This Chapter goes to Kris, She Who Writes the Parody.
And to Kylie for last night's chat.
Many thanks to the usual suspects, Stella –who meet Hazel fist. Lauren for those long hours, Adelly for talking sense into me. And thank you guys for reading.
Clavie
Witch in Training
Chapter TWENTY-FIVE
Nobody's P. O. V.
It had taken a good deal of skilled bribery, but Evelyn Ferraz had managed to obtain information on the person who had generously donated blood to her husband. It hadn't been easy, the donor had wanted to remain anonymous and hadn't actually left much information, but she had managed to obtain a name: Mrs. Scott. The nurse at the blood bank had told her that Mrs. Scott had as young woman who had gone accompanied by her husband, she hadn't left a given name but she had left an address in Park Hills, one of the rich suburbs of the city.
So, a couple of weeks later, once Mr. Ferraz was out of the hospital and mostly recovered, Mrs. Ferraz loaded her family into her Mercedes and drove off to Park Hills.
"Are you sure you have the answer right, Mom?" Justine asked in her snotty little voice.
"Yes, I checked, this is the only Scott Family in Park Hills, why?"
"Because, I was just thinking, remember that guy I used to date? Logan Scott, I think he lived in Park Hills."
"Do you think it's him?"
"I don't know, but it would be good if I saw him again. He was gorgeous and rich!"
"That's the way of thinking." Mrs. Ferraz said approvingly. "I'm sure you can charm him and his mother, I assume she's the Mrs. Scott we are looking for."
Justine just smiled the rest of the way, planning her future in her head, she would charm and seduce Logan –because was there ever a man to resist her charms? – And they would get married and Justine would graduate to the world of true wealth and power – something like the one percent richest. Sure, the Ferraz family wasn't hurting for money, but they lacked a bit of prestige, they had only been rich for the last three generations. The old-money world was where power was really concentrated, and Justine would be able to gain that power once she managed to make Logan fall in love with her again.
To Mrs. Ferraz surprise, they found the outer gate of the Scott estate open, so she drove right in into the main house. There appeared to be a lot of movement.
"Perhaps this is not a good time." Mr. Ferraz said.
"Oh, don't be silly, we are already here." Mrs. Ferraz said and the three of them left the car and ventured inside of the house.
"We are looking for Mrs. Scott." Mrs. Ferraz said to a maid that was walking by carrying a vase full of flowers.
"She's right there." The girl said distractedly and pointed at a blood, middle-aged woman who was coming down the stairs.
"Were you looking for me?" Mrs. Scott said perplexed.
"We are looking for the woman who was kind enough to donate blood for my husband, just a couple of weeks ago. We wanted to show our gratitude." Mrs. Ferraz said.
"Oh," Mrs. Scott said, recognizing these had to be Hazel's relatives. "I see, that was my daughter in law." She supplied. "We are all a little busy here right now, but maybe she'll be willing to receive you, Tania, give those flowers to Miranda and then come and show these people the garden room."
"Yes, Mrs. Scott." Tania said.
Mrs. Scott smiled a little. "Oh, please, this is my last day as Mrs. Scott, after all." She said and left with an absentminded smile.
"If you follow me," Tania-the-maid said and motioned for the Ferrazes to follow her to the garden room.
Hazel was just finishing her painting, taking advantage of the sunlight as it bathed the gardens, she still had some time before the rehearsal dinner for Mrs. Scott's wedding –which was scheduled to happen the following day – but she had to hurry to bathe and change and get ready to receive the guests, she was, after all, the hostess of the event.
"Miss Hazel," Tania said, interrupting her just as Hazel was signing her latest piece of work. "You have visitors."
Hazel smiled and turned, and the smile froze on her face as she saw who the visitors were, she was totally expecting to see Rebe there – who would have come early to help her oversee the dinner preparations – but no, it wasn't Rebe at all.
"Mo-Mother," Hazel said slowly, trying not to stutter but failing. "What are you doing here? All of you?"
"What are you doing here?" Mrs. Ferraz asked.
"I live here. I've been living here for almost five years now." Hazel said, she wasn't going to let her family bring her down.
"We are looking for Mrs. Scott, have you seen her?" Justine asked impatiently.
"I am Mrs. Scott." Hazel said, taking pride in her name. "Mrs. Hazel Scott."
"You? How could you-?"
"Choose your words carefully, Justine," Logan said from the door.
"Logan?" Justine said as she blinked, Logan was as good looking as she remembered him. "Are you married to her?"
Logan went on as if he hadn't heard him. "My brother tends to go mental when something upsets his wife."
"I'm fine Logan, they aren't upsetting me." Hazel said with a smile. "I think Greg was waiting for you at Uncle Oliver's."
"Hazel…"
"I'm fine! And don't go ratting out to Greg." Hazel warned.
"Fine, fine, but we'll be back in about half an hour, and Mother is still around if you need her."
"Tell Tania to bring some refreshments, will you? On your way out?"
Logan growled a little but left. Hazel took a deep breath and turned to the family who had never been a family to her.
"Would you care to take a seat?" Hazel said, motioning towards the couch and chairs in the Garden Room. The Ferrazes sat together in the couch and Hazel sat on a chair opposite to them. "Well, what did you want to talk about?"
