Читать книгу Legacy: Phoenix and the Dark Star - Gerald Pruett - Страница 7
ОглавлениеChapter Three
At 2:20 A.M., at the Hospital, a doctor stepped up to Winona, Riley and Brad—who were waiting in the waiting room—and gave them the news that Bonnie was diagnosed with having a severe case of heartburn.
“Thank God it’s not a heart attack,” Winona couldn’t help saying.
The doctor slightly grinned before saying, “Your aunt will be discharged shortly.”
Winona nodded before saying, “Thanks.”
The doctor nodded before saying, “Take care.”
“Take Care,” Winona, Riley and Brad echoed.
The doctor nodded with a grin before walking away.
A few hours later at school, twenty minutes before the first class was to begin, Ellen stepped up to her locker. The halls were moderately crowded, and the closest student to her was six lockers away.
Ellen was finishing up at her locker when Everett stepped up.
“Good morning,” Everett told Ellen as he moved to his locker, which was two lockers from Ellen’s right.
“Good morning,” Ellen echoed in a slightly troubled tone.
Everett caught the tone, and without opening his locker, he faced Ellen and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ellen deliberated for a moment before taking a breath and saying, “I have an opportunity to be a part of something; something that I think might be worthwhile.”
“If it’s worthwhile then why do you sound worried?” Everett questioned.
“I’m worried because I know that you won’t share my opinion,” Ellen explained nervously.
Everett gave Ellen a curious look while asking, “What’s this opportunity?”
“Can you trust me that I won’t do anything immoral?” Ellen requested.
“I do trust you, and you can trust me,” Everett replied.
Ellen thought for a moment before nodding and saying, “When the Wizard Wars came to an end, the three wizard lines had formed a united coven called the Tri-Star Confederation.” Everett gave Ellen a curious look. “I think that this confederation was formed to help keep peace among the wizard lines as the United Nations was formed to help keep peace among the nations.”
“Okay,” Everett said in an uncertain tone.
“Anyway, I learned last night that the Tri-Star Confederation is still in operations today. The members are peaceful with good morals, and Blaire—one of Harris’s cousins… she’s a second cousin actually—is a member of the Tri-Star Confederation. Blaire, two other members of the Tri-Star Confederation and Sadie flew in last night from London, and they…”
“Wait, your house isn’t big enough for that many overnight guests,” Everett interrupted.
“They have a couple of rooms at a nearby hotel,” Ellen informed. “Anyway, Blaire and her two coven members had offered me membership.”
“And you accepted?” Everett quickly asked.
“Not yet,” Ellen replied as she stared into Everett’s eyes as if she was waiting for his approval.
“You’re going to though,” Everett accused.
“I want to,” Ellen corrected as she continued to stare into Everett’s eyes. “I had heard them out last night, and I’m convinced that the Tri-Star Confederation is a moral group. I think that this is a good opportunity for me, but I won’t join if you don’t want me to.”
“If I don’t want you to join, you won’t join?” Everett asked incredulously.
“I don’t want to do anything to lose your trust or respect for me, so I won’t join if you don’t want me to,” Ellen replied. “Before you answer though, you should know that Blaire and the others knew what Immortal Magic was, and they are going to back me up if this wizard comes after me.”
“Okay, well, what is Immortal Magic?”
“It’s the magic that a wizard borrows from the spiritual world, and the wizard who practices Immortal Magic can emulate God-like powers.” Everett gave Ellen a curious look as she continued with, “And by God-like powers I mean, teleportation, levitation, shape-shifting, alchemy, resurrecting the dead and limb regeneration.”
“Wow!” Everett let out.
“That was my reaction too. Anyway, can you accept me if I join the Tri-Star Confederation?”
“Is Harris joining?”
Ellen thought about it before saying, “He was invited to join, but I didn’t think to ask or find out if he had accepted the invitation. Oh and the invitation to join is also being extended to Jessica and Karla, so I have to speak to them, except Blaire and the other two want to be the ones to invite them into the coven though. So I guess I’ll just talk to them about coming over to my house tonight… or I’ll take Blaire and the others to Jessica’s house.”
