Confessions of an Heiress: Part Five

And suddenly Kiran snapped. “You’re acting like we did something wrong!” she threw at Asha, her strained voice venomous. Her tone softened as she turned to Taite. “But we didn’t. It was a freak accident. That’s all. Bridgette attempted to stick to her end of the bargain, but she was nervous about being caught. She didn’t push Belinda enough, so Belinda ended up turning on you instead of Tiffany. At that point, you were a topic of hushed gossip among the 400- a whispered rumor that no one wanted to believe. But gossip in our circle is almost always true, and when Tiffany found out that you were at the McTavishes... Well, let’s just say she was furious.”

     Asha shook her head. “We were as discreet as possible about everything; but somehow, the ‘The Powers That Be’ found out that there was- how did they phrase it? - ‘suspicious activity involving the 400’ and you. They notified everyone, promising great rewards to anyone who had information about you or how much you knew about our organization. And suddenly, four hundred pets were in an all-out rage, scanning the globe for an innocent Usul.”

     *

Kiran blew a blustery sigh through her parted lips. She seemed to be contemplating, and was quiet for several moments- reliving the past, Taite supposed. It was a few minutes before she spoke again, and this time Asha didn’t try to fill in the silence.

     The glass clock on the wall ahead struck some hour. Taite didn’t even bother looking.

     A moach peeped out from a small crack in the wall. Taite waved it away.

     Asha tapped her foot in time to some song; Kiran, head bent into her own reflections, acted as if she had not heard.

     A Pteri chirped a song in the distance. No one seemed to notice.

     Then finally, “Oh come on, Taite. I have a conscience, you know. At that point, I considered you something like my friend; I mean, we partied together, right? And talked a lot, too. The 400 thought you might know stuff you shouldn’t. So I felt bad about sticking you with the McTavishes, who treated you like dirt, and then siccing a mob on you when you were oblivious to so much as the existence of the 400. I knew that a big part of the whole mess was my fault, so it was my job to set it right.” She nodded here, as if proud of herself. “Somehow, I had known all along it would come to this- from the moment Tiffany found out about our illicit deal. I sat Daddy down and told him that I had a friend who was stuck in the adoption center and who really needed a home. I figured that if you lived here, I could keep an eye on you and make sure no 400 members got a hold of you. Plus, I knew it would irritate Tiffany to no end.”

     Staring out the window at the starry black sky, Asha bit her lip so hard that it drained of colour. “But news travels fast and, as expected, the Top Five found out soon enough. Kir made one last, desperate attempt to help you. She sat down with them and tried to talk it out. She told them you were innocent, but they weren’t going to take her word for it, not after the whole ordeal with River and Tiffany. We were told to bring you to the party- the party tonight- and they would ‘evaluate it from there’ or whatever.”

     Kiran shrugged. “And that’s where our story ends. We took you to the party tonight, you talked to the Powers That Be, and now... It’s over. You never knew anything you shouldn’t have.”

     Taite spoke for the first time in hours. “I know that, and you know that, but...” she whispered, “I didn’t talk to any ‘Powers That Be’ tonight.”

     A sly smile lit the Acara’s face for the first time in what seemed like forever. “Oh, but didn’t you? Augustin, the Royal Krawk? The ever-important Number One. And Caesarette? Number Two. Baden? Power That Be Number Three.”

     *

     Taite returned to her room as soon as Kiran would let her. Judging by the noise in the hallway, Asha was heading for home as well. Numbly, the Usul sat down on her bed. The sunrise was licking the horizon; Taite had no idea how many hours she had spent in Kiran’s room, but the sky was now cloudless and the night was changing more to day with each passing second. Only when Taite stretched across her mattress, yawning sleepily, did she notice that still clutched in her paw was the Usuki head. The Usul chucked it across the room, and it smacked into the window, landing with a thump on her desk.

     So these were her friends. Her friends who, without batting an eye, had sold each other out for power- no, not even for power; for a number, a rank. The 400 had sounded fun, at first. But Kiran and Asha had changed all that in one little story.

     Taite lay motionless for several seconds before a nibble on her toe startled her wide awake. She turned in surprise to see her Whinny blinking innocently back at her. Taite scooped up her pet, hugged her tight, and wished so hard that she hadn’t snuck out of the house to go the party, and that she hadn’t pursued the truth. She’d rather have not known at all.

And this, I am afraid to say, concludes the tale you’ve followed since May. You’ve taken twists and turns with Taite, but in the end, fate is fate. The happy ending may not be clear, but I’m here to tell you- it’s there. With lessons learned, friendships lost and won, guess what- Taite’s saga is, once and for all, done!

     Epilogue- Numbered Tables

     Eighty pristine tables sat under the mediocre shade of the magnolia trees. They were spaced perfectly out across the colorful sea of grass and flora that was Chameli Gardens, and until a mere hour ago had been undisturbed- their white linen cloths brushed by a kiss of the wind, and the polished china atop them gleaming in the bright, midday sun. Five places had been painstakingly laid at each, and the place cards read not names, as most do, but numbers. The table in the very center of the garden, for example, housed the numbers one, two, three, four, and five; the tables on the outer edge, however, read larger numbers, such as three hundred and seventy, or four hundred. And all this had been left in peace for many hours. But not anymore; their quiet existence was now disturbed. Hundreds faces occupied the numbered tables and there were voices, accompanied by the occasional, awkward clanking of porcelain against porcelain- usually from the circle of places with higher numbers- as someone unfamiliar with the ritual of afternoon tea clumsily handled their silverware.

     Yes, the setting was exactly as it had been only a year ago. At least, it seemed that way at first. But something had changed...

     On the outskirts of the setup, a white Usul sat across the place card reading ‘three hundred and ninety two.’ And next to her, three hundred and ninety three, was a blue Shoyru, looking ever so slightly out of place in her white sundress and large sunglasses. Though they were the newest members of the organization, the girls chatted freely with the other three pets at the table. In fact, they currently prodded a starry Uni, smothered a laugh, and then gave a nonjudgmental, but very amused glance toward the table next to them- the table with the highest numbers.

     From number three hundred and ninety nine, Kiran called sarcastically, “Ha ha, Taite! Keep laughing. I know, it’s just so-o funny!”

     The restrained amusement quickly turned to giggles.

     Looking first at a depressed, number four hundred River, then to Asha, who had been demoted as well, Kiran decided to take the mocking laughter lightly. She figured she owed the girl at least that much. Though they may be constantly teasing each other, and they might never have the relationship they once had, at least she and her sister were talking again. “You think it’s so funny right now; just you wait till we get home!” she threatened playfully.

     Taite grinned. “What are you gonna do?” she shrugged. “Threaten me with your high society status?”

     “Oh, girl, I know didn’t just say that! I am still your big sister!”

     “Nice try! You may be bigger than me, but I happen to be nine days older than you!” Taite tried to sound serious- she really did- but she was laughing too hard to succeed.

     “Uh-huh, uh-huh. I see how it’s going to be. Why don’t you come over and tell that to my face?”

     “Why don’t you take it like a man?!”

     “Now I know those words did not just come out of your mouth...”

The End

Author’s Note: I know the plot of this one was way different than Abandoned’s, but I hope you liked this one just as much! Sorry that I couldn’t give Taite the ultra-happy post-Abandoned life you wanted, but how much fun would that plot have been? Anyway, before you ask- no, there will not be a third series about Taite! (Yeah, yeah; sad, I know.) I’m going to work on other, more fun series and stories for the Times instead the sad story of Taite... Just know that her life does turn out good.