Circling Stars

🌟 Chapter 47 🌟

    The cemetery wind carried the scent of grass in the breeze. I stood before the family burial mausoleum where four generations of my family had been laid to rest. Jasper was waiting in the car down by the road and Sean stood by my side. I hadn't gotten to go to the funeral of my parents due to my newborn status and Sean couldn't face it without me. In fact this was the first time either of us had visited at all. I unlocked it and we stepped in the white marble tomb together.

    Sean and I had brought roses for each member of the family and we placed them in the holders beside each name. Sean stopped and traced the double last name each grave had. Halliwell/Vladimirovich for all those born to my family and Halliwell slash their original surname for those who'd married in.

    "Our great grandfather had his name changed to Halliwell but we where originally called Vladimirovich."

    "I know. Dad told me that," Sean told as he lowered his finger. "We never got the chance to talk much about the family though." He said it with such a sadness that I felt it in my soul, so much had been taken from him.

    "I wish you'd had more time with them Sean." A ray of sunlight bounced in through the colored pane of glass that held a Russian icon of the Virgin Mary. It was a replica of one from the family crypt in Russia. Great-grandfather Pyotr Vladimirovich had purchased the area to build the crypt near the end of his life, and paid extra for an artist to make the window. The gentle light put streaks of red in Sean's dark hair and a sparkle to my skin but left as quickly as it came. "I know a lot of our families stories. You could always ask me."

    Sean nodded and we continued down the line until we got to our parents. Sean put his hand in mine and cried silently. After a bit Sean went back to the car.

    "Hi," I spoke to the the stone slab my parents' urn was behind. "I hope you're not mad it's taken so long for us to come and see you. I guess you know what's happened to me. I had to leave after it happened. I couldn't face it and I hope what I am now wouldn't change your feelings for me. I wish we'd spent more time together. That I would have said I love you the last time we saw each other instead of fighting. I want you to know that I'm taking care of Sean. I haven't got parenthood figured out yet but I'm doing the best I can."

    I put my hand to the cold stone that held my parents urns behind it. Another ray of sunlight flooded the room and threw diamonds from my skin all around. I could almost imagine my parents beside me.

    "I hope I make you proud. I love you."

    The sunlight faded and I gathered myself to leave. Sean was sitting under a tree with Jasper close at hand. My husband was tense and I could hear him grinding his teeth.

    "Theo," he said in a voice much too low for Sean to hear. "Tim Woodard just entered the cemetery." At that moment I caught his scent on the wind. My hands clenched and I turned on my heel. Trent's grave was on the opposite side of the cemetery and Tim would have had to pass by Jasper's car on his way in. That idiot son of his had been buried the same day as my parents, which seemed like an insult to me. And even though his grave was on the other side of the cemetery it was much too close for my liking. I had seriously considered vandalizing it before we left town all those years ago. The scent was getting stronger and soon Tim was in my view.

    I watched as he crouched before the grave and sank into sobs. After how many hours of searching the man was right in front of me. Through broken blubbering he kept apologizing to Trent. My hand started to reach out toward his neck. I stopped halfway there and sped away.