Chapter 5
I phase through the wall into the screening room and stop dead. Well, deader. It's like walking into a perfect family Christmas card. Stella's sitting right in the middle of the leather sofa wearing some gorgeous designer dress, and everyone's gathered around her like she's royalty. The wall's covered with blown-up photos from her Golden Globe win.
"Daddy, I wanna go to Cannes!" Stella's kicking her legs and pouting like she's still five years old. "All the A-list stars are gonna be there. I can't miss it!"
Vincent just laughs and reaches over to ruffle her hair. "Course you can go wherever you want, princess."
Elena's sitting right next to her, peeling oranges and popping pieces into Stella's mouth. "Easy there, honey. Don't choke."
Marcus looks up from some work papers spread across the coffee table. "I'll get the private jet set up. And book the penthouse suite at the usual place."
They're celebrating. Lily's starving in that prop box, and they're here throwing a party.
The contrast hits me like a slap across the face. When I came home at twenty-three, I never got treatment like this. Even on my birthdays, dinner was just dinner, and it usually got cut short because Stella needed something.
Vincent mentions casually, "Tomorrow I gotta swing by Ryan's set to sign that new contract."
Stella's smile vanishes instantly. There's this flash of jealousy in her eyes that's ice-cold. "Oh right. She's your real daughter. Of course she's more important."
Vincent starts backpedaling immediately, like he's trying to calm down a cranky toddler. "No no, sweetheart, that's not what I meant."
Elena jumps in fast. "How about this? I'll stay here with Stella, and you just make it a quick trip."
So they never planned to rescue Lily. In their minds, my death doesn't matter, and neither does my daughter.
They're watching some behind-the-scenes footage from Stella's latest movie when Elena suddenly grabs her chest. Her face goes white as paper.
"What's wrong?" Vincent's voice gets all concerned.
"I don't know." Elena presses her hand against her heart, and there's real worry in her eyes. "I just feel like something terrible's about to happen."
I'm floating here staring at my mother in complete shock.
Can she feel me? Does she know I'm dead?
Vincent pulls her into a gentle hug. "Maybe it's just all the excitement lately. Stella's win, Oscar season coming up. You've been under a lot of stress."
Elena nods, but I can see that worried look isn't going anywhere. "Maybe you're right. Getting older makes you worry about everything, I guess."
It's past midnight and Elena's tossing and turning in bed. That anxious feeling from earlier has only gotten worse.
"Honey." Her voice cuts through the darkness. "I think we were too hard on Ruby."
Vincent makes this annoyed grunt as he wakes up. "What now?"
"Remember those scars on Ruby's wrists when she came home? How she kept talking about divorce?" Elena's voice has this guilty edge to it. "Maybe we should've paid more attention."
Vincent just brushes it off. "Marrying Ryan was the best thing that could've happened to her. He's an action star. You know how many women would kill to be in her position?"
"But I'm her mother." There's real pain in Elena's voice now. "She never got any motherly love growing up, and when she finally came home, I just..."
But then Elena talks herself out of it, like she always does. "Ruby's tougher than Stella, though. She survived all those years on the streets. Besides, it's not like anyone's gonna die over this, right?"
Hearing those words makes my ghostly heart turn to ice.
Not like anyone's gonna die. That's what you think.
I take one last look at this warm bedroom, at the bed where my parents are sleeping. The love I used to crave so desperately. Then I turn away.
Goodbye, family. Even though you never really belonged to me, I loved you with everything I had. Now Lily's all that matters. She's the only thing I can't let go of.