Broken Chains

#3 The Apple Never Falls Far from the Tree

Her curiosity was beyond her control as she had been waiting for about a whole 24 hours to pull up the courage to ask her brothers those questions. She cornered him to ask him the questions that have been tingling at the back of her mind for days at end.

She finally got the chance to ask him those questions when he was helping her to decorate her room. She started the conversation, “Hey Cody, can I talk to you for a bit?” She felt the relief rush over her when he said, “Yeah sure what’s up?” but yet she was still a little nervous.

She blurted out, “So why are you treating me so - how do I put it to make it less awkward - kindly - I mean like you have been this kind to me even when I was just a stranger to you.”

He chuckled and looked at her in her eyes and said, “Well, a wise man once told me to treat everyone the way you want to be treated. Even if I did not know that you were going to be my sister, I just saw the way you were feeling, so down in the dumps. So, I tried to put myself in everyone’s situation before I choose to judge or make them feel even more sad about their situation. I knew something was up the minute I saw you stepping into the party as I could see the sadness in your eyes.”

“You mean your-”

“Dad?” he finished her sentence as if he had read her mind. “Yeah. Though it was rather a long time ago, it is always good to reflect on all the good times we had. What about your mom? - I mean - Sorry to bring her up again - I know that you are still grieving about her but then - I'm just curious to know more,” he flustered over his words as he remembered the day, he met her in tears at the party.

She continued to sit down at the edge of the bed, “It’s alright - Come” she was patting the seat beside her on the bed indicating to Cody to sit beside her as she was ready to talk about the person that she treasured dearly, “It’s a long story but if you’re willing to listen that is.”

Cody nodded and so Skylar continued, “My mother and I were like two peas in a pod as she and I were rather close to one another despite the generation gap. The two of us would always go shopping together - that’s the reason why I was not really in the mood to go shopping with the girls as it reminded me of going out with mom. But then despite all that, she was the one who was always there for me in my times of need. Though dad is also always there but then it was always different when I was with mom. Cody?” she continued to turn her head to face him.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t take this personally but what’s your mom like? - I mean like she has been really nice to me and all but I can’t help but wonder why?”

“From what I know she has always wanted a daughter because she could not do anything she wanted with us as we do not really enjoy shopping all that much; that’s probably why she is treating you so nicely. After all these years her prayers have been answered and she finally has a girl to call her daughter. Though she did enjoy having Tyler around to talk to, it isn’t the same as having a daughter.”

“Say, I could not help but notice that there was a grand piano downstairs - do you play?”

“Yes, but I am better at the guitar though. I only know how to play a couple of songs on the piano.”

Skylar’s eyes widened as she also knew how to play the piano though she would usually play on a keyboard. “Why not we do a duet?” she was getting out of the bed and was about to dash off before Cody grabbed her wrist causing her to get pulled back immediately. Skylar was really enthusiastic about playing the piano, but Cody was still pulling her back, so she turned to him, looking at him with puppy eyes. This made him not be able to say no.

“Alright. Alright. We’ll go,” Cody gave in and with that, got out of the bed and the both of them rushed downstairs - hand in hand - until they bumped into Tyler. “Where are you guys going?” he asked, eyeing their hands that were intertwined together.

“We’re going to the music room.” Cody replied not realizing that anything was going on with his brother as he was already quite used to having Tyler look at him weirdly.

“Can I come along too?” Tyler requested.

“Sure, I guess - the more the merrier right?” Skylar replied as she saw Tyler had been left out from most things. Once they got to the music room, it was like living in a fantasy. There were a variety of different musical instruments. It was bigger than she had expected as she had only expected a few instruments, but this was beyond her expectations: six guitars, a cello, violins, a grand piano, ukulele, a harp and some other instruments.  “Do you know how to play all these instruments?”, she asked in amazement.

“The harp and the violins were mom’s but then the guitars are ours,” Cody said humbly. It was just like walking into a music store for Skylar.

***

“Have you tried calling her?” Alexa was frustrated as she and Brooke had been waiting outside the Hudson’s mansion for about fifteen minutes already. Skylar invited Alexa and Brooke over but then she had somehow forgotten about it already. After waiting for a while, they heard the sound of music coming from the music room. It was a familiar song that they would usually hear Skylar duetting playing with her mother. They had been texting Skylar but then she had not seen the messages so then they finally decided to ring the doorbell hoping that someone would answer it and indeed there was someone who came to answer the door; one of the Hudson’s butlers. He was a middle-aged man who wore a suit; his hair was gelled back.

“How can I help you ladies?”, he asked.

“We’re here to find our friend Skylar-”

“Ah, Lady Skylar. Right this way ladies. She is in the music room with her brothers.”

Alexa and Brooke were stunned for they knew that Cody and Tyler were rich but then they had not expected them to be this rich. As they entered the mansion, they were greeted with the smell of freshly baked scones and tea. They thought for a bit of how Skylar’s life was so amazing now that she was living the life of a princess.

The butler escorted them to the music room where they were met with the beautiful melody of the song River Flows in You.  Skylar and Cody were playing the song together as a duet. Tyler was so mesmerized by the way that they could play the song so effortlessly that he was not paying attention to the girls who had just come into the room.

