Effigy ((Closed))

[Raelee Gray]

I am an effigy. A parody of who I appear to be.

"Madeline Daniels! You stop that, right now!" Rae knelt down so she was eyelevel with her daughter, her green eyes staring intensely into the big brown doe ones of the 2 and ½ year old. The girl giggled, a smile spreading over her plump face, and she turned around and ran away from Rae – her blue dress blowing behind her. They were running late for a birthday party of one of Maddie's pre-school friends, and it was all Maddie's fault. The girl kept pulling off her clothes, messing up her hair. It was as if she didn't want to go to the party. Rae groaned and stood, righting herself, as she chased after Maddie for the fifth time in the past half hour. Ashley had taken Lucas and gone grocery shopping, saying they had absolutely no food left in the house because Elina kept making inventions out of the food they did have. Rae didn't see why Ash would attempt to buy more food; Elina and Adele would just use it all up again on inedible objects anyway. Rae let her go, though, because she knew Ashley enjoyed the quiet moments to herself and being with her son when no one else was around. It was always a trying time for the two women. Their hearts were still sore, and they were trying their best to move forward, but it was difficult. Each day Rae was reminded of how difficult.

Maddie was heading toward the front door, and Rae would have been worried that she would run outside if she could work the door knob, but she couldn't and therefore there really wasn't any reason for the 20 year old to worry. However, at that specific moment, the front door opened and in walked Elina Hiern, Ashley's sister, and Adele Hiern, her husband. They were laughing about something and Maddie saw it as an opportunity to escape to the outside world. Just as the toddler made another run for it, Rae shouted; "Stop her!" and Elina swooped the mousey brown haired girl into her arms and showered her in kisses. Maddie giggled and wrapped her small arms around Elina's neck, closing her eyes and squealing with delight. Adele closed the door, and Rae took a deep breath. "Aren't you guys supposed to be going to that birthday party?" Elina asked as she swung Maddie around onto her hip. Rae looked at the 24 year old with admiration in her eyes. Elina didn't have any children of her own, but it was as if she were a natural mother, someone who should have children but for some unknown reason couldn't. She was a saint for allowing Ashley, Rae, and the kids to move in with her and Adele. When the question had come up, Elina had smiled and said they had 6 spare bedrooms in their condominium (not so minimum if you think about it) and that they were more than welcome. She hadn't ever expressed regret about the decision since.

"Well, yes, but Maddie seems to think she wants to go to the party naked," Rae took the girl from Elina's arms and sat her down on the couch, starting to button up her dress again and fix her hair. "Nekkid!" Maddie repeated happily with a clap of her hands. Rae raised her brows at Elina and then sighed, "Nekkid nekkid nekkid!" Then she began kicking her legs and Rae had to dodge a patent leather mary-janed foot in order to avoid a concussion. Elina patted Maddie's head and then gave Rae an apologetic smile before following her husband into the kitchen to concoct up something disastrous. "Maddie, you can't be naked. This is a grown-up party. Don't you want to be a grown up like Mummy?" Maddie looked at Rae with pursed lips and then stopped kicking, sitting perfectly still. "That's a big girl. Now, hop down off the couch." Maddie did so and then fixed her dress for it had wrinkled from all the running, and then stood perfectly still. "Poof?" She asked with hope in her eyes. Maddie enjoyed apparating, but since the party they were attending was a muggle birthday party, there would be no 'poofing.' Rae shook her head and fixed the barrette in Maddie's hair, "Not today, honey. We'll poof tomorrow." She knew that the 2 year old had no concept of 'tomorrow' but she understood the shaking of the head. Maddie pouted.

"Jeeze, Rae, make the girl pout why don't ya?" Rae jumped and turned around to see Weetzie O'Keeffe leaning against the wall, as if she owned the place. She practically lived in it, having been a lifesaver for Rae and Ash these past couple of months. "Do you want to explain to a 2 and a half year old why we can't 'poof' to a muggle party?" Rae raised her eyebrows and then picked Maddie up, placing her on her hip, before grabbing her purse and checking to make sure her car keys were in there. Weetzie thought a moment and then walked up to Maddie, touching her nose gently, "Sorry kidd-o, Mummy says 'no poofing.'" Maddie giggled and buried her hair in Rae's golden locks, already forgetting the idea of apparating. "Can I come with you, or will I be like…totally crashing?" Weetzie straightened herself, trying to make her torn jeans and t-shirt look presentable. Rae chuckled and shrugged, "Why not? You can keep me company while Maddie plays with the other kids. The mothers of the other kids aren't really my type of people…" They were far too stuck up, but Rae tried to play nice. She didn't want Maddie to get the idea that she didn't like her friends.

