The Three Sisters

“Come on, you little squirts, let’s go!”

Over a dozen children made their way through the library over to the reading nook near the east end. The gaslit chandeliers brightened the library on the cold, snowy winter evening. As Amon gathered the gaggle of children to the reading nook, he glanced upward to the glass ceiling that connected to the windows that surrounded them in the corner of the library. Fat flakes of snow fell gently overhead as the snowy banks outside the windows grew ever larger.

Sheena walked up behind Amon, her copper hair glistening in the light. She gave him a glide of her hand across his back as she moved around him, and a slight tingle moved up and down his spine. Her other hand was preoccupied, guiding an eight-year-old girl through the rows of mismatched books. Her blonde hair and ocean-blue eyes glistened as she moved closer to the fireplace that stood off to the right of the gathering crowd.

Finding a spot amongst the sea of children, Sheena sat down on the floor, crossing her legs, with Lily plopping herself into her lap. They all gathered in a “U” shape around a soft-looking leather chair, strategically placed on a raised floor close to the windows, where Marie, Amon’s grandmother and head of the school for the Children of Loss, sat.

She watched patiently as the children sat around her, their bright eyes gleaming with excitement. As the roar of the small crowd’s talking began to reach its pinnacle, Marie cleared her throat.

“Good evening, everyone!” She spoke to the crowd.

“Good evening, Mrs. Marie,” the crowd of children spoke back.

“It is, isn’t it?” She glanced above herself as she watched the snow fall against the overhead window, quickly getting lost in the snowfall. “Alright,” she spoke with a smile, her mind returning to the crowd, “Thank you all for coming tonight! Now, can anyone tell me why we’re here?”

Hands began to shoot out of the crowd like popped kernels. “Yes, Emile?” she said, addressing the brown-haired boy near the front of the group.

“That’s an easy one, Mrs. Marie!” He beamed. “It’s story night!”

Marie chuckled at the boy’s enthusiasm. “Yes, Emile, it is story night. But can you tell me why we meet every Sunday night? Why not every Saturday night? Or Friday mornings?”

The boy grew a puzzled look as more hands shot up.

Marie scanned the audience of eager hands waving to the sky. As she peered around, her eyes settled on a peculiarly quiet girl near the middle rear of the crowd.

“Why doesn’t my great-granddaughter give it a try?”

Multiple heads turned to look at Lily, whose eyes casually darted between her onlookers through fallen golden strands of her hair. “Any ideas, Liliana?” Marie asked again.

Sheena looked down at Lily, who was thinking quietly as she stared forward, unblinking. “Because Great-Great-Grandma used to do it,” she answered matter-of-factly.

The crowd gave a unified “Oooh,” and a few nods as Marie confirmed what Lily had spoken. “Exactly, Lily,” she beamed at her granddaughter. “My mother, Lily’s great-great-grandmother, as she put it, started our Sunday night story time with all of the little children that live in our massive home. She hoped that, with all of you together, you’d learn to become good friends as you grew up. Playing together, learning together, eating and communing together. She hoped that, maybe, you would all grow as close as siblings!” She waved her hand over the crowd of children. “As you see, not all of you sitting here hold the name of the family, the name of Mourne; some of you come to us tonight from the north wing, the orphan wing.”

Little heads began to move as the realization struck some of them.

“Remember,” Marie continued, “if there is one thing you learn from me, Mr. Amon, and everyone else who helps you every day, it’s unity between each other. Everyone who lives within the walls of our home is family, and everyone who is in need is welcome. Never forget that the moment someone enters these walls to stay, we consider them as family, no matter who they are or where they come from.”

Heads nodded, and smiles spread across the crowd as another hand popped up.

“Yes, Eugene?”

The little boy grew red in the face as he unnecessarily stood up. “It’s Gene, Mrs. Marie!”

“Yes, yes, of course it is. My apologies, Gene. Do you have a question?”

Gene pointed forward at Marie with his fat little finger. “How come you don’t have a book, Mrs. Marie? Where’s our story? You promised us a story!”

