Althea fell asleep in the car due to the exhaustion of the journey. But as soon as the car stopped, her eyes opened wide like headlights, just like her mouth when she saw the mansion. She had never seen such a huge house.
"Wow! Cleaning everything will take days," she blinked. Cleaning her own house was already challenging for her, and it wasn't large. She didn't even want to imagine what it would be like to clean Scarlett's house.
"Do you clean it yourself?" Scarlett raised an eyebrow at the little girl's comments. She had expected any kind of exclamation, but not this. She got out of the car and smiled.
"I maintain it, but we have Chloe, who is wonderful."
"Ah, of course, you're an actress, you can't have time for those things," she spoke as if she were a understanding adult, with her delicate childlike voice. Scarlett did nothing more than take her hand and lead her to the door, which opened to reveal a curious Colin, who kept his surprise in his eyes.
"Althea, he's Colin, my husband," she introduced them with a big smile. The girl hid a little and greeted him timidly.
"Hello, Althea. Scarlett has told me a lot about you, and she said you're quite the artist. You know we've hung up your drawing."
Althea blinked and came out of her hiding place.
"Thank you."
Scarlett gave Althea a tour of the house to help her get familiar and feel comfortable. Colin joined them, exaggerating imitating his wife, making the little girl laugh and helping her to relax. It was a detail that Scarlett adored.
With a sigh, Scarlett stopped in front of the closed door. It was the door to her lost daughter's bedroom, whose name was embroidered inside a cloud. Her hand trembled slightly before opening it, a fact not unnoticed by Colin, who offered his support with a gentle squeeze on her shoulder.
Upon opening the door and turning on the light, a child's bedroom filled with stuffed animals, a crib, and a small bed was revealed.
Althea squealed with joy and let go of Scarlett's hand to enter the room and grab a plush ballerina mouse. She had been worried throughout the car journey because she didn't have any stuffed animal to sleep with, one that would protect her from the darkness of the night and help her have sweet dreams.
"Can I sleep with her?" she asked with bright eyes, ready to pout to make it happen.
"Of course, sweetie," Scarlett's eyes moistened as she watched Althea happily hugging the mouse and excitedly exploring the room. For the first time, that room was filled with joy instead of tears over the loss.
Althea's steps came to a halt, and she lowered her head along with her shoulders.
"What's wrong, little mouse?" Colin asked.
"I came in without permission and touched everything. I'm sorry, it was unintentional," her lips trembled, waiting for a reprimand that didn't come. She didn't want Scarlett to be angry with her. Scarlett was so kind and loving that she didn't want to disappoint her. In her old home, such behavior would have resulted in a severe punishment and being sent to her room without dinner.
Scarlett stepped closer, closing the distance, and lifted Althea's chin. Her heart squeezed at the sight of sadness and fear in those beautiful green eyes.
"Sweetie, you can play with anything you want. This room is where you'll be sleeping, and it means a lot to me that you like it."
"Rose, won't she get angry? I don't want her to be mad at me, or at you for letting me stay here. I can sleep on the couch," Althea suggested, holding onto her plush dancing rat firmly, unwilling to part with it, at least for that night.
"It's not Rose's room, and she's still with her dad in France. But even if it were her room, I know she would let you play with her things and would be eager to come back to play with you," Scarlett asserted firmly. She then playfully tapped Althea's nose, with a tone of voice that was both reprimanding and cheerful. "And as for sleeping on the couch, I hope you were joking. I'll only allow it for a nap. You can play while I'm preparing dinner, okay?"
"Yes!" Althea chuckled and hugged Scarlett before heading over to the rest of the stuffed animals.
Scarlett delighted in watching for a few more minutes, listening to the little girl's voices as she played with the plush toys, with a smile on her face. Finally, she left the door open as she exited the room with Colin.
In the kitchen, while they cooked, Colin couldn't stop commenting on how much Althea resembled Scarlett in the photos of her childhood.
"It's incredible, you should show her some pictures of you and see how she reacts," he said while chopping vegetables, shaking his head as if pondering to himself. "When will you know...?"
"Three days," Scarlett clenched her jaw. "They'll be the longest three days of my life. The only thing that will make the wait bearable is having the girl at home. After dinner, I'll have to talk to her. She still thinks she's taking a flight back tomorrow. How do you tell a nearly seven-year-old that she has to stay in an unfamiliar place without really telling her the true reason?"
Colin made a thoughtful expression and rubbed his chin.
"Tricky," he said thoughtfully. "She seems like a reasonable kid, and she's still just a kid."
