The Stray Souls ["The Diary Keeper" Sequel; "The Dark Legacies" Series]

Chapter 2: Eyes of the shadow

"My sweetheart, your dear granny has finally arrived at your doorstep! It's been so long!"

I forced a smile and tried to look incredibly pleased by this event. Her voice is like she's got this permanent loudspeaker setting. Grandma is emotional about everything, and her tone is always high-pitched. So, when she starts talking, you can't help but notice it. You just don't have any other choice.

"Oh Dear, Lia, why are you wearing such a short skirt again? Have you come from work or a brothel?"

I rolled my eyes. So, here's the deal with Grandma Millie: she's all about teaching these old-fashioned, proper rules, you know, like straight out of a black-and-white movie. But here's the kicker - she's pretty darn frivolous herself. She's like a walking contradiction.

"In my day, we didn't dress like this! And what's with that bright lipstick? Does your mom know you're leaving the house like this? You're only fifteen; it's too early for makeup!"

She'd sit me down and school me on table manners and how to address people properly, all while wearing the most colorful and outrageous outfits you can imagine.

And don't get me started on her dancing. You'd think she'd be all graceful and refined, but nope, she's the life of the party on the dance floor. I guess you could say she's a mix of old-school charm and modern-day sass, and it's honestly quite amusing.

"Uh, well, I've been wearing makeup for almost half of my life, everyone's fine with it!" I shrugged indifferently.

"What? Your parents clearly don't know how to raise a child! I'll make them see reason."

Something inside me abruptly snapped. Supernatural issues were instantly joined by problems from the gray reality. But let's go through it all step by step.

So, my house has two floors where my whole family resides, which includes me, my parents, and my paternal grandparents. This number of people is sufficient for the emergence of certain conflicts of interest, but overall, we get along quite well.

But Grandma Millie has a completely different set of character traits. Overall, she's a good person... but I wasn't exactly thrilled to see her in our home. Because it meant that the family idyll had come to an end for a while.

"And how many days are you staying with us?"

"Days? My dear, what are you thinking! I'm moving in with you for the rest of my life!"

Something inside me snapped for the second time. And this time, for good.

***
So, our whole family, including our dear Grandma Millie, gathered around the dinner table. We were all tucking into a hearty meal while the TV in the background was blaring away. It's a bit of a chaotic scene, especially with Grandma Millie chiming in with her animated stories and reactions.

"Well, honey, you know life's a rollercoaster, and sometimes you just gotta hold on for the ride. So, here's the scoop - I had this young fella in Los Angeles, charming as can be, but sometimes, life throws you a curveball. We decided to part ways, and it was time for me to retire and embrace a new adventure. That's when I thought, why not make a fresh start in lovely Ravenwood?