Status: Complete
Before the Fall
Ch. 1
18 years later
Faye brushed her white-blonde hair thoroughly, forty nine strokes exactly. Then she spent seven minutes on make-up and styling that hair, and another seven on what she liked to think of as her ‘hygiene routine’- splashing water on her cheeks, brushing her teeth, applying deodorant.
She smiled at her reflection, practicing several different smiles. Her flashing, confident one, used for convincing people that she was okay, or convincing teachers that she was prepared for whatever they chose to throw her way. Her small, sly one used for irony, sarcastic jokes, and for letting people know that she was on to whatever schemes they were working up. Her friendly one. Her unsure one, for when she blundered. Her good-natured one.
Faye, in a word, was meticulous. She was the picture of perfection, and worked very hard at maintaining that image. It didn’t matter that her parents hadn’t recognized it yet; they would eventually. She’d make them love her.
And today was more important than most- Logan was coming back from his trip to California to visit his sister and her new husband. Faye chose a blue dress with white polka-dots and a white sash around the waist, allowing herself several minutes for adjustment of the bow so that it looked absolutely symmetrical.
She didn’t know what she would do without Logan- this week had made even more clear how much she needed him. He was her best friend, and the best listener a girl could ask for. Their friendship had started back when they were still in nappies. Her nanny had set up countless play dates with his parents, because he lived right next door, and she wanted to make sure that Faye grew up to be social.
And he was coming home today. Faye couldn’t wait. Her eighteenth birthday was coming up and he was the only person who would celebrate with her. Her nanny had died when Faye was twelve- a tough blow, considering that old Annie had been more of a mother figure than Faye's actual mother was. Logan had helped her get over it, and every year he planned wacky activities for them to do in the week leading up to her birthday, just as Annie used to do “to properly celebrate Faye.”
Today was the day before her birthday, so they definitely had to make up for lost time.
Faye got into her orange Porsche Carrera, which had been a very unexpected gift from her parents that she’d gotten on her sixteenth birthday, taking the time to put her purse in the back seat instead of the passenger seat- it was time to pick up Logan from the airport. When she pulled up to the curb, he was already waiting.
“Ace, you’re late,” he said with a grin, opening his arms as she hurdled into him. “But I won’t hold it against you, after that world record-breaking dash from your car. Maybe I should call you Speedy, instead.”
Faye let go of him and took his carry-on bag from him, knowing that he wouldn’t let her carry any of his heavier items. Logan was nothing if not chivalrous.
“So,” she said once they were speeding down the highway, “what are we doing today?”
“Well, I was thinking that I would get some sleep. You know, all of those hours on the plane werw very exhausting.” Faye hit him. “Fine, have it your way. I was thinking that we could-”
He was cut off by the sound of Faye’s phone ringing. “Who’s calling?” she asked stupidly. Or maybe not so stupidly- after all, who ever called, but Logan? And he was sitting right next to her.
“Beats me,” he muttered, though he sounded as confused as Faye was. Faye pulled to the side of the road. She never, ever used her phone while she was driving.
“Little Miss Perfect,” she heard Logan mutter. While she dug in the back seat for her phone, she glanced back at him and stuck out her tongue.
“Hello?” Faye answered a little breathlessly.
“Faye? It’s.. it’s your mother. We need you to come home right away.” And she hung up.
Faye stared at her phone, stunned. “Well, who was it?” Logan asked.
“It was Mom. She says she wants me to come home. I wonder why.” She glanced over at Logan, and he barely held back a groan. He could tell what Faye was thinking, and he thought that she was wrong. That she was just going to be disappointed again.
Still, Faye voiced her thoughts, hopeful as always that her parents might start showing that they loved her- she always assumed that they did love her, simply because they were her parents. But Logan wasn’t so sure. “Maybe they’ve got something planned for my birthday!”
They drove home in silence; Faye was too caught up in daydreams about presents and fancy dinners where her parents told her how much she meant to them, and Logan was biting his tongue. He would never lie to Faye, and telling her the truth right now would hurt her. Best to be silent, was his thought.
