Dreamstone

Church

"Spring is really taking its time this year," Caroline said, pulling me closer, to get me under her umbrella, as the rain started to come down even harder. "Not the best start to the holidays for anyone...are you going away, Debra?"

"No...not really...just Easter itself with my parents," Mrs Scott replied, smiling down at me as she held her own brolly at an angle. "How is Catherine doing?"

"She has had quite a week...one way or the other...but you are being a good girl, aren't you darling?" Caroline suggested, putting her other hand on my shoulder, as Charles and the twins walked along the path towards us, huddled under a huge golf umbrella. Charles was wearing a suit, like he did for work, and Caroline was looking smart and elegant as she always did, in a stylish raincoat over a long skirt and sweater, so obviously, the three of us were also dressed up to the nines. I was getting the idea that Caroline always dressed us the same, so our identical outfits were no surprise, but Mummy had gone to great lengths to get us ready for the Sunday morning service at our local church. On top, we were wearing tailored royal blue coats, double-breasted, with black velvet buttons, pocket flaps and collars, with white tights, black patent leather shoes and black velvet berets. Under the coats, our dresses were royal blue too, with white trimmings and black velvet bow ties, and Caroline had added black velvet mittens as a final touch, before braiding our hair with massive black velvet bows. We had been called sweet little girls by three different women, just walking up from the car park.

"Yes, Mummy." I replied, chewing hard on my bottom lip again, well aware of what she was going to ask me to do.

"And you have something to say to Mrs Scott, don't you, little one?" She prompted, giving me a one-armed hug.

"Yes, Mummy...I am sorry I made such a terrible fuss about being changed on Monday, Mrs Scott...it was very kind of you to help me, Ma'am." I mumbled, blushing furiously. Mrs Scott had told Caroline about our contretemps at the museum, including the smack she had delivered to my thigh, to calm me down, at some stage. And that morning, whilst Caroline was diapering me, she had told me that I had to apologise. So, as I was solely focused on our trip back to the museum the following day, and did not want to do anything to risk not being allowed to go, I had decided to swallow my pride, just as she wanted me to.

"It was my pleasure, Catherine...you have to realise that you still need looking after, dear...it is all very well wanting to be a big girl, but you aren't yet, are you?" Mrs Scott purred, reaching out to pat my cheek with her bony fingers. Despite everything that had happened since, I still remembered that smack, and she was not my favourite person. But Caroline did not want to hear that, of course. She wanted her girls to be polite to everyone, and to behave for any adult looking after them, regardless of the circumstances. Especially with her friends.

"No, Ma'am..."

"Come on, ladies...shall we go inside, before we drown?" Charles called out, reaching our side, saving me from further embarrassment, and I zoned out, passing the time people watching as church was not my sort of thing at all. Kelly, my old self, had never been a little girl, because I had no chance to be one. After my Dad was kicked out, and we moved to the flat, Mum had to work all the time. At first, she used to get a babysitter, usually a neighbour doing her a bit of a favour, or Dad used to come over, but as she was working nights, and weekends, just to make ends meet, she ran out of favours as fast as Dad lost interest. So, from the age of nine or ten, if I could not sleep over at Gemma's house, or another friend, I stayed home alone. I might not have been too keen on housework, as Kelly/Cate had suggested during our brief chat in the supermarket, but I was self-sufficient, and mature. I could work the washing machine, cook basic meals and get myself to bed and up in the mornings, so that no one outside of the flat ever realised that I was fending for myself a lot of the time. In fact, I could never remember being looked after as Cate, Chloe and Grace were. Mum was not like Caroline. She was not an affectionate person, and could be quite cold at times, although I knew she loved me. It was just that she was busy working to give me everything she could, and I just got used to being self-reliant, not answering to anyone. So, becoming Cate was something of a culture shock, on top of the extraordinary shock caused by the Dreamstone, and even after just six days, I was still struggling to get used to being a little girl.