*comments would be appreciated!
Chapter 5
Part 1: Daisy
My grandmother-Lily Diamond-used to be an actress, and being in Los Angeles reminded me of her. She was in silent movies, mostly. When she was in her twenties, she was a "star". Not like the stars today, she didn't go to wild parties at night or win awards. She did what she did best, and took care of her family the bulk of her time. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer when she was 68; she died five weeks after she was diagnosed. It was all very hard for our family, my mother specifically. She and Grandma were so close, although they didn't look much alike.
I hadn't known her for very long, I was seven when she died. My mother told me that it was so much harder to get over the loss, when I was the spitting image of her. I hated causing her pain, so when I was ten, I dyed my hair blonde and cut it so short; it was awful. Now, I learned to embrace it more as a gift and not a curse. Every time I looked in the mirror I could remember my Grandmother.
I looked out the window and saw people roller blading on the sidewalks, swerving in and out of pedestrians and any cracks in the sidewalk. Stick thin women carried shopping bags and had either a dog, friend, or baby in tow. Mobs of photographers stalked several women who I couldn't recognize from a distance.
A man sat on a stool, playing guitar and singing on the corner. People didn't stop to listen or even drop money in his open guitar case. He looked to be in his late teens or early twenties. I couldn't hear him in the limo, but was he so bad that people walked faster when approaching him? I'd have to look into that.
** ** ** ** **
We arrived at the Hilton at ten to three. The hotel was nice, very nice-it would cost me less to buy two pairs of designer shoes than it would for one night at this hotel. I had no idea how our school could afford this. Maybe they'd been secretly plotting this for the past ten years, and finally raised enough money to send us off. Or, maybe they'd worked out some kind of deal with the hotel. Perhaps we would appear in a commercial or a few ads for them in exchange for a seven month stay here.
I wouldn't mind being on a billboard for all of L.A's residents to see. My mother had always suggested I go into the modeling career, mostly because of my height. It wasn't that I didn't want to be in the career. I knew I was "good enough". I didn't want to because of the way most of them ended up-as a heavy smoker or with an eating disorder. I wouldn't let someone tear me down because I wasn't a size zero.
I tried to carry one of my bags, to save the bellman the trouble, but he took it from me anyway. So I went inside alongside Regan, who I assumed was texting her mother. I probably should text my mom and tell her I arrived safely. She'd have a panic attack if I didn't soon. My mother has a fear of planes, ever since her sister died in a freak plane crash five years ago. I bet she was thinking I was dead right now, lying at the bottom of the ocean. Although that didn't make any sense-there wasn't an ocean between Wisconsin and the Los Angeles Airport.
Inside, the Hilton was marvelous. Cream-colored leather couches and lounge chairs sat around a fireplace, where some people waited for their spouses to get their room key. A giant window in the far back of the lobby showed the pool area. A gorgeous, shimmering crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting rainbows onto the walls when the sunlight hit it. Then I noticed it; a big banner hung from the third floor hallway. WELCOME CASSIDY-FRANKLIN STUDENTS! I hoped we didn't look to...Wisconsin, which would be as embarrassing as the sign.
We were all trying to fade into the wallpaper when a brunette woman said, "There you are!" Unfortunately, her voice carried and approximately thirty people turned to look at us. "I was wondering when you would arrive! Please, follow me!"
