When (he)arts Prevail

11

After lunch with Alyssa, Kaylee headed over to her parents'. With summer already sneaking in, she needed to grab more fitting clothes to the season. Since her apartment didn't have much storage space, Kaylee had left most of her stuff at her parents' house and would only take things as she needed them.

She parked on their driveway, behind her father's car, and jumped out, walking to the front door. Kaylee no longer felt comfortable going in through the back.

She rang the doorbell and waited. It was her mother who opened the door.

"Oh! Hi, sweetie."

"Hi, mom!" Kaylee gave her mother a quick hug.

"You've been to the beach," her mother noted, her nose sniffing Kaylee's hair, at the same time she closed the front door.

Kaylee let out a small chuckle. "Went surfing with Aly. Still haven't showered."

"You can take one here."

"It's fine, mom," Kaylee said. "I just need to grab some stuff from my room."Kaylee's mother trailed her into the living room. "Stay for dinner, then. When was the last time we three shared a meal?"

Kaylee fought against the sigh pushing past her lips and turned to her mother. Kaylee knew her mother was much more needy of her now, always afraid Kaylee would disappear. She worried more. She called almost every day. Kaylee was not used to that. It wasn't like that when Nate was alive.

Yet, she understood her mother's point of view. She had lost a child and Kaylee was the only bird left in the nest.

"I guess I could stay."

Kaylee's mother sprung to life, excitement oozing from her words. "Oh, great! Great!"

Kaylee shook her head, chuckling.

"What do you wanna eat? I'll make whatever you want."

"Just make whatever you were going to make for Dad. I don't need a special dish."

Kaylee's mother eyebrows knitted together. "Are you sure? I could go to the groceries—"

"Really, mom," Kaylee cut her off with another chuckle, grabbing her mother's hands. "It's fine."

Resigned with Kaylee's decision, her mother went to the kitchen to start preparing dinner while Kaylee went up to her bedroom.

It was exactly as she had left it before moving out, except it was clean and tidy and not a mess of clothes and bags all over the place. Kaylee opened her closet and started rummaging through her clothes, picking her favorite outfits to take with her and laying them on the bed.

Happy with her choices, Kaylee moved to the dresser in front of her bed, opening the first drawer to see what more she could take with her. She didn't expect to see an envelope there, already ripped open and a bit dented at the edges. Furrowing her eyebrows, Kaylee grabbed it and turned it over, her heart sinking immediately.

It was from Artsy Company. It was the letter of her admission to their Academy.

The one she ended up dismissing five years ago.