Two months had passed in a blur since Cecilia's birthday, and now it was Rachel's turn to celebrate her coming of age.
Rachel wasn't thrilled about her birthday itself. It was a date she had long dreaded, a painful reminder of her mother's abuse from years ago. But this year was different. This year, she was excited—nervous, even. Not because of the ceremony or the inevitable string of formalities.
No, Rachel was eagerly anticipating something far more personal: taking that next step with Arthur.
She knew Cecilia had already shared that moment with him, and though it still stung a little, Rachel had come to terms with it. That decision had been made after much deliberation—and a fair amount of fighting among the three girls—while Arthur had been away on his year of isolation training. In the end, Cecilia's earlier birthday and the fact that she had fallen for Arthur first made her the natural choice.
But now, it was Rachel's turn.
