assured

adjective

1. confident.

2. protected against discontinuance or change.

"Mum!" I called as soon as I saw her at the arrival gates at the airport, then it was a race between Jac-Jac and I for who could reach her first. Eyva followed slowly after and stopped shy of our group huddle. Once we'd had our fill of Mama Lovin', I turned to Eyva and pulled her into the group hug with Wallace on the other side. A long moment later and Jac-Jac's sweet voice interrupted the love-fest.

"I didn't sees you for a longest time! So long!" I couldn't help giggle at him. Mum then wriggled around to pick him up and give him sweet kisses. She shared a few of those around and before long we managed to make our way back to the set of cars and back to the Overmeyer Estate where they lived.

Once home, I settled with mum and Jac-Jac on the lounge settee, holding mum on one side and my little cherub brother on the other. Mrs H hustled and bustled around us with drinks and snacks. Once Grant arrived home from uni after class we all sat around the dining table for a wonderful lunch meal, including Grandma and Grandpa Overmeyer.

Giggles and laughter was the theme for the day, with warm cuddles and catch ups. After lunch, Jac-Jac was sent to bed for an afternoon nap and I pulled mum onto her bed for some time alone together. Cuggling her as we lay together, it was like I was a little girl again, just laying in her arms. I felt her love and protection, her tender care as she caressed my arm or ran her fingers over my frizzy hair.

We didn't speak about anything that happened to her, nor about anything from the past. I just pretended that everything was perfectly fine with our world and just enjoyed being with her. I was almost asleep when she finally said something.

"Did you fall asleep with wet unbrushed hair again?" She murmured. I threw a hand over my head trying to cover it all up and groused.

"I had a bath and nearly fell asleep." She pulled away from me to look down at me seriously.

"That's dangerous conduct, Honey. Don't do that again, OK?"

"I drank a bottle of wine and didn't realise how it would affect me in the bath."

"Lily!" Her face turned stern, then a number of emotions crossed her features, when she finally settled on resignation and briefly told me off before changing the subject. "How's your fashion show plans coming along?"

"There was a problem with the fuchsia based dyes on the silk fabrics so we have to get new samples made. This delayed a few of the women's designs, but I've already received most of the men's lines and all of the kids designs by express delivery. The rest should arrive early next week at the latest."

"That's good, plenty of time before the show. I've been looking forward to it. I hear your Grandma has made all of the arrangements with the event planner." We both turn to look out the bedroom window where we could see a large cat-walk platform being built over the estate lake. Pavilions and the seat decking were almost finished with lighting rigs being set up as watched. It was still two and a half weeks away, but if my Grandma was anything, she was efficient.

"I'm really looking forward to your show." My mum smiled down at me again, her pride in me and my accomplishments shining through.

"There's going to be a lot of people isn't there?" I asked.

"Certainly, between your father and Grandmother, I don't think anyone in the whole of Mt Sommers City would dear dream of missing it." I smiled at her, then began to think about what she had just been through, with the kidnapping and everything. My smile turned down and I worried my lip as I watched workers down at the lake.

"What are you worried about, Lily?" She asked as she tapped my lip, where I'd been biting it. I grabbed her hand and was about to brushed the subject off when Wallace arrived in the bedroom. I felt awkward that I was lying on his bed with mum and made to get off but he waved me back down. I sat up and leaned against the headboard along with mum.

"Will it be safe for mum having lots of people arrive on the estate?" I voiced out my concerns.

"Security will be tight with stationary and roving teams. Serving staff, maintenance staff, technical staff are all our own people. The hosting team and MC are all from the entertainment company we own and guests have all been listed and vetted by myself and your grandparents. There will be nothing to worry about." Wallace sat down on the bed and patted my shoulder in assurance.

"What about that... man?" I asked.

"He's been arrested and the judge has deemed him a flight risk so he will not be out on bail. He will stay in jail until his hearing next month. He will be monitored by everyone involved so if he tries anything, we will know in advance. Your mother is safe, everyone is safe. Don't worry."

"What about you? Wasn't he aiming at you, Wallace?" I asked, still concerned.

"Everyone who works close with me, except for Mr and Mrs Hepburn and their son, are all trained in security. All my secretarial staff, the security team here on the estate, the nannies and maids, everyone has gone through extensive training. We are all perfectly safe and the bad guy has been caught. There is no need to worry any longer. OK, Lily?" He lowered his head to look me in the eyes, making sure I got the message loud and clear. I nodded with a smile.

"Yes, OK. Thanks for letting me know."

I stayed that evening for dinner after Grandpa and Grandma Overmeyer left the estate, but decided to head on home to my apartment soon after the meal was finished as I had an early class the next morning.

That night in bed I went over everything that Wallace said about the kidnapper's arrest and the estate security. My biggest concern, the thing that keeps me awake at nights is the fact that my mother was never kidnapped in my first 'timeline'. She never went to that convention for her workplace, she never met up with her old school friend who lead her away to be kidnapped, and she never met that Drazdale man, Wallace's old rival.

It never happened and this is the first time I've heard about anyone called Drazdale.

I mean, it makes sense that if I do not follow the events and actions of the first timeline from 'before', then things will change, people and events will change, and butterfly affects will create sandstorms across the globe. In the past four months since I was reborn, this is the first real major repercussion of my changing the events that took place, creating natural consequences to the people around me.

Even investing in the start-ups that I have done, leave no room for others to fill that role, therefore making minute changes in the financial and the industries sectors. I don't even know what would happen ten, twenty years down the track because of the consequences of those small changes.

Patricia is now my assistant and personal aide. The businessman who was supposed to have taken her under his wings the night she tried to commit suicide no longer has her amazing intellect, personal connections and resources on hand. How is this going to change his business empire and family wealth.

Freddy was supposed to be arrested for hacking a government secure facility, but the chance of that happening now are slim. He's signed a NDA and an employment contract that explicitly prohibits him from black hacking.

Jac-Jac won't be killed in a house fire because I refuse to let that happen. What does that mean for him growing up and how many peoples lives will change because of that.

Even Eyva, she isn't the Wicket White Witch of the West any more. Just with her alone, the numerous lives affected by her evil selfish plans are now all for naught. They can go on to live happy, fulfilled lives without her sinister ministrations.

And me. Me. I am no longer the bitter, hateful, lonely little girl I was before. Without the need to run for survival, to hide everything I do and everywhere I go, I can now live free. There is no threat of Evil Sister 1.0 breathing down my neck, setting me up to trip over everything and pull me apart from my family in the process.

I can now live happy and free. This is a good thing. I know it.

But why do I still feel so lonely?

I turned over in bed and went to sleep.