As I woke up the following morning, my head throbbed from a combination of lack of sleep and intense emotions. I got dressed, then grabbed Mom's journal, walking downstairs. Thankfully, I was alone. Breathing a sigh of relief, I sat down on the couch and began to read. 'I was taking a walk yesterday and ended up at the graveyard. A very familiar gravestone caught my eye soon thereafter. Sarah. For a few long moments, I just stood there, sobbing as memories flashed through my head. One in particular was my 10th birthday. I remember we had an impromptu sleepover, just the two of us.'

My hands shook as I turned the page. 'We stayed up until the early hours of the next morning, talking nonstop. It was the first time in a long time that we'd just hung out. She'd always been busy with her other friends and we'd always run in different circles, but it was nice this time, just me and her. As the memory ended, I realised it had gotten dark. A shiver ran through me as I walked back home. I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was following me.'

A knock on the front door made me flinch. I wiped tears off my face as I walked to the door and opened it. Tara stood there, a haunted look in her normally bright blue eyes. "Hey," she said.

I smiled sadly at her. "Come on in. How are you?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Trying to process everything."

I nodded. "That makes two of us."

As I shut the door behind us, she looked past me, nodding at the journal. "You've been thinking about her a lot, huh?"

I nodded, walking over to the couch. "Apparently, Mom had a sister that died a few years before she and Dad started dating. That, amongst other issues, was the reason their families never got along. Hundreds of vampires were killed in the dead of night. Her sister was killed in a car wreck that same night."

Tara was staring at me, her eyes wide with shock. "I had no idea."

I shook my head. "Enough about me. How are you doing?"

She forced a smile. "I'm okay." I nodded as a knock on the front door made both of us flinch. I walked to the door, opening it to reveal a woman standing in front of me, her face vaguely familiar.

I looked into chocolate-brown eyes and it hit me: this was Mom's mother. I hadn't seen or heard from her in years. After Mom died, her parents stopped coming over or calling.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice emotionless.

She visibly flinched at my words. "I heard about Ross and wanted to see how y'all were doing." The words were sympathetic, but her gaze told a different story: she was glad to hear of his death. "Can I come in?"

Tara cleared her throat behind me and I hastily turned around, shutting the door behind me as she walked in. "Sorry. Tara, this is Mom's mother, Diane. Grandma, this is Tara."

Her gaze was surprised as recognition flashed in her eyes. "You're Ross's daughter?"

Tara's expression never changed, even after the words left Grandma's mouth. "Yes, ma'am. I've heard a lot about you. It's great to finally meet you."

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. Dad came home a few hours later; his expression was cold as he recognised Grandma. "What are you doing here, Diane?"

Her smile was anything but genuine as she looked at Dad. "As I told Bella, I wanted to see how y'all were doing. I heard what happened."

Before Dad could say or do anything, Tara spoke up. "I should probably go. It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Diane." After a small wave in my direction, Tara walked out, shutting the door behind her.

I whirled around, my eyes spitting fire as I zeroed in on Grandma. "She's my friend, Grandma. The least you could do is try to be courteous."

Dad spoke up, sensing Grandma's response. "It's late. Why don't we all get some sleep and talk about this tomorrow?"

Later that night, I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. I just kept thinking about what happened. I'd never seen Grandma like that before. She was one of the nicest people I knew. I finally dozed off sometime around midnight.

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