[✔︎] 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐑𝐔𝐋𝐄𝐒 ✫ POST-DESCENDANTS TWO ⁶

✘ TWENTY FIVE: Tea Heather? ✘

Heather furrowed her brow as she sat inside of her mother's cottage, arms crossed over her chest. Chelsea gripped onto her arm, she never did feel comfortable around witches. They always tried to convince her to be their pet and she was not fond with the idea.

Her mother smirked at her, clearly enjoying that she had gotten her mind going, wondering why and how her mother knew she'd come to her. She herself hadn't decided, she'd come on a whim. She never liked coming here. She never felt safe here, no matter what her mother said.

Her aunt Sarah walked and placed a tea tray on the table.

"Tea Heather?" She asked. Heather declined. She never ate anything here. She knew magic didn't work here, or at least she hoped it didn't. She didn't trust that one day it might work and something would happen to her.

"No auntie." Heather said. "I'm good."

"What about your friend?" Sarah Sanderson asked, a smirk on her lips. She knew perfectly well that Chelsea didn't pass up an opportunity for tea. No Wonderlanidan did. They fancied their tea times, no matter how many times they had them. It was always tea time.

Chelsea reluctantly took a cup, taking a sip of her tea. She didn't shudder or spit it out finding that there was nothing wrong with it. She finished it and placed it on the tray once more. Heather sighed and took a cup, watching her aunt smile at her as she did so.

"How's the tea?" Mary Sanderson asked earning a shrug from Heather.

"It's alright." Heather said. "As long as you didn't do anything to it."

"I would never want to hurt you Heather." Sarah Sanderson said. "Who do you  take me for? Your mother?"

"I heard that!" Winifred Sanderson said as she entered the room. Sarah only smiled at her sister, lifting the tray and taking it into the kitchen. Her mother sat down in the chair across from them. She smiled at Heather and Heather felt obligated to smile back. She had no idea what her mother wanted, what her mother knew but she wasn't going to show that uncertainty. That was what her mother wanted. To find the chink in her armor.

Heather wouldn't let her. She straightened her shoulders and met her mother's gaze. She wasn't afraid of her. There was nothing to be afraid of. At least that was what Heather wanted to believe. She was still terrified and she never quite knew why.

"How did you know I would come here?" Heather asked, quirking her eyebrows. Her mother let out a laugh which startled Heather, causing her to flinch.

"Oh darling you always come back." Winifred Sanderson said. "It might take you awhile but you always do. I suppose what I told you before is starting to make sense now eh?"

"You said he'd leave me." Heather said. "And he did. What else is new?"

"Someone sounds bitter!" Winifred tutted. "Bitterness does nothing for you my darling. You have to take action."

"The shit you say makes no sense." Heather said. "If you have something to tell me, then fucking tell me bitch."

"Someone's angry." Winifred chuckled. "Why is that Heather? Are you mad at me or your brother?"

"Both of you." Heather said. "I'm mad at...both of you."

"You had to contemplate that a bit didn't you?" Winifred asked. "I understand why you're angry at me but why are you angry at him? Hmm?"

"I don't know." Heather said. "Maybe because he left me here. Maybe because I'm afraid he'll forget about me like the others did. Maybe because I wanted it to be that left instead of him."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Winifred said, nodding her head. "Continue Heather."

"Why would he leave me?" Heather asked, her voice breaking. "Why would he go without me? He never wanted to before. Why is he interested now?"

"How does that make you feel?" Winifred asked, smiling to herself.

"Mad. sad." Heather said, though she very much didn't like being this vulnerable around her mother. She was up to something. Heather knew that much. "Mad that he left me. Sad that he didn't fight for me to be able to go with him. I don't know mom. How am I supposed to feel."

"You have every right to be angry, to be upset. Winifred replied calmly. Now Heather knew something was definitely wrong. "But eventually you have to get over it."

"You want me to get over it?" Heather asked. "That's fucking funny mom. I'm not going to get over it. I can't."

"That's what you think now." Winifred said. "But eventually you will."

"I'm not going to get over it." Heather said. "Stop telling me that it will be okay. It isn't."

"You will be okay my Heathen." Winifred said. "It takes time."

"Heath I think we should go." Chelsea whispered to her, tugging on her arm. Heather stayed put, narrowing her eyes at her mother. How dare she say that everything would be okay. As long as HJ was over there, as long as they were apart, nothing would be okay. She wanted him back, no, she needed him back and she wasn't going to stop until they were reunited again.

It seemed her mother saw the determination in her eyes and wanted to use it to her advantage. She raised her hands in surrender.

"Don't shoot the messenger Heather." Winifred said. "I'm sure you're brother is doing everything to get to you but if he isn't what can you do?"

Heather knew she was only doing this to anger her and get a response. Yet she couldn't stop herself. The anger was bubbling and she couldn't bottle it forever.

"What can you do about it?" Heather scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'm glad you asked!" her mother said with a smile Heather knew all too well. She didn't like that smile. She didn't trust that smile. "The question is, how far are you willing to go to get what you want Heather?"