CHAPTER TWELVE

Luci took a deep breath as she stood at her front door, not wanting to go in. There was 3 cars in the driveway and Luci could only place one of them as Madeline's car. "I don't want to go in." she whined, to Allie, Nick, and A.J. who were behind her.

"You don't have to." A.J. replied, putting his hands on her waist.

"Argh....yes I do." she moaned, flinging the door open quickly, before she lost her courage, and nearly jumping over the threshold.

"Lucinda?" Madeline called, from the dining room. "Is that you?"

"Yes." she called back, taking A.J.'s hand walking into to the dining room. She was met by Madeline, and two men in crisp black business suits. The same men that had entered her house when her mother died. "Hello."

"Hello Miss Wilson...and company." greeted the tallest business suited man, who was sitting at the head of the table with paper spread around him, nodding at the group. "I am Andrew Bachman and this is my brother-in-law and business associate Jonah Matthews." He motioned to the shorter, burlier man seated next to him. Madeline stood in the doorway to the kitchen.

"It's nice to meet you. I hope I didn't keep you waiting to long." Luci responded, taking the seat next to Mr. Bachman. A.J. sat next to her, and put his arm around her shoulders, which she shrugged off, but took his hand again. Allie sat next to A.J. and Nick sat next to her. She had switched into what she and Allie called "social" mode. It meant showing no real emotion, and being polite and cordial as possible.

"No, you didn't. Now your father left you everything. All the money, his estate, everything on it, and the country club. We are here to help you figure out what you want to sell. Do you know?" Mr. Bachman questioned, shifting through some papers.

Luci smiled. " I don't want to sell anything, sir." she stated confidently.

"Surely you don't mean that. You can't control everything. The house? The household? The country club? I high advise you to sell more or less all of it." Mr. Matthews suggested, adjusting his tie nervously.

"No. I believe I have made up my decision." Luci restated, leaning back into her chair, as her friends gaped at her.

"Miss Wilson, my partner is right. You cannot maintain all of the possessions your father owned." Mr. Bachman responded, evenly.

"Mr. Bachman I am not selling any 'of the possessions my father owned.' I am sorry to have wasted your time." Luci answered.

"You are only nineteen. How do you presume you take care of everything?" Mr. Matthews pressed, placing his hands flat on the table.

"I may only be nineteen sir, but I am not just a pretty faced, naive, child. I assure you I am very capable. Your big words and attitudes will do nothing to change my mind. Again I am sorry you wasted your time." Lucinda shot back, the smile never leaving her face.

Mr. Matthews faced turned red. "Listen if you don't sell what you have you will-"

"Excuse me, Miss Wilson but my partner and I need a moment to talk. Do you mind?" Mr. Bachman interrupted briskly.

"Most certainly." Luci told him, as she, A.J., Nick and Allie left the room, but the two lawyers began their conversation too soon.

"John! What the hell is your problem! This cocky, self absorbed little bitch of a child is worth more that 30 billion dollars and her father had no debts. Do you understand why you need to control your temper? You need to apologize to her and tell her that you are just concerned with her well being." Mr. Bachman explained, keeping his voice low, but not low enough. For Luci, Allie, Nick and A.J. could still hear them.

Before anyone could stop her Luci stalked back into the dining room. Nick and A.J. were staring at each other in disbelief. "Over 30 billion dollars? I don't think we've made that much yet." Nick whispered to A.J.

"Pardon me." Luci cut in, scaring the two associates.

"Y-yes?" Mr. Bachman asked, clearly flustered.

"I may be worth over 30 billion dollars, but I truly to hate to tell you this, but your aren't get any of the money. You can leave now." she stated, her voice controlled.

"But-" Mr. Matthews tried to interject.

"No. I asked you to leave. Now please do it." Luci answered, firmly. "If your not gone by the time I am back, I will be forced to call the police." With that she walked out the room, past her friends, and out the back door.

By the time A.J., Allie and Nick reached the back door, Luci was already half way across the backyard. "Luci!" Allie yelled, before taking off after her.

"What?" Luci yelled back, as she stopped at the barn door, but didn't turn around or open the barn door. Suddenly she turned to the left and began to walk slowly to the swing on the cliff.

