Sunrise Vows
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Carla Cassidy
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17,4K
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18
Prologue
“Hurry, Colette. You know Abby is waiting for us.” Belinda Connor grabbed her younger sister’s hand, urging her to run faster.
Overhead a full moon spilled down silvery shards of light, giving the landscape a surreal, otherworldly aura.
In the distance, on a small rise, stood an ancient oak tree, its branches gnarled and misshapen. The dragon tree. And beneath its benevolent foliage Belinda could see their older sister waiting for them.
“Come on, Colette,” Belinda said again, tugging her faster. “You know Abby wouldn’t have called for this meeting unless it was important.”
“I know. I’m hurrying as fast as I can,” Colette exclaimed.
By the time they reached the tree, both Belinda and Colette were out of breath. Colette leaned against the trunk of the tree, slivers of moonbeams highlighting her youthful features. Abby sank to sit in the sweetscented, dewy grass, the moonlight caressing her straight nose and the strong thrust of her jaw.
For a moment as Belinda looked first at her younger sister then at her older one, love swelled up in her heart. Oh, there were times twelve-year-old Colette could be a real pest, and Abby, at fifteen could be a know-it-all, but they weren’t just her sisters, they were her best friends.
“What’s going on?” Colette finally caught her breath.
“Yeah, Abby. What’s going on? Why’d you call us here?” Belinda asked.
Abby wrapped her arms around her knees and rocked back and forth. “I found some papers today in Mom’s dresser drawer.”
“What kind of papers?” Belinda asked.
Abby looked first at her, then at Colette. “Adoption papers.”
The words hung in the air and echoed hollowly in Belinda’s heart. “Adoption papers?” she asked, breaking the silence that followed Abby’s statement. “Adoption papers for who?”
“I didn’t look. I was looking for Mom’s yellow scarf and saw an envelope in her drawer.” Abby raked a hand through her short blond hair. “It was just a manila envelope and written on it was ‘adoption papers.’ I saw it, then heard Mom coming down the hall so I didn’t get a chance to open it. I went back in later to look, but the papers weren’t there anymore.”
Belinda felt the blood leave her face as her heart beat an unsteady rhythm. “But…but that means one of us must be…”
“No,” Colette interrupted. “No, I don’t want to hear about it, I don’t even want to think about it.” Colette leaned forward and reached for Abby’s hand, then grabbed Belinda’s. Belinda squeezed back tightly. “We’re sisters. The three of us and no stupid papers will ever change that.”
“Belinda? Do you feel the same way about it?” Abby asked.
It’s me, a tiny voice whispered inside Belinda’s head. I’m the one who doesn’t really belong. She squeezed both her sisters’ hands. “Of course,” she answered. “I don’t ever want to know which one of us might be in that folder.”
Abby stood and reached into her pocket. “I was hoping you guys would say that.” She pulled out a large safety pin. “I vote we become blood sisters and we vow we’ll never try to find out which one of us might be adopted.”
She opened the wicked-looking pin, the sharp point gleaming in the moonlight. Colette and Belinda watched as she pricked her skin. As the blood welled up on her fingertip, she handed the pin to Belinda, who stabbed her own finger.
Colette frowned, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. “Do it for me, Belinda,” she said, holding out her finger and squeezing her eyes tightly closed.
Again love welled up in Belinda’s heart. Silly Colette, who could face a mountain lion and not be afraid, couldn’t stand the sight of blood, especially her own. Belinda pierced her finger with a sharp jab.
“Sisters forever,” Abby proclaimed solemnly as she held her finger toward them.
“Sisters forever,” Belinda echoed, and pressed her finger against Abby’s.
“And no matter what happens, we never read those stupid papers,” Colette exclaimed, then added her finger to theirs, forming a triangle of unity.
With the innocence of youth and the optimism of girlhood, they truly believed it was a vow they could keep. In the distance thunder rumbled, sounding like Fate’s laughter as dark clouds moved to steal the moonlight from the sky.
