Chapter Five

Amaryllis Lexington

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Waking up, I felt like I was hit by a car then struck by lightning a second later. In short, I felt like crap. It didn't matter that I was in the most comfortable bed money could buy, or that my room looked like something I would never have dared to wish for three months ago.

This was my seventh day in the Lexington mansion, and I had contemplated packing my bags and sneaking out in the middle of the night for a total of six hundred and thirty four times. Who's counting anyway?

Before I could stand up from the bed, I heard a knock on my door. I muttered a 'come in' silent enough to not cause me a headache, and loud enough for whoever it was to hear me. The door opened to reveal the Lexingtons. I still had a hard time calling them my parents.

Mrs. Lexington rushed to me and wrapped me in a hug, and I felt the crappiness of this morning start to fade away slightly. There were no doubts that these people loved me to bits and I was trying my best to reciprocate, but it just wasn't easy. Mr. Lexington also hugged me and planted a kiss on my head. This gesture made my eyes water because dad used to do the same thing. I missed my parents so much that it hurts. I cried buckets when the private jet came on that very sad day. The day I was torn from everything I grew up to love.

"Did you sleep well, Zara? Oh, sorry, Amaryllis. I haven't quite gotten used to calling you by that name, but it is a really beautiful name." Mrs. Lex said and I smiled politely.

"Yes, ma'am. I did. Thank you so much for your hospitality." If I thought my politeness would make them happy, I was very wrong. The light in her eyes diminished as she glanced at her husband, and I could see that he was sporting the same look as her. They looked really sad.

"Amaryllis, you don't have to be so polite with us. This is your house. This is where you were born and where your mother suckled you. We are not being polite by loving you and making this place comfortable for you. We are only doing our duties as your parents." Mr. Lexington said and I tightened my lips.

"I know it will take some getting used to, princess, but please don't put us at an arm's length. We want you to be very comfortable with us. We want you to whine when we annoy you and not allow you have your way. We want you to hug us and laugh with us like a family would. We're willing to wait for as long as it takes for you to make that change." I didn't know I was crying until mummy wiped the tears from my face. Hol' up! Mummy? Slow down, Amari. Slow down!

"Thank you. I.. I don't know what to say." I said truthfully and they smiled. It was a genuine smile that was full of love, and it made me feel so much at ease. If things continued this way, I knew it wouldn't take long before all the walls between us would come crumbling.

"You don't have to say anything, my darling. Your father and I came here to inform you that we would be having your debut party tomorrow. Remember the party we talked about?" I nodded. Of course, I remember the party! I remember the party that gave me a lot of headaches and nightmares. The party where I would be officially introduced to the world as the lost but found heiress of the Lexingtons Group of companies. That didn't sit well with Allison.

The thought of Allison made my stomach churn. That girl was pure evil! Sometimes I get scared of eating dinner because I'm afraid she might have poisoned my food. I might be overreacting but the hateful glares she throws at me never makes me feel at ease.

When my parents told me they adopted two children when they couldn't have kids anymore, I didn't know what to expect. I knew they might not like me because I was basically coming to cause an imbalance in their perfect lives, but I wasn't expecting such show of hatred from Allison. Maya was so much better, but not friendly.

Allison, with her red hair and green eyes, was like a fire. She looked like she would ravage me whole and I wouldn't be reduced to nothing. Not even ashes! While Maya was almost invisible. She never said a word unless she was spoken to, and I've only ever seen her smile when our parents are in the same room with us.

"Amaryllis." I heard someone shaking me and calling my name. My cheeks burnt in embarrassment when I realized I had totally zeroed out of the conversation and was already lost in one the mazes in my head.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I was thinking about a lot of things. What were you saying?" The corncerned look in Mrs. Lexington's eyes didn't go away, even after my explanation. I would be concerned too if I were her.

