She stared at the frosted glass in her New York apartment. Despite the frost she could see the many advertisements in time square. Most were advertising candy for Easter and stuffed animals to buy for children. She glanced at her clock. It was four o’clock in the morning on Easter day. She wished that she could be with her family and go to church on Easter again. In that instant she decided she would go to Virginia. She could even make the sunrise service, her favorite part of Easter. She loved watching the sky turn beautiful hues of pinks, reds, and yellows in the frigid spring air. She had to leave soon though. She grabbed her phone and called the air lines.
“Yes ma’am?” Her pilot said on the other end.
“Get my plane ready for a trip to Lynchburg, Virginia. You have an hour,” She said.
“She’ll be ready in forty-five minutes.”
“If you can make it thirty, you’ll get a holiday bonus.”
“Yes ma’am.”
“Thank you and Happy Easter.” She smiled and hung up the phone. As she hurridly shoved a purple dress that she hadn’t worn in over six years into a duffle bag, the doorbell rang. She didn’t bother to respond. She knew who it was. They would come in whether she wanted them to or not. As she had assumed, her publisher burst in a moment later.
“Where are you going and why?” The publisher said. She looked up from her bag long enough to give them a cunning smile.
“Get a car ready for me at the Lynchburg airport. Tell them we are heading to a church in that area and that I will be there by four,” She said. She left the publisher standing there as she grabbed her things from the bathroom.
“Tell me why first!” The publisher said.
“Oh, and make sure that I have five Easter baskets in the plane. You have about twenty minutes. Two adult men, three adult girls. Oh, and I need a basket for Margie’s little boy too. Good luck.”
“Why should I?”
“Because I can fire you like I did the last one and you wouldn’t want me to disgrace Easter.”
“Danielle, you can’t just up and go to Virginia.”
“I want to spend it with my family for the first time in ten years.” The thirty-year-old stared at her elderly publisher. She wished she could tell them her real name. It would make life a little harder for her family though and she knew that would be wrong.
“All right. I’ll have it done. I already had the baskets made in Lynchburg for you to send, but I’ll arrange to pick them up before we get to the church.” The publisher said, pulling out her phone. Danielle(for the time being) smiled. Less than twenty minutes later, they were taxiing down the runway. The publisher laid back and fell asleep. Danielle couldn’t. She just watched out the window. At five-thirty, the plane landed in Lynchburg, Virginia. Danielle couldn’t contain her joy until she looked out the window and saw two members of airport security running to meet the plane, instead of letting her disembark. After pushing the stairs to the door, they had the pilot open it. Danielle only had half an hour to get to the church now.
“Ma’am, I’m sorry, but somehow your arrival was leaked on to the internet. There’s a crowd of people waiting for you in the terminal,” One of the security said. The other, a lot younger and less experienced chuckled.
“One of the girls was claiming to be your sister,” The young one said. Danielle smiled.
“Do you have a picture of that girl?” She asked. The young man pulled out his phone.
“Yes ma’am. Sorry sir, it was too good to pass up.” The young man handed Danielle his phone. The picture made Danielle smile.
“That is my sister. If you could find her and get her to drive around here to pick me up I would be so grateful. My publisher will go to the waiting car,” She said. The two men nodded and left. Then the senior officer paused.
“Ma’am, if it’s not an intrusion, how does an author have so many followers that know what she looks like?” The senior officer said.
“I’m one of my favorite characters to use. They use my face in the graphic novels and I even acted my own character for my latest movie. That, my dear man is how. Oh, and Happy Easter to both of you.”
“Happy Easter, ma’am.” The man said. Five minutes later, an old convertible pulled up near the plane. She disembarked as her sister got out of the car. Even from halfway down the stairs, she could see the joy in her sister’s eyes. At the bottom they hugged, oblivious to the moving plane and stairs at her back. Her sister all but pushed her into the car.
“I can’t believe it was true. When I saw it online, I thought that it was probably a trick or bad info ‘cause I know you do that, but I had to try,” Her sister said. She laughed.
“Hang on a second, Virginia. Does anybody else in the family know?” She asked.
“Now, Lynne, why would I ruin your surprise? Even grandma is coming to the sunrise service today,” Virginia said. She was glad to hear her own name again.
“Great. My publisher is going to meet us at the church with surprise part two.”
“Of course they are. What is it? Another I’m sorry I missed Easter basket?” Virginia wasn’t all that thrilled about it.
“Yes but there is a part three that not even my publisher knows about.” Lynne smiled, eying the duffle bag in the back seat. Virginia looked at Lynne as she drove the car onto the main road.
“I’m sure.” Virginia paused. “You need to cut your hair again soon. You know, to keep up the secret identity, Danielle.” Lynne looked at her sister.
“I know. I’m getting it cut next week.” Lynne lied. The short, black hair her sister saw brushing her shoulders wasn’t hers. She was wearing a wig. Lynne phone buzzed with a text message as they pulled into the old churches parking lot. Looking at the text, Lynne smiled. She knew this had been the right time to do this.
“Dad’s already started, so we have to be quiet as we go over to the cross.” Virginia gestured to the dark, yet somehow welcoming woods.
“You go. I have to change.”
“All right.” Virginia got out of the car as another pulled in beside them. It was the publisher. “Should I take her with me?”
“Yeah, but don’t tell anyone who it is if they ask.”