“Okay, well, what does joining entail?” Everett asked.
“What do you mean?” Ellen asked.
“Will you have to move away and move in with the other coven members?”
“Oh, uh, no,” Ellen began. “There are periodic meetings, but other than that, I would live my life as normal… with maybe one exception.”
“And what is this exception?”
“I would assist other members of the Tri-Star Confederation if one becomes threatened by a sinister wizard.”
Everett amusingly grinned before facetiously asking, “And how is that an exception for you?”
Ellen smirked before asking, “So what do you say… about me joining?”
“And you would seriously not join if I didn’t want you to?”
“Everett, you are more important to me than joining a coven, and I don’t want to lose your friendship or our relationship.”
Everett grinned, and after a short deliberation, he said, “You respect me enough to allow me to make the choice for you. I also learned that I can trust you, and I trust that you wouldn’t even consider joining the Tri-Star Confederation if you thought that the coven could be sinister…”
“If I thought that they were sinister, I would be looking for ways to take them down,” Ellen interrupted.
“You would take on a coven?” Everett quickly asked.
Ellen grinned before saying, “I have to admit to you and to myself that when I believe in a cause I have the tendency to go all out to fight for that cause—which I guess I’m more like my uncle than I realize.”
“Great,” Everett uttered in an unenthusiastic tone.
Ellen caught his tone, and as she amusingly grinned she said, “Oh, don’t worry. Unlike my uncle I would fight my cause legally.”
Everett grinned before saying, “I believe you, and I also believe in you. So join the coven if that’s what you want and I’ll support you.”
Ellen pleasantly grinned before giving Everett a passionate kiss. The kiss ended when Danny cleared his throat.
“I’m going to start carrying a water pistol when I come to my locker,” Danny told them as they backed up to allow Danny to get to his locker.
Ellen grinned while saying, “We’re not that bad.”
“Pretty close,” Danny retorted as he moved to his locker, which was the locker between Ellen’s and Everett’s lockers. “Anyway, did you two have fun last night at the party?”
“We did,” Ellen quickly said. “Or I did anyway.”
“I had a good time,” Everett added.
“I saw you two talking to Andie and Robin,” Danny said as he was opening his locker. Everett was opening his locker as well.
“You know them?” Ellen questioned.
“I do,” Danny began as he put up what he needed to put up. “Their uncle lives next door to me, and a few years ago, Andie and Robin would spend the summer with their uncle. In fact, last night at the party was the first time in… in two years since I saw them last.”
“Is their uncle on bad terms with them or with their parents?” Ellen asked.
“I don’t think so,” Danny replied while turning towards Ellen and shooting her a confused look. “And why did you ask me that?”
“People don’t normally change their habits without a reason, and since you haven’t seen Andie or Robin visiting their uncle for two years, it makes me think that they’re no longer on good terms with one another.”
“I never really thought about it,” Danny said.
“Of course Andie and Robin might’ve stop visiting their uncle over a reason that I can’t currently think of,” Ellen added.
“Yeah, well, for whatever reason, they haven’t visited their uncle for two years,” Danny said.
Ellen nodded before asking, “So where do you live, Danny?”
Danny shot Ellen another curious look before asking, “Why are you interested in knowing where I live?”
Ellen grinned while confessing, “Actually, I’m interested in knowing where Andie’s uncle lives. I would like to talk to him.”
“Okay,” Danny said in a confused tone.
“I do have a reason for wanting to talk with him,” Ellen assured him. “It’s personal though, and it involves helping Andie out with something.”
“Alright,” Danny said in an uncertain tone before giving Ellen the address to the uncle’s house.
When Everett heard the address, he quickly supplied, “He… and Danny only live two blocks from you, Ellen.”
When Ellen gave Everett a curious look, Everett described how to get to the uncle’s house from her house.
