1 Prologue

She was sure she turned on the hearing aids. She looked up from her books straining her ears to pick out the sound. Silence, that was odd. She thought she heard something. Soon, she will have to leave for the race. Nevertheless, she must finish committing the quantum entanglement topic to memory.

"Cedar! Cedrene, Nitzveh! I know you can hear me. Come down here!" Definitely, she heard the melodious voice of Great Terror. It echoed throughout the white walls of the house. All of a sudden, it was quiet.

She shut her book took her glasses and walked through the hallway that contained her and her siblings' rooms.  She descended the spiral staircase muttering to herself the last line of the grey barricade. On reaching the foyer, she knew something was up. The noise in the house was never below a seven. She noticed a brown envelope with a broken seal in the grip of a furious Great Terror- mother. She looked like she had just returned from a board meeting.

'That's what has got her riled up. Oh Adelita! What have you done, again?' She sniffed. She swore  the stench was nearby.

Nitzveh saw the said person standing a few metres away chewing on prawn crackers with Irwin. She went over to her father who is seated in the sofa, exasperation drawn on his face. She spots the glorious porcelain jar shattered on the marble tiles. Her mother had constantly warned them of playing around it. Adelita was in big trouble!

Nitzveh opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by the outstretched hand of mother.

"What is this, Cedar?" Great Terror bellows gesturing the paper in her hand. All flinch at the tone, scooting away - if possible. "And for heaven's sake take your bath whenever you arrive from school, God!" The dangling chandelier shook a little.

"Mother, she must have a reason to do that." Her eldest  brother says. A glare shuts him up. She was totally at sea now. Adelita having a reason to break the jar, pfft. He too had scrunched his face like the others.

"Care to explain what this is, Cedar?" She directs her gaze back to her. Her neat bun fueled her atmosphere of the no-nonsense lady.

"I sure would like to know what you're talking about, mom." Nitzveh plays it off despite knowing what she was actually talking about. She involuntarily sniffs her T-shirt, they were right. It stunk like the stench of a skunk.

She knew what that was. She had used the Williams'mailbox to mail her admission forms. She forgot to drop their address instead however it was too late. If this was the reply to the letter, she was downfor. She hoped her mother would understand that she wanted to surprise her, sort of.

"Why? Why didn't you tell me you applied for a university in the states, huh?" She whispers, dejectedly. " And goodness after I'm done with you, go take a bath!" She did not expect this reaction, at all.

"What do you think the point is?" Adelita jeers. " It was meant to be a surprise but you went on to spoil it." She ignored the scent already used to far worse. The onlookers facepalm at her revelation.

"Did you all know this?" Lavinia demanded.

"Yes." They chorused bowing theor heads. The air conditioner wasn't helping in keeping the stench at bay.

"That's satisfying. It's not that of a big deal, is it?" A malicious plan began to formulate in her mind. "You - she ponts to Cedar - are going to reject the university offer and go one down here in England. Also, you all are grounded in all aspects of entertainment; WiFi, travels, parties , everything!" She gave her verdict.

"You cannot do that!" Nitzveh and her siblings yelled Adelita's the most heard.

" Oh I just did." She smirks taking off to her room with a mischievous glint in her irises. She meant it. Graham was hopeless in this situation as his children.

Sensing her knees ready to buckle, Nitzveh rushed to her room tripping several times on the laughing staircase before she made it. She collapses on the bed screaming in her pillow letting out all the pent  up anger and sorrow. At this moment, she needed her Maheera by her side. Tears trickle down to her chin racing each other. She stares at the illuminated ceiling she had designed with her. They had gone to buy lava lamps for their rooms. Adelita and the boys seized it demanding an exact copy before returning it. The corners of her mouth tilt upwards slightly at the memory.

'Enough!' she tells herself wiping the tears away. Time to put phase two of her plan in action. She empties her wardrobe section of sweats and pants in her duffel bag. They were not much since she had sent the first batch to the hideout. She had nothing to herself except her laptop, phone and glasses. The textbook wasn't needed.

Downstairs, Adelita leaves her crackers with Irwin. She so much wanted to scream at her mother for what she haddone just now and before. She ascends the stairs to her Nitzveh's room. Stuck at the doorpost contemplating, D-Norris, her older brother surprisingly twists the knob inquiring why she hesitated. They had followed her. Adelita snatches the bag from the grip of her busy sister. She loved how strong she was with everything including now.

"What are you doing, Nitz?" She receives no response.

"Kindly inform us what you are doing, Cedar?" Quiquue says.

"Don't call.me. that!" She hisses. "No one should, ever again." She took back the bag.

"Alright, but tell us what you are doing. Are you going away or simply rearranging your clothings? Irwin drawled.

"If you want to come along, i suggest you herd to your room to pack or stay out of my way." She enunciated. "I can't live in this shit any longer. Sorry, dad but i can't be who you want me to be if I continue to live under this..."  Her father, who had stood there taking in everything, looked proud of his seventeen year old, nonetheless.

Seeing that they could not reason with her, they left for their rooms , minding their own businesses. She had hoped they would back her up. But as it is, she must do it all alone.

She swings the bag on her shoulders ready to jump off the two level building after leaving the letters she had written on her mother's side table.  Her siblings barge into her room with their mother hot on their heels. "Go!" They screamed. 

Indeed, they jumped, landing onto the trampoline. They scanned each other checking for injuries. Finding none, the hop into D-Norris' wrangler, taking a last glance at their mother probably seeing her for the last time. She was screaming orders at the guards. Nitzveh hit the accelerator to a one sixty , speeding out of their grand compound into the world of unknown. Her racing skills paid off.  First, she heads off to the hideout to pick the other batches . They have thirty minutes before their mother knew where they were heading.

"So where are we heading?" Irwin suddenly asks after they took their seats. The flight attendant served them their orders.

"France." Nitzveh answers from her seat.

No one said anything else. They knew who resided in France. They dare not ask her where she got the tickets from. They were going to stay with their nanny and try to begin life again hopefully.  'Runaway brides' were they as Maheera would have said. She would be proud of them. But first, she must inform her first.

The blue black glittering sky was the last thing she saw before her lids shut.