Four Hundred Sixty Nine

Four Hundred Sixty Nine
Alicia wraps an arm around Cecily's shoulder and leads her to the couch.
"Her name is Gianna", I sigh. "Gianna Russo.
And she is my cousin Cheryl's daughter. They came to the city for the holidays".
"We've never been to New York before", Cecily whispers.
I explain to Alicia the scene at the restaurant and the fake backstory.
"Cheryl was gonna cut out after New Years after deciding that we were in a position to offer her daughter a better life. And if we weren't comfortable... Cecily would stay with Cheryl. Until she was of age. We are to enroll her in school".
"She would be attending the same school though"? Alicia sighs.
"No. We were enrolling her into a private school".
"Oh. I see".
"Mrs. Hutchinson. I'm sorry if you are upset".
"I'm not upset with you. I'm a little bit angry that I wasn't let in on the plan".
"Alicia, I'm sorry".
"Whatever", she sighs.

"Anthony is here. He just texted me".
I open the door and he hurries inside with a duffel bag and a backpack.
"What has changed"?
"We decided this was the best way".
"How"?
"Well... apparently Cheryl has an emergency... my uncle... her father... he's in a bad way. He's sick. She has to go home to be with him".
"Is he gonna be okay"?
"It doesn't look good Jonathan. She was scared that taking Cecily would raise too many questions so the best we could do was to restructure our plan".
"Cheryl just abandoned her daughter"?
"Yes. It's a horrible story, but it does work".
"What if we couldn't keep Cecily? Then what? She offered her a home until she was of age"!
"Cheryl is coming back in a few weeks. And the offer still stands. Cecily will be taken care of".
"What's in the bags", Alicia asks.
"The rest of her belongings. Some personal items she packed when she left her apartment".
He hands Cecily her backpack and she looks teary eyed.
"Here's the documents", he says as he hands over an envelope.
"Her social security card... identification card... school transcript... birth certifcate... well Gianna's papers... I a few days there will be paperwork from Kenny giving you guardianship so you can enroll her into the private school.
There's a whole booklet in there about Gianna's backstory and little known facts. The number for the witsec contact is in her phone under the name Abigail".
Blood type. Allergies... everything you need to know".
"Any word on the people who killed her step father"? I ask.
"So far no. But Cecily was last seen taking a bus to Los Angeles, and she just disappeared".
"They're gonna go looking for her", says Alicia.
"Yeah... and they will find a Jane Doe in the city morgue in about 2 weeks... Dental records will say she is Cecily.
Speaking of dental... if Gianna needs one she will have to ask to see one Lisa recommends. We can't have her real Dental records on file. If she needs a Doctor she is to specifically see Lisa or someone Lisa recommends".
"Ok", I nod.
"Any questions about anything you call me or Marco".
"Ok".
If you need anything, Cecily, call me", Anthony smiles.
"I think I'm okay", she whispers.
"I'm only a phone call away". She gives him a hug and I walk him to the elevator.
"See you soon".

"I am so glad you are gonna be staying with us"! Alicia smiles.
"I don't want to intrude or mess up anyone's stuff".
"You aren't messing up anything. I am so happy you are safe. You will be safe with us".
Alicia leads her around the apartment. First stop is the living room. She takes in the painting's and the dark walls.
"My favorite color is black. It's okay if you laugh at me. Jonathan does all day long".
She stares at my bookcase and smiles at the record player.
"You like vinyl"? she asks.
"Absolutely".
"That's pretty cool", she smiles. What kind of music do you listen to"?
"I love 80s music. You can laugh at me. Jonathan thinks I'm a dork".
"Hey! I heard that".
She stick her tongue out at me and I laugh at how adorable she looks.
"I wasn't really allowed to play music much, but I like all kinds. I guess my favorite group is... Well I don't have one, but my mom... she liked Talking Heads. 'The Road To Nowhere', she whispers. "She used to sing it in the car, and Pat Benatar".
"I love Pat Benatar", Alicia smiles.
Cecily eyes the books on the shelf.
"Do you like to read"? I ask.
"Yeah. I like books a lot. I read a lot of classic stuff. My favorite is 1984".
"Jonathan loves reading classic books. You will see in a minute once we go into the den".
Cecily looks at the artwork on the walls.
"Did you do these"?
"Yes", Alicia says. "All of the canvases are ones I painted".
She's in awe when Alicia pulls open the curtain on the far wall.
"This view is neat"! she squeals. "And you have a huge balcony".
"I like to sketch out here during the summer. We just started stringing lights and hanging out here more often".
Cecily smiles at the dining room table and we head into the den. "Oh wow. You weren't kidding about the books!This is like a mini library"!
"Yep... We both love to read. The kids love this room too".
"Here is a guest room", Alicia says as we walk into the downstairs bedroom.
We go through the living room and into the kitchen.
"You have a real soda fountain"!
"Alicia has an addiction to soda".
"Do you like to cook? This kitchen is amazeballs".
"Ummm. Sometimes. He is the chef", Alicia winks.
"I should have known. The restaurant and everything".
"Yeah, I'm not a chef though", I laugh.
"He's an amazing cook".
"So you guys like... have breakfast together and dinner"?
"We try, but sometimes it's hard with our schedules", Alicia sighs. "We recently got the outdoor set so hopefully when the weather gets nice we can enjoy eating outside".
We walk through the kitchen and into the hallway.
"The laundry room", Alicia yells over her shoulder. "There's a small bathroom here". She gets to the end of the hall and opens the door. "I think you will like this room the best".
We enter the studio and Cecily's eyes get huge.
"Oh wow! Is this where you paint"?
"Mhm"...
"Your own space. This is incredible. Oh and the view"! She runs around the studio and takes a look at the canvases on the easels. "A couch and space for a desk too? What's thru there", she asks.
"Another bathroom".
She walks timidly around the desk and stares at the staircase.
"This was originally another apartment, I answer. "We had the wall knocked down and made it into one".
"So this was originally like the living room of another apartment"?
"Yes. We love this place and needed more space and didn't want to move", I add.
"I can see why", she nods. "I'm... not sure I will fit in here", she whispers.