The telephone rang, interrupting Ophelia’s conversation with Emily. Ophelia raised an eyebrow at Emily, perplexed.

“It’s nine in the morning. Who in their right mind would be calling?” Emily asked. She had slept over; Ophelia’s parents were on vacation, and her brother Nathaniel was staying with their father’s parents.

Ophelia shrugged and peered at the caller ID. “Whoever it is, they’re calling from Uncle Preston’s house. Probably Cy,” she remarked. She picked up the phone and answered it.

“Hello?”

“Ophelia, hey!” Cy said cheerfully. “Did I wake you up?”

“Lucky for you, no,” Ophelia replied. “What’s up?”

“It’s nice and warm today. No forecast of rain. Why don’t you come on over and hang out? Bring Emily too.”

Ophelia covered the receiver and asked, “Em, you feel like swimming today?”

“I guess, but I don’t have any swimsuits with me,” Emily responded.

“You can borrow one of mine.”

Emily nodded and replied, “Okay, then. Let’s do it.”

Ophelia smiled and uncovered the receiver. “Fine, Cy. We’ll be over there in a little while.”


Emily laughed and stretched out on a poolside chair. Ophelia grinned and said, “Way more fun than sitting around, just watching TV, huh?” Emily nodded enthusiastically.

Cy lounged nearby, wearing a lightweight outfit; she’d begged off on swimming, claiming easily sunburned skin. Ophelia wondered if perhaps it was because Cy was still a bit shy around Emily. Ophelia peered at Cy through her rather gaudy heart-shaped sunglasses.

“You look like that chick from that movie,” Cy teased.

“Oh, hush,” Ophelia replied, hiding a smile, “or Em and I are going to throw you into the pool.”

“You wouldn’t--” Cy began, then froze. Her eyes widened slightly. Emily and Ophelia turned to see what had Cy so troubled. It was the devil incarnate, better known as Dunstan Diggory.


“What the hell is he doing here?” Ophelia growled.

Dunstan sauntered over, smirking slightly. “Greetings, ladies,” he said. “Charise and her dad are inside, talking bout her mom’s estate and such, trying to work out how things will be divided up, now that Cassandra is dead. So, I thought I would take a stroll out here and admire the landscape.”

His remark was met with silence. His eyes settled on Ophelia, who scowled at him. Dunstan smiled charmingly, albeit not without a hint of cruelty, and brushed a lock of hair out of her face, then let his fingers settle on her cheek.

“Don’t break my heart, and I won’t break your heart-shaped glasses,” he murmured.

With an agonized and horrified cry, Ophelia jerked away, and, in the same motion, yanked her sunglasses off as though they were burning hot and flung them away from her, sending them skidding across the ground and finally into the pool, where they sank to the bottom. For several seconds, there was utter and complete silence, as everyone stared at Dunstan and Ophelia.


After an undeterminable amount of time that seemed like eternity, Charise, exiting the house, called out, “Dunstan, where did you go?”

“Backyard,” he called out. “Ophelia and Emily are here.”

“I’m coming!” Charise replied. In a few moments, she was near the group.

“How’d things go?” Dunstan asked.

“Fine. Typical legal mumble-jumble that I don’t get.” She smiled awkwardly at Emily and Ophelia. “Hey,” she greeted them. She frowned then, noticing Ophelia still cringing in her seat. “What’s wrong?”

“Big nasty bug,” Ophelia choked out.

Dunstan shrugged. “I’ll wait for you in the car,” he said to Charise, who nodded.

Charise peered around the chair. “I don’t see anything,” she said, concerned. “Where’d it go?”

“It ran off; don’t worry,” Cy replied, shooting a look of pure hatred in the direction that Dunstan had walked off in.


“You need to tell her, you know,” Cy said firmly.

“I know,” Ophelia replied, bowing her head.

“Charise and Emily both.”

“I know.”

“So, why don’t you?”

Ophelia stared at Cy. “It’s kind of hard to bring up.”

“Lia, Charise really needs to know this. And Emily has been worried about you all day. Now, you know Emily won’t think any differently of you--”

“That’s not what’s bothering me!” Ophelia snapped. “Do you think it’s so easy for me to talk about it?”

“You told me with no problems.”

“I didn’t have any choice. I was scared.”

“Lia, tell her, or I will.”

Ophelia bowed her head. “Don’t do this to me, Cy,” she said weakly.

“You shouldn’t keep it all bottled up.”

“I’m not.”

Cy let out a groan of frustration. “Damn it, Lia,” she snapped. “We had this same argument a few years ago. If you’d have just told someone--”

“Do you think people would have taken me seriously?” Ophelia cried out. “Everyone knew Charise and I were more or less rivals, that I was jealous of her. People would have thought I was jealous.”

“Emily won’t,” Cy said confidently. “And you know it.”

Ophelia turned away, feeling the tears sting and burn, aching to escape. “I can’t do it,” she whispered.

“I’ll sit with you. Emotional support and all. Remember, I was part of this too,” Cy said gently, placing a hand on Ophelia’s shoulder.

“You’re right,” Ophelia murmured. “I’ll tell Emily tonight.”

Author's Note: The chapter marker was inspired by the DVD cover for the movie "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance." If you haven't seen it, do a search on Wikipedia or a search engine.