The Awakening

20 -Pencilled Hearts

The first few pages revealed nothing out of the ordinary. Cassie's cursive scrawled across the pages, hurried in places where she was excited and drawn out when she relished a moment. Georgia skimmed, searching to see if anything caught her eye, desperate to find something.

A small curve touched her lips, noticing the little annotations drawn by her daughter in the margins, as she plumped the pillow to get comfier. No doubt her creaky bones might revolt when she tried to get back up again but it felt right to get into her daughter's mode, sit how she sat, immerse herself into Cassie's ways and habits, to unlock the secrets to her daughter's life.

Georgia remembered the first diary she had given her daughter. It had been a gift she had tucked away for a special moment. That happened when Cassie was eight years old. She had come home from school in a rather telling mood. Between sobs, she had explained that she and Avery had a fight. It was something trivial, Georgia could not remember the exact details, but it had been the perfect opportunity to present the gift.

She had pulled it from her top dresser drawer and as soon as Cassie saw the sparkled flower on the corner the tears had seized. Georgia had promised Cassie it was a place where she could feel safe, put everything she was feeling and thinking down on paper. That the little faux metal lock would protect her secrets.

Even now, that old lie ate at Georgia as she scanned the leather bound contents that held no surprises. Georgia and Cassie were close so she was certain her daughter told her pretty much everything.

Regardless, Georgia was sure there were things she might not want her to know as she recalled her own youth. She went red at the thought of the hot dates she had with her husband in the first throes of love. Georgia skimmed through anything she felt too private. She wouldn't like it if the boot were on the other foot. However, was that likely? Georgia guessed she would find out soon enough.

Georgia gleamed through the pages, she glanced at her watch. Two hours had passed and still, she had made no headway in finding anything of benefit. A strong coffee was defiinitely called for now. She grabbed the door frame with her fingers, easing herself up into the upright position. These bones of her weren't as supple as they use to be.

Georgia clasped the diary in her hand and walked to the kitchen to grab a coffee.

She sprawled on the sofa, laying a cushion under her knees, placed the cup of brew on the table as she tried to find the page she left off on. As she flicked through the pages a drawing caught her eye. A broken heart with a tear. Georgia, caught her breath, as she spread the pages open.

"Mum said everyone is entitled to one mistake and I still love him and want to share my life with him but ...I don't feel exactly same about him after he admitted he had a one night stand with his ex. I know he admitted he was drunk and he told me straight away but...my heart feels as though it's cut in two and I don't think it will ever heal."

A tear slid down Georgia's cheek as realization set in. She thought back to the last few months as it dawned on her the sadness Cassie carried. She had lost weight but all this time she had just assumed she was trying to fit into the body conscious lace dress she had chosen for her wedding. She had been quieter, spending more time to herself in her room. There had been one time she caught Cassie coming out of the bathroom, her eyes were puffy and red from crying. Cassie had brushed it off as though she had been crying because her father was not there for her big day.

Now Georgia questioned everything. She put a hand to her chest feeling her daughter's pain.

Georgia didn't care. But before she rang him and asked him to come over, she needed to read the rest of Cassie's diary.

Or maybe she would just turn up at their flat. After all, there was nothing better than catching someone by surprise.

Georgia sighed, as she turned another page. What else would her daughter's diary reveal?

She hoped she had not opened up a Pandora's box but if she got her daughter back and never spoke to her again, at least Cassie would be home. Nothing else mattered. She would give up everything she had in the world to have her daughter back.

A sigh escaped her dry lips, has her heart weighed heavy with emotion. Georgia's eyes starred into space, as she imagined her daughter back in her room again. The diary's pages slammed shut, as Georgia's daydreams led her away from reality, her nostrils drew in the scent that filled Cassie's room, if only for a few moments she imagined she was back in time.