Nothing Out of Place
The ride leading to her grandparents’ home was long and quiet. Nova sat with her siblings in the backseats, both of them leaning on her from each side. They were both asleep, having tired themselves out from arguing about mindless topics. She glanced down at the two of them; Oliver was drooling onto her sleeve, and Izzie had her hair in her face.
Nova didn’t know how to feel. Her thoughts were plagued by the piece of paper she had found in the trash. It was tucked neatly into her duffel bag, hidden under a book and some parchment. Having to act like she wasn’t about to burst while her parents pretended everything was normal felt like utter torture, but Nova knew she had to be smart about it.
Her parents weren’t the kind of people to hide things from their children, so the fact they were being so secretive was as intriguing as it was worrying. Nova had been spending her time hidden in her room, occasionally slipping out to press her ear to her parents’ bedroom door. She had heard about a quarter of their conversations, most of it being muffled through the thick wood.
Nova knew it wasn’t exactly the smartest thing to attempt, even if she had managed to pull it off. She finally lifted her gaze from her siblings’ relaxed expressions and stared out the window, watching the trees blur into one. She could faintly hear the cooing of birds outside as they flew low over the road.
The early afternoon sun shone down gently, covering everything in shades of gold and yellow. Nova would have considered it peaceful if she wasn’t trying to slow down her train of thought. Her fingers curled into her jeans, nails barely digging into her thigh to keep herself grounded.
Nova’s eyes darted to the front seat before finally closing, her head tilting back with a sigh. Even with her eyes closed, the feeling of the path to her grandparent’s home was recognizable. Her thoughts finally settling down, she fell into a light sleep to her parents’ voices talking idly.
Thoughts - Italic ~ Nova's Speech - #a88400
Last edited by Nova Astron on 2 Sep 2025, 20:48, edited 1 time in total.
Nothing Out of Place
The sound of tires against gravel made Nova open her eyes. The car rolled to a stop on the driveway, her siblings bouncing up and down in excitement. The house, a two-story cottage, sat nestled in ivy and vines. She always loved how fresh it smelled there. Her father seemed relieved to have managed to make it there all in one piece with no missing limbs or children.
Outside the soft oak door, where flowers bloomed in the small cracks, her grandparents stood with grins. Her grandfather waved them over and sounds of laughter and greetings filled the air for a few solid moments. Nova stepped out of the car, shoes crunching a leaf that had flown in the warm summer breeze.
Her father was being embraced by her grandfather as he murmured happily. “You’ve finally decided to join us again!” His voice was crisp, the same as it had been the last time they had visited. He and her grandmother looked no different; greying hair and wide grins. Her grandmother wiped her hands on her apron while her grandfather ruffled her father’s hair, much to his protest.
She stepped up, greeting her grandmother with a smile and a quick hug. Izzie was already jumping around excitedly, saying something about playing in their backyard. Oliver, always the shyer of the two, stood behind their mother. As Nova glanced at her expression, the smile seemed much more relaxed than the more common forced smile she gave Nova.
As they were all ushered inside, Nova felt a sense of familiarity as she looked around. Her grandparents weren’t the most organized when it came to cleaning up, but that just made it feel more homely. She settled onto their couch while her siblings ran off into the kitchen to get snacks.
Looking around, a wave of nostalgia washed over her as everyone sat down around the living room, Oliver and Izzie playing on the carpet at their feet. She crossed her legs as her mother chatted on about something. Her father occasionally joined in with a comment or joke, which made them smile.
Almost immediately, her grandmother started to throw questions at her. “Nova, dear, how was your first year at your new school? Did you make any friends?” Nova had heard that question every year they had visited her grandparents, it was almost default. Her grandparents knew about her mother’s secret and the fact that she went to Hogwarts. When her father had broken the news to them, they were surprised yet supportive.
Nova smiled, eyes brightening slightly. “It was great, actually. I met a lot of people, and the Professors were really fun.” Her grandfather, ever the jokester, chimed in. “How much trouble did you get in when you were there? If you’re really your father’s daughter, I’m surprised you haven’t gotten expelled yet!”
Nova raised an eyebrow as her father stiffened before looked indignant, protesting. “I didn’t get expelled! Just suspended. A few times.” He said with a sigh, quickly adding. “And it was Jasper’s fault, too.” Her grandmother just shook her head, both amusement and exasperation on her face as she muttered under her breath.
Her grandmother said something along the lines of ‘It’s not always Jasper’s fault’ while Nova’s train of thought swirled in her mind. That was weird. The face he had made at her grandfather said that. Still, she kept her smile on, sipping the lemonade her grandmother had passed her as her grandfather leaned forward again, eyes bright with mischief.
“Do you have a boyfriend yet?” Almost choking on her lemonade, she shook her head while her dad rolled his eyes, unamused at the question. Clearly, her father had gotten his sense of humour from him. For a moment, the thought of Caspian entered her mind before she shook it off. “Of course not, grandpa. Not yet.” Her grandfather made a disappointed face before echoing. “Not yet.” He waggled his eyebrows at her and Nova just snorted. while her grandmother hummed approvingly at her answer, pointing a knitting needle at her. “Good! Focus on yourself first!”
