averno, tlou

forty one

chapter forty one: mother save our souls
fall 2024

The trees were finally changing colors.

Ellie thought it was the most beautiful thing she's seen. Yes, of course, she'd seen the leaves change colors and trees fall dead during the winter, but it was nothing like this. Nothing compared to the feeling of sleeping with your window open, listening to the wind, being safe. It was almost a year since Joel took her to the college and it still played over in her mind like a stuck record like she was stuck there in that cage with that monster's eyes lingering on her like a piece of meat- because that's what he saw.

Ellie was slowly learning. It was hard, of course, but she was learning. She noticed that Joel and Alejandra stopped following her every move, they listened to her worries and what she had to say. They started to respect her in a way Ellie didn't understand at first, but after speaking to Dina about it, it clicked. They were her parents.

She was still reluctant to allow herself to call them that because they weren't her biological parents but they were closer than just friends who take care of each other. Ellie no longer needed to look out for Joel and Alejandra, being inside of Jackson and all. She was learning to love the life that was given to her, a life she earned. And Ellie woke up every day with a pretty smile on her lips.

Dakota was over frequently, really everyone was. One day Mateo would be cooking breakfast in the Miller house, the next Theary would be found sleeping on the couch. Tommy and Joel would work outside in the backyard and Alejandra would join Maria for wine nights and puzzles. There were some bad nights, as expected, but they didn't fight anymore. No one fought.

Ellie had on a long sleeve, a sweatshirt, and a light jacket. A black beanie keeping her hair tucked away from her face. Long work pants and socks rose to her knees with boots tied tight around her ankles. It was freezing. She didn't realize how cold it was when getting dressed for the day, but she did it for a reason that was unknown to her. She kicked rocks and fallen leaves on her way to school, humming a song she didn't know the name of under her breath, and watched how fog followed when she breathed out heavily. "Ellie!" The girl turned her head quickly, seeing Jewel run across the street to her friend. Jewel and her weren't as close as Dina and her were, but she was still a friend.

"Hey, Jesse stole some liquor from work last night. We're gonna go hang out by Rocky's grave tonight- wanna join?" Jewel knocked into Ellie's shoulder once they started walking again. "Joel is making biscuits and gravy for dinner or I would." Jewel groaned, "Oh, come on..." She pleaded while stuffing her hands in her pockets to try and warm herself up. "Maybe next time. He hasn't made them for a while and I don't wanna miss out." Jewel could understand, but she still sighed loudly.

"Hello, girls..." Jesse introduced himself once meeting outside of his house. "Jesse." Jewel spoke while bowing her head, "Ellie's out tonight." Jesse groaned behind the two girls. "I'm sorry!" Ellie laughed loudly while shaking her head, seeing Dina and Ruth waiting outside of Mateo's home, with their dog, Hamburger, with them.

Ellie jogged forward, smiling wide and dropping to her knees in front of the animal. "Hi, Hammy..." Ellie spoke in a voice she would use to speak to her cousin, and ruffled the long fur between her fingers. Hamburger leaned into Ellie, kissing her face and causing the teen to laugh before she hugged her arms around her neck and squeezed gently. "Don't get into too much trouble." She told the pet while standing back up when Jewel and Jesse met them. "I overheard Tommy telling Mateo about something bad, I didn't hear what, it was hushed and they were all secretive." Ellie furrowed her brows and looked at her friend group. "I haven't heard anything," Ellie said, slowly shaking her head knowing that's why Dina brought it up.