So...I lied. This episode is actually going to be 3(!) parts long, mostly because the dinner with Audreyanna's dad and Brylee is going to be...well, you can imagine how that's going to go. Part 2 should be up within the next 24 hours, and part 3 on Tuesday--though I'm going to be traveling this week, so don't quote me on this schedule. Hope you enjoy getting to know the foster moms a bit better! I felt bad for neglecting them so much thus far.
Episode 5: Mother, Mother - Part 1
Scene 1 - Inside 28 Windslar
[Audreyanna and Evelyn lie sleeping.]
Alarm clock at 7:30 AM: bzzt! bzzt! bzzt!
Audreyanna (giving Evelyn a wet smooch): You’re in a good mood today.
Evelyn: A day off will do that to anyone. And no kissing before you brush your teeth, remember?
Audreyanna: [sighs} Fine, I’m going.
Evelyn: Or sighing.
[Audreyanna enters the bathroom and starts brushing her teeth.]
Evelyn (from the bedroom): It’s a nice day out. We should do something fun today! Windenburg’s going to get a lot of rain soon.
Audreyanna Can’t. Long day at work, then a dinner obligation that I unfortunately can’t skip.
Evelyn: Dinner? Ooh, who with?
Audreyanna (mumbling around her toothbrush): I’ll tell you later.
Evelyn: That’s too bad. I’ll see if any of the kids want to take a walk with me after school.
[Evelyn goes downstairs and looks at the house’s shared calendar.]
Evelyn: Or not, I guess. Soccer practice, shifts at work...“prior commitment”? Thanks for being cryptic, Josh.
Audreyanna (from upstairs): Can you—
Evelyn: Make you a cup? Sure, though I’m not sure how you heard me from all the way up there. Morning, Heather.
Heather (rushing out of the house): Sorry, can’t talk. Rani’s waiting for me so we can take the train together.
Evelyn: What about the others?
Heather: Already left!
Scene 2 - Outside 28 Windslar
[The two foster moms sit on a swinging bench on their patio, drinking coffee.]
Evelyn: Kids all gone?
Audreyanna: Yep. Don’t think we’ve had the house to ourselves since we moved in. I like it.
Evelyn: Forgot to tell you—I’m taking Bobbie to the petting zoo in a few hours.
Audreyanna: Let me guess: your brother begged you to get her out of the house?
Evelyn: Yeah, but I don’t blame him. She’s antsy to start school, but she has to wait until the fall. That’s forever to a five-year-old.
Audreyanna: No kidding.
Evelyn: And now it’s my turn to guess. You’re having dinner with your dad, aren’t you?
[Audreyanna is silent.]
Evelyn: Busted.
Audreyanna: It’s not what you think, okay? We haven’t spoken since Christmas. I’m still low-contact. A dinner is...a concession.
Evelyn (sipping from her mug): Mm.
Audreyanna: A way to keep him at a respectable distance. I don’t want him to come poking around in my life. You remember how that went last time.
Evelyn: Audreyanna, you’re almost fifty.
Audreyanna: Don’t I know it.
Evelyn: I’m just saying that, at this point, you can put your foot down. We’re not little girls anymore.
Audreyanna (pulling Evelyn to rest against her chest): C’mere. You’re too far away.
Evelyn: Trying to be cute isn’t going to change my mind.
Audreyanna (pausing before speaking): You’re right, okay? But I need to do this on my own time. Ever since Mom died, the thought of finally pulling away has been too painful for me to even think about.
Evelyn: I could come with you, if you’d like.
[Audreyanna snorts.]
Evelyn: Hey, don’t laugh. Anyone facing down dinner with your father and Brylee needs major moral support.
Audreyanna: I appreciate the offer. Honest. But this is something I need to do on my own. And I love you, babe, but even you can’t handle Brylee.
Wes: There you are. Thought you might have run away already.
Haven: God, you’re clingy. I checked out a record store in Copperdale with Cassandra. Pretty fucking cool. The perfect place for a jam sesh.