Moments later, Maddie was strapped into her carseat safely, and Rae and Weetzie were in the front, driving to the party. Rae did love Italy, it was always bright and warm, and the language was beautiful. She had picked up on a few phrases, and Elina was helping her learn as much as she possibly could. Maddie spoke more Italian than Rae did, though, because of her schooling – but seeing as it was a very prestigious school, everyone who attended, enrolled their children, and the staff could speak fluent English – or as fluent as a pre-schooler could speak. Nonetheless, the parents that dropped their children off were worse than the most pureblooded Slytherins at Hogwarts, and Rae found herself glad that Weetzie had decided to tag along.

[Raelee Gray]

"We have hit Stepford, Rae…" Weetzie let out a low whistle, surveying the house the party was being held at. It was tall, about three stories such, and was made of brick with white stucco over it. The gardens in front were impeccable and a marvelous balance of colours. Either woman hadn't seen anything like this at all, even Rae who grew up in a rich pureblood household who tried to keep up with the Joneses. The regular décor of the mansion wasn't what bothered the two women. No, it was the fact that it was turned into a circus. Literally. They could see the tent sticking up from the back of the house where, presumably, the backyard was. There were balloons in the front, with a big sign that said "Cirque de Angelle" in big, obnoxious, gold letters. And the worst was…the circus music. Yes. Rae and Weetzie were in hell, while Maddie was in kiddie heaven. "Oh, Merlin, I hope there aren't any clowns," Weetzie whimpered, "I hate clowns." Rae laughed and from the back, Maddie chanted "Klow klow klow!" which could be translated to "clown clown clown!"

Rae, with great difficulty, found a place to park and then hurried to get Maddie out of her carseat in the back. She was wiggling around, all excited to be able to go to the circus. It was like Christmas, Rae was sure. She set Maddie on the sidewalk, and Weetzie grabbed the little girl's hands so she wouldn't take off at a run toward the house while Rae grabbed the baby bag and locked the car. The three of them, Rae holding one hand of Maddie's and Weetzie holding the other, made their way up to the front door where they promptly rang the doorbell. It was answered almost instantaneously by a "Klow! Klow!" Maddie immediately ran toward him, throwing her small body at the red and white striped "creature" that had haunted Weetzie's nightmares ever since she was a little kid. The clown laughed, and it was then realized the clown was a woman, and picked Maddie up into her arms. "Klow klow!" She grabbed at the clown's nose and pulled, but it wouldn't come off. The clown shook her head and pushed the nose in, so it made a honking noise, and Maddie clapped her hands in pure delight.

Maddie was handed off to Rae, and then Rae and Weetzie followed the clown into the party. They were led outside which was chaotic, to say the least. A big circus tent was set up in the center of the backyard. There was an elephant to the left, with a long line of children waiting to pet it or ride it, whichever they preferred. A trapeze act was set up to the right, where children watched in awe as a woman wearing barely anything at all, swung from one swing to another whilst juggling. Food was set up along the patio, where the three newcomers now stood; but what was inside the tent was yet to be revealed. "Bonjourno!" The clown finally spoke, spreading her arms wide in that 'I'm gonna show off my money and fortune' type of way that rich people did. Weetzie and Rae shared a look, but then turned to the clown with a smile, "Bonjourno," Rae replied as she set Maddie down. Instantly the toddler took off, and Rae watched her closely, or as closely as she could while the clown spoke to her.

"I'm Angelle's mother," her accent was thick, but Rae had grown used to sifting through it to get to the English, "thank you so much for coming. If you've brought a gift, you can put it on the table over there. If not…" she trailed off and eyed Weetzie with a look of disdain, "oh, well. The show will begin promptly at 4. We won't let anyone in past that, so please do not be late. It would be such a shame for Madeline to miss the event of the season." With that, and a huge whiff of her perfume, the Clown Queen went off to mingle with people more worthy of her time. Weetzie's jaw went slack and she looked at Rae, "Did you bring something for the little brat?" Rae chuckled and covered her mouth, before nodding and heading over to the place where she could set her gift.