"For someone whose sick she sure does have a hell of a lot of energy." A.J. mumbled to Nick as they followed after Luci and Allie.

Nick looked at him and rolled his eyes, but nodded in agreement.

"Luci! Wait!" Allie called, as Luci reached the swing. She sat heavily making the old swing creak under her weight. When Allie finally reached Luci she had tears running down her face and was wiping them off in vain. Allie dropped to her knees in front of Luci and put her hands on Luci's knees. "I am so sorry you had to hear that, Luc." She felt tears welling up in her own eyes.

Luci sniffled and shook her head. "I'll live." she replied, as A.J. and Nick reached them. "I...they just didn't understand. I can't get rid of any of it. My Mom would have never gotten rid of any of it. This was my past. I can't just sell it to some random stranger and let them destroy it."

A.J. sat down next to her, and hugged her quickly. "But how are you going to take care of it all?" he asked softly.

Luci laughed sharply, before falling into a quick bout of coughing "You all heard him. I'm worth over 30 billion dollars. I can hire people to take care it. I can move into the house. I just can't abandon it. You all may not understand, but I cannot sell it." she responded, looking over Allie's head at the water glistening under the cliff. She had used to sit here with her Mother after their rides in the woods. When they were frustrated they came to this swing and wrote down what was wrong, then ripped it up and dropped it all over the cliff. That's was Luci felt like doing at that moment, but Allie, A.J. and Nick were all making such a nice effort to comfort her, she simply couldn't reject it.

"Okay, we understand that Luci, but your going to live in that big house all by yourself?" Nick questioned, not quite taking the sweet and tactful route Allie and A.J. were taking.

"I don't know. Okay? I don't know. I'll figure everything out. Just give me time. I always do, and this time won't be any different." she muttered, wondering if the pad of paper her mother always used to keep out here was still there. She hadn't used the swing since her Mother had died.

"Okay. That's fine." Allie assured her, patting her knee. She had never seen Luci like this -- confused, upset, and most of all cry. "It's getting a little cold out here. Maybe we should go back into the house before you get any more sick."

"I need to think. The funeral home people are coming soon. I need to make funeral arrangements. Would you guys mind going inside, and coming to get me when they get here? I need to be alone for a little while." Luci suggested, mentally agreeing with Allie. It was cold.

Allie and Nick nodded, and A.J. stated. "That's fine, but take my sweatshirt okay?" Luci nodded, as he took off his Orlando Magic sweatshirt and handed to her. She quickly put it on and smiled wanly at him.

"We'll come back to get you when they come." Allie said, as the three walked away.<BR>
Luci sighed and leaned back against the old swing. She looked above her, into the covered top of the swing to see the notebook and a pencil still in the eves of the swing. She reached up and took it. She ripped out several sheets of paper and began to scribbled. Once she was finished, she took off A.J's sweatshirt, folded it and placed it on the swing seat, before replacing the notebook and pencil. She walked to the edge of the cliff and whispered as she began to take baby steps, "I love you guys."

~+~+~+~+~

20 minutes later, the people from the funeral home entered the house. "Will one of you go get Lucinda?" Madeline asked, as she lead the 3 men to the dining room.

"I will." Allie volunteered, walking to the back door. She looked toward the swing, but didn't see Luci. "LUCI!" When no one responded, she walked to the swing, and immediately spotted A.J.'s sweatshirt. Panic overtook her body. Where the hell was Luci? She saw a few sheets of paper sticking out from under A.J.'s sweatshirt. She grabbed them, and scanned it, as tears filled her eyes. She turned and bolted back toward the house. She flew into the kitchen where A.J and Nick sat eating cookies that Madeline had set out. Both guys stood up and looked at her worried and confused.

"Where's Luci?" A.J. inquired, frightened by Allie's expression. Allie threw the note at A.J. and threw her arms around Nick's neck. He read the note, and his hands began to shake. "No..."

"What?" Nick pressed, taking the note from A.J. He read it in disbelief. "God...you don't think she...?"

"I think she jumped the cliff. God...she could be lying in the bottom of the damn lake. Why didn't we make her come inside?" Allie cried into Nick's chest.

A.J. stood in shock. "Maybe she's not dead. Let's call 911...."