Chapter Two.
“Isuppose we better start with our parents. Jane and Malcolm Winchester. They’d grown up together and naturally fell into a relationship. Mom got pregnant at seventeen, much to their parent’s horror, and it was discovered Mom and Dad were having quintuplets. Because Dad’s parents were strict, orders were given that the babies were aborted, so Mom and Dad ran. By the time Mom and Dad were discovered, it was too late for an abortion.
Mom and Dad had also got married while on the run, which really pissed his parents off. Although Mom was in the same social class as Dad, his parents looked down on her because she’d got pregnant. Mom’s parents took them in and helped, but when we were born, Mom got ill. After much persuading from Dad’s parents, Mom put the five of us up for adoption, only I got sick and wasn’t adopted.
I grew up not knowing I had siblings out there. Mom and Dad were always sad. Mom said Dad’s parents had done an evil deed but never told me what. My childhood was lonely. Mom and Dad could barely face me and often travelled as far away from me as they could get. I saw them two or three times a year, and my grandparents brought me up.” I stopped talking for a moment, bitterness overwhelming me. Until then, I’d been able to speak matter-of-factly. Yes, my parents had lost four children, but they’d still had one, but they’d pushed me away too.
“My parents said it was guilt that made your parents run away so much. Guilt over the fact they’d allowed Malcolm’s parents to give away their children. Mom said that it got worse when Jane realised she couldn’t have any more children. Jane and Malcolm had the perfect family, and they’d allowed his parents’ social status to force them into giving up four children,” Kelly said into the silence that fell.
“And you knew nothing about Clio?” Chance asked, disbelief in his voice.
“Nothing. My parents died a year ago in an accident, and even then, Grandmother didn’t tell me. But I discovered some papers two months ago and confronted Grandmother. That was when Grandmother admitted the truth. Since then, Kelly and I have been searching for the missing siblings. We found a lead on you, some old adoption papers, and tracked you here. We’ve been searching for you around this area since we discovered you’d a link here,” I said.
“Dad’s first attempt,” Clio said to Chance, who nodded thoughtfully.
“So you’ve three more sisters out there?” Chance asked curiously. I shook my head.
“There’s two sisters and a brother. The papers I discovered named our birth order and names given to us. I was first born, Thalia, and you’re next, Clio. We were identical twins. Urania is the boy and is the middle child. Grandmother disagreed with the name, but my parents were obsessed with Greek mythology and named the five of us after the muses. Grandmother said they planned to call him Rain. Next was Calliope and finally Polyhymnia.”
“Holy shit,” Chance said. “Your parents were whacked.” Clio glanced at him with a mischievous expression on her face.
“Maybe we should call this one Erato. That’s the muse of lyrical and love poetry,” Clio teased, and Chance’s face fell.
“Really?” Chance asked.
“No wombat, I’m still between Ermentrude and Horatius,” Clio smiled, and Chance paled.
“Whatever you want, baby,” Chance muttered. “Kids gonna get a club name before he takes his first breath.” Clio’s laughter peeled out.
“Next time I say I need a curry, you won’t make me wait an hour; you’ll have it delivered within fifteen minutes,” Clio said smugly.
“Yes, baby,” Chance said with a beleaguered sigh. I watched closely. Clio had no fear as she teased Chance, and I wondered if I had got the wrong idea. Then I thought of Bear, who’d had no qualms in putting a gun to my back and kidnapping Kelly and me. No, I’d the right idea of Chance’s gang.
“Do you mind?” I asked, folding my arms.
“Nope,” Clio said, snuggling into Chance, but they both diverted their attention back to me.
“So, what do you want from Clio, lady?” Chance asked.
“Well, I need Clio to return home and help find the others. Like Clio, they’re out there, and we need to find them. They may….” I bit off what I planned to say. Blurting out, be in trouble like Clio, would have gone down a treat.
“Be lonely?” Clio asked. Thanks, sister, that would do.
“Yeah,” I said, nodding.
“Yeah, I was lonely until Chance, Hellfire and Mom and Dad came along,” Clio said sadly. Chance rested his chin on her head.
“Yup, but now you got us. And you know we’ll go balls to the wall before anyone hurts you,” Chance said, but there was a warning in his eyes for Kelly and me. So be it. War was declared, and I was determined to free my sister from Chance and his gang.
“You mentioned an inheritance?” Clio said, frowning.
“Yes, Dad’s parents were rich, very wealthy, but when they died, Mom and Dad refused to touch their money. Everything came to Dad, obviously, but they never spent it. Any property they owned, Mom and Dad sold. Everything went into a trust until my parents died, and I inherited the lot. Your share is around ten million,” I said and hoped Clio would leap at the bait. Instead, her nose wrinkled, and she turned to Chance.
“Yeah, we don’t need that,” Clio said, and I stared flabbergasted as Chance shook his head.
“Nah, we don’t, baby,” Chance agreed.
“Clio, it’s ten million dollars,” Kelly said, thinking Clio had misunderstood.