Amon rolled his eyes as the sturdy wooden bookshelf he was leaning against gave a reluctant groan. Eugene was always making drama where it wasn’t needed, always taking something to the next level. This was just another example of what Amon considered an annoying skill. Marie simply chuckled again, brushing off the childish antics.

“Well, Gene, if you must know, tonight is a special story night. This story, though not written, has been passed down for generations within the family. It may not be written down, and you may not find it in our library gathering dust, but that’s what makes it even more special. Because it’s so special, I figured I should share it with you all tonight. And, maybe, when you’re older, you can tell it to the next generation of children who will make their way through these halls.”

Silently, Gene sat back down, crossing his legs on the carpeted floor.

Surveying the children, a smile spread across Marie’s face. “Once again,” she said, “this is a very special story, one that I ask you to pay close attention to. Do you all think you can do that for me?”

The children nodded together, with Gene nodding particularly hard, while Lily didn’t budge a muscle. Sheena looked down at her daughter and brushed the loose strands of hair behind her ears. She slowly began rocking back and forth, lulling Lily along. She felt her little body become less tense as she sank deeper into her lap.

“One last thing before we start,” Marie said as she adjusted herself within the leather chair. “Please, no interruptions until the end. You may end up talking during an important part of the story and ruin the suspense. Understand, Gene?”

The young boy flushed red again as he nodded quickly, making a zipper motion over his lips.

A hand shot quickly out of the crowd. “What’s sus-pens?” The little girl asked.

Even Amon couldn’t hold back his subtle smirk.

“You’ll all see, don’t you worry. Just have patience, and no talking, understand?” Another unison of nods happened within the group, and even Lily nodded along.

“Alright,” Marie said, finding herself a comfortable position within the oversized and overstuffed chair. “Well, as you all know, all stories must have a beginning. So…” She bounced her eyes once more around the crowd, then began her tale.

“Once upon a time, there were three sisters. These three sisters lived in perfect harmony amongst one another, and each, unique in their ways, held a special gift that helped their small family.

“The first sister was the strongest. She was always protective of her other sisters, and her gift was leadership. She fearlessly guided them through the worst of troubles, always thinking of what was best for them.

“The second sister was meek in spirit, which meant she was a gentle and humble person. Her gift was silence, and in her silence, she brought peace to the sisters and calmed the fierceness of the first.

“The third sister, just like the others, was unique in her own way. She was outgoing and caring for all who surrounded her. Her gift was boundless love, a form of love that had never been seen before. She was always outspoken on behalf of those who suffered around her. Those who were less than, the needy, the hurt, the unfortunate.

“With their special gifts, the sisters lived in harmony, relying on each other to prosper.

“But, as time went on, that harmony between them began to dwindle. The first sister, the one gifted with leadership, began to become jealous of the third. She saw how the third sister was helping those in need outside of their family, so she became envious.

“She asked herself, ‘Why does she care more about those who are outside of the family than her own sisters?’

“As jealousy continuously wrapped itself around her, over time, she eventually became enraged with envy.

“Even the second sister, the one gifted with silence, couldn’t calm the fire that was within the first sister’s heart. The first sister, in her anger, began to blame the second sister for allowing the third to be as astray as she was. It was her silence, her lack of speech, that caused the third sister to lose interest in the family and focus on those outside of it, she believed. She blamed the second sister for the lack of kindness she felt.

“Outraged, the second sister retaliated against the harsh words of the first. ‘It isn’t my fault she cares more for others,’ the second said. ‘It’s your lack of leadership that caused her to run astray!’

“As the two sisters continued to rage on against one another, the third sister, focused on her tasks, was blind to the catastrophe that was unfolding around her. Instead of coming to the third sister with their concerns, they continued to fight behind her back, for years on end.

“Time ticked ever forward, as it’s known to do, and the prosperity of the sisters grew and grew. But as the sisters became wealthier, the people around them grew poorer. So, naturally, the third sister helped where she believed she was needed. As she did so, the second sister remained silent, more out of spite than peace, and the first continued to wallow and fester in her anger.

