Revival

~*ONE*~

"We're here."

We pulled up to a two story house I had only seen in pictures, but it still looked the same. It was the house my mom grew up in. I only found out a week ago and that was only because my grandmother passed away. Up to this point my mom never talked about anyone from the family. Every time I tried to ask she would cry and that was the end of it. I never tried asking her about anything else.

I never really thought about how little I knew about my family. I always assumed my mom didn't have any family left. She never talked about having living relatives. Finding out about my grandmother was something I never expected.

"This is where grandma lived?"

The house looked big and cozy from the outside. I wondered if my grandmother had someone keeping up with the landscaping. The bushes looked nicely trimmed, there were little green leafed plants along the path that led to the stairs, and flower pots hanging from the porch sealing.

"This is where I grew up, my sister and I both did."

I whipped my head back to look at her. She avoided looking at me. I took a moment to process that small bombshell. There was yet another thing that my mother had lied to me about. I wondered how many more secrets she was keeping from me. Was she even my mother? It's like I hardly knew the person I had grown to call my mother.

"Is there anything else you would like to tell me? Is my father really dead?"

She gave me a stern look. "Not now, Blaire. I already apologized for not telling you about your grandmother."

"I just don't understand why you never told me any of this." I said. "Now I have an aunt that I never even knew about? What's up with that? Is there anything else I should know while we're at it? You just threw the news out there and I'm trying to process it."

Before she could answer the door swung open. I jumped back in surprise. Before I realized it I was being engulfed in a bear hug. I had hair that wasn't mine pressed to my face and my senses were filled with lavender. I wrinkled my nose in disgust and tried to hold my breath.

"Oh, Elise! You didn't tell me she was this beautiful."

"Blaire, meet your aunt Alina." Mom said.

Aunt Alina gave me a tight squeeze before she finally let go of me. I was surprised to see how much she looked like my mom. The resemblance was a strong indication that she was indeed related to my mom. I on the other hand looked nothing like either of them. I could have been adopted for all I knew.

"Alina, it's nice to see you again." Mom said in a cool voice.

"Give me a hug. I haven't seen you in ages." Aunt Alina hugged my mom briefly and then turned back to me with a wide smile.

"I'm so happy to finally meet you. Your mother has talked so much about you."

"I wish I could say the same." I said rather bitterly.

Aunt Alina raised a brow and my mom just shook her head. I was seething. My mom kept so many things from me while growing up. How was I supposed to feel about the death of a family member when I didn't even know them? She never gave me the opportunity to grow a bond with my family. They were all strangers to me.

I didn't realize how much it actually bothered me until I finally had aunt Alina in front of me. She looked so easy going that it was hard to believe she was related to my mother. I didn't notice that she was looking at me curiously.

"Why don't you both come inside?" She suggested.

I walked in the house dragging my suitcase behind me. We were supposed to stay a week in Whisper Falls for the funeral. Walking in the house made me miss home. Everything was new to me and it felt strange. But the strangest thing out of everything was that somehow deep inside I felt like I was meant to be here.