"Oh Maddie, you are back" said Annie as she smiled and she walked into she and Maddie's room.
"Yes, I am back" said Maddie as she smiled and she looked at Annie.
"How was going back to Sunset Village?" asked Annie as she smiled and she sat down on her bed.
"Well it was good, I got to see Anthony after such a long time, and that makes me happy, and I also got to know that all pictures of Clove have disappeared, except for one stupid family portrait that she all made us sit and take" said Maddie.
"But overall, it was nice going back for a while" said Maddie as she smiled.
"I am glad that it was, you know, Matt and I were worried about you" said Annie as she smiled.
"I know, I know you guys care about me, and I'm sorry that I made you worry, but I just had to go, you know, something I had to find out" said Maddie as she smiled and Annie nodded.
"It makes me happy to know that you all worry about me" said Maddie as she smiled and Annie smiled.
"What are you reading?" asked Annie as she noticed Maddie holding a book that she had never seen before.
"Oh just Clove's diary" said Maddie in a causal tone.
"Where did you get…" said Annie as Maddie cut her off.
"It was part of the things her maid or whoever told me that she wanted me to have or something like that" said Maddie.
"Right… and why are you reading it?" asked Annie.
"I don't know I'm just bored, and there's nothing better to do, I couldn't find you" said Maddie as she turned the next page.
"You know Maddie, it would not be a crime for you to say that you want to know more about her" said Annie as Maddie shot her a lazy look.
"I'm serious Maddie, really, there's nothing wrong with you wanting to know more about her" said Annie as she honestly felt like this was hard for Maddie, even though Maddie did not show it at all.
"Well no, it's not that" said Maddie.
"I mean so far, I realize that Clove was a nut, and I mean a serious one, I always knew that someone who got Azazel to marry her had to be as equally crazy and wicked as he was" said Maddie.
"How do you mean?" asked Annie.
"I mean she's crazy, so naïve, everything is rainbows and puppies, can you imagine that she wrote on the front her diary that this was her diary, and if it was found it should be returned to her" said Maddie with a scoff.
"I mean, that sounds nice" said Annie as that made Maddie scoff even more.
"Nice, that woman nice, she's as evil as Azazel, she did marry the guy, I am sure that this is just some, cute innocent façade, she's a cold hearted killed just like her beloved husband" said Maddie as she scoffed.
"Can you believe that she called him Aza dear? That was her nickname for him" said Maddie as she laughed.
"Did she write that in her diary?" asked Annie.
"No, I know that's what she calls him, I have heard her say that many times" said Maddie.
"So what have you found out so far?" asked Annie.
"Nothing much, just some useless day to day activities she documents, like feeding the animals, and getting some cat to scam her and her parents as she brought the cat in and it took everything, I think it was a dolosus cattus, but anyway, what's what I've read so far" said Maddie as she laughed.
"Maddie, do you think that it's a good idea for you to be reading that? I mean won't it affect you?" asked Annie.
"If you mean affect as in make me laugh and wonder how someone could be so stupid and naïve, then yes, it will affect me" said Maddie as she laughed.
"Hmm, well if it makes you feel better, then fine" said Annie.
"Thank you my dear Annie" said Maddie as she smiled.
"Come in, it's dinner time, and my mom made some pasta your favourite" said Annie as she laughed.
"Ooooh your mom and her good food, come on what are we waiting for?" asked Maddie as she laughed and she closed the diary and she threw it on her bed as she stood up.
"Of course" said Annie as she laughed and she shook her head as they walked out of their room.
…
"Goodnight Maddie" said Annie as she smiled and she got into bed.
"Goodnight Annie" said Maddie as she smiled and she frowned as she saw the diary on her bed, well she had nothing else to do, she didn't feel tired, it felt like it would be good entertainment to fall asleep to.
So Maddie got into bed as she opened the diary and continued from where she left off.
…
Two days later.
"Maddie have you seen Curtis?" asked Annie as she walked into the library and she saw Maddie reading the diary.
"Oh he's with Aunt Stella" said Maddie.
"Okay, thank you" said Annie as she walked out of the library and she almost bumped into Matt as she laughed, she always did that.
"You always bump into me" said Matt as Annie laughed and she shook her head.
"Yeah, yeah, well I didn't this time" said Annie as she laughed.
"Anyway, is Maddie in there?" asked Matt as Annie nodded.
"And still reading her mom's diary?" asked Matt as Annie nodded.
"Should we be worried?" asked Matt.
"I don't even know at this point, but it does keep her in a good mood, and it's nice for her to learn more about her mom… in a way" said Annie.
"I agree" said Matt.
…
Maddie sneezed as she turned the page, this was so boring, she started to page through the diary until she found an entry that piqued her interest.
"Dear Dairy, today I met a very weird man in the barn today, he seemed to have crashed in there, and he had no clothes on, I got him some of Papa's clothes, he seemed funny and cold, and weird" read the entry.
"Now this Is something" said Maddie to herself as she continued to read.
…
"No way" said Annie as she and Maddie were in their room as they were talking.
"I tell you Annie, I can't believe it myself, but I did read it" said Maddie.
"I guess that explains how Clove and Azazel met, eww so disgusting" said Maddie as she frowned.
"But that explains how they fell in love" said Annie.
"I wouldn't call that love Annie, more like a dependency for superiority, Clove didn't seem like a strong minded character, she was too naïve" said Maddie.
"You do know that you are talking about your mother right?" asked Annie.
"Correction, she is the woman who gave birth to me, nothing more, it could be anyone else" said Maddie as Annie sighed.
"But does this at least make you understand her?" asked Annie.
"The only thing I understand was that she was stupid, she relied on the wrong guy, and now look where she ended up, she's erased from the world, like she was never here" said Maddie.
"But don't you feel the slightest empathy for her?" asked Annie.
"Not at all, come on Annie, don't start, let's go to sleep now, please" said Maddie as Annie sighed.
"Fine, fine, Maddie, whatever you say" said Annie.
"Thank you" said Maddie as she smiled.
"Just know that it's not wrong for you to feel empathy" said Annie.
"Yeah, yeah I know, goodnight Annie" said Maddie.
"Goodnight" said Annie as she smiled helplessly and she closed her eyes as Maddie sighed and she closed her eyes.
…
The next day.
"You know, when Aunt Stella calls us to her office like this, you know there's something very serious she wants to tell us" said Maddie.
"Yes" said Annie.
"Agreed" said Matt as the door to Stella's office opened and they all walked into her office as Curtis and Stella were already there as they exchanged greetings and Maddie sat down on the couch.
"What did you want to talk about Aunt?" asked Matt as he looked at Stella.
"Actually, this has to do with Maddie" said Stella as she looked at Maddie.
"Me?" asked Maddie as Stella nodded.
"What is it?" asked Maddie as she looked at Curtis and Stella who looked at each other and she could feel some bad news coming.
"Umm, what's happening?" asked Maddie.
"Maddie, I just received another report from the time keepers this morning and I…" said Stella as she too a pause, she did not know if she should have said this or not.
"And what??" asked Maddie.
"Maddie, promise me that you will be calm first dear" said Stella.
"Hmm, no, tell me first" said Maddie as Stella sighed.
"Maddie, I just found out that… your mother… she is still alive" said Stella carefully as everyone looked at Maddie, waiting for her reaction.