Night after night, the first sister would pace her room, fighting herself within her head. ‘Why does she not love us anymore?’ She asked herself. ‘Why are we not good enough for her?’ Fear struck her as another thought crept into her mind, one that seemed to shake her very being. ‘Why does she not love me?’ She thought in a panic.

“These rampaging thoughts swirled around the first sister, intoxicating her mind and soul, until she became cold and distant. No longer did the second sister’s gift of silence bring her peace. And no longer did the third’s gift of kindness soften the now-cold, hardened heart of her older sister.

“This hardened heart of hers, the one that now plagued her day and night, caused her to search for something, anything to pull her sisters back, to return the power and authority of their family, to reunite the trio once again. She searched high and low, through the valleys and mountains, rivers and oceans, until one day she stumbled upon what she was looking for.

“A dark, foreboding power, one that gave her power to control those near and far. ‘This is what I need,’ she said. ‘This will make us a family once again.’

“Returning from her long search, she first encountered those whom the third sister helped. The first sister noticed that the people, once dull and gray, now shone as radiant as the third, glowing with the kindness she had bestowed upon them.

“Rage filled the first sister at this sight. Their smiles, their happiness, given to them when it should have been hers! Her own smile crept over her face, one not of kindness, but of sinister intent, as she called the people closer. As they moved, blissfully unaware of the sister’s evil plot, she took her chance to strike.

“In one fell swoop, those smiling faces beaming with the glow of the third sister, dropped lifeless before her. Everyone, man, woman, and child, lay before her.

“Viewing her evil deed, her smile only grew more twisted. ‘If this can be done to these people, then what’s stopping me from doing it to everyone else!’ she laughed.

Moving throughout the neighboring towns and villages, she enacted her hatred on every person the third sister had helped. Lost in her fury, she even went after those who hadn’t yet been touched by the third’s kindness. Her anger grew, and the deaths of those around her grew even more.

“Seeing this death and destruction, the third sister couldn’t turn a blind eye to her oldest. She begged her to stop. All of the pointless death and destruction she was causing.

“But her words fell on deaf ears, as the first sister had grown too cold, too blind for any kindness she could receive.

“Understanding this, the third went to the second, asking for help. Even the second, with her gift of silence, couldn’t remain so. She had seen the devastation her sister had created, and guilt wrapped around her for not coming to the third earlier. She stood by her sister, clashing with the first, fighting for what they knew was right.

“They fought, and they fought, on and on. Their fight against the first sister turned into one of self-destruction as everything they had ever built began to crumble around them. The guidance of the land had fallen when the first sister grew hateful. The peace over the land had dissipated into chaos once the second sister became spiteful. The love that had been shared among the people had dwindled due to the third’s ignorance. And even their home, their once beautiful and warm haven, had fallen to rubble as they continued their onslaught.

“As the fighting continued on, and it seemed as if it would never end, the dust finally began to settle. The two sisters finally overpowered the first, gaining the upper hand in the battle. They overpowered her as she fell to her greed for power and control. The weapon she searched for, high and low, near and far, had finally failed her. Standing victorious, the two sisters stood over their defeated sibling, now lifeless, just as the innocent she had slaughtered.

“But even though this was a victory, it wasn’t one of celebration, no, far from it. Yes, the evil was done, and yes, the darkness that had fallen around them was also defeated. But their sister, the one who had protected them and guided them, was now gone forever.

“Tears streamed down their faces as the realization came upon them like a heavy weight, one that felt impossible to lift. But they persevered.

“They rebuilt what was broken, together, the two sisters. They helped the survivors, working with them to rebuild their towns and villages. But as those settlements grew, and the people once again glowed with the radiance of love, the sisters were still left homeless.

“It had been destroyed, all of it, nothing stood anymore on the grounds of their family. But in her sorrow, the third sister had hope; hope for a new future, one that would benefit the sisters and those around them. A place that would symbolize their kinship, their camaraderie.

“Thus, a new home was built with the assistance of those around them, one that was open to all, even those from outside of the family. A place where the doors were always open, and hospitality was first in the minds of those who entered its walls.

