Cavenaugh Tower (A Rapunzel Remix)

Chapter 2

Kamree's alarm went off at six o'clock. It kicked her straight out of her REM cycle and slammed her right into the cold reality of morning. With a groan, Kamree rubbed at her eyes and got up.

To say the air in the apartment was brisk in the morning would be an understatement. Kamree had set the heater to go off at specific times to save money on the heating bill. Unfortunately, dawn was not on that list.

She counted to three and pushed herself straight into the chilling air. Already, the tips of her toes froze against the old icy wood floors.

"Paisley, time to get up." She flicked the light on in the bedroom, noticing Paisley's tiny curled up form in a little pink cocoon.

She'd give her another fifteen minutes while she got her breakfast ready, then she'd drag her out of bed if she had to.

Those fifteen minutes came and went, and Kamree had just finished the last bit of her mascara when Paisley came out of the bedroom. She was dressed in her Rayne Academy uniform—a plaid jumper, white collared short-sleeve shirt, and a matching plaid necktie.

"Hey, baby girl." Kamree curved her lips upward. Her sister looked adorable and sophisticated in her uniform. Once again, like she did every morning, she thanked her boss for giving her just enough money to send her to a fantastic school. "Your cereal is on the counter. Be careful when you pour the milk."

"Okay."

In the end, Kamree somehow only had time to grab a small bag of cereal before they had to run out the door.

And run they did. The bus that ran closest to Rayne Academy arrived at their stop at 6:48 exactly. No sooner, no later.

Lucky for them, they got there in time. The two of them scrambled up the couple of steps and Kamree practically threw the money at the driver.

It wasn't until she sat down that Paisley pointed out something important.

"Ree, your shirt is untucked."

Kamree glanced down at her pink blouse to find that, yeah, she forgot to tuck her blouse into her long black pencil skirt. What a dork. "Thanks."

"Want me to braid your hair, Paisley?" Kamree gestured for Paisley to turn around.

Instead, Paisley wiggled her nose at her. "I don't know..."

At this, Kamree frowned. "You love it when I braid your hair."

"Janice says braids are 'so last year'."

Oh Creator, Kamree wasn't ready for the drama stage yet. "Is Janice your dictator now?"

"What's a dictator?" Paisley tilted her head.

"Let me rephrase that: Are you going to let Janice tell you what to wear?"

Paisley stared out the window. "No."

Yes.

"Paisley." Kamree nudged Paisley's cheek with her knuckle. "Please don't let other people tell you what to wear or who to be. Only you get to decide that."

"Okay."

Maybe she wouldn't understand now, but eventually, the words would get through.

That was all she could hope for. As Kamree walked Paisley up to the academy gates and dropped her off, she prayed that her little sister would grow up strong enough to be herself.

The shopping district was right down the street from Rayne Academy, and further down, the high-rise buildings soared above the bustling sidewalks, their glass windows sparkling in the sun. Kamree's building was one of those high-rises—only a twenty-minute walk from Paisley's school. Today she had dropped off Paisley right on schedule, so she let herself drift as her feet ate up the distance.