Wes: Cassie, huh? You move fast.
Haven: Very funny. You know she’s dating someone, right? That Sidney Price guy.
Wes: So?
Haven: So, I’m not her type in the slightest. I might as well get used to being a lonely Windenburg farmer.
Wes: Well, then, allow me to be your fairy godmother. Got an invite to a nightclub from Wolf. Remember him? The club’s all the way in Evergreen Harbor, but he swears by it. Here, I’ll send you his text.
Haven: Got it. Dew Point? What kind of name is that?
Wes: They’re weird in the Harbor. But they’ve allegedly got good drinks, they don’t check IDs too closely, and weed’s legal there. What’s not to like?
Haven: And you’re sure it’ll be...my kind of scene? You know what I mean.
Wes: Haven, Haven, Haven. When have I ever led you astray?
Haven: Well—
Wes: On second thought, you don’t need to answer that. Wolf seems right up your alley—don’t think I’ve seen him in anything other than black outside of school. You’ll love him.
Scene 2 - Inside the Fosters home
Heather: Thanks so much for staying over, Rani. To be honest, I thought I’d be all alone on my birthday.
Rani: Alone? You’ve got 5 other teens in this house! I’m jealous, honestly.
Heather: I guess so...but I’ve only known them for a few days. Chloe’s nice, but she’s always at soccer practice or the gym.
Rani: I get it. I know we don’t know you that well, but Marissa and I had fun. And sorry she had to duck out so early—her parents might actually keel over and die if she misses a single science fair.
Heather: That’s all right. I’ll see you both in school on Monday. Have a safe trip back to Oasis Springs!
Scene 3 - Inside the Fosters home
Haven: Makeup done, hair done...I clean up pretty good!
Cassandra, on the phone: [Why am I traveling all the way to the Harbor tonight?]
Haven: Because your new BFF needs a wingwoman. Some guy named Wolf invited Wes to a club, and Wes invited me, and I don’t know anybody else there.
Cassandra: [Wolf invited you guys? He said he had work tonight! That bastard.]
Haven: You know him?
[Do I know Wolfgang Metzinger? snorts Only since he bit my arm when I wouldn’t share my chorizo back in second grade. That asshole’s usually one of my best friends.]
Cassandra: Haven: Usually.
Cassandra: [He does stupid shit sometimes. Can’t help it.]
Haven: Well, let’s hope he’s trustworthy tonight. When I go too long without a date, I shrivel up like a raisin and waste away.
Haven: Seventeen as of next week, and hardly. [pauses] All right, Wes is ready to go. I’ll be waiting for you at Dew Point, and if you want me to remain a voluptuous grape, then I’ll see you there.
Cassandra: [Never say those words in that order again.]
I'm back with another magazine cover! This time it's for the resident sweetheart with a murky past. Heather's bio is under the cut, if you're interested!
(links will be added as I make more posts)
Others in this series: Haven | Chloe
Heather Ranunculus is a sweetheart. That’s probably the best way to describe her. She’s about to turn 16 in a few days, on Love Day. She has the Pretty and Kind traits (that's how she's been viewed by those around her, at least), and her aspiration is to be a famous actor. She’s the kind of person everyone wants to be around. That’s what makes what happened to her all the more heartbreaking.
Truthfully, Heather doesn’t know exactly what happened before she turned nine. All she’s been told is that she had a mother, father, and sister who loved her very much. On her ninth birthday, she and her family got into a car accident that killed everyone but her. She survived, obviously, but it messed with her memory. Without any other relatives to care for her, she entered the foster system. She hasn’t been treated the best—calling her “Cinderella” would probably be a step too far, but she has always been treated as an afterthought. And despite her kind heart, like everyone else, she has her own vices. Basically, Heather’s an excellent liar. She has a perfect poker face and can convince pretty much anyone that she’s telling the truth. Makes her a great actor, but, you know.
All Heather wants is a stable home where she doesn’t get belittled. Is that really too much to ask?