"Oh, no…" Rae suddenly said, stopping in her tracks as she reached the table. There was a row of Pretty Princess Make Over kits with names on them: Maddie's was one. "Oh no…" she moaned again as she juggled the present out of the bag she was carrying. "What? What?" Weetzie asked, completely oblivious to what the problem was, "Ooh…party favours! Sweet. I loved getting those as a kid." Rae looked at Weetzie, who was still flustered, and said with a tight lipped smile but dismay in her eyes, "That's what I got Angelle. I got her…the party favour!" Having a mild freak out was not something Rae was used to, that was Dixie's thing, not hers. But being a mother had changed quite a bit about Rae, including her ability to freak out. Weetzie laughed, "This isn't funny," Rae hissed at her. "Sure it is, look…just…switch cards with someone else's gift." Rae's jaw dropped…"What? No. I'm not doing that." Weetzie shrugged and took the gift from her, "Fine, then I will. Cover me." Rae began to protest but Weetzie had ducked behind the table already and was busy switching the cards around. Rae wheeled around on her heel and watched for someone to catch them doing this…idiotic thing. Shortly after, Weetzie appeared beside her: "She's getting something big from Rae and Maddie. Now, let's go get us a drink." Rae's stomach churned.

[Raelee Gray]

Rae and Weetzie were seated at an empty table a ways from the circus tent, watching the world move on without them joining in on all the Stepford Circus fun. Weetzie had gotten them two pink lemonades and Rae had her eye trained on Maddie as the two year old ran around screaming with delight. She had already pet the elephant (too afraid to get on its back), and was now trying to juggle. She was failing miserably, but you wouldn't have been able to know that by her smile and laughter. It made Rae relax to see Maddie so happy and flitting around. The little girl deserved happiness in her life, and Rae had every intention of giving it to her. Rae lifted her lemonade to her lips and sipped from it as she scanned the rest of the party. It was a lot of moms and children and circus freaks. There was very little variety. Not that Rae was looking for variety. Weetzie definitely was, though. "This is absurd," the brunette said as she scowled and crossed her legs the opposite direction they had been crossed in before, "There are no men. Anywhere."

Rae chuckled and looked at Weetzie, "Sure there are. The elephant handler is a male," she let her eyes drift over to the elephant handler, and they both took a closer look at the person. "Oh…wait…" Rae said after a moment, leaning forward a bit and peering closer, "Nevermind. False alarm." Weetzie snorted and looked around some more, Rae leaned back in her chair, a smirk playing over her lips. They were silent together for awhile, and Rae pondered what it meant to be a mother. Obviously, Maddie didn't have any of Rae's genetics – she wasn't biologically her daughter, but Rae was most definitely a mother to Maddie – far more than her own mother had ever been. But was Rae Maddie's mother because she was raising her, and solely that reason? Rae's mother had raised her, but Rae would hardly consider Janette to be her actual mother. Her caregiver was her mother more than Janette was.

She wondered where Janette was at that moment, what she was doing. She was probably being a socialite, as she was always accustomed to being. Rae couldn't think of a time where her mother wasn't being a socialite. It was always "Raelee, do you want to be seen this way? Seriously, tame your hair, child." Or "Raelee, don't wrinkle your dress so, it looks poor." Rae was never loved because she was a good and decent child, she had to earn her affection by acting and essentially being perfect. The treatment she received when she befriended Dixie Holden was as close to being treated like an actual daughter as she would ever come. Still…Rae wondered if she and her mother couldn't talk, civilly, now that Rae had grown a bit. "Excuse me," Weetzie said as she downed the rest of her pink lemonade and then stood, "I think I just spotted a man." She straightened her top, fluffed her hair, and then headed in the general direction of the circus tent where a man in a business suit was standing without anyone to talk to. Rae shook her head, amused. Weetzie had so much more confidence and courage than Rae had.

Weetzie wasn't gone long when another person took her seat. Rae glanced over and noticed a red headed woman, who wasn't another cookie-cutter-mother. Instead of wearing the house-wife attire the other women were wearing, this woman wore a pair of torn up paint splattered jeans, a Ramones t-shirt, and bright orange chuck taylors on her feet. Rae instantly felt a kinship with this woman and she sent her a smile as she sipped from her lemonade. "Your friend better be careful, if Delia sees her hitting on her soon-to-be-boyfriend, she'll be next week's hot topic of gossip," the red head stated simply, inclining her head toward Rae in a secretive kind of way. Rae bit her bottom lip and looked around. Sure enough, Angelle's mother was glaring daggers at Weetzie, her clown makeup not doing an ounce of good to hide the anger and distaste.

