| Episode One. |
| The garden. Rachel Mattson walked along the huge garden behind the main house, the hotel, and her livelihood: Tapestry. Her archaic flowered dress trailed over the drying grass making a sweet rustling sound as she passed, ignoring the unyielding heat of Nevada in the late summer, which ordinarily, was fended off by her straw hat. "How can it be this hot out and still be cloudy?" Kendall, Rachel's younger sister tried to get the latter's attention but Rachel seemed almost transfixed in her surroundings. Kendall finally called out her name and Rachel turned as if awakened. With a pale, melancholy glance that could have easily been mistaken for a half-smile she walked over to her sister. " I didn't hear you hear you Kendall, I'm sorry. Is something wrong?" "No. Nothing. I was just leaving for work and thought I'd say bye." It was Kendall's tendency to speak as if every word she said had to be heard. At the same time she habitually monitored herself, making sure that she always said exactly what she meant to say. " Looks like rain. I don't want you to get caught up in it on your way." "What's with that look you have?" Kendall asked her dryly having noticed her awkward glance. "What do you mean?" Rachel smiled. " It hasn't been this hot since the world was a molting ball of lava, it’s still cloudy and you're ever so jolly." Kendall retorted half sarcastically. "Its nothing really. I was just thinking about how the baby is due in two months." "I knew that's what it had to be. Seems like you've been pregnant forever." "Feels that way too." "It’s been a while since I've seen you smile." "I'm happy." "I don‘t know," Kendall said coyly," looks more like euphoria to me." "Oh shut up and go to work," Rachel said sweetly, giving her sister a motherly kiss on the head. "Yeah, I'll see you later. Just don't go giving birth while I'm gone K?" Aside from being sisters, the Mattson girls were good friends. The younger one, Kendall was to some degree smarter than her sister, but Rachel was the wiser of the two. Though they were close, neither truly confided in the other. Their parents had died in a plane crash, leaving Rachel in charge of raising her sister at the inappropriate age of fourteen. Though they had an impeccable support system provided by family friends Myrna Sherwood, Lacey Gavin and Jasmine Fallow for the most part, they kept to themselves. It was in quiet moments like these, when subtle comments passed along side of candid wit that their closeness could be detected. Rachel waved goodbye to her sister and the two remained as they always were; Kendall moving head-first away with her quick, nervous walk in one direction, a cigarette fumbling clumsily in her hand, and Rachel strolling pensively around the immense garden that was sacred to her, alone, with only her unborn daughter keeping her company. "We should get inside soon," she told her daughter, running her soft hands up and down her delicate, protruding stomach. The clouds obscured the sky and a few stray drops of rain landed on the grass, the daisies, sagebrushes and the lilies that populated the garden and were swiftly absorbed by Rachel's sinuous dress which passed gracefully along the flowers. Dr. Meave Guthrie's Office. "I see waves." Felicia Drake was sitting across from Dr. Guthrie, a striking, sophisticated woman whose long legs, curvilinear lips and vivid, crimson hair seemed better suited on the cover of a ludicrously romantic novel than in a ruby-colored chair in a dim-lit psychiatrists' office, across from an unstable looking young woman, who sat inertly, except for her erratic, hazel eyes." This beautiful woman goes into the water, into the waves and the next thing anyone knows she dead. Lying on the beach with her dress sticking to her and her eyes open. Peaceful though. Very peaceful," she nodded. "Tell me about the waves Venus." "The waves aren't important." "Why not?" "The woman is important. I'm her," Felicia told the doctor agitatedly. Dr. Guthrie thought that starting a practice in a place as tranquil as Lantana would provide her with time to practice her craft and some much-needed relaxation. What she found however, was tedium. Lake Tahoe, though lovely, had worn out its novelty to her and her shrinking clientele provided little challenge for a Harvard-educated professional. Meave's attitude was mostly apathetic towards her surroundings at present, but she did find herself continuously fascinated by Felicia, whom she knew as Venus Drake, a tense, edgy girl, suffering from insomnia. Sensing