“Cool that I live that close to Andie’s uncle,” Ellen said. “When I get done with my appointment after school, I’ll go talk with the uncle.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Everett asked.
“I would like it if you came with me,” Ellen said. “But how are you going to get to my house? I mean, I doubt that your dad will swing by and pick you up before taking me home.”
Danny gave Ellen a curious look as Everett said, “I might be able to tag along with you two, and then I’ll try to get him to drop me off at your house when you’re done.”
Ellen saw the curious look that she was getting from Danny and volunteered, “I have a doctor’s appointment after school and Everett’s dad is the one who’s driving me to my appointment.”
“Okay,” Danny said in an uncertain tone.
“I’m telling you because you are giving me a curious look,” Ellen said.
Danny slightly grinned before saying, “I was curious about what you two were talking about, but because of it being none of my business, I wasn’t going to ask.”
“I have no problem with you knowing,” Ellen told him.
Danny shut his locker while saying, “Okay, well, I’m going to class. You two can now get back to what you two were doing before I came.”
Ellen amusingly grinned before saying, “I need to get to class too.”
“I’ll walk you to class, Ellen,” Everett said while shutting his locker.
“Okay,” Ellen said as her grin changed to a delightful one. As Danny was walking away, Ellen had a thought. “Oh, uh, Danny.” Danny stopped and faced Ellen. “What’s the uncle’s name?”
“Cole Middleton,” Danny said.
“Thanks,” Ellen said.
Danny nodded before walking away.
As usual, Jessica had beaten Ellen to class, and when Jessica sensed Ellen’s presence as Ellen was walking into the classroom, she turned to face Ellen. When Jessica waved to Ellen, Ellen waved back with an unreadable expression on her face, and as Ellen walked towards Jessica, Jessica’s cheerful expression changed to a confused one.
As Ellen stepped up to Jessica, Jessica questioned, “Is something wrong?”
Ellen shook her head before saying, “Harris’s second cousin Blaire and two of her… associates are visiting us from London.” Ellen glanced towards the student next to Jessica. Jessica also glanced towards the student. “They knew what Eleanor Thorne was referring to, and I’ll fill you in on it later.” Jessica nodded in agreement. “Blaire and her associates also have a proposal for you, Karla and me.”
“What kind of proposal?” Jessica asked curiously.
“I was told about it, but I was also asked that I would allow them to pitch their proposal to you and Karla.” Jessica gave Ellen a curious look. “It’s nothing bad. In fact, I think that their proposal might be something worthwhile.”
“And you won’t tell me anything about it?” Jessica asked.
“I was requested not to, and I feel that I should honor that request.”
“Alright,” Jessica agreed. “Once we get to our gym class, we’ll let Karla know that she and I will need to go over to your house tonight.”
“I have my doctor’s appointment after school, so you may want to wait an hour or so after school before coming over to my house.”
“Alright,” Jessica agreed.
Ellen gestured towards her seat while saying, “Okay, well, I should take my seat.”
When Jessica nodded, Ellen turned towards her seat and stepped away.
Hours later, Lance and Everett sat in the waiting room as Ellen followed Dr. Pendell into his office.
Dr. Pendell’s office was a twenty by twenty foot center office. The door to the office was on the north wall and centered.
The south wall had two five by five foot pane glass windows, separated by a three-inch wide muntin bar. The muntin bar was also centered.
The medium tan curtains, which drew back on both sides, were open. Dr. Pendell would open them each morning and then close them before leaving for the day or on request by one of his patients.
The walls and ceiling were a light tan color and it blended in with the tan and green patterned carpet.
Hanging centered on the west wall was a fifty-two-inch wide by thirty-eight-inch long painting. The theme of the painting was about Native American villagers of the Great Plains going about their daily work routine.
Barely pulled out from the west wall was an average size green couch that faced the east wall. There was no coffee table, but there were two end tables—one on each end of the couch. A box of tissues was setting on each of the end tables. An armchair sat five feet from the couch while facing the couch.
