Hello this is my first story ever. Tell me what you think. I am also looking for a beta for this story, so if your interested please PM me. Thanks! My cousin has written under this account previously but she found out she had cancer so she said i can use her name to keep writing while she goes through treatments.
Collapsing Heart
As long as beauty lives upon the earth and in the stars
And love lives in every beat of every heart
So then do I
So then do we all.
Author unknown
Chapter One
I couldn't believe this was happening. I looked up at the gray clouded sky in deep mourning. I felt a small hand slip into mine and I was brought out of my inner thoughts. It wasn't just anyones hand, it was my little sisters; grasping on to me like I was her lifeline. As I looked down at the two coffins that held my parents I realized just how true that statement was; with no other family left I was her life line, and she was mine.
My parents died on a rainy Tuesday night just one week ago. Tuesday night was their date night. My mom would get all dressed up even though they always went to the same place, the local hole-in-the-wall diner in downtown New York City. Then after they ate they would go to the movies and come home in time to tuck my eight year old sister, Layla, into bed. I would always wonder why they needed to go on these dates because they were now married for twelve years. In response my mom would look at me with her eyes twinkling and say, "Hermione dear, your only twenty years old, but one day when you get married you will understand." At that precise moment she would reach over and pinch my dad's ass and they would both laugh. Layla and I would look at each other a make fake gagging noises sticking our fingers in our mouths. Secretly, I longed for the day when I could have a relationship like theirs. They were not the perfect couple, but they were my heroes. I loved them, I still and will forever love them. That rainy Tuesday night would be the last time I ever saw them. I would never see that twinkle in my mother's eye or my father's cheeky grin ever again...damn drunk driver.
"Hermione...Hermione dear." I shook my head trying to clear fond memories from my head, and looked at the minister calling my name.
"I'm sorry did you say something?" I whispered, as my voice tried and failed to grasp onto any kind of sound. The minister looked at me with pity and gave me a sad smile, "Yes, its time to say goodbye."
Goodbye? How the hell do you say goodbye to someone that has been there for you, cared for you, and loved you for all of your life. He made it sound like it should be easy. It felt as if a knife was cutting me in two. I quickly moved my hand to my stomach, it was as if the emotional pain was turning physical. I quickly patted my stomach to make sure it didn't really happen, that someone hadn't really plunged a knife in to me. I looked down at my sister and saw that she was staring at me very intently. She had not spoken one word since we found out they died. I have to keep it together, I have to keep it together for Layla. If I breakdown she will have no one to depend on. With that thought I straightened myself up, leaned over and dropped the two white roses I had in my hand into the ground.
"I love you mom and dad. I know you are probably worried, but try not to ok? I am going to take care of Layla as if she were my own. I will make you so proud of me." I whispered hoping by some miracle that they could hear me, wherever they are.
Layla came next to me and dropped her two flowers in to the ground. She didn't say anything she just stood up and went back to where were originally standing. The digger started putting the dark soil into the ground and over my parents. I slowly stood up, my knees popped and I groaned. I feel like I had aged twenty years overnight. I walked back over to Layla and gave her the tightest hug I could. I let a couple tears fall from my eyes, but no more, I had to keep strong.
"Miss Granger?" a voice called from behind.
I turned around and saw that Mr Jerome, Jr., one of my parent's lawyers, was standing almost impatiently right over me.
"Mr Jerome, what are you doing here?"
"Miss Granger I have been trying to get in touch with you for three days. Where have you been?" he asked me in an irritating tone.
I couldn't believe he was talking to me like this, who does he think he is.
" I have been busy preparing for my parents fucking funeral, whats it to you?" I said angrily. I didn't have time or energy to be dealing with assholes. I hated swearing, but this guy is pushing my buttons.
"Now Miss Granger lets calm down, you don't want to cause a scene now do you? Especially when nature of your sister's guardianship is at stake." He asked patronizingly.
"Are you threatening me?" I asked.
"No, I am just saying that if you want to keep your sister with you had better keep that temper in check, you don't want Child Services being called out by someone do you."
Someone is definitely getting fired very soon. I can't believe the nerve of this idiot.
"Why were you looking for me?"
" We need to go over your parents will, it is imperative that we do so."
"Well, there is no way I can do it today, I have too much going. You can come by the house tomorrow at 8AM, I'll be waiting."
I didn't even give him time to answer, I just took Layla's hand and walked away.
