An Unforgettable Summer [on hold]

2:What Is With This Woman And Flora?

CATS POV:
My head falls forward a few centimetres and slams back into the leather car seat as mom hits the brakes.

Whatever was on the dashboard has fallen onto my feet.

I massage the back of my head and look at mom, wide-eyed.

Before I can question anything, she leans over and wraps her arms around me. She smells warm and familiar.
Lemongrass and sage.

I laugh, but it's muffled by a mouthful of hair. It's relieving to be loved once again.

Her hands clench tightly onto me, as if to never let go. I like it this way.

She sniffles into my neck, reminding me of the emotional person she is and another thing we have in common.

Leaning back, her fingers dig into my shoulders and she looks into my eyes. Her own are glistening, but she looks almost happy.

"Cat, I love you. But talk to me. I want to know how your feeling, whats happening, how you're going at school, but you don't exactly let me in." She raises an eyebrow and I nod. It's true.

"And I didn't know you felt that way about me. Honey, I do pay attention. I am here and I know you're here too. I just...tend to zone out sometimes, but that doesn't mean I've left." She smiles sadly and moves one of her hands over my heart. "I'm always going to be here."

I let out a choked sob and smile.

"I know." I mutter quietly.

After a few moments of breathing each others air and talking, she starts up the car again. Few cars have overtook us on this quiet road.

"So, where are we?" I say.

* * *

I pop a jelly baby into my mouth as we turn another corner.

"Here we are!" Mom exclaims excitedly. It's as if she's forgot completely about today.

A long concrete driveway leads up to a sky blue two-storey house.

My mouth gapes open.

We hit a bump and the lolly I had been holding falls to the ground.

It's beautiful. Gardens are scattered around the huge yard, throwing specks of colour into the bright green of the grass.

As for the view; it's breathtakingly high up, making the impression of an endless landscape of mountains and hills.

Different shades of green surround the scene.

I'm angry at myself for packing my camera into my suitcase. Oh well, I'll be here for awhile anyway.

A lady sits on the white steps of the house porch, clinging to a white pole.

It's not until we pull up and get out of the car, I get a good look at the woman. Alice, I'm assuming.

Her black short frizzy hair frames a pale, almost weary face. Arched eyebrows, slightly upturned nose and thin lips like my mom.

A quite plump figure with curvaceous hips and a short stature. Her facial features or her figure aren't the things that take me aback.

It's her clothes. Compared to my neutral colours, Alice's are a frenzy of multicolour and rainbows.

My eyes water from the brightness of her dress.

Floral, I can tell, but the flowers are varied and all of them are different colours ranging from dark blue to fluorescent orange.