"Your dad and I were telling you about the party. I said the fashion designer would be here by three and would bring some clothes for you to choose from, and the make up artist would be here by four in the afternoon. The party starts by seven. Is that okay by you?" I nodded in affirmative. After about ten minutes of filling me in on what I had to do at the party and giving me a booklet that consisted of renowned families that I should take note of, they kissed me goodbye and left me in the solace of my room.

I dedicated about thirty minutes of my time to go over the booklet and I was amazed. These people were filthy rich and influential. The family that amazed me the most was the Hawthorne family. They had a son who was around my age and he was already running the company? Wow. Let's not even talk about his looks. I had to admit that ten solid minutes out of the thirty I alloted to the booklet were spent studying every inch of that gorgeous face.

I dropped the booklet with a sigh. It hasn't even been long since I bid goodbye to Halloway and Jordan, and here I was ogling another man. Not like Jordan and I were anything, anyway. That hope was dashed the very same day it started to grow wings.

I remembered that night clearly. He had arrived at my house at exactly eight pm that very sad day. I didn't even bother to hide my brokenness. I walked out to meet him in wrinkled shirt and boy shorts, with dried tears on my face. He was perfectly understanding and he lent me his shoulder when another wave of tears hit me as I narrated everything that went down. I even stained his shirt with snot but he didn't mind at all. A perfect gentleman. My kind of gentleman.

I finally decided to get out of bed and explore the house. I've been holed up in my room, trying to avoid the fiery darts Allison throws my way. Not like I was scared of taking her on or dealing with people like her anyway, I had enough experience with girls like her, but I didn't want my real parents to think I was a troublemaker. I had to tread carefully.

Just as I walked out of my room, I saw Maya walking out of hers. She had very dark hair that went perfectly with her pale skin. Her freckles were like tiny brown diamonds on her face and I really wished they were on my face instead.

"Hi." She greeted and I was surprised she even said a word to me. I was expecting some form of hostility but she was just totally chill, and the thought of getting along was quite nice.

"Hey. Good morning." She nodded at me and stared at me for a while through her ocean blue eyes and started to walk away. Well, there goes my hope of getting along. Who knows? Maybe it was still too early to tell.

"Do you....do you wanna hang out? We have a leisure arena and we can do anything we want there." I looked around just to confirm she was talking to me and the gesture must have been funny because I saw a faint smile on her face.

"You don't have to be weary of me. I'm not the one who doesn't like you, and the one who doesn't like you is in school." My mouth formed an O. School. Another aspect of this change I wasn't looking forward to.

"Why aren't you in school?" I asked before I could stop myself.

"Sick day," was her curt response and I nodded in understanding. I wished her speedy recovery, and together we walked to the leisure arena. More like she walked and I trailed behind her. It felt ironic being shown around in my father's house. My life felt like a plot twist in some devastating movie.

"What are the things you like to do? There's a music room, a painting room, a sewing room, a dance room, a sculpting room, and some stuff I can't remember." She said as we walked towards the arena, and my eyes widened. Just how many rooms were in this huge place?

"I don't really do much of those things. I don't think I have any talents." I blushed in embarrassment and she laughed. Looking at her, I saw that she looked more relaxed than she did earlier.

"You're like me then. I don't know how to do all these things. Allison is the Jack of all trades and I can boldly tell you she's a master of none. Don't let that perfect look fool you. She's just like everyone else." Hah. We would be good friends definitely. If not for anything, but for the fact that we shared a common enemy.

"I'm not scared of her. I know someone who's just like her in my former school. Carmel Addisson." Her face scrunched up in something akin to irritation.

"Does she look like a camel too? With the hunchback and all?" I burst out into laughter. I totally wasn't expecting that. It took a while for me to regain my breath, but my shoulder was still shaking with laughter.

"That's crazy. How on earth did you come up with that?" I asked when I finally recovered from my laughing fit. She just chuckled and walked over to the piano.

"I'm not a pro, but I think I don't suck. Wanna sing while I play?" She asked, taking a seat behind the grand piano. I thought about it for a minute and decided there was no harm in trying. I haven't really figured out where I stood with singing, but I think I knew deep down that I sucked.

