Page 28 of Guardian

Kaleb’s irises trembled as I cemented my gaze on his, his weight pressing against my arms. There was no reason to deny his superstitions. Never had I seen a guardian react in the manner she had, yet I understood guardians had their own method of eliminating an intruder.

Tristan was masked as just that, an intruder, one that I hadn’t expected. My scheme bared the bones of its structure but drastically lacked a body to withstand. It was meant to be a challenge for Kaleb. Instead, it backfired and fell smoothly into his grace. Fully cementing my position as the middle brother with no true grasp of authority.

“But why me?” I forced through gritted teeth. “Why couldn’t you have continued the scheme with Noah or by yourself?”

“Oh, Alek, where’s the fun in that?” He released me and patted my cheek. “I expect you to fulfill this scheme by the end of this month. There’s only so much I can withstand with such minimal patience.”

“How can I if it’s already failed?”

“Watch your tone, dear little brother.” Kaleb glared, my body frigid as if waiting for his grip again. “You are to create a new one. You’ve spectated all of our schemes through the years. As my successor, approach this as I’ve done in the past— wrap the girl around your finger and once she’s on her knees, break her into thousands of pieces. Understood?”

“Yes,” I said, my throat swelling, “Brother.”

He stepped beside me and widened my door. He nodded instead, my legs walking without instruction. “Oh, and Alek, if Christopher is to find whatyouare doing, then you won’t be the only one to meet my wrath.”

My stomach caved into the everlasting pit it seemed to reside in when around Kaleb.

He vanished from my line of sight, the weight of his burden further caving into me. Wakening the feelings that I had long buried.

The anger burned in my chest, blossoming into a pain that ached my muscles until they grew numb. Music wasn’t going to calm the uproar amongst myself, nor would I risk tainting the garden with these grim emotions.

I closed my bedroom door, and my body stilled as my eyes fell on the door across from mine. The aged pine wood sheltered the new guardian and all those before her. But it had once withstood the screams of our mother’s episodes and restless nights.

Our mother’s memory had long vanished from the chamber, but the door kept it hauntingly alive.

A deep breath housed itself in my chest as I left the household.

Long, intertwined branches and wide barks drowned my sight the deeper I walked through the forest, the trail growing apparent with each step along the ground.

Near the outer gate loomed the family cemetery, a once polished burial ground that grew buried in piles of dry leaves. Names of old, unknown members that shared the Sephtis title now were faded outlines on the tombstones, shadowed by our mother’s mausoleum.

The Victorian structure curved into a dome, the entrance decorated by vines that swirled onto two pillars, joining into a tower with the Sephtis crest. A coal-black snake twisted within its body rested at the top, their fangs plunged near the end of its tail. Our crest represented how our lineage had the eternal cycle of life out of death.

The destruction our own family must do to one another to continue our lineage.

“Hello, Mother,” I greeted as I stepped through the opening between the pillars. A podium rested in the middle with a vase bearing declining sunflowers. The once golden canary petals were now shriveled downwards with a deep yellow tinge, the stem and leaves crumpled and bearing a gray undertone. They had been here since my last visit two weeks ago.

“How are you doing?” Leaves swarmed along the ground and into the air beyond the mausoleum. “I’m not doing too well, though it may disappoint you. I know I promised you many things, Mother, but it hasn’t become easier.”

My brothers and I never harbored a proper relationship. With our mother, we were cordial with an unspoken detachment. After our mother’s passing, it had changed overnight, as if snapping out of a dream.

I settled onto one of the stone pews, the surface rough against my back. “At one point, I was confident that we’d be able to amend our relationship since we are brothers, after all. But that was years ago when I was naive and too faithful for my own good. I continue to do my best, but now, with how everything has shifted, I don’t know how much more I must endure. How much longer I can continue to bear this alone.

Nothing has improved between any of us. Raphael sticks to me like a lost child, but who can blame him? Yet, like him, I’m lost, too.

Jacob and Jacque are inseparable, which should be good news. For the most part, it is, yet Jacque is steering toward Kaleb and Noah. Jacob continues to follow him from pure obligation, it seems.

Kaleb and Noah also have their own alliance with each other. I wouldn’t say they’re close, but they work well together, even if I dislike admitting that.

And Christopher. . . He remains the same. Distant and cold. I sense the isolation in his presence.”

I sighed, the light of morning slithering across the sky. “My apologies, mother. My original intention was to ensure your well-being, though I took it upon myself to dive into my own problems. That custom never seems to fade, does it?”

I motioned toward the wall where Mother’s grave rested. My palm caressed the cold concrete, wishing I could feel her warmth once more. But alas, that was impossible, and the end of our time together always reminded me of that.

“I’ll bring you irises next time I visit,” I mentioned as I grasped the vase. “They’re slowly blooming and are such a sight to revel in.”

I gripped the vase tightly against my chest, the edged corners digging into my skin as I followed the trail back toward the household. The sun settled beyond the horizon, its hues a ray of muted oranges. The memory of my mother remained fresh, and I wanted to hold onto it as long as I could before I had to force it away.

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