Faye brushed her white-blonde hair thoroughly, forty nine strokes exactly. Then she spent seven minutes on make-up and styling that hair, and another seven on what she liked to think of as her ‘hygiene routine’- splashing water on her cheeks, brushing her teeth, applying deodorant.
She smiled at her reflection, practicing several different smiles. Her flashing, confident one, used for convincing people that she was okay, or convincing teachers that she was prepared for whatever they chose to throw her way. Her small, sly one used for irony, sarcastic jokes, and for letting people know that she was on to whatever schemes they were working up. Her friendly one. Her unsure one, for when she blundered. Her good-natured one.
Faye, in a word, was meticulous. She was the picture of perfection, and worked very hard at maintaining that image. It didn’t matter that her parents hadn’t recognized it yet; they would eventually. She’d make them love her.
And today was more important than most- Logan was coming back from his trip to California to visit his sister and her new husband. Faye chose a blue dress with white polka-dots and a white sash around the waist, allowing herself several minutes for adjustment of the bow so that it looked absolutely symmetrical.
She didn’t know what she would do without Logan- this week had made even more clear how much she needed him. He was her best friend, and the best listener a girl could ask for. Their friendship had started back when they were still in nappies. Her nanny had set up countless play dates with his parents, because he lived right next door, and she wanted to make sure that Faye grew up to be social.
And he was coming home today. Faye couldn’t wait. Her eighteenth birthday was coming up and he was the only person who would celebrate with her. Her nanny had died when Faye was twelve- a tough blow, considering that old Annie had been more of a mother figure than Faye's actual mother was. Logan had helped her get over it, and every year he planned wacky activities for them to do in the week leading up to her birthday, just as Annie used to do “to properly celebrate Faye.”
Today was the day before her birthday, so they definitely had to make up for lost time.
Faye got into her orange Porsche Carrera, which had been a very unexpected gift from her parents that she’d gotten on her sixteenth birthday, taking the time to put her purse in the back seat instead of the passenger seat- it was time to pick up Logan from the airport. When she pulled up to the curb, he was already waiting.
“Ace, you’re late,” he said with a grin, opening his arms as she hurdled into him. “But I won’t hold it against you, after that world record-breaking dash from your car. Maybe I should call you Speedy, instead.”
Faye let go of him and took his carry-on bag from him, knowing that he wouldn’t let her carry any of his heavier items. Logan was nothing if not chivalrous.
“So,” she said once they were speeding down the highway, “what are we doing today?”
“Well, I was thinking that I would get some sleep. You know, all of those hours on the plane werw very exhausting.” Faye hit him. “Fine, have it your way. I was thinking that we could-”
He was cut off by the sound of Faye’s phone ringing. “Who’s calling?” she asked stupidly. Or maybe not so stupidly- after all, who ever called, but Logan? And he was sitting right next to her.
“Beats me,” he muttered, though he sounded as confused as Faye was. Faye pulled to the side of the road. She never, ever used her phone while she was driving.
“Little Miss Perfect,” she heard Logan mutter. While she dug in the back seat for her phone, she glanced back at him and stuck out her tongue.
“Hello?” Faye answered a little breathlessly.
“Faye? It’s.. it’s your mother. We need you to come home right away.” And she hung up.
Faye stared at her phone, stunned. “Well, who was it?” Logan asked.
“It was Mom. She says she wants me to come home. I wonder why.” She glanced over at Logan, and he barely held back a groan. He could tell what Faye was thinking, and he thought that she was wrong. That she was just going to be disappointed again.
Still, Faye voiced her thoughts, hopeful as always that her parents might start showing that they loved her- she always assumed that they did love her, simply because they were her parents. But Logan wasn’t so sure. “Maybe they’ve got something planned for my birthday!”
They drove home in silence; Faye was too caught up in daydreams about presents and fancy dinners where her parents told her how much she meant to them, and Logan was biting his tongue. He would never lie to Faye, and telling her the truth right now would hurt her. Best to be silent, was his thought.