CHAPTER TWENTY

It was Hannah's aunts birthday that Saturday and as the Monday was a bank holiday, it was decided that a three day trip to Devon was in order.

Hannah was excited; she loved her aunt and uncle very much and couldn't wait to see them. At the beginning of the school year, she had picked out the perfect present for Aunt Sara, a beautiful lilac scrapbook with the word 'family' embroidered  on the cover. Hannah wasn't very artistic, instead much more technical than anyone else in her family. But she had spent a few hours every few days to neatly fill out a few pages. She had looked for ideas on Pinterest for scrapbooking and coupled with photographs of her and Cam and some embellishments she had brought, she had gotten to work.

The final product was rather impressive if she did say so herself. She had only filled out a few pages so Aunt Sara could do the rest and had written a heartfelt letter inside, thanking her for being the closest she had to a real mother.

Her happiness was dulled however in the car on the way over when Cameron broke the silence. "Aunt Jasmine is gonna be there, you know."

Hannah looked out of the window. Although she knew her mother would attend, she didn't know if she wanted to see her. In the past, she would try her hardest to get her mothers attention and was always ignored or put down. Now, she felt like she had gotten to the point where she had accepted her mother didn't want her.

"I know."

The rest of the journey was quiet, soft music filling the silence. Hannah's heart swelled when they'd arrived at Cameron's parents house, her eyes shining. She was wearing a simple outfit for a change, no longer caring about her mothers opinion. Her jeans fit well and she had a plain emerald coloured vest top on, matching the little bow clip holding her fringe back.

Cam threw an arm around her in a rare moment of affection. "You look like a dork," he said, laughing as she scowled at the way he ruined the moment. "I'm joking, you loser. You look as nice as always. Mums gonna love your cheesy present, okay. And on the way home, we'll pick up something nice to eat or go do something fun if it's really bad, okay."

Hannah lifted her leg backwards as high as she could and hit him on the butt with her foot. "Alright, whatever you say, Cammie."

Laughing, he knocked on the door, stepping back to make way for the hurricane that would be his mother.

"Cameron! Hannah! Oh my babies!" Sara squealed, rushing over to them and pulling them both into a hug. Although she was bubbly, short and petite - a complete contrast to her husband - her hugs seemed to be strong enough to make anyone cry in pain.

"Happy birthday!" they simultaneously burst out before laughing together.

"Aw, I've missed you so much. Lord knows why I allow you to live so far, I've got a good mind to drag you back here to keep an eye on you. At least that way I'd see you more often!"

Cameron groaned. "Mum, we talk on the phone all the time and I know you stalk both our Facebooks. It's not like we died in some ditch somewhere."

Hannah elbowed him in the chest, grinning when he grimaced in pain. "Oi, stop worrying her more!"

His mum only shook her head at her sons antics, her dark eyes sparkling. She pulled them both inside the house as they tried to take their shoes off whilst still being held in an affectionate chokehold.

"There they are," a rumbling voice said as the two lifted their heads up to see Cam's dad standing there. He was an intimidating man: very tall, built like a rock and often stoic. But beneath the silence was a soft heart and Hannah adored him.

"Uncle Jay," she squealed, rushing over to hug him.

He pulled the oven gloves off his hands and threw an arm around her. "You're getting taller every time I see you."

Cameron laughed, walking over to also greet his father. "Dad, c'mon, she's been the exact same height for about five years."

Hannah scowled at him, standing on her tip toes to look as tall as possible. Aunt Sara ushered them inside and Hannah's genuine smile fell slightly.

Her mum was sitting at the dining table, sipping a glass of water. Her grandfather beside his daughter, his face stern despite the old age and his suit neatly pressed.

Jasmine looked as elegant as always, her knee length dress perfectly fitting and her hair long and sleek. But Hannah could always see the bitterness in her mothers eyes - the same eyes as her own.

"Hi," she grudgingly said to break the tension that had slowly built, before taking a seat on the leather sofa on the other side of the room.

Jasmine ignored her.

Cameron ran his fingers through his dark hair, his frustration painted on his face. They were both so stubborn, so silent around each other and he hated being in the middle of it.

With a barely audible sigh, he made his way over to his aunt and grandfather and kissed her on the cheek. "Mornin' Aunt Jasmine. Grandpa."

Jasmine smiled then, a real smile lighting up her face. When she smiled it was so easy to see the strong resemblance her daughter had to her. "Hello Cameron, how are you doing?"

The three made small talk for a while as Uncle Jay came and sat beside his niece, his large shoulder bumping into hers slightly. "Wanna help me in the kitchen? I'm almost done with the food."

Hannah groaned although her eyes shone in amusement. "Considering I'm the worlds worst person at cooking, nope. But you're the boss so it's your call, I suppose."

Her mother stilled at her voice, stronger and more lilting than her own. She stopped at the words and then shrugged her narrow shoulders and continued asking Cameron about school.

Hannah stood up and stretched, looking up at her uncle with a shaky smile. "Alright then mister chef, lead the way," she giggled with a dramatic curtesy.

Aunt Sara was in the kitchen, pulling out her best China for the meal. "You don't have to go to all this trouble. Especially as it's your birthday!" Hannah burst out when she saw the beautiful hand-painted cups and the many dishes that had been prepared.

"Nonsense! It's not often the whole family is together."

Hannah dug her toes into the ground and wrapped her arms around herself, hugging her torso. "I guess."

She didn't feel like part of the family, always feeling the tension around her existence. If it wasn't for Uncle Jay refusing to let his father throw out his grandchild and Aunt Sara for stepping in and raising her, she would never be part of it in the first place.

Trying to push that thought off his mind, determined not to ruin her aunts birthday, she stepped over to the cooker and gazed at the food in adoration. "Wow!" she exclaimed, closing her eyes slightly and taking in the aroma of mixed spices and herbs.