Hanging on the east wall were several doctor diplomas. Barely pulled out from the east wall was a sixty-six-inch by twenty-four-inch by twenty-nine-inch credenza, and on top of that were nick-knacks and family pictures. Three feet from the credenza was a seventy-two-inch by thirty-six-inch by twenty-nine-inch desk.
Arranged neatly on the desk were a desk pad, a few photos and in-and-out trays filled with neatly stacked papers. On top of the desk pad was a closed laptop computer attached to a docking station.
In the southeast corner of the room was a tall filing cabinet that faced the west wall. Along the north wall between the door and the northeast corner of the room was a ceiling-to-floor bookshelf, which was filled with medical books, small statues and knickknacks.
Next to the window, between the desk and the armchair, was a birdcage that caged two finches.
When Ellen stepped into the office the finches became more active and vocal than usual, which immediately caught Ellen’s attention.
“They normally don’t make that much noise,” Dr. Pendell began. Ellen gave him a polite grin. “So try to ignore them.” Ellen nodded. Dr. Pendell then gestured towards the couch. “Anyway, have a seat.”
When Ellen went to sit down on the couch, she bluntly said, “Just to get something straight, I’m only here because Mr. Delaney is insisting that I talk to you.”
“Don’t you mean Detective Delaney?” Dr. Pendell questioned as he went to sit down in his armchair.
Ellen grinned before saying, “He’s my boyfriend’s dad, so to me that trumps his police rank. But sure, I’ll call him Detective Delaney for your benefit.”
“Okay,” Dr. Pendell began in an unreadable tone. “Detective Delaney had informed me that in self-defense and to save Karla Harman, you and two others—Harris Bradley and Karla’s sister Jessica—had killed Karla and Jessica’s grandfather.”
“True,” Ellen said simply.
“Detective Delaney tells me that the details of how the act was committed were declared classified; however, I would like to hear about your feelings about what had happened.”
“Before, during or after?” Ellen questioned.
“All three if they’re different.”
“Okay,” Ellen began before taking a breath. “Before, my only thoughts were on surviving. As far as my feelings… being scared was the only feeling that I can think of having. During the act, my thoughts and feelings were the same, and after the act, I felt relieved that we had survived and bothered that I had helped to take a life.”
“Are you still bothered by it?” Dr. Pendell asked.
Ellen slightly nodded before saying, “I am. I keep trying to think of ways… or scenarios that we would have survived the incident without anyone dying. I can’t though. I strongly feel that if Jessica, Harris and I didn’t kill Karla and Jessica’s grandfather, that their grandfather would’ve killed us.”
“How are you sleeping at night?” Dr. Pendell asked.
Ellen gave Dr. Pendell a confused look before saying in an uncertain tone, “Okay.”
“Any nightmares over your ordeal, or are you having problems getting to sleep?”
Ellen took a breath before saying, “During the first two nights afterwards, I did have problems getting to sleep, but I’m getting to sleep easier now. And I did have a couple of disturbing dreams. One I’m certain was related to the ordeal.”
“What were your dreams about?”
“I really don’t remember enough of them to discuss them,” Ellen lied while trying to sound convincing.
With an unreadable expression across his face, Dr. Pendell made a notation within his notebook.
“Your brother Michael and sister-in-law Tanya were killed last month in an auto accident.” Ellen stared slightly resentfully at him as he continued with, “I would like to hear about your feelings on that as well.”
Ellen’s eyes teared up as she said, “I miss them. I miss my mom too and there hasn’t been a day that had gone by that I haven’t thought of them.”
While going off his notes Dr. Pendell questioned, “You had lost your mom back in June from a brain tumor, correct?”
Ellen wiped the tears from her eyes while saying, “Correct.”
“How did you feel when you learned of your mother’s tumor?”
Ellen thought for a second before saying, “Blown away.”
“Can you describe your reaction to the news?” Dr. Pendell requested.
