surprise, my feet moved, my hips too. Lorna grabbed one hand, Skye the other, and we made a circle, lifting our clasped hands in the air. I laughed as the siblings continued to shout the lyrics at the top of their lungs. It was the most bizarre and wonderful moment, feeling a part of something with these two strangers.
When the song ended, I giggled with them, feeling high on the connection—and the feeling of being seen.
“I’ve never heard that song before,” I confessed as Skye lowered the volume.
“It’s called ‘The Whole of the Moon’ by The Waterboys,” Lorna informed me. “They’re an eighties band. It was our mom’s favorite song.”
“Now it’s our song.” Skye reached out to wrap an arm around her sister, pulling her into her side. Lorna giggled and playfully pushed her away.
Her big sister turned to me. “Lemonade?”
I nodded, thirsty after all the dancing.
The sitting room and kitchen were all one room. She moved into the kitchen while Lorna gestured for me to take a seat on the sofa, the only piece of furniture not covered in stuff.
I relaxed, surprised how quickly I’d become comfortable around the sisters. Lorna threw herself energetically down beside me. We both wore shorts and T-shirts, but where my legs barely touched the floor, hers sprawled out on it. She was paler than me and Skye, but winters in California versus Massachusetts would fix that.
“When did you move in?”
“Last night. You’re the first person we’ve met.”
Skye returned with the lemonade, a glass for each of us. She pushed aside items on the coffee table and sat on it to face us while we sipped the cool drink.
“You live here, Jane?” she asked.
At Skye’s stillness, I was once again struck by her beauty. I really wanted to draw her. She and Lorna shared the same ocean eyes and light brown hair. Except Skye’s reached the middle of her back in soft waves, and she had golden highlights. While Lorna had a strong nose, Skye’s was daintier. A little button. The resemblance between them was undeniable, but it was as if Skye’s features had been perfected, while Lorna’s had quirks and imperfections that made them even more interesting. I thought they both had wonderful faces—great for sketching.
“I do,” I answered Skye’s question. “I live a few doors down.”
“With your parents?”
“Foster parents.”
Her expression softened in sympathy.
“It’s just me, Jamie, and Skye now,” Lorna stated.
I looked at her, my brow furrowed in confusion. “Who’s Jamie?”
“My big brother. He’ll be fifteen this September. Our mom died three months ago. And our dad took off when I was young.” Lorna’s mouth twisted in a bitter sneer. “He never liked me.”
Uncomfortable, I didn’t know what to say.
Skye apparently sensed this and reached to pat Lorna’s knee. “Sweetie, you know that’s not true.” She flicked me a look. “I’m sorry, Jane. Things are a little difficult at the moment.”
“No, they’re not.” Lorna pushed her sister’s hand away. “They’re the best they’ve ever been.”
My eyes widened. Her mom died, and this was the best things had ever been?
“What is Jane going to think?” Skye huffed in exasperation.
“The truth.” Lorna gave me that stubbornly determined look I’d already come to suspect was a common expression for her. “Jane’s going to be my new best friend, and best friends tell each other everything.”
While Skye chuckled at this, I felt my heart lurch in my chest.
I hadn’t had a best friend since second grade.
“Skye moved to LA a few years ago to become an actress, and she just won this amazing role on the show, The Sorcerer.”
My eyes widened. There were a lot of wannabe actors in LA, but that didn’t mean I’d met anyone from a show as big as The Sorcerer. “I love that show.”
Skye beamed. Like Lorna, she had the kind of smile that prodded your own lips to mirror the action. While Lorna’s ocean eyes were flinty and a little too hardened for a thirteen-year-old, Skye’s were warm and sparkled like waves beneath the sun. “Great! A fan! I’m a new major character.”
I noted then that Skye’s accent was more diluted than her sister’s.
“That’s amazing.” I was totally impressed.
“You want to be an actor?” Lorna misunderstood my awe.
I shook my head adamantly. No way. Cameras in my face, pretending to be someone I wasn’t. People watching my every move. My face plastered across tabloids. Ugh, I would rather eat slugs.
“Let me guess … an artist?”
I blushed at Lorna’s guess and shrugged. Which meant yes.