“Among the rebuild, there was a special addition that the sisters insisted on having, one that helpers from the neighboring villages gladly assisted with. Three towers for three sisters, each a symbol of where they came from: one to the East, one to the West, and one in the center to the north.

“And amongst these towers of stone, one was made grander than the rest. Made to immortalize the first sister, it stood larger and taller, symbolic in nature. The sisters wanted the first to be remembered as the strong leader. Because even though she caused catastrophic destruction, she was still the sister who led them forward, helped raise them, and kept them safe. It was a dark corruption, a misunderstanding that led their sister to enact such a horrific crime. Their true sister, the one before, is who they wanted the world to remember forever. So, the first sister’s tower, standing more regal than the others, is a reminder of the strength and protection she gave the other two sisters, to live on for eternity.”

Marie scanned the room, seeing the bright eyes flicker in front of her as over a dozen children gazed in awe at her story.

With a big smile, she raised her hands and said what they were all anticipating: “The end!” she said with a breath of gusto.

Gleaming eyes looked back at her, some excited, some puzzled, but all wide. Sitting back in her chair, Marie began to chuckle. “Well, don’t be shy! What did you all think of the story?”

Immediately, mixed responses began to bounce around the room, reverberating off the far walls of the library.

“I liked it, Mrs. Marie!” one said.

“I dunno… I think it was scary...” Another spoke.

“That wasn’t scary! I can tell you an even scarier story later!” Gene responded loudly.

As the children continued to talk amongst themselves, Sheena leaned her head lower to Lily’s ear, “What do you think?” She asked her playfully. “Was it scary?”

Lily didn’t say anything, keeping completely still. Sheena frowned at her silence, getting slightly worried. “Lily? You okay?”

Lily slowly tilted her head up, looking at Sheena, a wide smile spread across her face. Sheena chuckled and matched Lily’s smile, “From that look, I’m going to guess you liked it?”

Lily bobbed her head up and down, “It wasn’t scary,” she said, “or at least I don’t think so.”

Sheena let out another chuckle as she began to rock back and forth again. “Oh? So then how would you describe it?”

“It had a happy ending, I think...” Lily responded. “It gave me hope; hope for the sisters and villagers for whatever comes next in their story!”

Sheena kissed the top of Lily’s head, “I’m glad you liked it.”

Soon after, one by one, the children’s families came to bring them home, as the orphans, the Children of Loss, were led back to the north wing.

Amon greeted and nodded to the family members as they came and left, and gave his cousin Abel, who was escorting the orphans back to the north wing, a slight punch to the shoulder. After a short time, all who were left in the library were Sheena, Lily, Marie, and Amon.

Now sitting on Amon’s shoulders, Lily bounced as Amon walked over to his grandmother, his face wearing his emotions. Before he could speak, Marie beat him to it.

“I know that look,” she told him as she stepped down from the lifted floor. “It’s the same story your great-grandparents told you, so what’s the problem? Did I miss a detail?”

“It’s a lie, that’s the problem,” he said coolly.

“Funny,” Marie said as she moved to the opposite wall, shutting off the gas valves to the overhead lights. “You never seemed to have a problem with it when you were younger. I remember a young boy asking to hear that story almost every night.”

“That was before that ‘young boy’ learned the truth,” he said. You and I both know that story is a load of...” he caught a glance from Sheena. “…crap,” he adjusted himself.

Lily remained stoic on his shoulders.

“You seem to also forget that it’s a children’s story, intended for children,” Marie spoke, aggravation permeating her voice. “If you have issues with a children’s story, one that is, once again, intended for children, then I suggest you reevaluate your priorities.”

“What really happened if it’s a lie?” Lily asked, cutting into the thick tension of the conversation.

“Maybe that’s a story for another time,” Sheena spoke quickly.

“No,” Amon said flatly. “I can tell you the real story. One without the fairytale nonsense.”

