"Oh, no... Do you think they noticed what you did?" Martha whispered to Margaret.

Clutching her smartphone, Margaret observed Lorraine and Charlotte for a few seconds. Lorraine was unlocking the car, and Charlotte looked up at them for a moment but then rejoined Lorraine in extracting the medical bag. 

"Nope, we're good," Margaret sighed with relief and again grabbed Martha's hand to lead her away. Throwing another glance at them, Charlotte could've sworn that she heard Margaret giggle.

Upon their return, the girls found out that the medical bag brought was unnecessary, much to Lorraine's disappointment and Charlotte's relief. Eugene, although still pale, had recovered and was now sitting on the floor and leaning against the kitchen cabinet.

Lorraine's mom was standing on her knees next to him, her hand on the boy's wrist, and conducting her usual questionnaire. Eugene answered quietly but firmly. Yes, he still remembered that it was Friday. No, he didn't faint regularly. Yes, he always made sure to stay hydrated.

"Did you skip any meals lately?"

Eugene was silent for a few seconds, considering whether he should say the truth. He then noticed that Lorraine's mom's hand was still on his wrist and deduced that she would be able to tell if he lied by feeling his increased heartbeat. That helped him finally make up his mind. "I did. A bunch of times in the last few days. I know I shouldn't have, sorry." 

"Let me get this clear," Aunt Alice finally spoke. "Do you mean that every single time you said you were eating at Charlotte's, you actually didn't eat anything at all?" Eugene nodded. "Care to explain?" she added, giving him a meaningful look.

"Eh... I had other stuff to do. Very important stuff. I know I should've --"

"What stuff?" Aunt Alice asked menacingly and took a step towards her nephew. "Do you mean getting yourself and Charlotte in a fist fight with a local gang? Oh sure, I can't even imagine anything more important. What a great surprise for me, too, getting this phone call about you from Mr. Brown."

"Oo-oo-ooh," Dylan, Aunt Alice's son, said, rising from his chair as his eyes shone with excitement. "What did I just hear? Did you seriously fight them? How did it go?" He had to stop abruptly as Aunt Alice gave him a warning look in which she seemed to collect all her disapproval of Eugene's adventures.

Meanwhile, Eugene sighed and looked down. Charlotte hurried to rescue her sworn brother. "We meant to warn you before Bill's dad called, Aunt Alice," she explained, "but you were so busy talking to your guests that we didn't know how to tell you without interrupting." Lorraine noted that Charlotte called Aunt Alice her aunt without much thinking. That could only mean one thing - Charlotte had considered herself not only Eugene's sister but also a part of his family even before discovering that she, in fact, was her relation. 

Lorraine's mom decided to now step in. "You can figure it all out later, Alice. For now, let the boy rest and give him something to eat." 

It's only when Lorraine's mom rose from the floor that Charlotte gasped as she seemed to realize that the news would have implications not only for her sworn brother who now knew for sure she was his second cousin, but also for her because she now knew she had nothing less than a mother.

"Ma'am," Charlotte addressed the woman shyly, "there's something else we haven't told you yet."

"Yes, sweetie?" Lorraine's mom smiled, adjusting her glasses.

"It's just that I... I mean, you're --"

"Wait!" Dylan interrupted Charlotte. "Excuse me, ma'am, but in light of recent events," he chuckled and nodded at Eugene, whom he was giving a hand to get up at the moment, "You'd better sit down before we tell you."

***

"So that's how you turned out," Lorraine's mom said, admiringly stroking Charlotte's curly hair as Lorraine was trying to make up her mind regarding her newly acquired sister. "Life must have been hard for you, and I'm at fault here..."

"Not at all," Charlotte smiled in return. "It's been alright, really."

"I'm glad to hear it, sweetie." Her hand suddenly stopped halfway on Charlotte's head. "I just wanted to know if... but I'm afraid to ask --"

"Don't be," Charlotte assured.

"I wonder if your father, John Rollings --"

"I don't really know him, ma'am," the girl confessed and tried to continue as softly as possible, "he has been dead since I was two. I have lived with my grandma Mrs. Rollings since."

"Well," said Lorraine's mom in a much more confident and even slightly sinister tone, "I know I should say I'm sorry, but all I can say is that it serves him right." 

Charlotte started to shrug but decided that it would be best to nod in agreement.