Beyond the Broken Angel

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Giselle felt her heart deflate at the anguish in her cousin's aged, blue eyes. "She won't forget your face, Selene," Giselle assured her. "I rarely see her and she hasn't forgotten my face, and stop worrying about the tree. It'll call you back, I just know it will."

Selene nodded, taking in Giselle's assurances. She uncrossed her arms, picking at a loose thread on her pants.

"She still resents me, you know," Selene said out of the blue. "My mum. She's still angry at me for leaving her to live with my dad. This is exactly how she used to treat me when I would visit during the summers and on holidays. I can't even remember there ever being a day when we didn't fight." She shook her head to herself. "And this whole time I was gone, I kept thinking that when I would see her again, everything would be right between us. That time would heal our relationship." She chuckled bitterly, sweeping her eyes over to Giselle. "Obviously that didn't happen."

"Maybe you should sit down with her and talk everything over. Maybe then she'll—"

"That won't do anything, Ellie," Selene interjected. "I tried that already, and it only ended in another big fight." She rolled her eyes. "There's no getting through to that woman."

The back door opened again, Hester's friend Jo coming out.

"Are you doing alright, Selene?" Jo asked as she approached the table, relying heavily on her sleek, wooden cane.

Selene nodded. "I'm quite alright, Mrs. Jo. I am used to this, after all."

Jo frowned. "Well you shouldn't be. Don't worry though, my dear, I gave her a few words after you stormed off. Scared that old cow off to her room and everything." She winked at Selene.

"Man, I wish I was there to see that," Giselle said.

Selene laughed. "I'm sure you'll get to see it again one day." She nodded her head towards the old woman. "This lady here has always been a sort of hero to me. She was always putting Mum in her place when we got into arguments."

Jo shrugged. "Well, she deserves it." She drummed her fingers on her cane before sighing and looking to Selene. "I'm sorry she's like this to you, my dear. Maybe she'll come to her senses some day and start treating you better."

Selene scoffed. "Yeah, and then pigs will sprout wings and start flying."

"Jo," Sophie called out as she held the patio door open with her frail body, "are you ready?"

"Yes, I am," she said before looking back to Giselle and Selene. "Well, I guess I'll be off. You two be good."

"We'll try," Giselle joked as Selene said, "bye, Mrs. Jo."

Once they were left alone, Selene let out a sigh. "I wish my mum were more like Jo. You know, all sweet and, well, nice."

"Hey, at least your mom isn't like Ajay's nana who literally tries to marry him off to any girl she meets," Giselle said.

Selene looked at her cousin out of the corner of her eye.

"What's that look for?" Giselle asked, squirming under Selene's gaze.

Selene shrugged. "Nothing, just thinking about what's going on with you and Ajay."

Giselle blanched, looking off to the forest. "There's nothing going on with me and him."

"Hmm, it doesn't seem like nothing. You two hang out an awful lot for there not to be anything going on between you. I may be old, Giselle, but I'm not stupid."

Giselle sighed. "Okay, I might like him a little bit, and I'm pretty sure that he definitely likes me, but we're just friends. Seriously. Anything more than friends would be complicated."