“It’s a big church. No one will notice.” Virginia pulled the publisher from the car and dragged her towards the outdoor sanctuary. Lynne climbed into the back seat of the closed convertible and changed into her old purple dress. She put on a pair of black tights and some black, high-heeled boots. Then she pulled the wig and wig cap off. After fixing her hair in the mirror, she looked like a completely different person. Her long, naturally golden hair fell halfway down her back. She pulled the final touch out of her bag: a hat designed after Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland’s Mad Hatter played by Johnny Depp. It was a had made hat that was almost an exact replica. She smiled as she remembered making it for her sixteenth birthday party. She looked like the real her. The girl she liked to describe in her main books as powerful and eternally caring. She walked over to the singing group in the woods as she typed a reply to the text. It was a simple response:
We will be eating lunch there. Make sure the chef has it ready for ten or more people. Thank you for your hard work and help.
Then she slipped quietly into the back row. The end of the service came quickly for her, even though she enjoyed every minute of it. Her dad stood in front of the smaller part of the congregation.
“Thank you all for coming out this morning to enjoy this beautiful sunrise with you church family and the Lord. I would like to remind you that there is a breakfast in the fellowship hall and I invite you to stay for our eleven o’clock service. Now go, do good, and stay in love with God. Go in the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit, Now and forever, amen.” Her dad walked down the center and lead the way to the fellowship hall. He walked right past her, without noticing. Her publisher, sisters, mother, and brother did the same thing. Her grandma was the last to leave and noticed her still in her seat.
“Happy Easter, young lady. How are you?” Her grandmother asked. Lynne stood up and smiled.
“I’m fine. How are you ma’am?” Lynne said.
“Well, I’m even better now that my youngest granddaughter is here. Are you staying for breakfast?”
“Of course. I’d like to make a request though.”
“What’s that?”
“Let the rest of the family figure out where I am. Even my publisher doesn’t know about this.”
“I didn’t think so. I’m so proud of you little girl. I thought your hair in that movie looked like it was real. You still look like you did on you graduation day.” Lynne smiled at her grandmother. They sat together during breakfast and the later service, without anyone else realizing who she was. After that was over, they went for the group of family and her publisher. Margie saw them first. She looked right in Lynne’s eyes and then ran and hugged her. A little boy was clinging to a tall man that Lynne had only seen about four times before, on Margie’s and his wedding anniversaries. Margie released her.
“I can’t believe it. You let your hair grow out and you let it be blonde,” Margie said. The twins stared at each other in joy.
“How is William?” Lynne asked.
“He was very grateful for the gift on his third birthday.” Margie said. She would have continued if Lynne’s publisher hadn’t walked over to the group.
“Danielle, how did you get that wig back? I had it burned after the shoot was over,” The indignant publisher said. “And where on earth did you get that hat?” The rest of the family was paying attention now.
“This is not a wig. What I had on earlier was. Also, my name is Lynne. As for the hat, I made it for my sixteenth birthday party. I was the mad hatter,” Lynne said with a flourish. “Now, either get past it and wait for lunch or head back to New York. I won’t be doing any more movies; I’ll stick to writing the stories from here in Virginia where I can spend every day with my nephew, siblings, parents, and grandparents.”
“Of course ma’am,” The publisher said. “I was waiting for the day you would say that you were staying in your home. I’ll go ahead sense I assume I know where we are going for lunch. I’m guessing you warned the staff?”
“I’m not a monster. I do like to give people some warning when a family this big is coming. Oh, you all will join me for lunch won’t you?” Lynne looked to her family. Margie was stand with her husband and little boy.
“We will definitely be joining you. William wants to spend some time with his famous aunt,” Margie.
“I will. I want to know all about your life in New York,” Dave, her brother said.
“You know I’ll come,” Her grandmother said.
“I’ll be there sense I have to drive you and Grandma there,” Virginia said.
“Me and your father will come,” Her mom said. “I’m so glad you came back.”
“I am too. Now, let’s head to lunch. Just follow Virginia’s car.” Lynne said. Then she turned to Virginia. “Is it all right if I drive so I don’t have to give you directions?”
“Sure, as long as it’s no city driving,” Virginia said. Everyone else was heading to their respective cars.
“I don’t drive in the cities. Too many cars around. I like country driving better. Every time I go out in the country, I get to drive.”
“All right.” Virginia laughed. Half an hour later they were driving up the backside of a mountain on a new, dirt road being trailed by three cars.
“Now, little girl, where on earth are we going for lunch?” Grandma asked.
“My house. All though, I think castle is a more accurate term for it,” Lynne said as the top of a stone tower came into view. Virginia laughed as Lynne’s phone rang. “Um, could you get my phone for me?”
“Oh, yeah sure.” Virginia fumbled for Lynne’s phone from the front seat. As soon as she got her hands on it she accepted the call. “Hello? Oh, hi Margie. Hold on a sec and I’ll put you on speaker.” Virginia did what she said. “All right talk.”
“Lynne, where exactly are we going for lunch? We are on a mountain in the middle of tobacco country. What restraint were you talking…” Margie’s static-y voice died off. “I can’t believe it.”
“Believe what, Margie?” Lynne asked as they pulled into the freshly paved drive way. The publisher’s car was already there.
“You actually did it,” Grandma said.
“Yes. Yes I did. Marg, why don’t we talk outside of the car? Okay?” Lynne said.
“Umm, okay,” Margie said. Virginia hung up the phone. After they were out of the vehicle, Virginia hugged Lynne.
“What?” Lynne said.
“Congratulations. You are now the proud owner of Lynne’s manor.”
“No, actually, I’m the proud owner of Underland’s Castle,” Lynne said with a grin.