Marie flared her arms in annoyance and exasperation as she spun back to the wall, shutting off the remaining gas lines. “You have about five minutes until this place is dark,” She told him. “I’m going to bed.” Marie began to walk towards the front of the library, then turned around. “Good luck, Sheena,” she said. “The little one may have trouble sleeping after my grandson is done with his… truth-telling.” Pushing the swinging door open, she stepped out into the hallway.

“Thanks for the pep-talk...” Sheena breathed quietly to herself as she and Amon headed to the front of the library.

“So?” Lily asked with impatience.

“You can’t back out now,” Sheena told him. “You know she won’t stop until you tell her.”

Lily put her hands on the top of her father’s head, sliding her fingers through his thick black hair. “I’ll pull,” she said with a warning tug.

“Fine, I said I would, so I ’ll-ow! Lily, come on! I said I would!”

“I just wanted to make sure,” she said with authority as she adjusted herself on her father’s shoulders.

Amon grunted as he noticed the lights begin to dim. “I should tell it here, it isn’t something that people like to hear roaming the halls... Just don’t pull my hair again, got it?”

He felt her body rock back and forth as she nodded.

“What Marie, your great-grandmother, said in the story was mostly correct in its continuity.”

“Smaller words, Amon, please? She’s only eight,” Sheena pleaded with him.

Another loud sigh emanated as Amon backtracked with his words.

“Great-Grandma’s story didn’t tell the whole truth, even though it followed what actually happened. The truth is, the sisters in the story weren’t actual ‘sisters,’ they were the three original branches of our family.”

“Branches?” Lily slowly spoke. “Oh! Like how we have the seven branches now?”

“Exactly,” he said. “But these branches were proto... er... the original branches.” He corrected himself after once again catching Sheena’s eye.

“These three branches, the ones that made up the family originally, were called the Sympathizers, Neutrals, and Fanatics. Each of the sisters represents each branch. The Sympathizers were the third sister, the Neutrals were the second, and the Fanatics were the first. You following so far?”

Amon felt another silent nod.

“The Fanatics held the primary power in the family,” he said as he began to pace in a large circle. “They were also the majority; there were more of them than any of the other branches.”

Another silent nod.

The Sympathizers were nearly the exact opposite of the Fanatics. Instead of worrying about power and control, they were more focused on how that power and control were affecting the people around them. They didn’t like the Fanatics and their belief that the family was superior, so, just like the third sister in the story, they helped everyone they could. They felt it was the family’s duty to assist those in need because of the family’s immense wealth. But what Great-Grandma failed to mention is that they were mitigating... er... protecting the people from the Fanatic branch from the start. The Fanatics never viewed anyone outside of the family as anything more than garbage.”

Amon paused his pacing and winced a bit as Lily curled her fingers into fists. “That’s really mean...” She quietly spoke.

“Yes,” Sheena responded, reaching up and stroking her hair. “It was very mean.”

“The Neutrals,” Amon said, continuing his circular path, were exactly as Great-Grandma described. They were quiet and never picked a side between the branches. But, once again, something that the story doesn’t tell us is that the Fanatics took that silence as obedience. They thought, in their controlling minds, that if there was no repercussion, no backlash from the neutrals, then they were on their side.”

Amon scoffed. “Once again, the Fanatics were wrong.”

Sheena watched Amon as he circled around, paying close attention to his facial expressions.

“But,” he said, stopping so suddenly that Lily had to hold tight, “Just like the story, eventually the Fanatic branch decided enough was enough.”

The library grew to a slight dim as Amon stood motionless, lost in his thoughts. Sheena walked forward and placed her hand on his chest, which gently pulled him back from his trance.

“We should go,” she told him.

Without a second thought, Amon led the way out of the library, holding the door open for Sheena to pass through.

“What happened next?” Lily pressed her father as they walked down the manor halls.

Without worrying about who may hear him, he continued without pause. “Over time,” he said with a sigh, the Fanatics forcefully adopted their purity ideology, a sense of eugenics within the family.”

“What does that mean?” Lily asked, leaning forward, dipping her face in front of her father’s, trying to look him in the eyes.

