted, that she didn't realise that someone was calling her name. "Diana? Diana Hart?" It wasn't until they tapped her on the shoulder that Diana actually turned around to see who it was. "It is you. I would know you anywhere!" The face that greeted her was not one she wished to see.

"Samantha, gosh, sorry." Diana feigned a smile and the pair hugged. Not wanting to partake in any small talk, she tried to excuse herself to no avail since the woman jut seemed to follow her like some crazy stalker. Although to be fair that is not so far from the truth Samantha Cartwright had approached Diana at a charity function for disadvantaged youths three years ago and tried to wrangle herself a job at Luxe. She insisted that she was the best person from the job, however, after less than two days, it was obvious just how unqualified she was. Now, every time they ran into each other Samantha made her feelings about the situation perfectly clear; that Diana had made a mistake in not hiring her.

Diana finally managed to escape from Samantha at the counter of Starbucks. She ordered her drink and made a hasty exit after receiving it; blending into the airport crowd and leaving Samantha still waiting to be handed her own drink. For fear of being seen, Diana made a move to duck behind a plant, but instead ran straight into another passenger. "Hey, watch it!" She shouted without thinking. Glancing up to apologise for her outburst, she came face to face with her sister. "Ronnie! Sorry, I didn't see you." The apology was sincere, and so was the surprise on her face.

Veronica was clearly a little shocked too. "It's okay." There was a brief silence, which was filled with awkwardness, before she spoke again. "Four thirty flight?" The question was redundant since the answer was so obviously a yes. The two sisters then sat in silence for the next twenty minutes or so until it became unbearable.

"Did she go into any details with you?" Diana asked, referring to the calls they had both received from their youngest sister, Ivy earlier that day. Ivy hadn't explained things fully too her and wondered if she had let Veronica in on any of it. Although she suspected that she hadn't, she had to be sure. Whenever they were around each other, their competitiveness always brought itself to the surface, no matter the situation, and they couldn't always control it.

"No. You?" Simple enough answer, but Diana could tell that her sister was fishing; trying to find out if Ivy told her and whether or not she was just feigning ignorance. Yet, honestly, there was no reason for Ivy to do that; tell one and not the other. She had said on the phone that she would fill her in when she arrived, so it was reasonable to assume she had said the same to Veronica.

They made uncomfortable small talk until the announcement came that they could board their American Airlines flight. In less than two hours that same flight would touchdown in the city they once called home. Pittsburgh.

*****

VERONICA

The plane had landed ten minutes late and Veronica was glad that she had pre-booked a hire car. Apparently, it had been the last one since she booked so late and it was so close to Thanksgiving. "Do you want a ride?" Diana hadn't managed to get a car and was just going to hail a cab, so she offered her sister a lift since they were going to the same place.

"Sure." Diana didn't argue and accepted Veronica's offer. They were cordial with each other on their way to the Taurus that was theirs for at least the next few days, commenting on the weather, the queues and anything else they could think of to fill the time, but the rest of the journey passed in blessed silence.

A half an hour later, as she turned the car onto their mother's street, Veronica saw 147 in the distance and slammed on the brakes. "Woah, what the hell?" Diana screeched, lurching forward before her seatbelt jolted her back. Noticing her sister's shaking hands, she switched into concerned sister mode and followed Veronica's gaze to the house they had grown up in. In that moment she understood. Going back home and their mother not being there for the first time was going to be hard for the both of them. If anyone could understand what her sister was going through; she could. "Ronnie, it's okay. I'm nervous too. It'll be hard, I know, but I'm here." Trying to comfort her, Diana rested a hand on top of Veronica's. "I'm right here!" Although the two of them weren't particularly close anymore, one could obviously still sense what was going on with the other.

"I'm fine!" Veronica stated, matter-of-factly, not one to show her emotions. She shrugged her sister's hand away and pulled the car to park outside 147.

Ivy was on the doorstep within seconds, greeting them with a sincere, yet still somewhat forced, smile. "Hey." She called. "Do you need a hand?" Both Diana and Veronica shook their heads and proceeded to drag their cases from the trunk.

She led them inside, where they temporarily stored their suitcases by the door before making their way to the living room. "Aunt Ronnie! Aunt Diana!" The boy's voice echoed throughout the house as he burst into the room. "I knew it was you!" He seemed so happy to see them, yet there was still a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Hey kid!" Veronica tried to sound happy, and held out her arms, offering her nephew a hug. Matthew ran straight at her and flung his arms around her waist. "Your sister upstairs?" He didn't answer, but she felt him nodding as he still clung to her.

"I think I might go say hi." Diana removed her coat and headed for the stairs. She had always had a soft spot for Lauren and felt like she needed to check on her. It also meant that Ivy and Veronica would have to play nice; something which did not come naturally to the pair. Diana being the eldest, and Ivy being the youngest with a five-year age gap between them often meant that that Veronica would be caught in the middle of any drama, but since she was only a year younger than Diana, she usually chose her side, which Ivy resented her for. Thankfully, Matthew had stuck around and was being the perfect buffer, distracting Veronica whilst his mother made coffee.

He had so many questions. "Are you here because of Grandma? How's New York? How many celebrities have you met? Is it fun being rich?" Typical questions for an eleven-year-old, but they came all at once and Veronica felt like she was being bombarded and had trouble remembering the first question by the time he had asked the last.

"Yes, I'm here because of Grandma. New York is great. There are too many celebrities to mention, but I have met Chris Hemsworth, and of course it's fun being rich, which is why I could bring you this!" She responded, like an expert at dealing with questions and the press, and reached into her handbag pulling out a small, wrapped gift which she had managed to grab and wrap on her way to the airport. Without hesitation, her nephew ripped off the wrapping paper to reveal the latest basketball game for the Playstation. He may have been useless at actually playing basketball, but he loved the games. His face lit up instantly as he once again embraced his Aunt in a hug.

Lauren entered, followed by Diana, just in time to hear her brother exclaim his thanks, a dejected look on her face. Veronica picked up on it, and without making it a big deal, she reached into her bag again and retrieved another gift, handing it to her niece. "I hope you like it." She said, barely above a whisper. She didn't open the gift right away. Instead, she put it in her pocket and sat quietly in the armchair in the corner. Veronica had hoped she would open it but decided it best not to push. The girl was grieving and dealing with the loss of her Grandmother in her own way; the last thing she needed was to be forced to do something she wasn't ready to.

The rest of the night was pretty relaxed,apart from the tension radiating from the tree sisters. They ordered takeout,since no one was in the mood to cook, and then they all went to bed, clearlywanting to avoid the serious conversations that needed to be had about the onething that none of them dared discuss. The death of Esther Hart.

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Author's Note - Please leave a comment to let me know what you think.