broken // branded sequel // heathers au

thirteen

Elody's POV

My mother prepared for the trip to her parent's house anxiously. She kept asking if the bruises on her face were covered, which they were. She had layered all her concealers to hide the truth.

I could hear her thank god for the cold weather. It meant she could wear long sleeves and not have her own mother see any of the yellowing bruises on her arms. When I asked why that mattered, my mother narrowed her eyes at me and said nothing.

She had told us why this reconciliation was happening. Neither Auden or I were too happy at it but we knew it was what our mother wanted. She wanted our father in our lives. So we packed duffel bags for a weekend at Grandma's house, as if we were small children going to get stuffed with cookies and showered with love.

And because of the sudden vacation my parents were taking, my father came on the ride to blow cigarette smoke out his window and sigh as we approached the house.

It was a grand thing, the house my mother grew up in. A large Victorian style home in the wealthiest area of Sherwood, Ohio. It made the house I grew up in feel small, despite the size of it being comparable. Something about the style of the homes made them feel different. My mother's childhood home was something out of a fairy tale. Mine was something out of suburbia.

Seeing my grandmother showed me instantly where my mother's looks came from. She had the same brown hair and chocolate eyes. The same smile. But she was for more aged than my mother was. Despite only being twenty-five years older, something had made her age more rapidly.

Maybe it had something to do with her daughter's lifestyle choices and the constant worrying about her.

"Mom, this is Auden and Elody." My own mother said, her voice tentatively excited for this reunion.

Auden and I said hello only to be pulled into my grandmother's arms. She hugged us tightly. I don't know if Auden could feel it, but it felt familiar. Despite the last time she saw us being when we were babies, she felt like family.

"You two have gotten so big," My grandmother said to Auden and I. One of her hands held mine, the other held Auden's. "So beautiful. Just like your mother." She added.

"Thank you," I said quietly while Auden remained mostly silent, giving a soft smile. She had been warned to keep the sass to a minimum until our parents left. Probably because my parents were worried it would prevent their vacation.

My mother interjected, pulling our grandmother aside for her own hug. I've never seen my mother cry so many tears of joy. I looked back at the car, where my father sat with a cigarette. Annoyed at how long my mother was taking, he hit the horn shortly.

"Tell him to come here for a moment. I haven't seen you in years, I'd like some time with you." My grandmother told my mother, who hopped down the stairs like a child and walked to the car. I could see my father's mouth move in response to what my mother said. I saw his eyes flare with annoyance that made me bite my lip.

Reluctantly, my father walked back with my mother. He had his arm around her hip. It was his way of showing that my mother did not belong to her own parents, she belonged to him.

"Valerie." He greeted my grandmother coolly. I already knew he wasn't a big fan of her or really anyone at all.

"Jason." She replied back, just as cold. I had a small moment of wonder why he didn't snap at her for using his first name. He normally snapped at my mother for doing that, maybe he didn't want to come across as more of a dickhead.

I skimmed my hand across the railing of the porch, feeling tiny indents in the wood. "What's this from?" I asked my grandmother.

"Allow me," My father said, taking a long drag off his cigarette and stubbing it into the wooden railing. I could see my grandmother's face crinkle.