“It means they believed that if a person wasn’t born into the family, then they weren’t worth anything,” Sheena told Lily, helping her sit even on Amon’s shoulders.

“They called them ‘bloodless,’ a term that, unfortunately, hasn’t died over the centuries,” Amon said with disgust.

“One by one, those who were within the family, but weren’t blood related, were killed off systematically. Even the villagers and townsfolk Great-Grandma spoke of in the story were victims of the Fanatics; all in the name of superiority,” he said through clenched teeth.

“And no one could stop them?” Lily asked, her voice trembling a bit.

“No. Remember, the Fanatics made up most of the family during that time; it was nearly impossible for the other branches to do anything, even when they began to work together.”

“Work together?” Lily asked.

“Yes. Eventually, the Fanatic branch decided their way was the only way, which meant that even the family members weren’t safe anymore. The other branches fought back, and a form of internal ‘war’ broke out.”

The trio meandered through the halls, heading west through the winding wings. pushing a door open, Amon led the way into the hall that connected to the nexus, the main area of the manor.

“It’s believed, he continued, “that around this time in the conflict, Amara first surfaced.”

“I know about her!” Lily said excitedly. “She’s the witch! Or, you know… what people call a witch...”

“There isn’t much known about Amara,” Amon said, adjusting Lily more comfortably on his shoulders. “It’s been over 2000 years, so history has become hazy, to say the least, and what we do know about her, as minimal as it is, isn’t the friendliest.”

“Okay… but what happened next?” Lily asked impatiently as she ducked underneath the doorway into the north wing stairwell. Turning left, they traveled through another door, into the residential wing that surrounded the orphan wing.

“Long story short, it’s believed that the Fanatic branch used Amara’s… ‘abilities,’ to contain and control. The Fanatics created their false throne, destroying anyone and anything that didn’t fit their beliefs. And eugenic agenda.”

Amon reached back with his right hand and placed it firmly on Lily’s back as he gripped the railing to the stairs. Slowly, they traveled upwards.

“Unfortunately, there really isn’t much more to the story, Lil. We know they were defeated, but we don’t know how. We know Amara was taken down with them, but we also don’t know how. All that’s left of her is the headstone, which has unfortunately become a popular tourist attraction throughout time.”

Lily huffed, “That’s a lame ending...”

“So sorry to disappoint.”

Entering the third-floor hallway, Amon opened the first door off the stairwell. As all three entered their home, he lifted Lily up and placed her on the wooden floor. She quickly kicked off her slip-ons and made her way forward, her feet making a gentle padding noise as she walked over to the couch, plopping herself down in the center of it, sinking into the soft cushion.

“No one knows what happened to those bad people?” Lily asked, watching Sheena and Amon take off their shoes.

“No,” Amon responded, “actually, that we do know.”

Sheena gave him a quick glance before walking into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

“Well?” Lily pressed.

“Well, those of the Fanatic branch were left scattered and disappeared, but they still pop up every once in a while. But now, we call them by a different name, heretics.”

“Oh!” Lily shouted. “Those are the people you and Great-Grandpa look for, right? And then you kick their butts and throw them out!” She stood up, kicked the air hard with her legs, and fell down onto the soft cushions of the couch.

“Great-Grandpa is the one who searches for them,” Amon said, chuckling at Lily’s animations. “I just... give my assistance when I’m needed, that’s all.” His eyes trailed away, a motion Lily picked up, but didn’t respond to.

Amon unbuttoned his gray vest and threw it on a pile of dirty clothes next to the bed. Uncuffing his dress shirt, he rolled up his sleeves, exposing his forearms.

Lily’s eyes traced his arms up and down curiously.

“Papa?”

“Yes, Lily.”

“What exactly happened to your arms? You’ve never told me.”

Amon paused. He looked down at his forearms, both covered in black marks. Scars filled the surface of both his forearms, graphemes that had been meticulously cut into him years ago, tattooed with black ink to make them stand out prominently.

He turned to Lily, adjusting his posture.