Nova hid another giggle, meeting her mother’s slightly amused expression. Forgetting her troubles for the moment, she settled back into the couch and listened to the hum of her parents’ voices. For a while, it almost let her forget the nagging thoughts stuffed deep in her duffel bag upstairs.
But only almost.
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Later that evening, the cottage had settled down into a serene peace. Her siblings had gone to bed already, tuckering themselves out. How playing some games and fighting with each other. Her grandparents had also decided to go to sleep, joking about being too old to stay awake past 11.
Nova sat curled up with a blanket over her shoulders. She stared out from the window, listening to the crickets. The tea she had in her hands had long since gone cold, and she set it on the windowsill. She reached into her duffel bag and pulled out the folded scrap of paper again. She read the line for the hundredth time.
Who were they? Why was her mother acting so weird? Why was her father shredding the majority of the mail that they had gotten over the past weeks? And was it about her? Nova hated not knowing. Her mind was constantly nitpicking every little interaction there was. The slightly forced laugh her mother gave at her father’s jokes, or every time worry flickered in her eyes before returning to the relaxed demeanour she had perfected.
Her parents were upstairs in their shared room, talking quietly. Nova stood up, blanket slipping and landing on the ground next to her. Suddenly, it went quiet. Her parents chattering lowered, and Nova’s mind flashed with the strip of paper still resting in her satchel. Deciding quickly, she went up the stairs, taking two at a time despite the small thuds it made. She was smart like that. Pressing her ear close to the door, her parents’ voices became clearer.
First, her mother’s; “Daniel, they’re not stopping. They aren’t just doing letters anymore. One of my patient’s was sent by them.” Her voice sounded tired and low. Nova blinked. Someone was at her mother’s work? She heard her father grunt frustratedly before replying firmly. “Then we try harder. Keep her away from them.”
“If we do that, they’ll try to contact her first!” Her mother protested, voice breaking. Nova felt a pang of hurt at the sound. Her father quickly mumbled something incoherent before replying quietly. “They gave up their right to be in her life the second they pushed you away. You said that yourself.”
At that, Nova took it as her cue to leave her spot, slipping away. She found the room her grandparents had set for her and collapsed onto the bed face first. Is this about mum’s family? She thought to herself, a strange feeling in her chest. Curiosity? Or was it just the slowly overwhelming urge to confront her parents head first? Nova didn’t know. Pulling the small blanket to her chin, Nova tried her hardest to succumb to slumber. At around 1 AM, her eyes finally shut, her train of thought fading away to the back of her mind.
Thoughts - Italic ~ Nova's Speech - #a88400 ~ Parents' Speech - #84774d ~ Grandparents' speech - #9986C0
Nothing Out of Place
Nova woke up to light streaming in through the tiny window in the wall opposite of the bed she was laying in. Her clothes had wrinkled in her sleep, and she muttered something in annoyance before grabbing a change of clothes. Of course, everything from last night rushed into her mind as soon as her eyes had cleared up. Shaking her head, she let out a sigh and exited the bathroom to walk down the staircase. The smell of breakfast cooking wafted through the air along with the scent of morning air.
Already, there was a sort of chaos only the morning could bring. Instead of the peaceful ambience she had expected after a long day and night, she was surprised and slightly annoyed at how loud it was. Her siblings were bickering with their forks while her father sat opposite them, chiding them with tired eyes. What Nova noticed first was her mother looked absolutely exhausted; dark circles under her eyes and she was yawning every few minutes. They had probably continued their discussion long after Nova had gone to bed. It made Nova’s chest clench, unable to figure out what had her parents so tense constantly now.
Her grandma slid a small stack of pancakes towards her, the smell heavenly. Her grandfather finally looked up from his newspaper, commenting with a grin. “Sleeping Beauty finally decided to join us!” Nova gave a small smile, picking at her breakfast before just sneaking an apple from the basket in the center of the table. Her grandmother would go on a riot if she found out Nova didn’t finish her food, so she discreetly slid one of the pancakes to Izzie’s plate, who happily accepted.
As her grandmother finally sat down, she settled down into a chair next to Nova, looking at her fondly. “You look so much like your mother, Nova,” Nova glanced up, smiling politely up at her. “You have the same eyes as her, too. And her hair colour.” She seemed to contemplate for a moment, staring into Nova’s face before her grandpa added in with a chuckle. “Not a trace of Daniel in her, I’d say.” It was an offhanded comment. A joke. So why did her father’s hand clench around his cup of coffee? Nova looked up to meet his gaze, but he turned away quickly, pretending to focus on his breakfast.
Her mother seemed to tense as well before laughing along, but the tension was noticeable. Nova’s eyes narrowed at her father as his gaze darted everywhere but her, eventually settling on her mother’s tense expression as well before it morphed into a carefree one. A slow, sinking weight pressed on her chest. “She’s got her dad’s appetite though,” her grandfather added, pointing at her nearly empty plate with a grin. Everyone laughed — even Nova. But the tightness in her chest didn’t go away. Nova forced a smile, but inside, questions piled up faster than she could bury them.
Thoughts - Italic ~ Nova's Speech - #a88400 ~ Parents' Speech - #84774d ~ Grandparents' speech - #9986C0