The Elites

State of Grace

"I never
Saw you coming
And I'll never
be the same"

"State of Grace" – Taylor Swift

I follow Hope towards her house. The car ride here was silent, Hope didn't answer any of my questions. It's obvious she's mad at me, I'm not sure why she let me drive her here. Maybe she just didn't want to be alone, I get what that's like.

"Hope, are you sure you want to confront them while you're angry?" I ask. Hope's expression immediately makes me realize I made a mistake.

"What did Melissa tell you?" Hope snaps, looking annoyed. "Actually, I don't care, just go home." She storms off without saying anything to me. I quickly follow her.

"I'm not leaving you" I inform her. She glances at me, a small smile on her lips. She opens the front door and walks inside.

"Hope? What are you doing home?" Susan says in surprise. She's sitting on the couch reading a book. I glance around the room. Hope's living room is nice, the floors are wooden, and all the couches are white. The room is spotless, which isn't surprising. I'm sure they have a maid who comes regularly.

"I was wondering whether Mason or Logan will take over Flynn Jewels, since it can't be me" Hope says in a calm voice, a controlled calm, like the calm before a storm. Susan glances at me and under her steel gaze, I know she's putting this whole situation together. Hope only uses her forced calmness when she's really angry.

"Why is that?" Susan asks Hope, her tone matching Hope's. Susan might not be Hope's biological mother, but I can tell Hope has gotten a lot of personality traits from her.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I was adopted!" Hope yells, this is it. Everything is going to start unreeling and I no longer have any say in the matter, it's between Susan and Hope now. Susan looks emotionally exhausted, like she already knows she's going into battle against her own kid.

"Did Juliet tell you or did Eleanor tell you while you were in captivity?" Susan asks. She knows I told her, I barley know Hope and I know she wouldn't keep anything like this to herself for weeks before talking to her family about it.

"You told Eleanor and not me?" Hope snaps, looking betrayed. She grabs my hand tightly, I can feel her nails digging in, but I don't complain. Susan glances at our hands for a second, frowning slightly. She can't think this means anything, can she?

"Eleanor found your adoption file three years ago. This has nothing to do with you, your grandmother would never have forgiven your father if she knew the truth." Susan says coldly. "I see no reason to discuss this any further, you have no need to be upset." Hope has been lied to her for her whole life! She has a lot of reasons to be upset.

"We are discussing this! How could you keep this from grandma? Did you just not see her for nine months?" Hope is getting angrier, but I can tell I haven't seen much, from what Melissa told me, her anger could still get a lot worse.

"Don't raise your voice at me" Susan snaps, glaring at Hope. "It was mine and Andrew's decision and we elected not to tell anybody. Stop acting bratty and either go upstairs or go back to school." Why is she treating Hope like she's got no reason to be emotional?

"We're not going anywhere until you're honest with me for once in your life, can you handle that?" Hope snaps, her face is starting to turn red.

"Fine, have it your way. Your birth parents didn't want you and didn't even bother formally giving you up for adoption, they just dumped you somewhere when you were ten months old." Susan looks every bit as angry as Hope, I don't know why she's treating Hope like an upset three-year-old who is throwing a tantrum over a toy.