“Oh, these?” He said nonchalantly. “I got these from those ‘bad guys’ you mentioned. I was a kid when that happened.” Lily gasped in horror as she pulled a pillow close to her chest.

It’s okay,” he quickly assured her, raising his hands to calm her. “Those people are long gone now.”

“A-are you sure?” She asked, frightened.

“Yes, he’s sure,” Sheena said, as she returned from the bathroom. “And I’m sure that it’s well past your bedtime.”

“But I’m not tired,” Lily whined, pushing the pillow forcefully onto the floor as she accidentally let out a large yawn.

“Uh-huh... Go brush your teeth, please.” With a groan, Lily slowly made her way to the bathroom, then, after crawling into the center of the bed, she was out like a light. Her gentle breathing began to lull the other two as they sat on the couch.

“So,” Sheena said, eyeing Amon. “You wanna tell me why you blatantly lied to your daughter?”

“What do you mean?” Amon asked, innocently.

“Come on, Amon, you know exactly what I mean,” Sheena said as she sat upright. “You and I both know that isn’t even close to the truth on how you got those marks. Why lie?”

“Because she isn’t ready to know the truth,” Amon said quickly. Even behind his calm expression and emotionless face, it was obvious to Sheena that he had already gone through this conversation in his mind.

Letting out a reluctant sigh, she fell back into the couch. “Okay, okay,” she said, “I won’t push it further, but she does deserve to know.”

“And I will tell her when she’s older and can handle it,” Amon snapped.

“What’s with the harsh tone, mister?” she snapped back.

“Nothing,” Amon quickly conceded. “I just feel like I should be able to decide when she learns about my past. You already want her to know about the post-mortem rooms, and that’s something that’s held secret even from the children of the family until they’re at least eighteen. You know the Mourne’s don’t let their secrets go easily. Why are you trying to force it all on her now?”

“I just want her prepared for whatever may happen in the future,” Sheena said, trying to console Amon. “I just think it would be better if she knew the truth sooner rather than later...”

“I promise I’ll tell her,” he said.

“You promise?”

“Yes”

“When?”

“When the time is right.”

“I’m not going to get a straight answer from you, am I?”

“Not tonight, no.”

Sheena sighed, accepting her defeat. “I just worry, you know?” She looked behind her at the small lump lying on the bed. “You sure that’s the same girl who got a police escort to the south steps? At five years old? It’s hard to believe that she ever was that wild, or could’ve been that wild at such a young age...”

Amon chuckled lightly. “Yeah, she’s the same one, trust me. She’s just mellowed out a bit over the past few months, thanks to you.”

“Thank you, but I worry, Amon,” Sheena said, sadness growing in her eyes as she looked down at her feet. “I’m worried that she may have to deal with the horrors of our past... I don’t want her, or anyone else, to have to go through what we did. Never again, remember?” She looked over to him.

Amon matched her gaze, peering into her emerald eyes.

“I remember,” he said. “And I will never forget.”

Sheena crawled across the couch, lying her head on Amon’s lap. “I know, I’m sorry for being pushy.”

Amon ran his fingers through her soft copper hair. “It’s okay. It shows you care.”

Before lying down, Amon stepped over behind his desk and slightly moved the corner of the curtain of the large window aside. He watched as familiar blue hues wandered between the trees just outside the property. Restless spirits, constantly wandering the enormous cemetery that lay just beyond the stone walls, were a familiar sight to everyone. His eyes bounced over to the left, to a small hill that broke the tree line. He stared long enough for his eyes to glaze over, then he released the corner of the curtain, letting it gently glide back to where it originally was.

Slipping into bed on the left side of Lily, He had to avoid her outstretched arms and legs as she took up the center. After carefully sliding under the covers, Amon placed his arm over Lily’s small frame, feeling Sheena’s hand already placed there. A warm sense of comfort washed over him as he closed his eyes, quickly reliving the day’s activities in his mind.

But it was much quicker than he anticipated. With a combination of Lily’s soft breathing, Sheena’s hand under his, and the warm feeling that encapsulated him, he quickly drifted off into the night.