Part 1:
Adara stepped into the room, glancing around at the familiarity. Her mother was in her tartan dressing gown, staring out the window with her back to the door. "For the last time, I'm not hung-?" She turned around, stunned at the sight before her.
"A-Adara?" she gasped, clutching her chest. She blinked several times to ensure that she wasn't delirious. When she was sure, she walked across the room, a bit closer to Adara. She swept her eyes over Adara, thoroughly impressed by what she saw. Adara had carried on some of her teenage style into adulthood. She still wore the black eyeliner, all black clothing, and fishnet gloves/stockings, but it was much more mature, and quite becoming on her.
Acting completely on impulse, Minerva glided across the room and engulfed Adara in her arms. Adara instinctively stiffened, but unlike her previous embraces she didn't relax, something Minerva was painfully aware of. She let go a moment later and lead Adara over to the sofa on the other side of the room. She sat down, but never broke her wandering gaze over her daughter's appearance. After a moment's hesitation, Adara removed her cloak and laid to the side before sitting down.
For a while, Minerva just sat there and stared at her daughter, fully taking in her appearance, attempting to grasp the concept that this was real, and that this wasn't just another dream. She noticed Adara begin to fidget and broke the silence with the first thought that came to mind. "So what have you been up to?"
Adara stared at her incredulously. "Y-You're kidding, right? I haven't seen you in over sixteen years and that's all you have to say?!?!"
Minerva sighed. "What do you want me to say Adara? I'm sorry?"
"Well it would help." Adara replied dryly.
"Would it? Because I'm getting the impression that no matter how many times I say it, it won't make any difference."
"So you don't regret any of it?" asked Adara, her temper rapidly rising.
"Don't you dare put words in my mouth!" retorted Minerva, the same temper rising to Adara's level. "Because I regret it more than you'll ever know. I know what your childhood was like, I-"
"No! No you don't! You were barely ever there! And when you were, you were always to busy nagging me about something or another."
"Because you were always drunk and high! Sweet Merlin, every time I turned around you were holding a bottle of alcohol in one hand and holding a marijuana pipe in the other! What did you expect me to do?"
"Leave me be! My god, don't you realize that the reason I do any of those things is because of my depression! You and dad were never home, always on some mission to save the world, Alberic was always on some internship or education program. It was just Aiden and me. And its not like we could ever have friends over. At least, the friends I had."
Minerva had every intention of listening to what Adara had to say, except one thing Adara had said had caught her attention, blocking out all the rest of the things Adara had spoken. "What do you mean do? Are you saying that even after all these years, you still haven't stopped drinking or smoking?"
Adara stared at her stunned. Clearly her mother hadn't listened to a word she had said. "Unbelievable. Un-fucking-believable! I come here to try and work things out with you and instead, you ignore every word I say. Fuck this shit, I'm out of here. I should have known that this wouldn't have worked out. We're just too different."
She glared at her mother before grabbing her cloak and standing.
"Adara, what-what are you doing?" Asked Minerva, taken aback by her daughter's rather ill mannered behavior.
Adara fastened the cloak around her frame and headed over to the door, staring at her mother over her shoulder. "Leaving. You should know. You and Dad were quite the experts at it." But as she opened the door, Minerva came up behind her and slammed it shut bearing a deadly expression. Adara was stunned to feel a small shiver run down her spine at her mother's look.
" Adara, Your father and I never left you, you pushed us away. We made time, Adara. Maybe not as much as we would have liked to have but we did try. We made an effort. We made plans for outings-"
"That never took place and remained plans-" Adara interrupted
"Because of matters beyond our control! We made quality time with the family, you hid away in your room-"
"You sent me there!"
"Because you were drunk or high! Or because you chose to spend the valuable time we had with each other sneering at us!"
"What did you expect? To leave me at home for the majority of the year and have me welcome you with open arms when, or should I say, if you returned?"
"Well it would have been a lovely change from the usual spectacle that greeted us. I would have enjoyed coming home to a daughter who wasn't completely intoxicated or hung-over from the night before." Minerva said dryly.
"And I would have enjoyed a mother who was an actual mother, but we don't get everything we want in life, do we? Now if you'll excuse me I have work-" Minerva grabbed Adara before she could move anywhere and pushed her back onto the sofa, preventing her from leaving.
" Now you listen to me, Adara. I have spent the last sixteen years regretting the day I let you walk out of my life. Not a day has passed without me wondering how you were, what you looked like, if you were happy."
"Bullshit." Adara snarled.
"No, it isn't. Adara, I have waited far too long for this moment. You know that your father and I tried to contact you, to make peace with you. All those letters, all those floo calls you ignored, so don't you dare say that I'm the one ignoring you. I'm trying, Adara. I'm trying to make this work but you have to help me. You've got to make an effort. For once in your life stop pushing me away! Please!" Minerva pleaded with her daughter, unaware of the fact that she was now kneeling before her, truly begging.
Adara rolled her tear filled eyes. "You wouldn't understand."
Minerva cupped Adara's cheek, forcing her to meet her gaze. "Then help me understand." She whispered, tears filling her emerald orbs.
Adara pulled away, unknowingly shifting her glove enough to reveal the crimson slashes, both old and new to a horrified Minerva.