that that there may be more to Venus's sleeping disorder, the doctor vowed to uncover what else was troubling her. At least it gave her something to do. “Why do you see yourself like that?” Meave asked, trying to conceal her eagerness. " I don't know." Felicia spoke less anxiously than she had been before but sat just as tensely. Realizing that "Venus" had exhausted the topic, Meave decided to move to something more familiar to get a response out of the patient, partly for Venus's sake and partly for her own amusement. "Tell me about your sister Hope." "I hate her;" she uttered after a long time. "Don't be too surprised, she's my twin and it is common knowledge that one of us has to be evil and I'd rather be that than a frail, asinine idiot which is what my sister is. It doesn't matter; I don't wanna talk about it." " I can't help you if you won't open up to me. Why are you here in the first place?" "Thinking about the dreams keeps me awake." "The dreams about you drowning?" "I don't know what you're talking about," Felicia said mockingly. " I think it’s about time we close this session,” Dr. Guthrie told her pragmatically. Concealing her disappointment. "I'm really sorry Dr. Guthrie," Felicia told her, feigning sincerity. "I promise I'll be more expressive in my next session. I'm just a tad unfocused. Sleep would really help me I think." "Fine, I will prescribe more sleeping medication one last time, but next week it is imperative that we begin to delve deeper into what you are feeling. Otherwise I see no point in continuing your therapy." Landslide Cafe. "Sixty-five years, I can't believe 'Guiding Light's' been on that long." Myrna Sherwood dismissed the notion with a boisterous southern laugh. "It most certainly has been Myrna," Lacey Gavin argued. "They did that nice tribute to it at the Emmys. “Oh yes, now I remember. My God I won't tell you how old I was when I started watching that story. Do you remember Lacey when they had that Reva clone running around?" "Was that before or after she was the Amish ghost princess?" Dr. Jasmine Fallow added sarcastically, her accent more subdued than that of her friends. “For your information Doctor, Reva was only Amish after she came back from the great beyond. Myrna took pride at her expertise of the soap opera. "She was princess of San Cristobal when her car fell off that bridge but we didn't know that until after Annie tried to kill her in a plane crash and her husband Josh cloned her; and now she went and killed the prince." "I stand corrected.” Jasmine said, playfully offended but also trying to keep her friend from continuing. Long before Myrna, Jasmine and Lacey became three of Lantana's most successful women they had been friends in Atlanta as were their mothers before them. Having been dubbed the "Lantana ladies" by the society pages, they were close and sometimes too blunt with each other. Their most significant accomplishment however, was that they had always kept a watchful eye on the Mattson sisters, especially Myrna who had been a personal friend of Rachel and Kendall's mother Ruth. This is especially ironic considering that strained relationships the foul-mouthed, hard-drinking southern belles have with their daughters. Myrna had given up her daughter up for adoption years ago, Jasmine relationship with her daughters Maybelline and Kyley was anything but motherly and many times, Lacey and her daughter Marina were more like sisters than anything else. "Speaking of soap operas," Myrna continued. “Rachel’s due soon." "Lord and with child you can expect something to happen,” Lacey added. “Now let’s not be too hard on her, bad things just seem to follow her. This pregnancy has not been an easy one. She spent three months bed-ridden. Personally, I think she‘s just too nice." "That is so true," Myrna said. "You know, last time I tried to see the good in everyone I buried a husband." To that she raised her wineglass for a toast and her friends followed suit. "I just had a thought." Lacey announced. "Honey, Jasmine and I have warned you about that but go on." "Anyway, I was thinking maybe Nick will come back and help her raise that baby." "That's not going to happen. He's been gone too soon, and Rachel would be a fool to take him back after he's left her twice." "Doesn't matter, she's been in love with Greg Hathaway since she had that fling with him last summer." "Love," Jasmine scoffed. "I wouldn't exactly call that love. She was lonely and lets not forget Greg left Rachel too. “Doesn’t matter.” Lacey observed. "Rachel