Total pages in book: 89
Estimated words: 84913 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84913 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 425(@200wpm)___ 340(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
There was, however, an insane collection of hand-carved figurines. Scattered across the coffee table, over the mantle, on the windowsills, stacked five-deep on shelves.
"I didn't live here," Ferryn told me, making me turn back from where I had been examining an amazing goldfish carving.
"What do you mean you didn't live here?"
"I have never stepped foot in here before," she told me, running a finger over the shell of a carved turtle.
"You lived with Holden for almost nine years and you were never in this house?"
"We had separate spaces."
"Will you show me where your space is?" I asked, watching as she slipped the turtle into her pocket.
"Yeah."
"We should package them up," I suggested when she looked enviously at an intricately carved sunflower. "If you don't think he is coming back. It would be a crime to leave all this here."
"Maybe," she agreed, torn. She wanted the collection, but wasn't sure if she would be overstepping by taking them. Especially seeing as they had such a distant relationship. "Come on," she said, leading me back outside into the gloomy woods.
It was strange. The area in general they lived in was a bit overcast, a bit moody. But as soon as we got closer to Holden's place, it seemed to get darker, gloomier, the rain spitting even though the main town just a few minutes away didn't have even a hint of rain.
"You lived in a garage?" I asked as Ferryn led me there, plugging in a code, making the door chug up, the sound almost off-putting in such a quiet place.
"I trained in the garage. I lived in a room behind it," she clarified.
And, sure enough, we stepped into a gym/ training center. Still fully loaded despite Holden's absence.
"Training facility, obviously. I can't tell you how much blood I have lost here. Or how many bones I broke," she said, eyes a little far away, lost in those memories. "My room is back here," she said, and I chose not to mention that she said it in the present tense.
With that, she opened the door.
I tried not to judge people on the conditions they lived in. Sometimes, it was all they knew. Sometimes, it was all they could have. And no one deserved to feel shame about that.
But this?
This was fucking depressing.
Because she'd been raised with so much more. Because she could have so much more.
Then again, most people could. More than a mattress on the ground and a toilet and sink combination.
She'd spent nearly nine years in this room. With no creature comforts.
Christ, there wasn't even air or a way to get heat. She must have sweated and froze every summer and winter.
"What's that?" I asked as she moved inward, going over toward a moving box in the corner.
"I have no idea. It's not mine," she said, going over to it, ripping the clear packing tape off the seam, pulling the flaps open.
"What is it?" I asked as she sifted through what almost seemed to be paperwork.
"He left me the house," she said, voice far away, disbelieving.
"He left you this whole property?"
"I... ah... yeah."
"Where did he go?"
"He didn't say. He just has all the paperwork here. And a note to 'sign this shit.'"
"You alright?" I asked when she just continued to kneel there.
"I... I guess I always thought I would see him again."
"Maybe you will, Ace. You have the powers of Hailstorm behind you now. And I am convinced that there isn't a fucking thing in this world that Chris can't figure out if she sets her mind to it."
"That's true," she agreed. "But I don't think he wants to be found."
"Pretty sure he didn't want to be found the first time either. You still found him. And I'm thinking that if he left all of this to you, that he gave a shit about you. Even if you had a distant sort of relationship."
"Yeah," she agreed, taking a few deep breaths. She gained her feet a few moments later, looking around. "I can't live here," she declared, making the tension I hadn't been aware of leave my jaw.
"No?"
"No. But... I... I can't get rid of it either. There is too much of me here."
"I get that, babe. You know... we know a lot of fucking people. I'm sure some of them would like a little woodsy retreat. At least it won't be empty all the time then. And we can come up here too."
"That's true," she agreed, nodding. "I want to take all the carvings out, though. I know they will probably be too much for the apartment, but maybe we can disperse them out over the holidays. I think Aunt Rey will kill for those cockatoo and macaw ones."
"We can load them up with us. If we have to, we can stick them in a storage unit until we find homes for them. And take all this paperwork. I don't think you have to worry about anyone robbing the place. If you didn't know it was here, you wouldn't be able to find it. But just in case, y'know, you get a roof leak or some shit, you want to make sure you have all the stuff you care about out of here since you wouldn't know."