Warrior's Pain (Cadi Warriors Book 4)(92)

Riley watched her teenage-self open the pawnshop camera. It was her first camera that took actual film. The look of anticipation on Pépère’s face made her smile.

“Thanks,” she replied soberly.

She’d been so surprised that her grandfather noticed her budding interest. Of course, the jaded teenager downplayed her excitement.

“Take a picture of all of us,” Jay said way too eagerly, as he jumped up from the sofa.

Riley recalled the picture she’d taken. Her mother was tipsy, her brother was high, and her grandfather held his ever present cigarette as he hugged them close. The pitiful scene was indicative of how most of her life had played out, but Riley noticed something that she hadn’t before. The smiles on their faces were genuine. It was a rare sight.

The scene that followed made her frown.

“Let me out,” Riley yelled as she banged on the locked bedroom door. “This isn’t fair. You told me I could take the money for lunch.”

Riley recalled being shocked to find her mother awake when she came home from McKinley Elementary. Usually she was passed out after a day of drinking herself into a stupor. But not that day.

“Life isn’t fair,” her mother screamed the slurred words from the other side of the door. “I should take the hairbrush to you for lying.”

“Was she supposed to starve,” Riley heard Jay holler at their mother.

“Shut-up and go make dinner.”

Riley still couldn’t believe the responsibilities her brother was expected to undertake. He was all of twelve.

“How am I supposed to make the fucking mac and cheese, when you spent the grocery money on booze?” Jay retorted.

“I’m sorry ma fille. Your mother never really understood what I meant when I used to tell her that.”

Riley’s head swung to see her grandmother sitting beside her. She looked just as Riley remembered, before she got cancer. Her sweet grandma wore her favorite peach cardigan and the string of pearls passed down from her own mother.

“Mémère?” Riley exclaimed in shock and confusion.

“Well are you going to give me a hug or just sit there catching flies with your mouth agape?”

Riley swiftly wrapped her arms around her grandmother. It felt so good to see her. Riley took in a deep breath as she held her Mémère tight. She smelled faintly of Chanel and chocolate chip cookies, just like Riley remembered.

“He’s unusual,” Mémère commented as she pointed to the screen.

Cyprian appeared onscreen and Riley smiled wistfully. It was the first time she’d lain eyes on him, in the Miran Sona ship. Riley admired how strong and handsome he was. Wild and imposing.

Tears streamed down Riley’s cheeks as she wondered what she could’ve done to alter the horrific chain of events. She acted on the lesser of two evils, never fathoming Cyprian and Vintor would be casualties.

Riley always thought she was too jaded to fall in love. Few had come close to piercing her tough exterior. Then she met the general. Cyprian kept her guessing, riled and intrigued her. He forced his way into her heart, and made her feel alive. Losing him cracked her wide open, leaving behind an empty shell. Fate, the cruel mistress, had finally dredged the depths of her soul, stealing the very last thing she had to give.

“Life isn’t fair, Mémère,” Riley sobbed. “I loved him.”

“I have a story to tell you, ma fille.”

Riley heard the words in stereo. She looked at the screen to see herself as a child, sitting next to her frail grandma in the hospital.

“This is a story about a little plant called flax,” her Mémère continued. “The flax started as a seedling. It struggled in the dark, searching for the light, till finally it pushed through the soil. The flax unfurled its leaves as the bright and loving sun shone down. Some days the sun grew so hot that the flax thought it would surely burn, but then the cooling rains would come and give the little plant respite. This is how the flax spent its days, its beautiful little blue flowers stretching toward the sky as it grew proud and tall.”

“Then one day the harvesters came. The flax cried out as it was cruelly cut down, severed from its nourishing roots. If it wasn’t enough that its stems were broken and shredded; what remained was twisted into thread, then shoved into finely knit lines of fabric. It was cut and pierced with needles, till it no longer resembled the tall proud flax plant it once was. As all this transpired the flax lamented. It welcomed the overly hot sun over this torment.”

Riley smiled as she heard the story she’d forgotten.

“Finally, all grew calm again. When the flax saw itself in the mirror, it knew what it had become, and smiled. All it had suffered had been for a purpose. It was necessary, because now the flax had been transformed into a beautiful linen dress. The linen was content in its new role. It no longer served itself. It was still beautiful, but now it kept someone warm.”