For the twins' thirteenth birthday, Topaz surprised them with a trip to France.
Coral could hardly wait to accompany her mom on another of her exciting adventures, but all Rose talked about was the herd of wild horses that she had read about that roamed the hillsides surrounding Champs Les Sims.
Topaz also had an ulterior motive for this French trip. She was hoping to reconnect with Jolene, and left Coral and Rose to explore the market while she paid a visit to her friend.
However, it was immediately obvious that Jolene had become involved with her long time roommate in the intervening years. Topaz was disappointed to find herself the odd woman out, and soon said her goodbyes and returned to the hotel.
Rose, meanwhile, had met a handsome young man at the market, who dazzled her with stories of the local wild horse herd, and promised to show her around, if her mother approved.
And Coral was excited to discover a bookcase full of books she had never read before, and lost no time in burying her nose in one of the more interesting looking stories.
Only the promise of adventures could drag Coral away from her books. Topaz had learned of a system of tunnels under the nectary, and Coral could hardly wait to explore them with her mother.
Topaz taught her how to locate hidden doors by knocking carefully on each section of wall, and listening for the slight echo that meant a hidden chamber beyond.
They were rewarded this time with a room full of not only artifacts, but ancient bottles of nectar as well. They would make a fine addition to Topaz' growing nectar collection.
Rose spent the most of her vacation with her new friend Pascal Morel. He knew all the favorite grazing spots for wild horses, and Rose was content to spend her days just watching them. Pascal, on the other hand, spent most of his time watching Rose.
As she became more familiar with them, she ignored Pascal's advice and dared to approach more closely. The day the chestnut mare took an apple from her hand was the highlight of her vacation.
She named her Ginger, and begged her mother to allow her to take Ginger home to Bridgeport. Of course this was impossible; they had no space for a horse in their tiny yard.
That evening, she said goodbye to her friend one last time, and watched with tears in her eyes as Ginger galloped off into the hills.
After the sad farewell, Rose ran back to Pascal, looking for comfort. If there was anyone who could lift her spirits, it was her new best friend.
He pulled her into a long comforting hug.
"Don't worry, Rosie. They will still be here next time you visit. We'll see them again, I promise."
They sat together on the soft grass long after the sun went down that evening, talking about everything except the thing most on their minds - they had only two days left together before Rose would have to board the plane for home.
The next day, Pascal picked her up early for a trip to the museum. He had liked showing Rose the horses, mainly because it meant spending time with her, but art was his true calling. Rose was thrilled by the Egyptian exhibit.
""Look at that statue, Pascal! My mom has one of those!"
"Not a real one? How is that possible?"
"I'm pretty sure it's real - she brought it home from Egypt before I was born."
As they wandered through the Egyptian Exhibit, Rose considered telling Pascal about the strange circumstances surrounding her birth - how she and her sister were conceived in Egypt, how her mother had never revealed who their father was, and the tattoo her mother had returned with, a tattoo of a woman with hair that matched the color of Rose's own. She opened her mouth to speak, and then shut again just as quickly.
"Pascal!" Rose whispered, "Look over there - that woman!"
"What woman? I don't see anyone. Are you sure?"
Rose looked again, and there was no one there. She told herself she must have just imagined it. There was no way that was the woman from her mother's tattoo.
She was shaking still, so Pascal pulled her into a gentle embrace.
"Calm down, Rosie. There's nothing to be afraid of here, I promise."
Rose buried her head in his shoulder, and willed herself to be calm. But when she opened her eyes again, she immediately caught sight of the same woman, watching her with a curious expression on her face.
"It's almost closing time. Let's go, Pascal. Please?"
"Of course, Rosie."
The next day was their last day in France, and Rose spent it with Pascal at his home, well chaperoned by his father, much to both their dismay.
As the three of them sat down to dinner that evening, Pascal's father brought up the subject they had both been avoiding.
"Rose, you are leaving in the morning?"
"Unfortunately, yes." She watched Pascals face fall as she said the words, and knew that he felt just as sad as she did.
"He has been telling me about an exchange program at your school in Bridgeport. I am considering allowing him to attend."
Rose almost choked on her salad. Pascal had told her there might be a chance his papa would let him go, but it was a small one.
"There's a good art program there. I think he'll like it," she managed to answer.
Topaz and Coral spent their last day in France exploring a few of the ancient tombs in the graveyard.
"You're not really going in there, are you mom?"
"Of course I am, there might be some relics in that chest."
"But... this is a graveyard.."
"Okay mom. I guess I'll just stand out here and pretend I don't know you... err.. I mean, stand guard..."
As Coral's eyes roamed over the burial ground, they came to rest on a slight figure, half hidden behind a bush bursting with large pink blooms.
"Mom!" she squeaked. It had to be the same woman her sister had told her she had seen in the museum. "Come quick!"
"What is it?"
Topaz was alarmed at her daughter's tone of voice, and was at her side in seconds.
When she saw where Coral was pointing, she thought her heart would jump right out of her chest. She never expected to see that face again. The memories of that time had faded so far into the deepest recesses of her mind, but in an instant they all came flooding back.
"Tabitha!" she called, running as fast as she could toward the flowering shrub. But by the time she got there, Tabitha had disappeared, seemingly into thin air.
