11 Days in Hell

Chpt. 6 "you can never repeat these words"

Cora slowly lifted herself out of the cart and walked over to meet her grandmother for the first time.

The two studied each other for what seemed like forever.

Suddenly, Victoria pulled Cora into a tight, instantly warming hug. And when she did that, a large amount of weight was lifted from Cora's shoulder.

Her grandmother accepted her.

"Come on inside, I've fixed us some breakfast."  Victoria grabbed Cora's hand, leading her inside the mansion.

She excitedly followed behind Victoria, allowing her to hang her cardigan and backpack in the foyer as they headed to the kitchen which was nowhere near the entrance of the home.

They passed the den, the dining room, laundry room, and greenhouse before finally getting to kitchen. With a home as large as this, she wondered how her grandmother kept everything up because the entire home glistened.

When they finally made it to the kitchen, Victoria pulled out a chair at the kitchen table for Cora to sit down. Water, lemonade, crepes, eggs, bacon, sausage, a stack of buttery waffles, and  sausage sat before them.

Cora certainly wasn't expecting this.

"Are you hungry? I had my cook come in earlier to cook for us. I had him make a bunch of things just incase there was something you wouldn't like." Victoria confesses. She in fact was nervous about meeting Cora for the first time too.

Cook? Cora asked herself. Victoria has a cook?

Cora was speechless. She couldn't believe that a stranger had gone so beyond to please her.

"This is amazing. Usually I have an apple or toast with two strips of bacon for breakfast." Cora let out, her eyes starting to become bigger than her stomach.

Victoria furrowed her eyebrows, somewhat not surprised with her grandmothers words but also happy that she was exposing her granddaughter to something much better.

"Well let's dig in, shall we?" Victoria suggested, piling some of everything onto a plate for Cora to eat.

Victoria watched Cora stuff her face with the breakfast foods, frowning to herself. Does she eat? Victoria thought.

"Do you eat?" Victoria finally blurred out. She absolutely needed to know why her granddaughter was this hungry.

"Well I only had an apple for breakfast." Cora responded, covering her mouth as she spoke, food still in her cheeks.

"Why?" Victoria wanted to know.

"There wasn't really anything there I guess. And the bread is pretty stale. Didn't want that." Cora answered, grabbing a glass of water to help get the food down her throat so she could properly speak.

Victoria gasped. Now she had more questions to ask, but she decided to wait.

After the two finished breakfast, Cora helped Victoria clear off the table. Victoria decided she wanted to take her granddaughter on a tour of the house.

"My husband and I had this house built about forty years ago. This was the first house in the community." Victoria told Cora as they walked out of the kitchen.

Cora couldn't stop her head from spinning as she gazed at the interior design of the home. Rose colored with hints of gold. A marble staircase in the center of the foyer she was just dying to ascend.

"From the front door, to the left, that's my greenhouse. I have it attached to the house so it's easier to work on when it rains." Cora watched Victoria unlocked the oak wood door and pushed it open. The first time Cora passed the greenhouse, she only saw a glimpse of the inside.

Cora was instantly hit with the smell of fragrant flowers, sweet olives, and even a hint of jasmine. And with the variety of flowers, fruits, and veggies, Cora was witnessing a beautiful homemade rainbow.

"This is usually where I get all my fruits and vegetables. You'll never see me in the produce section at the grocery store because mine... it's just simply better!"

Victoria pulled out a pair of scissors, cut a white rose from where it grew in its pot, and handed it to Cora. "A pretty flower for a pretty girl." She said softly to her granddaughter, smiling.

Cora's eyes watered a bit but she managed to blink away her tears.

"Thank you." The only other person who had said such a sweet thing was Robbie.

Maybe I am pretty?

The two continued the tour, stopping by the dining room where Victoria showed Cora the expensive China she had accumulated from traveling a few years ago.

What excited Cora the most was when they finally went up the staircase and found themselves in Victorious humongous closet.

Before her grandmother said anything else. There was something Cora was absolutely dying to know.

How did she own a house this big?

A cook?

And this glamorous closet full of gowns, suits, scarves, and a jewelry case in the middle of it...

Cora couldn't even properly pronounce the name brands.

"Grandma, how do you live like this?" Cora let out, sort of like she was releasing a breath of hair she had been holding in forever.

Victoria erupted into laughter, almost losing her balance as she stood in the door frame of her gigantic closet.

"Well I saved all of my money when I was a young adult, went off to an Ivy League school, studied abroad to learn a few languages. I got a job in corporate America translating for the companies foreign partners." Victoria began talking about her life.

"I fell in love with the ceo of the company and we married."

Cora smiled. "Is he my grandfather?"

Victoria frowned. "Was. He had a severe heart attack a few years ago." From the look in Victoria's eyes, Cora could tell the pain was still there.

Before Cora could ask another question, Victoria moved to the center of the closet where the jewelry case stood and opened it up.

"Come here." She signaled Cora, pulling out a dainty silver necklace. It had a small diamond heart pendant attached to it. Victoria wanted Cora to have it.

"I can't." Cora kept repeating.

"You can." Victoria stated. "Now, lift your hair so we can see it on you!" Victoria exclaimed excitedly.

Cora did as she was told and stood still while her grandmother put the necklace on her. After her grandmother clasped it together, she slowly guided Cora over to the mirror so she could show her how the necklace looked so graceful on her neck. 

"It's-" Cora began to speak but Victoria ended up finishing the statement for her. "beautiful," Victoria ended the sentence. Cora smiled and hugged her grandmother tightly. 

In a matter of hours, they had grown very close. Cora thought maybe it was an appropriate time to ask Victoria some questions about their family. 

"What happened between you and my mother? She told me you were dead." Cora confessed, sitting on the bed with her grandmother. Victoria huffed, ran her fingers through her fluffy brown mane. 

"Honestly, Carl. Your mother may not want to admit that. But it was him who came between us." She let out, simply. 

"What happened exactly?" Cora pressed. 

Victoria was reluctant. She wanted to be open with her granddaughter. But was Cora ready?

"You can never repeat these words." 

Cora nodded nervously. What was Victoria about to say? 

"You're father raped Julia. And he's been controlling her ever since."