“My mom had broken the news to me at the doctor’s office and in front of the doctor,” Ellen said as tears rolled down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her fingers as she continued with, “I had definitely wanted a second opinion, but my mom assured me that the current doctor was actually the third doctor who she had seen about her condition. He was a specialist, in fact.”
“There are tissues on either side of you.”
Ellen looked towards the box to the right of her, and after a short hesitation, she reached for it. After grabbing it, she took a couple of tissues from it and then set the box next to her on the couch.
As Ellen wiped the tears away with the tissues, Dr. Pendell asked, “What was your reaction when you learned that the doctor at the time was the third doctor who had examined your mom?”
“I wanted my mom to see even another doctor, but my mom explained to me that seeing another doctor would be a waste of time and money. She was dying and ten different doctors’ opinions weren’t going to change that. Once I had accepted that another doctor’s opinion would be a waste of time, I cried for a good ten minutes in my mom’s arms. The doctor just sat there and allowed it without saying a word. Finally the doctor told my mom and me that he had another patient coming in. By that time, I had pretty much cried myself out, and when we left, we went home. After we got home, we watched home movies. Three of my brothers and my sister had died before I was born and I had learned a lot about them that day.”
“Detective Delaney had told me about the tragic accident that took their lives.”
“My dad’s dad was killed in that accident too,” Ellen added.
“Okay,” Dr. Pendell said while making a notation. “What are your feelings about what had happened?”
Ellen took a breath before saying, “Cheated and pissed off.”
“According to Detective Delaney, your dad was trying to evade the law at the time of the accident that had killed your siblings and grandfather.”
“Yes,” Ellen said simply.
“What are your feelings on that?”
“Pissed off,” Ellen replied.
“Pissed off at what? The cops who were chasing your dad or…?”
“I’m pissed off at my dad,” Ellen interrupted. “He should’ve known better than to have listened to that psychic.”
“Your dad was trying to outrun the law because he was instructed to do so by a psychic?” Dr. Pendell asked in a confused tone.
Ellen shook her head before saying, “A psychic had told my dad that his kids were in mortal danger if his kids would remain in the house that they were living in at the time. My grandpa was with my dad at the time of the psychic’s warning, and when my dad and grandpa had warned my mom, my mom thought that they both had lost their minds. According to my dad, he was desperate to keep his kids safe, and so he kidnapped his kids in an attempt to do so. And as you apparently know, it had backfired on him.”
“And you believe that your dad should’ve known better than to have been taken in by a fraud?” Dr. Pendell questioned.
“Oh, the psychic wasn’t a fraud,” Ellen assured him, “and the vision that he saw was genuine…”
“I’m confused,” Dr. Pendell interrupted. “If you believe that the psychic wasn’t a fraud and his vision was genuine, then why do you believe that your dad had made a mistake by listening to him?”
Ellen glanced towards the finches before gesturing towards them and saying, “I’m the reason why your birds are so active, Dr. Pendell.” Dr. Pendell gave Ellen a curious look. “They want to come to me, but being that they are locked in a cage, they can’t.”
“You believe that those birds want out of their cage and to go to you?” Dr. Pendell questioned.
“I know for a fact that is what they want,” Ellen assured him. “Birds, animals and rodents are attracted to me, my dad and his brother… and my uncle’s kids. Before the accident, they were attracted to my grandpa, my brothers and my sister too. Anyway, the psychic’s vision was about certain types of birds that were flocking around my dad’s house, and the psychic had mistakenly taken his vision as a bad bird omen. So my dad’s… and even my grandpa’s mistake was thinking that bird omens applied to our family without considering the fact that we naturally attract birds.”
“You honestly believe that you and your family attract birds?” Dr. Pendell questioned.
“Again, it’s a fact; not a belief, and if you want proof then open the door to the birdcage and see what happens,” Ellen said before gesturing towards the exit. “Detective Delaney and Everett know that about me too, so if you don’t want to open the birdcage then go ask them.”
