Chapter 1

Hillwood Homecoming

Paul raced out of the car as soon as Liam shifted it into park. He quickly hopped up the stairs of the dusty old stoop. Helga charged after him before he could cause anymore trouble. Olga wasn't as agile as she used to be, so Helga took it upon herself to be Paul's constant body guard. He had recently turned five years old, and with that he became even more of a pain. He was much more of a Pataki.

This was the first time in forever that they came to visit her parents, and Helga had already warned Paul on how to behave around Big Bob and Miriam. After their big move to Manhattan, Helga had only visited Hillwood once, after that she found no reason to return. Until now.

Olga was was pregnant with baby number 2, and even though Helga could take care of her just fine in Manhattan, Miriam insisted on seeing her. They wouldn't stay long, a month tops, Liam did have his work back on Broadway, and Helga was taking online classes for her Masters degree. However, Olga homeschooled little Paul, so she found no reason not to come.

Helga could think of many reasons not to come back. One in particular.

"Helga, could you please hand me my purse?" Phoebe's chipper voice called out.

Phoebe had decided to take this opportunity to come visit her own parents. She was living with them for the past four years. After both Helga and Phoebe were accepted into Columbia University, Liam and Olga made room for Phoebe to move in. Everything was just about perfect.

Now that she was back, she wasn't sure anymore. It had taken her years to finally stop thinking about this place and move on in her life, now that she was back it was like plunging the dagger back inside. Her stoop felt familiar, but a stranger at the same time. The door opened for Paul before they knew it, and Big Bob himself was there to greet them. He took the kid in his arms and raised him up to his shoulders.

"Hey there Paulie!" Bob started. "What, you've been avoiding your old Pops or what?"

"Hi Grandpa!"

Bob set him down and motioned him toward the house. "Get in there and say hi to your grandma, she's been talking about you all week."

Paul ran off and Phoebe followed after him. Olga and Liam were still getting things out of the car, so Helga was left standing there with Bob. It never went well.

"Hey there Little Lady. How's college been treating you?"

Helga rolled her eyes, as if he cared. It always started with stupid small talk that never went anywhere. She guessed anything was better than talking about how Bob and Miriam let her move out junior year.

"It's great."

They left it at that.

Helga walked inside the house and found Miriam making Paul a snack while Phoebe helped. She took the opportunity to go upstairs to her old room. It was nothing like the room she remembered. Everything was gone, most of it was back in her current room in Manhattan. There was one small bed for her to sleep in while she stayed, and a few boxes with things that probably belonged to Bob. The walls were still pink but besides the color, they were bare. She took her small duffle bag of clothes and took them to the closet.

The closet.

Maybe she shouldn't go into the closet.

She set it down on the bed instead.

Unwanted memories were crawling back into her mind and she wasn't sure if she had the strength to keep them away.

"Helga?" Liam voice came from behind her.

He was standing there with his hands in his pockets watching her. "Yeah?"

"You know, it's ok not to be ok."

She looked down to the floor. He was the only one that ever understood her. "I don't think I can do this."

"It will only be for a little while. Besides, you can do anything. It took a lot of courage to leave this place, you'll need just as much to return."

Phoebe and Helga decided to take a walk down the old neighborhood after they went to visit her parents. They were much more pleasant to be around. As they walked, Helga noticed new faces around her that weren't there when she left. New children were playing on the sidewalk, new families were living in houses of her old neighbors. There was one thing that stayed the same.

Moretti's was still opened after the years and a small ember of joy burned inside of Helga. It was just about dinner time so the girls decided to grab a quick bite. The place was packed considering it was a Saturday night. The hostess at the entrance was unfamiliar to Helga, but sat in her favorite booth anyway.

Their waitress appeared a few minutes later and offered them menus.

"Does Marti still work here?" Helga asked the girl.

"Yes he does," the girl replied.

Helga gave Phoebe a soft smile. "Tell him Helga Pataki would like her usual."

The waitress gave her a curious look, but write it down anyway. Phoebe ordered a lasagna and glass of wine.

It only took Rita Moretti three minutes before she charged into the dinning room looking for her. "Helga! Is that really you, Sweetie?"

She pulled the girl right out of her chair and took her in a warm hug. "Rita, you're crushing me here."

"I'm sorry, Sweetie, it's just been so long! I couldn't believe it when I saw the ticket. How have you been? What are you doing back in town?"

Helga looked at Phoebe for a bit of encouragement. "My sister's having her second kid, so she wanted to spend some time here."

"Well that's wonderful! I expect to see you here every night. Your meal will be on the house tonight."

Rita went back to the kitchen soon enough and Helga was glowing. There were things about this town she did miss. Rita was one of them, and her food. After finishing up their dinner, Helga and Phoebe left the waitress a nice tip, said goodbye to Rita, and headed for the door. Helga turned back to give Rita a final wave when she bumped into something, or someone.

"Sorry about that, I wasn't looking, my fault," she explained.

She rubbed the spot where her forehead met the person in front of her. Once she focused on her surroundings, she was sure she'd hit herself into a delusion.

"Helga?" the familiar voice asked.

"Arnold?"