averno, tlou

forty

chapter forty: standing taller
spring 2024

"Hi, mama."

Ellie looked up quickly from the table, eyes wide while she danced the pencil around her fingers when Alejandra walked into the kitchen. "Smells good," she spoke while walking over to Joel who held up the spatula and blew on the sauce before guiding it to her mouth. "Mmm, good." She hummed while patting his back delicately. "I'm gonna go get Koda..."

"I can get her," Ellie said while Alejandra shook her head. "It's okay, finish your work." Alejandra told Ellie who looked at Joel. His mouth parted slightly while watching Alejandra walk out of the kitchen. "I fucked up." Ellie sighed while sitting the pencil down on the table and holding the side of her face with her hand. "Yeah, you did." Joel agreed while nodding his head, "she'll get over it," he assured while Ellie picked up the pencil and tapped the table.

Will she get over it though? Or will this be something that will forever tarnish their relationship? What was their relationship, Ellie thought. As the pencil danced circles around her finger and eyes studied over the different plants, she furrowed her brows. She could hear the clang of utensils from Joel cooking her dinner, could feel the breeze of the wind from the open doors leading to the patio where Alejandra let her smoke, could smell the candle burning that Dina got her for a present. This was life, a safe life at that. One with no burdens, no one coming for her, she didn't have to fight anymore. But she couldn't help but feel that something was still off.

"How was your day?"

Ellie had to count to five to ask Alejandra who rose her eyebrows, "boring." She chuckled dryly and glanced to the teen. "How was yours?" Joel hated the tension between the two girls, it was killing him with every second that passed. "It was good, we're learning about different plants. You know, what's edible and what's poisonous." Alejandra hummed while she cleaned her plate from the left over food. She rarley left her food unfinished since getting to Jackson, even Ellie noticed how she stopped eating every little bite. "Wanna watch a movie tonight?" Ellie asked Alejandra while Joel stood with his plate and walked to the sink.

"I need to get to bed, I have an early day tomorrow. Mateo caught a cold so it'll just be me." Alejandra told Ellie who felt her throat tighten uncomfortably, "okay," Ellie cleared her throat while she stood up from the table and disappeared to the stairs. Alejandra twirled the fork around the plate, mashing it down on the potatoes and watched as the food smeared. "You're gonna have to talk to her," Joel said once coming from behind, reaching for both the plates and Alejandra turned in her seat to face him.

"I don't have anything to say to her, Joel." She stood up and walked over to him. "You guys can talk, see what happened..." when Joel turned to see her, Alejandra was staring at the scar on the side of his head and her brown eyes were welled with hot tears. Joel turned his head back to the sink while twitching it to the side. "Remember Sarah's eleventh birthday?" Alejandra stared blankly to the wall as the memory of Sarah's voice rang through her head as if she was screaming it in the living room of Jackon's town herself. A cracked hum left Alejandra's throat while Joel rose his brows, waiting for a response.

"How'd you fix it?" He asked, "bought her Avril's new CD and sat down to talk to her about it. It was completely different, though." Joel turned and leaned against the sink, crossing his arms over his chest. "She got upset and yelled that you weren't her mom in front of everyone..." Alejandra cringed while she shut her eyes, "you're telling me that isn't what this fight is about?" Alejandra rose her eyebrows, "I'm not her mom," she pointed to the ceiling. "No, but you're close enough. You knew her mom, you were there when she was born, you and JJ had her until she was four then you gave her to FEDRA-"