"She has nothing to worry about, Weetzie doesn't live here. She won't be around enough to steal Delia's beau from her," Rae looked at the woman and smiled in a friendly manner, "Thanks, though, I'll pass the news onto Weetz for future reference whenever she's visiting. I'm Raelee, by the way, Raelee Gray. But I go by Rae." She held out her hand and the woman took it, her grasp warm and friendly.

"Ofelia Jacobs. I'm probably the only woman around here, besides yourself and your friend over there, that isn't a clone of another."

[Raelee Gray]

Rae and Ofelia (Ofie) were getting along splendidly. They were a lot alike, Rae realised. Ofie was a single mother, too, but she hardly got to see her son because the boy's father had majority custody. When Rae pressed her on this, Ofie looked Rae straight in the eyes and told her; "I was a bad person, Rae. I was into a lot of drugs and things like that. I was a kid, you know? I still am, but I've learned better now. If only I could just get George back, then I'd be perfect." Rae pondered this as she sipped her lemonade. Would she go down that road? She was beginning to feel the strain on this whole parenting ordeal and she wasn't sure if she could handle all the responsibility it entailed. She was still young, most of her peers didn't have children now and it wasn't something she could bring up to other people – like her parents. Rolling over these thoughts only made her depressed, and so Rae attempted to push the thoughts aside and let the silence settle between her and Ofie.

Weetzie slumped into the seat beside Rae and glowered at Delia, who was pretty much hanging all over The Only Man at the party. Rae looked at her best friend and smiled, "Ah yes. Ofie here had told me that was Delia's beau. Tough luck, sister." Weetzie scowled even more and then shrugged her shoulders, not letting it bother her in the least. She turned to Ofie and extended her hand, introducing herself. Instantly the two girls were chatting and the conversation went down the road of Clay's and Bryce's death. Weetzie began telling Ofie what had happened, but one look at Rae sitting with her eyes fixated on the perspiring glass in front of her told Weetz that it probably wasn't the best thing for her to tell. She patted her friend's arm and then sank back in her seat, an uneasy silence becoming pregnant and hovering above them. After a moment, Rae took a long drink from her lemonade and started the story: "Bryce was moving into a new house with our friend Ashley, and Clay was being a good friend and helping him move the things. They didn't want us women lifting anything," she smirked as she dazed at the memory, "The night before, Clay and I had actually had a funny mini-fight, nothing serious, about us not helping them. It was one of those moments that made me realise I loved him.

"The next day, Dixie, my best friend, – who had been staying with me because she and her husband were having a fight – and I were sitting around talking about her problems when the phone rang. I answered it while Dixie was playing around with Maddie, she was only 1 then…" Rae's eyes flickered over to her daughter, tears forming as she stared at the smiling little girl. "The rest happened so quickly. I heard that they were dead, and then somehow we were at the hospital. Dixie took charge, because I couldn't do it…neither could Ashley. We were just standing there, not sure what to do or how to feel. Dixie was always better at crises than either of us," Rae blinked and looked at Weetzie who smiled reassuringly, "They, Bryce and Clay, had been killed by a burglar or mugger or whatever they wanted to call them. They died instantly. There wasn't any chance…" She blinked back tears and took a deep breath, trying to regain herself and her composure. Her gaze landed on Maddie again who looked over, as if sensing her mother looking at her, and then hurried toward her – her feet carrying her as fast as they could, an unsteady trample of 2 ½ year old coordination.

Rae opened her arms for her and Maddie clambered into her lap, clumsily, snuggling close and offering comfort from her small warm body; "I got Maddie out of it, though. Her real mother died when she was just an infant, and Maddie came into Clay's custody when he was in Paris. He moved back, tried to build a good life for the both of them. I have always been her mom, and I always will be." Maddie put her thumb in her mouth and started to suck on it, trying to comfort herself as she felt Rae's sadness seep into her. Rae wrapped her arms protectively around the small body and smoothed the curly brown hair. Ofie and Weetzie watched in silence, Ofie not sure what to say and Weetzie already having said all she could. The girl was dealing with the death of Bryce much better than Rae was dealing with the death of Clay.