Page 5 of Treasured Secrets
I turned to see him joining the slim blonde and the stocky male from earlier, and he glanced over his shoulder at me. Family? Does that mean she's his sister or cousin? Why the crap do I care?
Growing more and more frustrated with myself, I finally forced my eyes to tear away. I headed outside to see Gear on his way back in.
"There you are. I was getting worried."
I noticed Aster and her husband were still there as well, but I didn't know why.
"Sorry. I thought I'd check out the game room for a second. Aster and Chris waiting, too?"
He glanced their way, and then turned his eyes back to me.
"Yeah. Let's get back home."
Home. It sounded like such a foreign and meaningless word here. It still didn't feel like home. I missed Haluali.
When we pulled up to the massive home, I groaned loudly, which provoked a chuckle from Gear and Olivia. There were cars everywhere.
"Really? She's going to have a party this late?"
"It's only seven," Olivia said, shrugging.
"It's customary to see in the new by inviting over all the old," Gear muttered, offering me a wink.
"Great. Let's throw the antisocial hermit into the middle of the socialites."
Gear coughed out a laugh, and then he shook his head.
"You'll do fine. Besides, you're about to be in a school. A real school. You need the socialization. Consider it practice for tomorrow.
"There you are," Iris said as she sat down beside me, joining me on my bed.
I had slipped out of the party and made my way to the room. Too many people down there liked hugging, and I wasn't much of one for being touched by strangers. It was easy to avoid both of my grandparents, considering the third floor of the house could have been an apartment and it was all mine.
"Hey," I murmured meekly, staring at the photos of my old home.
She sighed out hard and took one of the pictures to study herself. "I know you miss it, but it will get better. I promise."
I held back the teetering tears and slapped on my brave, unaffected face the best I could. I hated feeling offensive, and I'm sure Iris and George both thought I was an ungrateful brat.
"It's just an adjustment," I muttered dismissively, though the strain in my throat sold me out.
Her aged, soft hand grabbed mine, and she stroked my cheek with her other. Since I'd been there, this was the closest we'd sat. She actually felt like a grandmother at that moment.
"Arisianna," she said softly, using my full name like only my mother did. "Change is hard for everyone, but it's necessary to grow and live. One day, you'll understand all this. For now... how about a story?"
That piqued my interest. In Haluali, there was storytelling at least once a week. There were stories of magic, powers, unfathomable darkness and beguiling light. I was curious what sort of story Iris would tell. It had become obvious she was just as superstitious as my old tribe.
"Sure. What sort of story?" I asked, leaning forward.
Oddly enough, it was the first time I'd felt comfortable at Bradbury Manor. Some semblance of home came with the simple promise of a story.
"One of magic, of course. One about us. Our family. Our legacy. Knowing where you come from helps you discover where you're going."
I chuckled lightly. Magic. Iris was so eccentric that I believed she really did swallow the possibility of real magic. Nevertheless, I loved the stories that were wrapped around the impossibility.
"So we have magic?" I asked, secretly teasing her.
She smiled, and for a second, I swear I saw crescent moons in her eyes. I blinked furiously, trying to see if it was real. Apparently my tears had glazed over my eyes enough to play with my vision because the moons were gone.
