Keeper of Destinies, page 17
part #5 of Graveyard Guardians Series
People were beginning to depart, since the funeral was officially over. But he couldn’t bring himself to leave. Slowly, he sank down to the grassy, wet earth between his parents and sat, holding his umbrella above him.
What would he do without them?
He wasn’t sure how long he sat there before he heard a low voice say his name.
“Greg?”
He jumped, startled out of his thoughts. Looking up, he squinted against the rain and found Demetri Dover, one of the Sacramento Keepers, examining him with a concerned expression. “Son, it’s time to come inside.”
“I can’t…”
“What you can’t do is sit out here all day.”
Greg didn’t answer, but he didn’t move to get up either. He didn’t want to be around people and right now his house was full of them. He didn’t want to talk about how sorry they were for his loss. He didn’t want to have people touching and hugging him. He didn’t want any of that, he just wanted to be alone.
“You have to come inside. We have some issues to discuss before Susan and I have to depart.”
Now that got his attention. What kind of issues would they need to discuss with him. Demetri was in charge of assignments and basically made sure that the graveyards throughout the state were appropriately guarded. “What issues?”
“Come inside so we can talk.”
Pushing himself up, he rose to standing and followed Demetri across the graveyard and over the expanse of lawn toward the yellow farmhouse. He could hear the commotion in the house before they even stepped up onto the porch, and it made him cringe to think of all those people milling about in there.
They entered the house through the back door into the kitchen and found the room full of people, mostly women, preparing food trays and chattering.
“Let’s use my parent’s office.” Greg said, moving around Demetri so that he could lead him toward the room his parents used to keep all the important files and other such things. “It should be empty.”
He pushed the door open and found that, indeed, it was vacant. He held the door open for the elder Keeper, who strode directly to the chair across from the desk. Greg closed the door softly behind him and then took the chair on the other side. “What kind of issues do we need to discuss?” He asked, getting straight to the point.
Demetri took a deep breath and then released it. “Greg, you are almost eighteen and when you are, you will gain full control of your graveyard…”
“I am going to be eighteen in four months,” Greg cut him off, knowing where this was going. “I can handle it.”
“I have no doubt that you can, but at this moment you are a minor and the state requires you have a guardian.”
Greg didn’t know what to say. His parents had never spoken with him about what would happen to him in the event of their death. Yes, their jobs had some risk, but he never thought that he would actually lose either of them, never mind both at the same time.
“Both of your parents have it legally documented that in the case that both of them should perish, William Davenport would be left as your guardian.”
Fear suddenly curled its ugly fingers into him. “I can’t leave here. I can’t leave my home.”
Demetri nodded. “Of course. We would never make you leave, especially after the trauma you have already been through. William is set to come here and stay with you until you come of age, and then he will go back to San Francisco.”
“Seriously. It’s only four months!” Greg threw his hands in the air. “I mean, who would know anyway.”
With a shake of his head, sadness was clear across the older man’s face. “I’m sorry, this is how it has to be. We have to make sure that things are done legally. If not, you could end up a ward of the state or … I don’t know. It’s only four months, Greg, just ride it out.”
“I can’t believe this.”
“You might even like William,” Demetri tried. “Give it a chance.”
Closing his eyes, Greg forced the anger back once more. Demetri was only doing his job. He was looking out for him and also abiding by his what his parents asked for. He wasn’t to blame. “Okay, fine,” he nodded. “I’ll give it a chance.”
A sigh of relief practically exploded from Demetri and he leaned back in his chair as if the conversation had tired him out. “Thank you.”
Greg stood and circled the desk. “Thank you for considering my parents’ wishes. That means a lot to me. I may not like it, but I respect loyalty.”
Pushing himself out of the chair, Demetri nodded and extended his hand. Greg accepted and they shook as if they had come to some sort of business agreement. “I am truly sorry for your loss, son.”
He really hated it when people called him son, especially now that his father was gone. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate that.”
“Well, Susan and I have quite a drive so we’re going to be getting on back home.”
Greg nodded. “Drive safely, the storm is looking pretty bad.”
“We will. Please call if you need anything.”
“I will,” Greg assured him as he opened the door.
With a nod, the older man left and instead of going out to join those who had come to mourn and remember his parents, he shut the door softly and went back to the chair behind the desk. The room muffled the voices in the rest of the house, but he could still hear them.
He knew it was horrible, but he just wanted them all to go home and leave him alone. It was a Saturday and he had school on Monday, so there was a lot to get done before then, especially if he had to prepare for company now.
He leaned back in the chair and examined the items on the surface of the desk. A pencil container filled with pens and pencils, a shallow box that held a stack of papers, a few envelopes which were probably bills he was going to have to figure out how to pay, and a framed photo of himself in his football uniform. The photo had a bronze and faded look to it, making the image appear older than it was. The only other picture on the desk was of his mother and father. It was from their wedding. His mother, in her fluffy white dress and long dark hair, had her arms around his father’s neck and stared up at him as if he were the only thing on Earth. His father had the same look in his eyes as he looked down upon his new wife.
Greg felt his heart lurch and forced back the lump in his throat. He could not cry. He would not cry.
When he had found out that they were gone, he shed more tears than he ever had in his entire life. It wasn’t a very manly thing to do, the crying, but when you lose what is most important to you in life, it is all you have.
He had to come up with a plan for how he was going to find the Reaper who took them away from him. With the Keeper coming from the Bay Area to babysit him, he knew the plan would have to be for after he turned eighteen so that no one would stand in his way.
It didn’t matter how long it took. He would find who was responsible for their murder and avenge them. They had given him everything, so he owed them that much.
Other Books by Jennifer Malone Wright
Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians #1)(Always free)
Keeper of the Peace (Graveyard Guardians #2)
Keeper Under Fire (Graveyard Guardians #3)
Keeper of Spirits (Graveyard Guardians #4)
Keeper of Destinies (Graveyard Guardians #5)
Summer Hollow (A Graveyard Guardians Prequel)
BearyTales
Savior (A Higher Collective Novel)
Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse – Jade (Always free)
Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse: Episode 2
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part 1 (Always free)
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 2
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part 3
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 4
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 5
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part 6
The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: The Complete Collection
(All six parts a total of 72,000 words)
The Arcadia Falls Chronicles is The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter story continued
Love & War (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 1)
Taking Talon (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 2)
Vampire Apocalypse (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 3)
Blood Warrior (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 4)
Winds of Fire (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 5)
Innocence and Evil (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 6)
Origins and Impulse (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 7)
Mortals and Magic (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 8)
Sound of Sirens (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 9)
Heart of the Hurricane (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles 10)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jennifer Malone Wright resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her husband and five children where she practices preparing for the zombie apocalypse. Just kidding!
But seriously, between the craziness of taking care of her children, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent working on her beloved fiction or chatting with her equally crazy friends.
Jennifer also loves coffee, has a passionate affair with red bull, wishes the sushi were better where she lives and dances while she cleans.
Please visit Jennifer’s website at
www.jennifermalonewright.com
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Jennifer Malone Wright, Keeper of Destinies
