The Truths Behind the Life of Maeve Sun Lively

12

THE SOUND OF AIRINESS FROM the recorder plays itself out until it completely ends.

Rosalie puts that recorder back in the box and pulls out another one labeled with the number two. She puts it out in front of me on the glass desk.

"We can get back to where we are later tonight when I come back."

I nod, and I try to get a good look at the notes I've taken. Everything is a mess, arrows from one side pointing to another. Scribbled names and all.

I glanced back at the clock, we started around seven and now it's already almost nine a.m., time felt so short. And I can't tell if that's because of how interesting and fascinating Maeve's story actually is, or if it's just because time is fast itself. Maybe it's both.

I stand up while Rosalie hands me her empty whiskey glass, I eye her a questioning look.

"Don't let Carlise see it, will you?"

Her eyes are so pleading. Rosalie Sun Lively is pleading? To me?

I sigh, but then I add, "If you don't want her to see it you shouldn't have drank it in the first place."

"You don't understand, Izzy. But maybe you will soon enough."

I wait for her to continue but she doesn't. Instead, we both walk out and Carlise is sitting at the kitchen counter, eating the remaining oatmeal Rosalie has cooked up.

I quickly hide the whiskey glass in my hand behind me.

"Good morning."

"Mornin'."

Rosalie turns around at me and makes sure that I've got the whiskey glass out of sight. Which technically is barely. She goes over to Carlise and says something I can't make out to her, then she eyes me again and she's grabbed her stuff and soon she's out of the door.

"Did you eat anything yet?"

I turn to Carlise who's almost done with the oatmeal.

"Yeah, kinda."

She breaks into a smile, almost understandingly. "Here," she goes over to the fridge and grabs some kind of dessert out, while she does that, I quickly stuff the whiskey glass in a random drawer. "Oatmeal really isn't your thing, is it?"

I take the dessert gratefully, I'm still a little hungry from that oatmeal.

"So, are you also an actress?" I now ask Carlise. "Or just something in the area of fame?"

She immediately throws her head back and starts laughing. I look at her sideways.

"No, no, no. But I mean it does make sense why you'd think that. Can you even imagine me on your TV screen?"

"Um, actually yeah. You very much look like someone who might be famous."

She shakes her head. "I guess that's a compliment. But no, I just go on and off these days to help with my dad's business."

Right, her father, Jackson Kong, now at the age of sixty-eight, has founded his own small company from the money of his sister, Klarise Kong, has left to him.

"Are you going to take over Kong business someday?"

"Yeah, but that's someday."

I chew on the tasteful dessert, and now I flip open my notebook and try to organize what I've scribbled on the papers down in my head.

"Is that the notes so far?"

I nod, my eyes not leaving my notes. "It's...her life just isn't what I expected of what it'd be. I thought I knew everything about her, I think the whole world thought we knew her. But now...I don't know. How am I even supposed to write this?"

"Well, if you really think about it. I don't think you can ever fully understand anyone. Not even yourself. And how are you supposed to write it? Just write it, not too complicated."

I look at her, her long black hair isn't brushed out yet, and she still looks so confident. How do people do that? Manage to believe in themselves so well?

I look back at my notes and start laughing at myself.

"I feel like a nobody sometimes. And even now," I glance around the glamorous kitchen that is probably already the size of my whole apartment room back in L.A.. "Now that I might...I might be Maeve's biological child, I still feel like a nobody. Is that normal?"

Carlise looks at me, and she smiles. "Don't we all feel like a nobody sometimes?"

And something in her eyes, and also how Rosalie has been acting, there's something I should know that they're not telling me.

WHEN THE CLOCK HITS nine p.m., Rosalie still isn't back yet. So Carlise and I started eating without her.

We're just about finished and Carlise says, "Are you ready now?"

I put my dishes down in the sink and frown at her. "Ready for what?"

She's still chewing on her food, now nodding as if remembering. "Ugh, sorry. I just keep forgetting things like this. Well, Rosalie texted me, saying to start the story with you, she said she's staying over at film set tonight. Something about filling in scenes."

"You mean Maeve's story? The recordings?"

"Yeah."

I think I might be frowning again. "Can't we just do it when she gets back tomorrow or something? It's not a rush, is it?"

Carlise pauses and looks away. "She wants to finish the story quickly. So you'll...have a decision sooner."

"What decision?"

"The sooner it's done, the sooner it's over."

"What?"

Carlise starts walking toward the study room without answering me, I quickly pack my notebook and laptop to catch up.

When we're inside the study room, she seems all too familiar with how this is going. Taking a seat, knowing how things worked and where everything is. She's already setting up like how Rosalie had done just this morning. It's like she has done this before. Probably even more than once.

"You've heard Maeve's story too, haven't you?"

She looks startled to hear that, and she quickly darts her eyes away from mine. That answers my question itself.

"It's just me that doesn't know a single thing about her, isn't it? Everyone knows! Even you know, and you're barely even related to her!"

"Izzy, there's a lot of things...I shouldn't be the one to tell you. It's either the recordings itself telling you, or it should be Rosalie."

I feel a rush of frustration pass through me. Not just Rosalie, but also Carlise now. Why do they keep talking in circles? Why does it feel like everyone knows something about me that I don't even know myself?

"You know what? Let's just start the recording. With or without Rosalie. Since none of you guys will tell me what the hell is going on."

"Izzy——"

I hit play on the recorder and that stops Carlise from talking.