Next Morning 8AM
I didn't sleep again last night, I hadn't slept in a week and I am sure it was beginning to show. After leaving the cemetery we returned to the house to find fifty people there eating, talking, and some even laughing. If no one was wearing black, it would almost seem as if this wasn't a funeral. I looked around the room and just saw a big blur; half of the people I didn't even know. Every five-seconds someone would come up to me and say how sorry they are to hear about my parents, they were such great people blah blah blah...
As the last person had left I shut the door and took a big gulp of air. The house was silent, too silent. Layla was in her playroom for most of the meal, but when I checked she wasn't there anymore. I found her in our parents room curled up into a little ball on their bed sleeping. I stood in the doorway for what seemed like hours just staring at her and clutching my chest.I saw my mothers nightgown sitting on a chair in the corner of the room. I picked it up a breathed the scent in; it smelt of vanilla and honey, it smelt like her. I unzipped my black dress, pulled the nightgown on and crawled into bed next Layla, I stared at the ceiling all night; my mind blank and my body numb.
Knock Knock
I shook my self out of trance and opened the door.
"Mr. Jerome, please come in." I said as I stood to the side to let him in. I led him to the living room and we both sat down. I am glad it was Mr Jerome, Sr., not Jr., this would have been very tense if it was Jr. I like Mr Jerome, Sr., he used to remind of Santa Claus when I was a child, and for the longest time I had thought he was.
"Is Miss Layla here today?" Mr Jerome asked as he looked around the room.
"Yes," I said slowly. "Does she need to be here for this, she is only eight, I don't think she will understand any of this."
"Your parents have left something for the two of you and I have it here with me, but I can wait till the end to give it to you both."
"OK." I said nervously. Things really hit home for me early this morning when I got out of bed. I'm in university so I don't have a job. Mom and Dad always thought I should devote all my time to studying. Layla goes to a private school I'm sure the fees are horrendous. Then there is the house; will I get to keep, or have they given it to someone else. The biggest worry of all was Layla, would I get to keep her or will be shipped off somewhere.
" Your father, before he died, had been doing extremely well at the law firm. He and your mother just came to me last month to update somethings on the will."
" What kind of things."
" All good things Miss Granger, you and your sister will have nothing to worry about." Mr Jerome calmly said with a smile. The moment he said that, it was is a heavy weight had lifted off of me.
"Now there are five things that we need to go over and I want to make it easy for you to understand. I know you and your sister are in a predicament since you don't have any relatives left to depend on." He stated
" Yes, that correct. Both Mom and Dad were only children and I only knew Nanni Granger. She lived in England though so we never got to see her before she died. Mom's parents had died before I was born."
"They were well aware of everything when they came to me to discuss the will. Now first things first the house; your father had a a really good life insurance policy with his company. It was put in place that when he died the house would be paid off in full. The life insurance policy, in the event of your fathers death, would leave the amount of twenty-million US dollars to the next beneficiary. Since you mother was the next beneficiary and she has also passed on, you my dear are next in line." He said with a sure smile on his face and sat back into the chair.
"Twe-enty Million? What I-I?"
"Yes my dear, you get everything. Now concerning your sister, you parents wanted you two to stay together but they understood that it would be a big burden for you to carry. They also understood that you were old enough to make your own decisions. They wanted you to decide whether you would keep your sister or go with the alternative placement they had set up for her."
"I am keeping her." I said quickly.
" Now are you sure you don't want to hear..."
"No!" I yelled cutting him off. "I don't need to hear anymore. I know it will take some adjusting but I can do this, I have to. I owe to my parents and Layla to stick to this.
"Your parents would understand if you couldn't dearie" he said sympathetically.
"Yes, well that wouldn't have been there first choice, you said it yourself they want the two of to stick together and this is the only way to do it."
Tears started to well up in my eyes and I hurriedly tried blink them away. Mr Jerome didn't say anything as I tried to compose my self. I looked back at him, and asked,
"Thats three things, what are the other two?"
" Ah yes, these two will be a shock to you I am sure. Did you know that you and your sister hold dual nationalities?"
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked stupidly.
"You and your sister hold passports for both the United States and the United Kingdom."
"Umm, no we don't I am sure I would have seen those."
" Your parents got them for you when both of you were born."
"How can that be possible?"
"Well, your dad was born in England therefore you have the right to hold a British passport as well. Which bring us to the last topic, your Grandmother on your fathers side left him her home in her will before she died. Which means now that your father has past, the house now also belong to you. Now that you father has died, English law requires you to go and sign a document in person to transfer the deed and title in your name." He said
"What does that mean?" I asked. My brain had turned to mush. I cant believe these things, these secrets that my parents had kept from me.
"It means my dear child that you are going to England!"
I wonder who she will meet in London? ; ) Please review, should i continue with this?