"You were the one who donated blood for your father?" Mrs. Ferraz asked icily.
"Yes, I did." Hazel said. "I heard about it on the radio and Greg took me to the hospital. You weren't supposed to know it was me, though. I never wanted you to know."
"Why did you to it then?" Mrs. Ferraz wanted to know.
"Because I would do it for anymore." Hazel answered calmly.
"Will I be weird like you?" Mr. Ferraz demanded.
Just for show, Hazel made a rolling bolt of lighting thunder outside the window. "No, you won't be weird like me." She answered. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my guests are about to arrive, we are having a rehearsal dinner for Mom's wedding tomorrow."
"Mom? I am your mother!"
"Are you? I would never have known." Hazel said and began to leave. "You're free to stay if you wish, I don't care either way."
That's when Greg chose to make an appearance; he was already dressed for the event ahead though he looked like he had run across the massive garden that separated the Scott's house from Mr. Hayes', still, he was handsome as a man can be.
"Greg," Hazel smiled and her whole demeanor softened.
Greg was frantically looking at her, looking for sings of hurt, but Hazel just kept smiling at him. "Are you alright?"
"Of course I am. Greg, these are my parents." Hazel turned a little and nodded towards them.
Greg didn't answer, just threw them a contemptuous glance. "What brings you here now?" He said after a pause.
"We-"
"You know what I don't care. I won't tolerate your hurting my wife."
"When have we hurt her?" Justine demanded.
"Do you want a list?" Greg said sarcastically. "Not that I care for a list, not showing up at our wedding – not even bothering to answer the invitation – was enough, it upset Hazel and it angered me."
"Greg, that's enough. They don't care, never have." Hazel said, her voice just a little bit sad. "Now, come with me upstairs, I need to change and Mom's friends will be here any moment."
Still glaring at the Ferraz family, Greg followed Hazel out.
Fifteen minutes later, Hazel had changed into a flattering and cute red dress and had come back down to the drawing room that the guest had begun to fill. She wasn't surprised to see that her parents and sisters had chosen to remain at the party, they would have seen it as a great opportunity to mingle among the kind of people they liked to pretend to be, but knew weren't.
"So, those are the 'rents?" Rebe asked once Hazel had greeted all of the guests and made sure the diner plans were progressing smoothly.
"Those are the 'rents." Hazel murmured, taking a small sip from her drink. "Greg was furious I let them stay, I had to convince him to let them be and not cause a scene."
"And I'm so sure you did not enjoy convincing him." Rebe said with a knowing smile. Hazel and Greg were like bunnies just released out of jail… they even made her blush, and it took a heck of a lot to make Rebe blush, specially after all the time she had living in sin with Josh.
"Well…" Hazel said and laughed.
"There you are! I've been looking for you all over!" Logan said urgently. "Lucy is here!"
"Oh! I want to met her,"
"Why do you think I've been looking for you?" Logan said. "Now, remember you promised to say nice things about me… for you got to sleep at some point and I know where that squirrel lives!"
"Yeah, yeah, I'll like." Hazel followed Logan, she was eager to know what type of woman could captivate him so. All day long it was Lucy this, and Lucy that…
And Lucy, well, she was lovely, not at all like any of the other woman Logan had dated in the past, she had delicate, even features and shoulder length light brown hair. She wasn't strikingly beautiful or model like but at the same time, she had a quality about her that just drew people close. And Hazel knew, just watching at them that there was something important between them, even if it was too early in their relationship for them to notice.
"I so never knew you were Hazel's sister!" Pamela, the current president of the Orchid Girls said over dinner, making Justine blush. "You should have mentioned it before! We wouldn't have rejected your application had we known. But don't worry, you're so in now!"
"It's good to know nepotism is alive, good and well in America." Lucy said dryly.
"You don't know the half of it," Logan said, sitting next to her and staring at her like a lovesick puppy.
Conversation went on, back and forth, and slowly Mr. and Mrs. Ferraz and Justine realized how much they didn't belong, and how much Hazel-the-Freak did. They left just after dinner, feeling inadequate in the same way that they had made Hazel feel inadequate during the first part of her life.
Hazel saw her parents leave, and was able to think nothing of it, knowing them, they would probably begin to seek a relationship with her now, but Hazel was finally free from them and couldn't care less either way. Oh, she wasn't a mean person, never had been, and probably would answer most of their calls and make sure to call them at Christmas and such, but their opinion was now insignificant.
Hazel had real bonds now with people who loved her, she had her senior year of college to look forward to, Mr. Yale and Miss Jade had asked her to mentor a young boy at Elvington who had the same rare powers that she and Greg did; and Greg and she were already seeking to make a baby and start their own family to fill the many rooms of the Scott household.
"Are you alright?" Greg asked for the umpteenth time that day, just after Hazel's parents had left and he had managed to kidnap her into the library, away from all the noise of the party.
"You know what? I am." Hazel said with a brilliant smile.
Her past mattered little now, and she did not regret it, because good or bad it had let her to Greg and where she now stood in his embrace.
……
End of Chapter Twenty-Five.
…..
End of Witch in Training.