Dr. Pendell stared skeptically at Ellen for a short time before standing. He shot a thoughtful look towards the door before turning and walking towards the birdcage.
“Normally I wouldn’t indulge such claims, but your claim definitely has me curious,” Dr. Pendell said as he stepped up to the cage. “And it will be easy to prove or disprove.” Dr. Pendell then went to open the birdcage.
The cage door was barely wide enough for the finches to get out when the two squeezed through the small opening and flew directly to Ellen. One landed on Ellen’s right shoulder as the other landed on her right leg at the knee.
“Well I’ll be!” Dr. Pendell uttered in an impressed tone.
Ellen grinned. Her expression then turned serious before saying, “I’m pissed off at my dad because my dad should’ve known better than to believe that bird omens applied to us.”
Dr. Pendell nodded in an understanding manner before asking, “How difficult will it be to get these birds back into their cage?”
Ellen thought for a second before saying, “Let’s find out.”
Ellen cupped her hands beneath the finch that was on her leg and scooped it up. The finch responded comfortably to being picked up by Ellen, and while holding the finch in her cupped hands, Ellen stood up.
The finch that was on Ellen’s shoulder just shifted its balance over Ellen’s movements, and as Ellen walked towards the birdcage the finch continued to shift its balance.
Once Ellen stepped up to the birdcage, she gently put the finch that she had in her hands into the cage. The finch went into the cage with little protest. Ellen then went to scoop up the finch that was on her right shoulder with her left hand. As with the first finch, the second finch responded comfortably to Ellen, and had gone into Ellen’s left hand before being scooped up.
Dr. Pendell was watching Ellen’s every move and the finches’ reactions to it, and once the finches were back in their cage, with the cage door close, he said, “If I didn’t know better I would swear that you had those two birds trained.”
Ellen just shot Dr. Pendell an amused grin.
Dr. Pendell then gestured towards the couch while saying, “Anyway, we should continue.”
Ellen nodded before turning and walking back towards the couch. After reaching the couch, Ellen hesitated to sit while looking at the painting on the wall.
Dr. Pendell saw what she was looking at and shared, “My son painted that picture.”
Ellen shot Dr. Pendell a grin while saying, “That’s a nice painting. Your son is talented.”
As Ellen and Dr. Pendell were retaking their seats, Dr. Pendell said, “He is talented, and I’m very glad that he had refused to listen to me on what he should’ve majored in at the university.”
Ellen gave Dr. Pendell a curious look while saying, “I’m guessing that he had studied art and that you didn’t want him to.”
Dr. Pendell was noticing that the two finches were quieter than before while saying, “At the time when he was studying art, I thought it was a waste of time. I told him that art was a hobby, and I’m happy that he had proven me wrong. And while on the subject of people proving things to me, I have to admit that the birds seem calmer after being allowed to go to you.”
Ellen glanced towards the finches while agreeing, “They do. I had even enjoyed that.”
Dr. Pendell grinned before continuing with, “Anyway, to get back on track, let’s talk more about your dad.”
“What more is there to talk about?” Ellen questioned.
“Other than you being angry at your dad for him thinking that bird omens would apply to you and your family, how is your relationship with him?”
“Better since my brother’s funeral, but still not like most father/daughter relationships.”
“Describe your relationship with your father,” Dr. Pendell requested.
Ellen took a breath before saying, “He loves me, and he would spend time with me if I would request time with him. However, I’m always on guard when I’m around him, so I try not to spend that much time around him.”
“Why are you always on guard around him?”
Ellen thought of her answer for a moment before saying, “Before I was born, my dad had worked for a crime lord in Kansas City, Missouri. Four years ago he had decided to share his life story with me. His life story had frightened me and that was when I decided that I want very little to do with him.”
“Does your dad still work for that crime lord?”
“No,” Ellen replied while shaking her head. “He went to prison over the deaths of my siblings and when he got out thirteen years later, he went straight. He works at a warehouse in Independence, Missouri.”
“Do you talk with him at all?”