isn't one to go around spreading her business but she lights up redder than a brush fire when anyone even mentions his name." "Umm hmmm. Jasmine is just jealous because he came to Lantana out of the blue and didn't give you a second look." "Please Myrna, Greg and I were teenagers when we were together. I say Rachel can keep the headaches if she wants them." "Well, I guess Lily Tomlin is right. If loves the answer can you rephrase the question?" At Myrna's comment she raised her wineglass yet again. "And speaking of love," Jasmine said sardonically. "I have to pick up my daughter from the airport this afternoon." "That's just wonderful," Lacey said excitedly. How longs Kyley staying?" "She's moving here. She's been giving Isaac's parents some trouble and they suggested that I take her since he's decided that so graced am I by the privilege of having had his children that he can just ski through Europe and leave me with the headaches." “And the stretch marks honey, don’t kid yourself... but let us talk about more pleasant things. Lacey and I are just dying to know all about this Vincent guy you've practically moved into your house. "Yeah. So tell us, do you make him wear that uniform all the time?" "I think that concludes lunch for today." Jasmine was a bit embarrassed and rose from her chair. “Oh you’re no fun,” Lacey teased. "Lets just say Vincent has to borrow a uniform from another cop when he goes into work." "Absolutely scandalous," Myrna and Lacey laughed as Jasmine headed for the door. "Be careful, its gonna rain pretty hard," Lacey told Jasmine as she gave a last wave goodbye. As Jasmine walked out of the Landslide cafe she nodded a quick hello to Marina Gavin who entered hurriedly, her auburn hair alive and tangled, and ran over to Lacey and Myrna's table." "Mom I'm so happy," the excitable girl with the unruly hair said as she lovingly hugged Lacey. "I just landed the internship at WPPR!" "Oh I'm so happy for you darlin'!" "Congratulations Marina. What'll you be doing at this television station?" " Proofreading and making coffee mostly, for now; but that could change if things go well." "And they will. My baby is on her way to being an investigative reporter." "Just like her mama," Myrna added, earning her a strange quick glance from Lacey that she ignored. "Now Marina, I don't know if I can ever forgive you for wanting to go into television. I guess it's just more glamorous than my little newspaper," Lacey smiled. " That's an absolute lie, but guess what. Remember my friend Hortence Marie Suggins?" "How could I forget? Since she moved to California and became Hunter Willington she's been on the cover of just about every magazine." "Including the Enquirer," Myrna supplemented. “Didn’t she marry that newspaper heiresses' husband and build a condo on him?" “That’s just gossip Myrna." Marina told her confidently. "Anyway, she was just cleared of Kevin Fisher's murder and I invited her to stay at the hotel till it all dies down if it’s alright with you guys." "I don't know if I want a greedy, crowbar-wielding, husband-killing nun on the property. Besides, I never liked her anyway, always thinking she was too good for this town. "Come on Myrna. You've had enough husbands die under mysterious circumstances to know that the tabloids are just full of lies. Anyway Hunter was only in that convent for a week." "That's true," Lacey said. "And it might be good publicity for Tapestry to have a famous model stay with us. I'll tell you what baby, if I get an interview then she can stay." "So, yeah I just came in to tell you all the good news. I should be getting back to the studio and you mom should finish up that wine and get back to the paper before it starts storming." "I'll be fine honey thank-you." "Bye mom, bye Miss Scarlet, Marina laughed as she hugged her mother and ran spiritedly out." "I'm just so proud of her Myrna." Lacey took a last sip of her wine as she held back tears of joy. "I know you are, and so you should be. I swear, every time I see you and Marina together I swear you all are sisters." The staff's private living room at Tapestry. "I have exams all day tomorrow and I don't even know where to begin studying." Blade Baron peered at his wife Hope who seemed to be daydreaming at the front desk. "Dr. Fallow is such a tyrant...Hope? Are you listening?" "I'm sorry Blade," she said almost inaudibly. "I must have dozed off for a minute. Do you want me to make you something to eat?" "No that's alright; I had some of that leftover pizza in the refrigerator." "Now how