Madison tapped her manicured fingers against the keypad buttons, remembering the code instantly despite having been away from the house for two years. She didn't regret leaving that shithole coven but she was beginning to question what the hell she was doing here of all places. It had been a year since she left New Orleans. She considered getting back into Hollywood but her magic was getting harder to control since she was on her own. Madison watched as the cream gates clicked open and allowed her to make her way up the long drive. The house was a huge Georgia mansion; much too large and lavish for the occupants. The white walls and tall pillars surrounding the front door: it all belonged to Madison. She expected to feel pride or maybe a sense of smugness at the fact that this obnoxiously stunning house belonged to her but as she stood at the bottom of the steps, she felt nothing.
Nothing had become a regular feeling for Madison. She could have pretended it was all down to the fact that she was technically a walking corpse but she hadn't really felt anything for a long time. Madison was a big fat dysfunctional Hollywood cliché and for once in her life, she could admit it. She didn't bother knocking; the door was kept unlocked almost 24/7. The occupants enjoyed loud parties in which seemingly the majority of LA attended. Madison stepped into the foyer*, her heels smacking against the marble floor. She had bought the house a few months before joining the coven, intending to have profligate parties of her own where she could drink and smoke to her hearts content. She even brought in an interior designer to make it look perfect. But that didn't matter now. The house was a total mess. There were bottles on every available surface, plants were tipped over and random articles of clothing (mainly underwear) were hanging from the chandelier.
Madison rolled her eyes and headed up one of the sets of stairs, seeking out the person she wanted to find. The upstairs was much like downstairs and as she pushed open the bathroom door, she could see clear evidence of the amount of drugs that had been, no doubt, readily available. Obviously Madison was in no position to judge. A year ago she would have jumped at the chance to line up with the wasters and do whatever was going around but looking at it now, all she could feel was disgust.
Madison Montgomery hadn't changed but she was trying. She'd dropped off the face of the earth according to TMZ, she was "letting her fans down" said every pretentious movie reviewer on the planet. But she wasn't. She was desperately trying to fix all the little cracks that had appeared after a shitty childhood, a fucked up acting career, finding out you have magical fucking powers and being killed and brought back to life. There's only so much someone can take before they go batshit, right? Or before they decide to hurt everyone else before they got to hurt them.
Stepping out in the hallway, she finally saw who she had been looking for. She was curled up in the threshold of the bedroom that Madison had claimed as hers before she left. She was wearing a silk robe that belonged to Madison and her red hair was splayed around her head like a fiery crown. Her mother was beautiful but the years of drug use had taken its toll. There were dark circles under her eyes, her skin was a dull grey colour and her lips were chapped and cracked. Madison had always towered over her tiny mother and she scooped her up in her arms easily. She led her down gently on the bed before crawling on the other side and letting sleep overtake her.