"I don't want to lie either, but I can't tell her the truth at now. My duty as a mother is to look out for my children's best interests, and as a mother, I can't let Althea have a tough time. I'll think of something while we have dinner, at least I hope so."
"I'll help you in any way I can."
"Thank you, Colin. I needed those words."
The years of experience in facing casting nerves or public events hadn't prepared her for the moment she found herself in, with little Althea in front of them once they had finished dinner.
"Althea, did you like New York?" Colin started the conversation to give Scarlett some time.
"We haven't been able to see many things because New York is so big, but Professor Márquez made a list in class of places to visit that didn't cost money," Althea explained, oblivious to everything else. "I would have liked to visit amusement parks because I don't think I can come back. We're leaving tomorrow," which made her remember everything again, and her worry resurfaced in case she missed the flight. "Scarlett, we have to call the hotel to remind Iratxe to have my suitcase ready. Is the airport nearby?"
Scarlett cleared her throat, knowing that the moment had arrived, and she was just as indecisive as before.
"You don't have to worry; we'll go pick up your suitcase from the hotel," she saw the little girl's shoulders relax as she lifted the burden off herself. "But you won't be able to fly tomorrow, sweetheart."
The green eyes of the little girl blinked. "Why?"
"Do you remember they did some tests on you at the police station, just like they did with me?" The little girl nodded, so Scarlett continued, "Well, we have to wait for the results, and since it will take three days, you can't leave. But darling, you'll stay here with me and Colin, you can play with Cosmo tomorrow, and Rose will arrive the day after tomorrow."
There was a silence in which Scarlett began to worry, but she felt Colin's squeeze under the table.
"So, I'm not going home yet because they think I'm sick?"
"It's not entirely like that, sweetie, but it's still too early to have that conversation. I know it might be hard for you not to go back tomorrow and be in an unfamiliar place with us, but I promise you'll have a great time these days. We can go to the amusement park when Rose comes back. Would you like that?"
The green eyes widened. "Yes! Can we, can we?"
Colin began to laugh. "You've created a monster," he said in a hushed voice, earning him an elbow nudge from Scarlett.
Colin's laughter infected Althea, who started laughing too, filling the kitchen with joy. Scarlett couldn't help but join in the festive atmosphere and let out a hearty laugh.
"Well, it looks like you like the idea!" exclaimed Scarlett as she wiped away a tear of laughter running down her cheek.
Althea nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, I want to go to the amusement park! And I want to eat ice cream of all flavors!"
Colin joined in the fun. "Oh, a very ambitious wish. Are you sure you can handle so many ice cream flavors?"
"Of course I can!" Althea responded with a determined expression.
Scarlett looked at her with affection. "Well, then we'll have to make a list of all the ice cream flavors you want to try in New York. But only if you promise not to get sick from all that ice cream."
Althea nodded solemnly. "I promise. Ice cream and an amusement park, it will be the best day ever!"
Colin and Scarlett exchanged a knowing look, grateful that the conversation had taken a lighter turn.
After dinner, the family watched the movie "Sing," and as the credits rolled at the end, Scarlett remembered that Althea needed to brush her teeth before bedtime.
"Althea, have you brushed your teeth?" Scarlett asked with a smile.
The little one seemed to forget for a moment, but then her eyes lit up as she remembered something.
"Oh no, I forgot! But I don't have my toothbrush," Althea said with concern.
Scarlett patted her head and smiled as she retrieved a spare children's toothbrush from the bathroom.
"Don't worry, here's one. I always keep spares," Scarlett explained as she handed the toothbrush to Althea.
The girl eagerly accepted the toothbrush and headed to the bathroom to brush her teeth. While she did, Scarlett and Colin stood outside the door, waiting with a smile.
Suddenly, they heard Althea singing a song about brushing teeth at the top of her lungs and making exaggerated gestures with the toothbrush. The two adults couldn't contain their laughter at the lively performance by the girl.
When Althea finally emerged from the bathroom, she was beaming and proud of her clean teeth. Scarlett congratulated her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Great job, Althea! Now you're ready for bed."
The girl smiled and snuggled under the sheets, holding her plush toy tightly. Colin approached and told her a bedtime story before turning off the light.
"I've noticed some strange details," Colin commented in his bedroom, with Scarlett by his side.
"I noticed them too, and I was hoping it was just me," Scarlett sighed, with a concerned look in her eyes.
"We'll figure it all out. Althea is safe and well now, so let's get some sleep, Scarlett."
My apologies for the delay! It's truly embarrassing, and I sincerely apologize. This weekend, I plan to provide a new update, and as a quick reminder, it will be about the past and what happened. I believe it's important. I wish you all a happy Friday, love yourselves, and take care <3