Lustrous

Chapter 3: The Proposition of an Arrangement

I bit my lip and smiled as I waited for Jessie to open the door of our apartment. I wasn't sure if I was high on pain killers or if I was dancing on cloud nine after being asked out by the good looking doctor. Jessie put her hand in her handbag and started looking around for her keys to open the door to our apartment.

"I can't believe you went into the hospital and came out with a phone number." She laughed again and shook her head in disbelief.

You got the moves! Well, sort of, you were using an onion as a pick up line.

I could hardly believe it myself, I had only had one man give me a phone number before and that was just after high school. I had only had two boyfriends throughout my twenty-five years of life and both had ended the relationship after six months with the excuse 'You're too much for me' or 'I love you, but I don't know what to do with so much... creativity.'

"I know, and he was really cute too." I blushed as I thought about the beautiful blond man with grey eyes.

"Maybe I should go to the emergency room." She joked with me flashing me a wink as she turned the key and pushed open the door.

We stepped into the apartment, flicking on the lights only to see a dark figure quickly light up making both Jess and I scream and stubble backwards. The figure turned their attention towards us, their once dark brown hair was now greying as their age began to take its toll and their now wrinkled face scowled at the both of us.

"What is going on here? Are you two okay?" Joshua stormed into our apartment with a baseball bat in hand like our own personal knight in shining armour. He was great like that, always coming to our rescue when we needed him.

My shoulders relaxed as I breathed out a deep sigh. "Thanks Josh, but It's just the Step Monster hiding in the dark like the unwanted visitor she is."

"Sky..." Jessie whispered as she turned to look at me, her eyes full of concern.

Get your umbrellas out people, shit is going to fly.

"Skylar." The Step-Monster started, her tone serious and heavily armed with her posh, up-tight upbringing. "Send your friends away, we need to talk."

I glared at her. I don't know how my Step Mother – also referred to by her name; Charlene – and I ever got on such bad terms. She came into my life when I was about ten years old and although she wasn't keen on raising a child that wasn't hers she actually started to care for me. That all changed however as I got older, our relationship becoming what it is currently, this cowboy stand-off that we we're now in. I was pretty sure our issues were because she began to see me as more of a burden to my family since no one ever took an interest in me and after I stopped working for my father, she no longer had any use for me.

"Sky," Jessie repeated my name, catching my attention "we'll be outside if you need us." She patted my shoulder lightly before retreating through the door we had burst through only seconds ago with a very confused Joshua in tow. He had no idea who my family was or just how insane they were.

And there they stood, two foes, guns loaded at their sides and hands ready to kill.

Don't distract me now, I need my wits about me.

Wits? What wits?

Ugh. I groaned at my inner self as she left me floating in the wind, miserably alone to do battle against the Step-Monster.

"What do you want Charlene?" I rolled my eyes and walked further into the apartment, taking off my jacket and scarf as I did so.

Don't use her name! It's like Bloody Mary, you say it too many times and she'll kill you!