"Sure. Why not? What song?"

"I'm up for anyone. As long as I've heard it before." Sounds like something a pro would say, Maya. We decided on broken and beautiful by Kelly Clarkson.

Just as we hit the final note of the song, we heard clapping and we turned to see our parents standing at the door, looking every bit of proud parents.

"Oh my God. You guys are so amazing! Maya, how come you never play when you're this amazing?" Mrs. Lexington said, running to engulf her in a hug. I didn't know why I kinda felt a bit jealous, but I did. It wasn't the kind of jealousy that came with negative emotions, it just felt somehow. I felt like an intruder.

"Nothing, mum. I'm not even that good. I'm kinda rusty." You could see the blush coating her cheeks, and I knew she felt awkward being the center of attention. From the little while I've studied Maya, I realized she's more of a wallflower than an aloof person. She didn't stay quiet or stay away from people because she disliked them, but because she hated being the focus of anybody's attention. How I figured that out so quickly, I couldn't tell. Maybe because I had a friend like her. Jade.

"Your voice is beautiful, Zara." Mr. Lexington said, moving away from the doorway where he was observing us, and walked over to me. I bent my head shyly, trying to avoid his gaze. Actually, I felt he was just trying to be nice because I sounded like a dead whale and Maya's skills covered for most of my flaws, but I accepted the compliment all the same.

"Thanks." I didn't know what else to say, which is very unusual because Amaryllis Burton never not know what to say. Well, maybe because I no longer bear that name. I missed my parents more with each passing day, so I excused myself and rushed to my room to grab my phone and call them.

I called mum and she picked up on the first ring, as if she had been waiting for me to call. When she said hello, her voice brought waves of nostalgia and I felt sick down to the pit of my stomach.

"Mum, I miss you. Can I come back home, please?" I cried into the receiver and I could hear her suck in a sharp breath.

"Baby girl. I wish you could. I miss you too. Oliver won't stop crying, your dad doesn't even know how to smile anymore. I miss my daughter too. I really do." Her voice was soaked with tears and I knew mine were running down my cheeks already.

"Are they treating you well, honey? You're being taken care of, right?" She asked and I smiled sadly. Of course they were taking care of me, but I didn't feel at home. They have their perfect lives and I had mine.

"They are good people, mum. They are very nice to me and they gave me this huge room with everything I could ever want, but this doesn't feel like home. I don't know what to do, mum. Sometimes, I try to make myself feel at home, then something just reminds me of Halloway and I just want to run away."

"Amaryllis, you have to try harder. These people love you with all of their hearts. They lost you when you were very young and missed out on a solid seventeen years of your life. They deserve your love. You have to learn how to accept them as your parents, baby girl." I shut my eyes and shook my head.

"No, mum. That's not fair to you guys! You raised me, you taught me everything I know, you made me who I am today. Maybe life happened that way because I'm destined to your daughter. I am your baby girl, mummy. These people have their girls too, and I feel like an intruder. I feel like I'm not supposed to be here!" The memory of Mrs. Lexington side-stepping me and rushing to engulf Maya in a hug flashed in my head, and I shook my head to clear the image. She has loved these people for years, and now I just barge into their lives, sticking out like a sore thumb.

"Amari. Accepting your parents doesn't mean you have to throw us away. Your heart is wide enough to accommodate two more people. You should consider yourself lucky, you know. You have 4 parents who would do anything for you. I love you like I birthed you, now imagine how much your own mother loves you. Especially after she's had a chance to reunite with you after all these years. Don't push her away, Amari. It would break her heart." Her words were true, but they didn't make it hurt any less.

"Amari, promise me you'll give your parents a chance to show you they are capable of loving you they way you deserve." She said, trying to sound strong, but I knew for sure her face would be wet with tears.

"I promise, mum. I love you guys so much. Send my love to Oliver." I said and hung up immediately. If I stayed on the phone any longer and heard that heartbreaking tone of my mum, I would definitely pack my bags and run away.