The Secret Beneath The Waves

Chapter 20: The Science Fair Cactus

**Picture of Aidan at top of the page

Chapter Twenty - The Science Fair Cactus

It was pretty hopeless, looking for her family in one of the most populous cities in America, but Spencer walked through the never ending crowds until she came upon her childhood apartment. It wasn't the grandest, but Spencer adored it. The modest apartment looked the same, with flower pots spread all over the fire escape. A cactus Spencer's sister had won in the science fair (no idea why they gave those out to second-graders) was still on the window sill, and she could make out the bright yellow pot her mother had insisted on putting it in. Spencer stepped inside, to find a man leaning back in a old leather chair. It was faded, and the man didn't even bother to look up from his gossip magazine, as she walked past to the elevator, pressing the button for the fourth floor.

Arriving, Spencer was welcomed with the smell of the carpet, (which always smelled faintly of cat pee) and the peeling near the baseboards of the chartreuse colored walls. The familiar gold painted number four-hundred and six was painted neatly near the top. Hesitating slightly, Spencer forced herself to knock on the door. "One second!" came the voice of Spencer's dad. She heard heavy footfalls before the door opened to reveal the gray haired man, holding a bagel in his hand. He regarded her for a moment, before opening the door further and letting her in.

The apartment too, was a perfect image to the apartment she had left all those years ago. Pictures of her sister, India and her decorated the bookcase, along with the classics her father has forced her to read. Jane Eyre and Les Miserables occupied the bottom shelf, along with a pottery vase she had made in art class. On the middle shelf several Agatha Christie novels were stacked, and on the top, next to her seventh grade school picture, To Kill a Mockingbird leaned against the picture frame. "Your sister came to visit a few days ago" her father said gruffly, just as Spencer noticed the lime green suitcases by the door to the bedrooms. "She left to go catch up with your mother. They're at a cafe...somewhere." Spencer nodded in response, sitting on the sofa. Her father at across from her in a worn armchair. "So..." he started, tapping his fingers on the mug. "What brings you here?"

"I haven't talked to you in years. I was in town, so I just thought I'd say hello."

"Now? Where the hell have you even been!"

"...New York. I'm a marine biologist."

Her father blankly stared at her, before slowly getting up and going to the kitchen. He emerged a minute later, with Tylenol and a glass of water. He pinched his nose bridge, before sitting down again across from her again. "Go on."

Spencer smiled slightly, as she began her story. On everything she had done after the rejection letter from Harvard.

About twenty minutes into their talk, a knocking at the door ceased their conversation. Her father got up once more to get it, and opened the door. Standing on the other side was a tall, lean girl with curly honey blonde hair that fell down to her waist. A designer bag lay in the crook of her arm, an expensive cell phone clasped tightly in her other arm. Spencer hated her immediately. She'd had her fair deal of rich snobs (take Andrew for example). However when the girl slid her sunglasses off her face, all Spencer's hate towards her drained away.

The girl's hazel eyes sparkled, as she raced towards Spencer. India's petite frame had remained, the one thing that had been the same before Spencer left. Everything else, from her hair to her clothes was different. She was no longer the quiet nerdy girl, who had been a sophomore when Spencer left. She now looked more like someone who belonged in Hollywood.

Spencer was so caught up in their reunion that she didn't notice her mother, who was still standing at the doorway. Her mother was the first to react. A smile etched onto her lips, as she swiftly walked forward and hugged Spencer tightly. She pulled back, and looked at her. "I don't hate you. Let me make that very clear." her mother said sternly, her eyes still amused. Blaire passed the newspaper to her father, who took it. As his eyes scanned the article, Blaire looked at her two girls. Even with the extravagant shoes, India barely managed to reach Spencer's height. She had acquired her mother's tallness, Spencer on the other hand mirrored her father's towering figure and wavy hair.