The Nieces

Eleanor’s eyes darted away. She knew where he really was.

Elena sat in silence for a moment, letting the revelation settle like ash in her lungs. Eleanor, the gatekeeper of the Hawthorne legacy, the woman who had inspected Elena’s genetic history before approving the engagement, was complicit.

Elena placed her napkin on the table. She didn't say another word. She stood up, her movements calm and fluid, and walked out of the dining room. She didn't look back to see if Eleanor was still staring at her water glass.

She drove to the private school where the Hawthorne "nieces" were enrolled. Bella, nineteen and technically a step-daughter though legally a niece, was volunteering in the lower school's holiday pageant. Chloe, eight, was playing a snowflake.

Elena parked the Range Rover in the pickup line. It was 2:45 PM. The line of luxury SUVs stretched down the block, engines idling, exhaust puffing white in the cold air.

She needed to see the children. She needed to look at their faces and see if the lie extended to the next generation.

The bell rang. A flood of children in coats and backpacks poured out of the brick building. Elena spotted Chloe first. The little girl was trudging through the slush, her head down, a lopsided pair of tinsel wings poking out of her backpack.

"Elena!" Chloe’s face lit up when she saw the car. She scrambled into the back seat, bringing the smell of cold air and crayons with her.

"Hey, snowflake," Elena said, watching her in the rearview mirror. "How was rehearsal?"

"Boring," Chloe said, buckling her seatbelt. "I have to stand still for ten minutes. It's hard."

The passenger door opened, and Bella slid in. She was wearing oversized sunglasses and headphones around her neck. She didn't say hello. She just slammed the door and started texting.

"Hello to you too, Bella," Elena said dryly.

Bella grunted, not looking up. "Whatever. Can we go? I have to meet friends."

Elena pulled out of the line. She drove in silence for a few blocks, her mind racing. How much did they know? Bella was old enough to understand secrets. Chloe was young enough to accidentally reveal them.

"So," Elena said, trying to keep her voice casual. "Have you guys heard from your mom lately? I know she's been... busy with her treatments."

Bella’s thumbs stopped moving on her screen. She looked up, her expression guarded behind the dark lenses. "Why do you care?"

"I'm just asking. I know it's hard having her away for the holidays."

"She's fine," Bella snapped. "She's getting better."

"Is she?" Elena asked. "I heard the facility is really nice. Lots of... activities."

"Yeah, whatever," Bella muttered, going back to her phone.

"Does she call you?" Elena pressed. "Or video chat?"

"Sometimes," Chloe piped up from the back seat. "But not this week. She's in a Quiet Zone."

"A Quiet Zone," Elena repeated.

"Yeah," Chloe said, pulling a drawing out of her backpack. "She sent me a picture though. Look!"

She thrust a piece of paper over the console. It wasn't a photo. It was a drawing Chloe had made, done in marker on construction paper.

Elena took it at a red light.

It showed a tall tower with a flag on top. Two stick figures stood on the balcony. One had long black hair (Seraphina). The other had short brown hair (Marcus).

"That's nice, honey," Elena said, her throat tight. "Is that the hospital?"

"No, silly," Chloe giggled. "That's Daddy and Auntie's castle. Where they go to feel better."

Elena stared at the drawing. The castle had palm trees next to it. Big, green, distinct palm trees drawn with the heavy hand of a child who had seen them recently.

Just like the photo background.