“I haven’t spoken with him verbally since I had moved here to Savannah, Georgia, but we do send each other Emails. And currently, corresponding by Emails is really the only comfortable relationship I have with my dad.”
“Okay,” Dr. Pendell said while making a notation in his notes. “Getting back to your mom, what was your relationship with your mom like?”
“Good,” Ellen began. “We did a lot of activities together. Although, I believe that most of what we had done were diversions in order for her to keep her mind off of all the family members that she had lost.”
“Your siblings?” Dr. Pendell questioned.
“My siblings, her brother and parents,” Ellen replied. “The other two children that she had wanted to have after me and never did.”
“Your mom had wanted additional children?” Dr. Pendell quickly questioned.
“My mom had wanted to have a total of eight kids,” Ellen replied.
“Why did your mom want to have that many kids?” Dr. Pendell asked, curiously.
“I don’t know,” Ellen said with a shrug. “She told me that she didn’t really know; however, she had always known—even as a little girl—that she had wanted eight kids, and that her wanting to have that many kids had never changed. I’m not certain about this, but I think that the attraction that the birds and animals have for my siblings and me is accumulative. As more of us are gathered, the more birds and animals are attracted to us. So I’m guessing that my five older siblings were attracting a large number of birds at the time of the psychic’s warning. Still, my dad should’ve known better than to have listened to that psychic.”
Dr. Pendell nodded before making a notation in his notes. “Out of curiosity, how many kids do you want?”
Ellen amusingly grinned before saying, “More than one, but less than six.”
Dr. Pendell grinned before asking, “So what did your mom do for a living?”
“Before she was diagnosed with a brain tumor, she was a manager for a travel agency. She quit her job after being diagnosed.”
Dr. Pendell nodded before saying, “So tell me about your mom’s parents and brother.”
“I don’t know enough about them to tell you much.”
“Tell me what you do know about them,” Dr. Pendell urged.
“Okay,” Ellen began before taking a breath. “My grandparents are from Kansas City, Missouri like me, but when my grandpa… my mom’s dad graduated from high school, he went straight into the army. My grandma married my grandpa soon after he got out of boot camp. They lived on several army bases during my grandpa’s time in the army and the last base that they lived on before my grandpa was given his medical discharge was in Germany. My mom had just turned seventeen when they moved back to Kansas City, Missouri… from Germany. My mom had met my dad within twenty-four hours of her moving to Kansas City. Thirteen months after that, my mom’s parents and brother were killed.”
“How were they killed?”
“Auto accident,” Ellen said jadedly. “But in their case the accident had involved toxic chemicals and the authorities had to destroy the bodies involved. At least, that was what the authorities had told my mom anyway.”
“Your mom didn’t believe the police?” Dr. Pendell asked curiously.
“According to what my mom had told me, it wasn’t the police who had come to the door with the news,” Ellen began. “She couldn’t remember which branch of the authorities that the person was from, but what she did remember was that there were no reports of any major or fatal accidents that day within the city limits. My mom tried for months to learn more about the so-called accident, but she kept getting the runaround. Eventually she gave up and accepted what she was told.”
“What are your feelings about that?”
Ellen gave Dr. Pendell a curious look before saying, “Asking me about my feelings on that makes as much sense as asking me about my feelings on December 7th, 1941. In fact, my feelings would be the same. They’re both history events that took place before I was born.”
“And yet you have feelings about what had happened to your siblings,” Dr. Pendell pointed out.
“My siblings were killed seven and a half months before I was born,” Ellen began. “And my mom’s parents and brother were killed sixteen years before I was born. So my siblings being killed were less of a history event to me. Plus I saw the effects that my siblings’ deaths had on my mom.”
“Okay,” Dr. Pendell said while making a notation in his notes. As he looked up, he asked, “Was your mom’s brother an older brother or a younger brother?”
“A younger brother,” Ellen said. “He was fifteen.”
“What was his name?” Dr. Pendell questioned.
