She smiled, nodded, and pushed the backpack up on her shoulder again as she walked over into the coolness of gatehouse to wait. It didn’t take long before a shiny black sedan pulled up alongside it. Cecily thanked the man for his kindness, Xièxiè, as he opened the door for her to climb into the back. Once the door closed, her heart rate accelerated even more. She didn’t know how that was possible. After planning this trip for a little over two months, now that she was here, it felt surreal. With huge eyes, she took in her surroundings. This wasn’t the house they’d come to before. It was a different one. The other house was on a mountainside a little higher up. This one was on a mountainside too but not as high.Cecily had to sneak into Braylee’s office and break into her files to find the address. She knew she would have it. Braylee was so thorough when it came to certain stuff that it was a no-brainer where to start looking. Unfortunately, she didn’t have very much information on Nina. Otherwise, that’s where Cecily would have gone first.The car finally pulled up to the front door and stopped. Before she could open her door, the driver got out and opened it. Hopefully, answers were waiting on the other side. Cecily knew Gina couldn’t answer all of her questions, but she could address some of them. Slowly, she exited the vehicle, squared her shoulders and stood up straight. Her feet felt like lead, but Cecily managed to put one foot in front of the other. She walked right up the stairs to the mansion. Again, before she could ring the bell, the door opened, and Gina stood on the other side of it. Slightly sloped dark brown eyes, framed with super long eyelashes burned into hers. As a matter of fact, they were an exact replica. Her mouth went dry as they stared at each other. The first words out of Gina’s mouth weren't “hello,” but “your uncle is going to kill me.”*****
Gina was beautiful even without makeup. Cecily had seen her here and there on blogs, but her pictures didn’t do her justice. She was always so done up in them, but today, Gina was dressed in a fitted t-shirt and a pair of black yoga pants. Her hair was thrown up in a messy ponytail similar to Cecily’s own.
Her skin was smooth, and Gina’s lips were full; just like hers. It wasn’t the first time that it dawned on Cecily that physically, she took more after her mother’s side of the family. A family she’d only known from things she’d read on the internet.“Are you going to stand there gaping at me or are you going to come inside?” Gina didn’t even try to mask her irritation.Cecily didn’t realize her mouth was open, so she closed it and walked inside. Suddenly, the strap of her backpack became a lifeline as she held on for dear life. “H . . . hi. I’m sorry to pop in on you like this, but if I would have told you ahead of time, I was afraid you wouldn’t see me.”“You’re probably right. I would have told Alex to keep an eye on you because you were thinking of sneaking off to come here. It was reckless and dangerous for a fifteen-year-old girl to travel all the way from Chicago to Guilin by herself.”Cecily didn’t know why but her words hurt. Why didn’t they want her in their lives? She hadn’t done anything wrong. Cecily blinked away a few tears and reined in her emotions. She wasn’t here for Gina. She’d come to meet her mother. If Gina couldn’t or wouldn’t help that was all right. Cecily would figure out another way. “I was hoping you would help me get some answers.”“Answers? To what?” Gina closed the door behind her as she crossed over the threshold. “I’m sure Alex would have told you whatever you wanted to learn if you would have asked.”Cecily shook her head. “No, not about this. I know he wouldn’t have.”“Well, I’m not sure how much help I can be. However, ask your questions, I’ll answer them if I can and then, I’m putting you on the first plane back to Chicago.”Cecily was getting pissed that all Gina wanted to do was get rid of her. Fine. She’d ask her questions, but she wasn’t leaving Guilin until she’d met her mother. That was a fact! “How can I get in touch with Nina?”Gina whispered. “What? Nina? She’s dead.”Cecily narrowed my eyes. “You’re lying to me. I don’t know why I should have expected honesty from you. I know she’s not dead.”Gina was now the one standing there gaping with her mouth slightly open. She had nothing to say. Not one word came out of her. She wasn’t going to help.“Okay, if you’re not going to help me, I’ll figure it out on my own.” Cecily turned to leave, but Gina put her hands on her shoulder to stop her.“Wait.” Gina rubbed her forehead as if she were in pain. “You’re right. I’m sorry I lied to you.”“Then, you’ll help me?”Gina squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m having a difficult time forming thoughts right now. Give me a second for my mind to catch up to what you’re telling me.”“I don’t have a lot of time. Uncle Alex will
