𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐋 𝐄𝐘𝐄𝐒 | 𝐆𝐄𝐎𝐑𝐆𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐘

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐰𝐨

chapter two: afternoon tea.
date: august 30th 1993.

THE GOLDEN GROUND IS COVERED IN A LOVELY, golden glow as the sun rises, waking everything with its soothing warmth and long shadows. Stella Martínez spent the night tossing and turning, the breaking news headline plaguing what should have been her peaceful dreams. She had been under house arrest for a whole month now, and she can confirm it wasn't fun at all, especially since her mother had decided to lock herself away in her bedroom, and whenever Stella caught a glimpse of her, she would start crying and retreat into the bedroom once again.

Though her father was keeping a close eye on her to make sure she didn't ride off, training Daisy was the only thing keeping her from going completely insane. She wouldn't deny that the thought had occurred to her. Stella was curled up in her frilly pink bedsheets, staring into space. Her thoughts were still on Sirius Black and how much he had messed up her summer, but she couldn't help but think of the mental damage it had caused her mother, Maria.

A gentle knock on her bedroom door jolted her out of her daydream; she lifted her head slightly off the cushion, looked at her alarm clock on her nightstand, and her eyes rolled slightly when the time shown on the clock read nine o'clock. A little groan escaped her lips, and she lowered her head back onto the cushion as the bedroom door creaked open.

"Rise and shine, sweetie," Jamie said, his dark brown hair messy. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay," responds Stella. Rolling onto her back, she pulled the covers close to her body. "How's mum?"

Jamie walked across the dark wooden floorboards towards her and took a seat at the edge of the bed. "She's getting better, finally starting to eat; I think she was and still is in shock."

"I suppose her ex-friend is a lunatic and just escaped Azkaban, which is supposed to be the most secured prison ever; that's like Peter Sutcliffe escaping Broadmoor," said Stella.

"You watch too many crime shows," Jamie said, chuckling.

"It's not me; Jade is obsessed with them," Stella explained. A tiny smile spread over her lips as she remembered the countless crime marathons she and her friends would have.

"Noted, if I ever need help burying a body, I'll enlist Jade's help," Jamie murmured. He tapped the edge of Stella's bed and got to his feet, his eyes brightening as he heard her chuckle. "The only body you'll need help burying is mine if your mother finds out I haven't started preparing for this gathering."

"Gathering?" Stella asked. Her eyebrows knitted together, a confused expression taking across her face.

"It's a surprise," Jamie stated. He strolled back to her bedroom door, grinning.

Stella stumbled out of bed, yanking the sheets from her body, and staggered to her small desk on the other side of the room. What was this surprise, she wondered, pressing her fingers against her calendar and sweeping her gaze over the days, none of which had anything slightly fascinating noted down?