do you expect to function with that in your stomach?" Hope walked to her husband and sat down next to him. "You know something like that is just going to make you sleepy. It always does." “Yeah, all those nasty carbohydrates.” He wrapped his arms around Hope and held her. "That's your department mister. I know food and I know my husband. So, I also know that what he wants is a tuna salad and a glass of apple juice." “I hate apple juice.” “I know, but it’s good for you.” “Didn’t get much sleep last night did you?” Hope walked to the kitchen as she searched inside of herself for an answer. As had become common with Hope, she could not remember. “Didn’t I” “We made love.” Blade told her, repressing a hint of anger. That had become common with Blade, repressing bits of anger here and there. “I’m sorry Blade. All I remember is waking up. It’s happening more and more you know, me forgetting things that have just happened. In a way it’s like not even living. I probably won’t even remember this conversation tomorrow.” Blade saw his emotional wife on the verge of tears and slowly went to comfort her. “I know this scares you Hope. It scares me too, but you used to have blackouts when we were children and eventually they went away.” “When I was young they happened right around the time my sister Venus disappeared, I was seven then, and now they’ve started happening since Felicia died in the car fire. All I remember is waking up after a week in the hospital. You told me her car was torched and they found it in the lake. That I was on the beach in my wedding dress, soaked in gasoline!” “Listen Hope,” Blade said lovingly. “I think that you try and move on from that night. It’s been a year and it isn‘t doing you any good.” “That's easy for you to say Blade, "Hope screamed, moving away from her husband until they were safe in opposite sides of the room. “ you didn’t kill your sisters, and if you did you‘d probably remember!” Much like her memory lapses, Hope’s sudden outbursts were becoming commonplace. Before her sister’s disappearance, Hope had been timid and soft-spoken, but since that night, shortly after their wedding she seemed to alternate between fits of anger and rare moments of tranquility. “I’m just trying to help you. I’m at a corner here.” Blade began pacing and turned his eyes away from Hope. Increasingly, he felt as if he were losing his wife and there was little that he could do except watch it happen. Between your mood swings and your blackouts, I just don’t know how to help you.” She seemed especially hurt by that last statement but it almost seemed to calm her down. Hope now spoke gently again as one tear fell from her hazel eye. “Just check your break fluid before you drive anywhere and you’ll be ok.” “I'm so sorry, God” Blade ran without hesitation to comfort her. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just don’t want you to cry anymore. The day is too ugly outside for someone as pretty as you to be making it worse by crying.” Warm, statuesque, perfectly blonde and with a cunning smile, Blade always knew how to quell his wife's theatrics. For the first time in a long time Hope seemed to smile. "Sometimes you say the sappiest things, and it always makes me feel better.” Hope kissed Blade sweetly on the lips and for a moment all of their problems seemed to disappear. Club Excess. The squalled smell of liquor lurched and mingled with primitive screams of the men in the room. Some were married, some were lonely; all were pathetic. This is how Kendall felt about all of them. The only times she didn’t monitor herself was when she was dancing and even in a place as sordid as Excess Kendall could move almost hypnotically, holding a power over them that was only vaguely known to her. Her faint blue eyes always veered slightly upwards, refusing eye contact with any of the men she danced for and loathed, as if to keep herself high above them. Alas none of the men noticed her eyes or her dancing abilities. Today was different. The hatred was the same, for herself and the clientele, but Kendall’s eyes did fall upon one of the men, who like herself, did not belong in the establishment. A subtle glance at first, the man, Vincent Hart quickly became transfixed by Kendall. He was captivated by her innocence, her coldness and most of all by her dancing which was everything but sexy. It was restrained and tasteful, an unsubtle contrast to the raunchy, crude music that played as she moved. Kendall had not yet removed all of her clothing and as Vincent watched, his drink