Little Miss Gotham

Chapter Forty One

That night I felt much better with what Jonathan Crane provided me. Before my family arrived I was able to get rid of the arm bands and IV's and change into a comfortable sweater dress. It was plain ivory with a cowl neck and long sleeved which covered the bruises left from the IV's. It wore black leggings and brown, knee high boots. Like Jonathan said, a good make up job would cover up the bags and paleness and I even went over the top with eye shadow and a nude lipstick. This was definitely a recovery from earlier, especially with a nice warm shower. I wore my hair down but in a braid so that when It dried, I could take it out and my auburn hair would be in beautiful waves. 

It was like this morning never happened. 

When I left my room to join my parents in our dining room, I noticed that my grandparents and aunts and uncles were all here. None of my cousins were older than fifteen. The Christmas tree was lit and my family stood around in their own little groups while Olivia stood with the women and Luke still kept playing with the kids while my father tried to get him over to the guys. I guess I was the outcast now that the women were trying to lure Olivia into their perfect world. 

Maybe I could make a surprise appearance and maybe I'd enjoy them giving me their dirty looks. My mom's sister, Lisa, was a little nicer but my dad's sister, Katherine, hated me. My grandmom was the most elegant of them all and enjoyed me the most. They all stood in their expensive cocktail dresses and heels and talked to Olivia. 

"Hello, grandmother." I said, leaning down to kiss her cheek since she sat on the couch. 

"Oh, sweetie, I haven't seen you in months! How are you?" she asked, standing up. She was short and wore soft khakis and a white blouse with a soft khaki cardigan. It was a typical old woman outfit but her jewelry and fading blonde hair still made her look beautiful. 
"Fine. Everything's really turned upside down when I came back from Metropolis but I'll be going to Harvard for my master's next month." I said.

"Guess it's a sign that you shouldn't be back in this awful city." she said with such distaste that it made me laugh. I liked that some people in this family could see what I see. 

"Well, my brother has done a wonderful job at making this city just a little less awful." said Katherine, wearing a tight navy blue dress and nude heels. Her hair was dark like my fathers, full and long and she had it curled and also wore too much make up for Christmas dinner. I looked at my grandmother, anticipating her reaction and laughed when she rolled her eyes. 

"Sucks that he couldn't capture the Joker or Scarecrow or Harvey Dent." I murmured, earning a look from my mother. I sighed and her sister, Lisa, who was practically her twin, placed her hand on her. 

"Oh there's no one to impress here. We all know this city is shit." my grandmother said, leaning back in the couch and sipping her wine. I had to suppress my grin and Olivia didn't bother holding back a chuckle. 

Katherine left and walked to her brother and her husband, probably to go tattle tale. I stood up and hugged my aunt Lisa who wore a red sweater dress similar to mine and instead wore tan ankle boots with her leggings. 

"Oh, Sophia, I'm so glad you're here. You have no idea how much I've heard from your mother at how strong you've been. Even for her too." Lisa smiled. I looked at my mom who shyly looked away and smiled myself at the heart warming comment. 
"Well this family needs all the support we can get. You have no idea what it's like here." I sighed, showing a strong smile. 

I turned away from my family and walked with Olivia to the kitchen.

"Just wait until dinner where they ask about every detail of your life." I said, nudging her playfully. 

The rest of the night was spent catching up for the most part. My family spent their time gossiping over Gotham's elite or talking about the latest sports. The food was good, of course. But I was still sick from earlier and had a small appetite. I answered questions from my family like Olivia and Luke did and got to brag a little but I wasn't here to embarrass my family. I just wanted to have a bit of normality in my life and it's exactly what I got. I was even okay with my little cousins running around the place because it reminded me that nothing had changed and everything was okay.