Broken || h.s. AU (Special Edition)

Chapter 4 - Nostalgia

*trigger warning: brief mention of food, mention of family issues*
If you come across a trigger that wasn't prewarned, let me know so I can fix it. Stay safe.
Chapter 4 - Nostalgia

Julia's P.O.V.

I wake up the next morning, groggy from a heavy and dream filled night sleep to see a whole new outfit laid out on the end of the bed. It takes me a few minutes before I have the motivation to move at all, and a few more before I can crawl to the end of the bed and pick up the sticky-note.

"Courtesy of Laura. I figured you'd like some clothes besides shirts and jeans. Stopped by the store while you were at school. More in your closet"

I smile a little and look down at the clothes she laid out.

Waiting for me is a peach, soft looking sweater with a pair of black converse stacked on top of them. Black skinny jeans lay below them and I bite my lip, rolling out of bed.

I pull the flannel pajama shirt over my head and slip off the pants, changing into the new outfit and doing my best to ignore the awful scar across my stomach. I walk into the second door in the room that I was previously informed is in fact a bathroom.

My hair is slightly damp from the shower last night. I pulled the hair band off the end of the braid I'd put in last night. The soft, gold hair cascades down my back, now in gentle waves from sleeping in a braid. I can't help but feel excited about my new hair, the hair that I'd always dreamed about having.

I pull it back into a ponytail, smiling slightly at my reflection. That is one thing I do miss. Makeup. Although I awakened after the fire with all my flaws nearly perfected, I'm surprisingly still stuck with the nagging voice in the back of my head that's reminding me I don't have makeup on.

A soft knock sounds on my bedroom door. I peeked out of the elegantly carved bathroom door, calling quietly. "Come in!"

Alice skips into the room, far more awake than I've ever been at this time of the morning. She giggles once she sees me, walking over. "You look so cute!" She chuckles cheerfully. I smile a little, looking back at my reflection. "Thanks..." I murmur shyly. I pause and turn back to her.

"Alice?" Her head tilts to the side curiously as she brings her full bottom lip between her teeth. "Hm?" glance once more towards the mirror before asking quietly. "Do you have makeup..?" She laughs and nods, jogging out of the room.

Alice skips back into my bathroom with a small bag. "Thanks... You're a lifesaver..." I sigh. She smiles and nods, walking back out. I apply my makeup as carefully as I can, but I'm unfamiliar with the products. After a few more minutes of messing around, it looks basically identical to how I used to it.

As I stare at my reflection, a strong wave of nostalgia washes over me. I can never return to my old life. I can't see my mother again or my friends, I can't sprawl out on my carpet and read until mom yells to get started on homework. I can never see my father again- not that I saw him very often anyways.

I'd always held a slightly bitter opinion of my father after he'd left my mother when I was only a few months old and he rarely visits. But even the idea that I'd never see him again is nearly enough to bring me to tears.

Almost.

The only thing that keeps me from going on a real crying jag is the realization that I just put on my makeup, which is what brought all this on in the first place. But I finally sigh, forcing myself to look away from my reflection and walk out of the bathroom.

I jog down the stairs, walking towards the door. Laura walks into the entranceway with another man.

The man is about the same age as Laura, roughly in his late thirties. He has dark brown hair, paired with eyes a warm muddy brown. He looks almost identical to an older version of Thomas.