The Vampire's Warden by S J Wright Read Free Book Online Page A

the contents of our grandfather’s journal, much less about our guest in the meadow. But she would insist on it.
     
    She smiled at me winningly, “I think we can trust these two to finish things up here so you and I can catch up on our girl talk. What do you think, Alex?” She flashed him a look of inquiry.
     
    “ Leave it to Nelly and me.” He agreed, grabbing a stack of plates from the china cabinet, “Of course, if we don’t get this food to the Millers in the next few seconds, I’m going to end up stuffing it into my own mouth. It all looks delicious.”
     
    Nelly smacked his hand when he reached for a piece of sausage and waved us out, “We’ve got it, girls. You two grab some coffee and go catch up.”
     
     
     
    “ Tell me.” She said.
     
    We had settled ourselves into a long wicker sofa on the bright back porch, holding our coffee mugs and sipping at it slowly. She had sat cross-legged on the floral cushions; her shoes had been dropped quickly under the coffee table before us. In comparison, I felt stiff and reluctant to begin. Katie had always been so much more comfortable in her own body than I was. It was petty for me to feel jealous when things were so screwed up, but I shot her an irritated glance anyway.
     
    “ Which part?” I grumbled, wrapping my cold hands more firmly around the hot mug.
     
    She rolled her eyes, “The first part, dork. Dr. Fleming’s visit?”
     
    “ Oh.” That heavy feeling of depression sank back into me, “He had some news.”
     
    “ News about what?”
     
    I took a shaky breath and looked at her, “It’s bad, Katie-bug.”
     
    When I began to explain about what really happened to our mother, I tried not to notice how her expression faltered. I hated watching the light in her eyes go dull and dark. Then angry.
     
    She slammed a hand down on the coffee table but I was not able to grab my coffee before some it sloshed onto the glass top.
     
    “ What kind of mother does that?” She rose from her seat and began pacing across the porch, seething with the news that she did actually have a mother, but that mother had chosen to leave her children.
     
    “ I don’t know the reason, Katie. But we have some information to go on. If you want to find out. If you want to talk to her.” I really hoped she would not want to go that route.
     
    She stopped and stared at me for a moment, as if seeing me for the first time. There was desperation in that familiar face. There was anger, hurt and questions begging to be asked. However, for the first time in her life, Katie used one of my own tactics against emotional trauma. She quite suddenly cut herself out of it.
     
    Facing the screened window, she took several long deep breaths and then her shoulders slumped.
     
    “ Doesn’t matter, does it?” She whispered.
     
    “ It might. Alex said she had good reasons for leaving…” I started.
     
    “ Alex? What the does he have to do with this?” Then she threw her hands up to prevent my answer, bent down to grab her shoes and turned away, “Forget it. I do not want to know. I wish you had never brought this up, Sarah.”
     
    Nevertheless, I needed her. She knew me. She understood. What was she doing?
     
    She disappeared into the house and I heard her quick steps tapping up the stairs to her room.
     
    Nelly came out with a puzzled look on her face, “What was that all about?”
     
    I leaned over, buried my face in my hands, and mumbled, “I told her about Mom still being alive.”
     
    The cushion next to me sank as Nelly settled herself beside me, her familiar girth comforting me as I cursed myself for what I had revealed. She wrapped one heavy arm around me and pulled me close, “Oh, sweetie. I’m sorry.”
     
    I lifted my head and met her sad eyes, “Why didn’t anyone tell me? Why didn’t you ?”
     
    She sighed, “You don’t know how many times I was tempted to do just that, honey.” The lines on her weathered face seemed deeper this morning and