Uncle Jay began explaining the ingredients and many dishes he had prepared and Hannah tried not to drool all over her aunts best china. It was hard though, her uncle was an amazing cook. "How's the restaurant going?" she asked, mentally planning a way she could sneak a samosa without him noticing.

"Business is good but forget all that. How's everything been with you?"

Aunt Sara had grabbed Cameron from inside and the two of them began setting the cutlery, piling the trays of food along the large oak dining table. Hannah and her uncle followed them, in a deep discussion about school.

They settled down and said grace, Hannah rather hesitantly, before beginning to eat. She didn't really know if she believed in God, or in Christ like her family. With his hands still making the motions of the sign of The Cross, their grandfather began asking Cameron questions. His voice was tough and his questions tougher as he shot them like bullets.

"Er, I dunno yet. I haven't decided what to do after school yet."

Their grandfathers eyes narrowed. "What do you mean you haven't decided? You're a few months away from applying, boy!" he barked, his large hands curled up, a perfect contrast to the soft flowers painted against the bowl beside him.

Cameron stuttered, his composure dropping. Thankfully, his mum interrupted, her teasing voice and giggles the perfect antidote to her father-in-laws military interrogation.

"Forget all that boring stuff, have you finally settled down and found a girl you actually like for a change?"

Hannah stifled her giggles, the thought of her cousin not being a complete whore was foreign.

"Nah," he replied lazily, sounding a little proud. "I'll let you know when I find someone decent, ma."

Hannah elbowed him from beside her. "Hey, what about that girl you texting 24/7? What happened there? You were all blushing and giggling if my memory serves correctly!"

Although everyone else was talking quietly to themselves, all eyes turned towards him at that moment. It was well known that Cameron had a new girlfriend every five seconds and as much as his mother slapped him over the head with a wooden spoon for his player ways, he never listened.

Cameron's cheeks flamed, the red peeking out from behind his russet skin. "Er, I dunno what, um, what you're talking about. It didn't work out, yeh, it just didn't. Sorry," he answered, shoving a chicken leg into his mouth to avoid all other questions.

His parents simultaneously rolled their eyes, Jay trying not to grin. He knew one day Cameron would meet his match and had a suspicion that he already had. He couldn't remember the last time his son looked so happy beneath the calm face he always had on. With a mental reminder to find out later, he moved onto his niece.

"What about you? How's that Gabriel kid?"

Hannah's heart sank and she looked down at her plate, her hands shaking slightly. "We broke up," she muttered, trying to refrain from crying or throwing up at the thought of him.

Her mother snorted and Hannah looked up in shock. It had been at least a few years since her mother acknowledged what she was saying. "Stupid girl," she spoke, looking her daughter in the eyes with a cold voice. "So sad over a boy."

Hannah tried to control herself but it was difficult, her lower lip trembling. So much had happened recently and Cameron's words were still playing on her mind. Rape. Attempted rape. Adding to that, all she could think about was Rayne's lovely mother, her apple pie and smiley face. She was so warm, so kind. Why was hers the complete opposite?

Cam reached under the table and squeezed her hand tightly and she appreciated the gesture. He was there, he was always there for her.

With all the strength she could muster, she lifted her head straight up and for the first time in her life, she didn't try to justify her actions. Instead, she turned her head to the side and asked her aunt to pass the salt.

Jasmine was flabbergasted.

Not once in her life had her daughter ever directly ignored her. How dare she!

Uncle Jay swooped in, as trusty as ever, and changed the subject. "So, I know neither of you have made any decisions but any rough ideas of what you wanna do after school?"

Cameron shrugged. "Don't look at me, I'm alright in everything but not great in anything. Ask Hannah though, she's in way more Advanced classes than me."

Hannah giggled. "That's because you're too busy perving on half the student body to get into any."

Cam stuck his tongue out at her. "Yeah right, I'm still not as smart as you. How about the fact that you got 100% on every ICT exam you've ever had in your life without ever taking the subject? Or the fact that you got into the Advanced class without ever doing the Basic one first which is meant to be not allowed anyway?"

Before Hannah could reply, there was a crack, followed by a dulling smash. She thought her body would combust in fear when she saw the way her mother glared at her, the remains of a glass beside her bleeding fist. She looked at her like the way a predator would look at it's prey, her anger coursing through the air.

Without a word she stood up, more intimidating than ever before, and sped out of the room.

Their grandfather grunted in frustration and stood up, his plate still full of food and his naan untouched. "I think we'd better go. Thank you for the food, Sara. Goodbye."

When he had also left, Hannah whimpered. "What did we say wrong?" she whispered as her aunt jumped up from her seat across the table and ran over to her.

"Aw, baby! You didn't do anything bad, believe me. Jasmine is just angry at the world. It's not your fault, darling, it never has been."

Cameron sighed, putting down his fork. "Alright, this is really fucking stupid now!"

His mother frowned at him. "Don't you swear, mister!"

Her husband shook his head at the rest of them. "Sara, they're eighteen and we all know he spends about ninety percent of his life time having sex with random girls he doesn't care about. Swearing isn't the problem here."

Cameron scowled, his arms crossed defensively around his torso. "That isn't the point, we can talk about how messed up I am another day. The point is that we're more than fucking old enough to know what the hell is going on with Aunt Jasmine. Don't you see, you all hide everything so much to try to protect Han but that's only making it worse. You're hurting her."

His mothers eyes widened, her arms still around her niece. She nestled her head in Hannah's shoulders and sighed. "I suppose you're right, I'm so sorry, darling."

Hannah shrugged as though it was no big deal although there were tears hanging off her dark lashes.

"I guess it's about time we tell you about your father then, isn't it."