“Skylar!” they exclaimed after she had finished playing the piece.

“Alexa! Brooke!” Skylar got out of the piano seat to go and greet them.

“We have been trying to contact you but apparently you did not have your phone with you,” Alexa said as she saw that Skylar was too preoccupied with bonding with her brothers that she had forgotten about them.

“Look, it’s not Skylar’s fault.”, Cody defended her as her friends were starting to raise their voice.

“Alright, I get it that you may see our dear friend, Skylar here as your little sister now but believe me that you have nothing to worry about, she may be small but then she is much stronger than you think she is,” Alexa talked back to Cody.

No this can’t be, she can’t be a warlock, can she? Cody paused for a moment when he realized how she was so headstrong like someone that he had known in the past. To find out whether she was really a warlock, he would have to observe her behavior. So, he politely excused himself and Tyler by slinging his arm over his shoulders while saying “Alright, we’ll leave you girls to have your girl talk.”

***

Once they were out of the room, Tyler struggled out of Cody’s grasp asking him, “Why are you so weird all of a sudden, Cody?”

“I have a feeling that Skylar’s friend Alexa, is a warlock.”

“And so?” Tyler was frustrated with the way Cody had been acting. After he met Skylar, it was like his life had dramatically changed because he only wanted to be around her ever since.

They were still standing outside the room to watch Alexa’s behavior for anything that only a warlock could do though Tyler was rather reluctant to cooperate

“Skylar, are you sure you’re alright especially after - well you know, everything that has happened? …We’ve been worried that you rarely texted us lately... You sure you are alright about this new family thing?” came the interrogations.

Cody was listening to Alexa’s conversation with Skylar from outside the room.

“I know that you’ve been worried and all but then I’m fine, you seriously have nothing to worry about and this was my father’s choice and I willingly accepted it as my fate already,” Skylar replied.

After eavesdropping on the girls’ conversation and also sensing Alexa was manipulating Skylar, Cody was sure that Alexa was definitely a warlock. So, when the girls came out from the room, Cody approached Alexa, “Skylar and Brooke, the two of you could go and enjoy some scones and biscuits in the kitchen. I would like to have a word with Alexa here for a minute if you don't mind.” Skylar nodded so they left to the kitchen. Alexa and Cody went to the meeting room where Cody’s father used to have meetings with guests.

When they got there, Cody started, “I know what you are, you know?”

“Yeah, and so what if you know, you know you also can’t hide what you are from her forever, right?” Alexa responded back him.

“That’s not the point.  We’ll make a deal-”

“Just like your great grandfather - you always enjoy making deals.”

“I get it that you know what I am, but I’ll keep your secret if you help me to put this note in her locker tomorrow.”

“What’s in it for me?”

“I won’t bother you anymore if you do this one favor for me.”

“So let me get this straight, I don’t take orders from you, but can you at least tell me what the note is for before I put it in her locker because she has already been through a lot these past few weeks.”

Cody allowed her to read the note since she was curious. After she read it, her eyes widened in shock.

“I’ll do it but then what if she wants to know who the note is from?”

“Just pretend that you really don’t know who it is from.”

“Alright fine.”, Alexa replied in annoyance, but she was also satisfied as her best friend may just find her next interest. “The apple really never falls far from the tree, does it?”

“What do you mean?” Cody asked out of curiosity.

“Oh, I am just saying because you are exactly the same as your dad, aren’t you?”

“How so? And how do you even know about my father?”

“Guess we all have our own secrets don’t we, Frost?” she grinned and disappeared into thin air.

The Cheshire Cat. How could I have missed that? Cody thought. Once he got out of the meeting room, he went to join Skylar and Brooke. He knew that Alexa would have gone back to them already by now especially since her goal was to talk to Skylar.

***

“Look I didn’t mean it that way, Sky. I know you’ll be a great sister and now that you have finally gotten over - well you know. This is a fresh start. No pressure-”, Brooke was just joking to Skylar about some stuff that she thought was funny when suddenly Alexa came out of the shadows and chimed, “Hey girls. What did I miss?”

“Oh Alexa. You startled us there for a bit. I thought you were supposed to be with Cody,” Skylar noticed as she clearly remembered that Cody had brought her to the meeting room.

“I left without him noticing - but here I am now,” Alexa lied about the without him noticing part. “So, what were you girls talking about?”

“Don’t you think that Skylar and Cody would have been a couple anytime soon if she wasn’t Cody’s sister. Would it have been any different? I mean, like I’m just saying but if it were to happen, won’t it be great?” Brooke wondered enthusiastically.

“Stop it, Brooke. There is no way I’m never dating him,” Skylar responded defensively while looking at Alexa for help.

“Yeah, give the girl a break. She also needs space to breathe - but then is there a chance that you would date Cody though,” Alexa added with a tease.

Skylar was so done with the two of them now, “When hell freezes over.”

Just then, Cody rushed in to see that he was right about Alexa who had teleported herself to the girls. “Speak of the devil,” Alexa was stating the obvious even after seeing the way he glared at her she broke into a laugh.

She was not afraid of Cody’s death stare because there was no way that he could do anything to send shivers down her spine. She would always be a step ahead of him.