“Tucker Wiley,” Ellen said. “My mom told me that his nickname was Coyote—as in Wiley Coyote.”
Dr. Pendell grinned before asking, “What else can you tell me about your mom’s parents or brother?”
Ellen shrugged before saying, “That’s all I can think to say about them.”
“Okay. So—to change topics—how are you adjusting to a life in Savannah, Georgia?”
“I’m adjusting,” Ellen said.
“I know that you made at least three friends.”
“I made several friends since I’d moved here,” Ellen began. “In fact, making friends isn’t difficult for me. I even Email my friends in Kansas City. So I have friends in both places.”
“Good,” Dr. Pendell said while making a notation in his notes. “So is there anything that you would like to talk about?”
Ellen thought for a second before saying, “When I was ten, my mom told me that my brother Mike and I were what had kept her sane after the deaths of my four siblings. She put all her focus on properly caring for Mike and me during the day, and then cried herself to sleep at night over the lost of my siblings. I’m like my mom in that way. My only thoughts after Mike’s and Tanya’s deaths were on being with and caring for Sonya. However, being that Sonya was a premature newborn she had to stay in the hospital for about eight days, so I couldn’t care for her as I wanted to during those eight days.”
“So what did you do during those eight days?”
Ellen chose her words before saying, “After Mike and Tanya’s accident, I learned that my ancestors and Tanya’s ancestors had shared a common history. Tanya’s family kept diaries that sporadically spanned hundreds of years, and Harry had given me permission to read those diaries. So that’s what I had done, and by learning about Harris’s ancestors, I felt more connected to mine.”
Dr. Pendell nodded before asking, “And like your mom, did you cry yourself to sleep at night?”
Ellen nodded before saying, “For the first three nights.”
Dr. Pendell made another notation in his notes before asking his next question.
Ellen and Dr. Pendell talked for thirty more minutes before ending the session. Dr. Pendell then spoke to Ellen and Lance together for five minutes before Ellen, Everett and Lance left Dr. Pendell’s office.
As Ellen, Everett and Lance were walking into the hall, Lance told Ellen, “Kristen had called while you were talking to Dr. Pendell. Megan fell and scraped her knee, and there’s no peroxide at the house. So before I take you home, Ellen, I’m going to stop off and get some peroxide.”
“That’s fine,” Ellen assured him. “In fact, I need to get something anyway. And I do have money.”
“What do you need?” Everett quickly asked.
“A box of tampons if you must know,” Ellen told him. “I have one left and I need more before I start up again, which will be in a couple of days.”
“Okay, that was more information than I had wanted to know,” Everett told her.
“Well you asked,” Ellen said with a grin.
“And you couldn’t have said feminine products?” Everett questioned.
“I’m not embarrassed over it,” Ellen retorted.
“So who do you look more like?” Everett asked. Lance just amusingly grinned. Ellen gave Everett a curious look as Everett continued with, “Your mom or your dad?”
“Where did that question come from?” Ellen quickly asked.
“I’m just changing the subject from tampons and I am curious to know,” Everett replied.
Ellen shook off the abrupt subject change before saying, “I look very much like my mom… except for my eyes and ears. My eyes and ears I got from my dad. Oh, and I’m currently the same height as my mom was.”
“Short,” Everett playfully said in a joshing tone.
“Five-five isn’t all that short,” Ellen defended. Everett and Lance grinned. “Also reaching full height at sixteen is just an average age for girls. Girls can stop growing at fifteen or continue to grow until they reach eighteen—it just depends on the girl, and my mom didn’t reach her full height until just after her seventeenth birthday. So I just might become five-six or taller before I stop growing.”
“Okay,” Everett said in an appeasing tone.
“And you’re only five-nine,” Ellen continued. “So you’re not exactly towering over me.”
“Okay,” Everett said with a slight laugh. “I was just messing with you.”
“Sure you were,” Ellen playfully retorted before shooting him a delightful grin. She then took and held Everett’s hand before continuing on with another topic.