not even a thought, he wished that she would not remove her clothes; it would tarnish her. To Kendall all of the other men disappeared from the room. Their leers and their lust were drowned out by the silent conversation the two people who barely knew each other were having with their minds. One raucous man ruined the momentum by demanding a private dance from Kendall who refused. Vincent, an experienced cop subdued the man and picked up the girl he had grown so fond of with one sensuous dance, much to the surprise and dismay of others who had paid their cover charge for a striptease. The afternoon had dwindled away and had been darkened by the coming storm. Vincent and Kendall took shelter leaning against a brick wall with only a miniscule piece of roof above them. He looked into her blue eyes and her emotionless face and kissed her. At first Kendall didn’t move and then it was as if their lips were reuniting after a long absence. Vincent leaned her against the wall and she freed herself, leaning him against the wall. They then collapsed on the ground with one hurried movement as the rain pelted them; their lips never losing that same magnetic connection that had brought them to that place. “Marry me.” Vincent said, only half-conscious and almost out of breath. “I will.” Kendall accepted, less aware of what had happened. The Garden Behind the Hotel. Rachel had walked the path in her garden that led to her daughter’s grave so many times it was almost as if she knew every flower and they knew her. As she lay on the grass near the immaculate headstone she did not notice that the sky had turned menacing around her. She seemed a relic, her flowered dress resting on the beautiful grass and the fallen leaves. Tapestry, the garden, before it was a hotel with a meadow for a backyard it had been her mother Ruth’s haven. “She had a really slow walk your grandmother.” She told the headstone that bore the inscription Lily Andrade beloved daughter of Rachel and Nicholas. Born: July 1, 1992, Died: July 1, 1992. “She was tall though, really long legs. I remember always struggling to catch her." She paused for a moment and read the inscription on the headstone that she had read many times, never quite believing that her daughter had been stillborn. "Then again," she continued. I’m sure she’s told you that story herself." She thought about her mother and felt sad for a moment, keeping her eyes on Lily’s tombstone. “You know, your little sister is due soon. You know, I haven’t even picked out a name for her. Your aunt Kendall thought up some horrible names, so I told her I’d think about them. God only knows where that list is now though; but could you imagine anybody actually being named Favue? Why would anybody do that to their child?” She smiled. I remember Greg telling me he loved the name Eden.” Rachel’s thoughts quickly turned to Greg. He had been the first guest Tapestry had ever had and Rachel had loved him instantly or thought she did. She never told him. She then thought about how irrational the whole relationship was. ‘He was just a guest’ she told herself; and then she regretted letting him leave without telling him how she felt. The whole year had not been a memorable. Running the hotel, taking care of everyone, having Nick return to her and leave her pregnant. All of it saddened her. Rachel was not a completely happy, self-sufficient woman despite what she told everyone and upon walking back to the hotel after acknowledging the change in weather she admitted it to herself. A gust of wind brought Rachel out of her internal dialogue. ‘I don’t need anyone she thought.’ She had not intended to stay so long at Lily’s grave and with what had become a tornado drawing nearer she regretted having done so. Never one to let the forces of nature get the best of her Rachel fought against the wind and rain that assaulted her to get back into the sanctity of her hotel or at least some other kind of temporary shelter; but when her water broke and she felt her contractions coming Rachel felt hopeless for the first time in her life. The baby was coming and so was the storm. Will Rachel and the baby she wants so desperately be saved? Will Vincent and Kendall stay engaged after the storm passes despite his involvement with Jasmine? Will Hope and Blade's troubled marriage be saved? Find out next week on Tapestry. In the meantime, head on over to our forum to discuss the latest plots and characters, or get involved in the latest happenings of Lantana by visiting our interact page. Read episode two. |