Kasey cocked her head and thought about that for a moment. “Well, how did you get invited this time? No offense, but you don’t look the type to work for or with my father.”

“No, we only met your father at the party Saturday night. Artemis and my mother are friendly. Some club or charity event. I honestly try not to pay too close attention to that part of my mother’s life.”

“In that case, it shouldn’t be too hard for you to back out any time. If your family were connected to Isaac or his business, then you’d be stuck. But Artemis, you’re free to evade as much as you’d like,” Layla said with a smile. “Sadly, for us, we’re related to them and stuck.”

The three continued chatting for the rest of the evening. Kasey was surprised to discover she really was having fun. Elias was a nice guy, someone she wouldn’t mind hanging out with. Layla seemed to really like him, too, and who knew, maybe they would end up dating.

“Who’s ready for dessert and coffee?” Artemis called as she carried a tray from the kitchen. “Kasey, here, this is for you. I know how you are with your coffee. Elias this one is for you.”

Kasey thanked her and watched her walk around the table handing out drinks as she went. She’d never seen Artemis that friendly before and it made her worry about what she was up to. It wasn’t long before she forgot Artemis’s odd behavior and got lost in conversation with Elias and Layla. Before they said goodbye, the three of them exchanged numbers and promised to hang out again some other time away from home sweet home.

The next morning dawned just as bright and cheery as the one before. Again, the girls called in sick. Kasey did take the time to text everyone and ask them to meet her that night, and expressed it was of great importance and urged them all to be there.

Layla, in her attempt to make the time pass and keep Kasey from getting depressed or from fretting over the outcome, texted Elias and asked him if he wanted to join them for a home-cooked meal on his lunch break. He accepted, and Kasey had to admit she’d been right. The three of them laughed, joked, and were comfortable in each other’s company. Something Kasey hadn’t thought would be possible.

“Oh, before I forget to tell you. My mother is going back to your parents’ place tonight. Something about Isaac being out for the evening. Anyway, I somehow got dragged into being her chauffeur. So much for getting away from that woman.”

Layla promised to text him through the night to help keep him from getting bored and he left. Kasey glanced at the clock and cringed. It was only three. She still had a few hours to kill. The ringing of her doorbell startled them. “It has to be someone we know, otherwise they wouldn’t have been allowed to come near our door,” she explained to Layla.

Layla nodded and moved to open the door. “That’s right. I keep forgetting…” She trailed off as she opened the door and saw Artemis standing there.

“Well, are you going to invite me in or just stand there gawking all day, girl?” Artemis demanded in a haughty tone. “Never mind, just move. I’ve come to see my daughter. Where is she?” She pushed past Layla into the apartment and scowled as she looked around. “Disgusting place you have here, Kasey. Here. I brought you this.” She handed Kasey a cup of coffee from the local coffee shop.

“What’s the occasion? You’ve never just stopped by, and definitely never brought me a cup of coffee just because,” Kasey replied hesitantly.

“Yes, well. We didn’t get to talk last night and I’m pregnant, you know. That kind of changes a person in some ways. Your father thinks we should learn to get along now.”

“Ah, now I get it. You came bearing gifts as a bribe, so I’ll tell my father we had a talk and are getting along now. Is that it?”

Artemis smiled. “I knew you had some intelligence in that head of yours. Exactly, so are you willing to keep the farce going for your father’s sake?”

Kasey didn’t answer right away, instead she sat on the couch, drinking the flavorful coffee, and stared up at the woman, thinking about it for a half second before replying. “I know what you get out of this, but what benefit do I have for agreeing?”

“I’ll leave you alone, pretend we’re getting along so your father gets off both our backs. I’ll also try to get him to give you more space, so you don’t have bodyguards down the hall. Other than that, I have nothing to offer you, but your father's happiness.”

“Fine, I’ll play along, but only because it will make him happy. You, I couldn’t care less about.” Kasey smiled coldly and stood. “Thank you for the coffee, now if you’ll excuse me I have some things to do in my room.”

“Kasey, Kasey. Wake up. What’s gotten into you?” Layla demanded a few hours later.

“What?” she replied groggily as she tried to pry open her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“Are you kidding me? It’s five-thirty, you’ve got to go if you’re going to make it by six. Your friends, the truth, meeting with your father. Does any of this ring a bell?” Layla demanded anxiously. “What’s the matter with you?”

“I don’t know. I’m just so tired,” Kasey said with a yawn.

Layla growled and pulled the covers from Kasey’s bed. “I don’t care. Get your ass out of that bed, now.”

“Stop, what are you doing?” Kasey whined. “Leave me alone to sleep, please.”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but this is not happening. Let’s go…” Layla pulled Kasey into a sitting position, and then prodded her to stand. “That’s it, one foot in front of the other. Let’s get you in the shower and see if that helps.”

Kasey was only half aware of what was happening. She knew she was supposed to do something, but her whole body felt too heavy to move. Her energy was gone, her mind felt sluggish, almost as if she’d been given heavy sedatives.

“Stay there, I’m turning the water on cold. You’re going in just like you are.” Layla’s voice came to her far away, tinny and distant. “No, don’t fall, lean back against the wall, there you go.”

The next thing Kasey knew was the overwhelming coldness that was causing her to shiver and scream as she attempted to jump away from the spray of the water. “What in the fuck are you doing to me, Layla?!”

“Thank god you’re back. I don’t know what happened, but you were scaring the shit out of me. It was like you were a zombie. You were so out of it, nothing I did was working. Are you okay now?”

“I think so. Freezing, though.” Kasey leaned against the wall and splashed cold water on her face. “What time is it?”

“A little after five-thirty now. If you hurry, you can still make it there in time. You go get dressed and I’ll text Isaac letting him know you’re running a tad late and to wait for you. I’ll blame Artemis’s visit for throwing things off schedule.”

Kasey laughed. “I love you. Thank you for having my back. I don’t know what I’d have done without you.”

“We’re family, that’s what we do. Now hurry up, for the truth will set you free, and you have a lot of people waiting on the truth from you, girl.”

That was just what Kasey was afraid of. She didn’t want her friends to set her free. She wanted them to embrace her and forgive her. She wanted them to understand, but deep inside she knew the chances of that were slim.