LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY cityofstrangers)

Her arms crossed over her chest as her hands held her shoulders. Her grip was hard and pulled the skin on her back tight. It would hurt if Mindy's mind was anywhere inside her head. She heard the bathroom door open and close but it didn't register. It wasn't important.

Geri stepped slowly across the tiled floor of the bathroom in the apartment she shared with Mindy. Geri looked down at the floor when her foot fumbled over a black high heel. She noticed it's match close by as well as a black dress and black stockings lying on the floor like a trail of bread crumbs leading to it's owner.

LJ-SEC: (ORIGINALLY POSTED BY cityofstrangers)

The penthouse apartment, for one reason or another, had always been a common meeting place for the Parrish-Westerveldt family. If they wanted to see each other, that is. Renee wasn't at the top on the list for inviting family over (unless for a party) so it was quite out of character when she invited them over for dinner.

She had randomly decided to have the family dinner in hopes to resuscitate their family back to life. It seemed for the past year, after the twins shocking disappearance, that the family seemed to quietly die. No one talked about the devastating news that most likely took the lives of two of Renee's sisters. And for Renee it had gone on long enough. She was sick of being shushed when she tried to bring it up and she felt like she was going to crack if she didn't let how she felt out. If anything positive had come from Ingrid and Rachel's disappearance it was Renee's need for family, a complete opposite of the Renee one year ago.

The dining room table was full of food and the chairs were filled more than Renee had expected. The room was quiet still, with only the sounds of silverware moving and servants' feet shuffling, but their presence was enough to ease a fraction of Renee's nerves. She hoped someone else would break the silence, and soon, because if she took the floor first it would be full of irrational emotions and running eyeliner.