"Remember to brush your teeth before going to bed,"Ruby knelt on the tiled floor of the airport while Carmen stood behind her alongside some other colleagues she worked with.

"Yes mom,"Kylie said clutching Mr Knuckles in her hands.

"And what did we say about too much chocolate?"

"It's bad for my teeth,"Kylie smiled and Mikaella put her hand on her mouth trying to ward off the emotions that wanted to erupt.

She was leaving them for the very first time and although she had promised to keep it together, she couldn't do it. Ironically, Kylie seemed okay with her departure, she hadn't cried or made a fuss. All she did was, ask when Ruby would be back and if next time she and Marcus would tag along.

She stood up from the floor her eyes meeting those of Marcus,

"We'll be okay, babe. We can manage,"he said calmly wiping the tiny drops of tears on her cheeks.

It irked her that they were okay with everything. She was a drama queen that much she had figured. But was it too much to ask, if she wanted Kylie to cry or make a tantrum or for Marcus to tell her 'you could always stay'?

"Unless you-want to stay?" Marcus asked and she pulled up a sly smile cupping his cheeks with her hand.

That's exactly what she wanted to hear, to know that her husband would miss her terribly and that the insecurities in her head were just that... insecurities.

"Mmh as delightful as that sounds, you can't talk me out of this, Pierce,"she replied.

"Well it was worth a try, right?" Marcus answered grabbing her waist and the whole flirty conversation would have gone on for ages had Carmen not intervened that they would miss their flights.

Hours later, they were soaring through the sky. Even as she looked outside the window, she couldn't help but feel anxious. How would New York be like? Sure she was an American, a texan infact but she couldn't remember how it felt like to be in the United States.

Marcus had told her that they lived in Washington for a couple of years before they married and moved to New Zealand for Marcus'job. To her, she was going back to her roots for the first time. How did New York look like? Had she been to New York? And if she, had been to New York, did she know anyone there? Could New York finally hold the memories that she had lost?

"Unlike a temporary episode of memory loss, amnesia can be permanent," her doctor, Rory had stated.

Although Marc had said that it was alright, that he was okay with her in health and in sickness, the news shattered her. That night after ensuring Kylie was asleep and that Marcus was too, she cried in the bathtub for almost half an hour. She was contented with the life she had with Marcus but not remembering almost half of her life didn't sit well with her.

At times she felt alone, at times she asked herself whether the new her was different from the old her, she sat down a lot of times asking herself how her parents were like, she again questioned whether this was the life she wanted, wondering what her goals were in life, her career choices, simply...it was hard struggling to fit in her own mind.

Having had to question everything she did. New York, somehow came as a sign sent from the Almighty. Maybe she needed a change of environment to jog her memory.

"Hey,"Carmen laid her hands on her and she turned away from the clouds hovering just outside the window,"are you okay?"

Ruby smiled,"Honestly I'm a little overwhelmed to see New York. It's my first time being there, I don't know but I really have this gut feeling that New York holds the key to my memories"

"Damn, girl! I was asking if you were okay with me exchanging our drinks but that's cool too,"Carmen joked.

"No you were not!" Ruby slapped her arm.

"Fine, you got me. I'm a bit overwhelmed too, I still can't believe we are going to meet her! She's such an icon, who knows maybe she has a brother I could marry"

Again with Kimberly Cervantes. Carmen hadn't stopped talking about her and that had prompted Ruby to search for the woman on Google the night before. She wasn't that bad, what she admired most about Kimberly was that despite being born rich she didn't act like a spoilt heiress.

Ruby had stalked her even more learning about her gracious charity donations to orphanages and cancer foundations.

"The only brother she has is Kevin Cervantes and I'm pretty sure he's married too,"Ruby added.

"Look at you being a stalker. Does Marcus know you are searching for hot billionaire guys?"

"What? I only researched about our sponsor, her work and no, my husband is and will be the love of my life for thy shalt long live. Her brother popped in the article I was reading that's all"

Ruby defended herself.

"What sort of articles were you reading if you didn't see her other brother?"

"What other brother?"

"I thought you weren't interested"

"Am not,"she said boldly looking outside the window again.

After that, Carmen hadn't disturbed her again with the whole 'Kimberly Cervantes' issue. Hours of sleeping, tolerating Finn's comments about how America was an unfair and racist nation, hours of listening to Carmen of how she would find an American boyfriend, had paid off when they arrived in New York.

And as immediate as a cab drove them off from the airport, Ruby had a sense of deja Vu. The street lights, the skycrapers, the hustle and bustle of the city calling her like how a moth was drawn to a flame. She had been there, she couldn't remember but she felt she had been there often.

New York was nothing like Queenstown or generally nothing like New Zealand. There was the slow traffic, a lot of people loitering around, the so many wonderful lights, the cab drivers shouting at one another like,

"Get a move on, buddy"

She also wanted to try shouting that, in a rich American ascent. Something about the ascent drew her too, she was texan right? Did that mean before they left Texas,she too sounded like them?

It had only been hours and with the jet lag kicking in, they all slept in anticipation for the next day.

********

"You are wearing that?" Carmen asked and Ruby stared at her purple dress.

"Rue, that dress reminds me of my grandma. And my grandma has been dead for two decades now"

"It's not that bad, Carmen,"she said straightening the crevices.

"Ww are going to a formal event not to a kid's birthday party. Luce, you still have that marron dress we bought today right?"

And Lucy nodded going out of the room and coming back few minutes later with a maroon chiffon dress. They each had separate rooms something that Ms Kimberly Cervantes had ensured. Separate rooms and unlimited room service.

Minutes later, Ruby was pulling up the dress feeling that her boobs were struggling to breath beneath all that material.

"Perfect" Carmen commented before they all took pictures rushing out of the hotel to Gabeyo's event.

They arrived there later, feeling modest among the crowd. Even from afar one would see that the event was more of a 'rich people gathering' than a charity event. It was clear from their formal attires, the smell of exquisite musky colognes, the sight of expensive jewelry and Rolex watches that Ruby and her colleagues were a little underdressed.

The food itself looked fancy and Carmen being a little on edge didn't waste time in gobbling some shrimp puffs here and there.

"Oh my God, it's her,"Lucy cried quietly nudging Ruby's arm.

Ruby had her eyes glued to the stage, watching Kimberly Cervantes calmly being escorted to the stage by her husband. The pink dress she had worn complimented her blonde hair perfectly only issue was how heavily detailed the dress was so much that it weighed her down.

Ruby's eyes remained fixated on Kimberly Cervantes, watching her every action, taking in her face, her smile, how she easily grabbed hold of the mic saying thanks. Her weird sense of deja vu or call it whatever it was back.

Suddenly it was her and the rich heiress in the room, it was as if her mind, a small voice was trying to tell her to remember. Only no recollections of Kimberly Cervantes came to mind no matter how hard she stared.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to share my sincerest gratitude for everyone who showed up today for this worthy cause. Remember by donating the little that-"

She stopped and although Ruby was delusional at the moment, she could swear that Kimberly Cervantes was staring at her, a faint of recognition in her eyes before she uttered,

"-Mikaella?"