Chapter one
I stood before my mother's grave, alone and afraid. Her headstone was far too plain. A woman that was so extraordinary deserved more than a boring stone to honour her memory. Dried and cracking leaves littered the cold ground.
Here lies Delianne Lewis
Loving Mother
1972-2017
I wanted to kick the stone. The anger that radiated from me almost had it's own aura.
A cemetery fading from memory. Trees drooping with the weight of the loss surrounding their trunks and branches. Dried and dead flowers, with no more life in them than those they were given to. And among it all, a mourning Daughter. Tio Lewis, eldest child of Delianne Lewis. Me.
I looked around, wanting to gaze at anything but the earth my mother lay under for eternity. Hell, I'd settle for looking at the sun untilI went blind. Anything but the permanent reminder that the one person in this world that truly loved and understood me was gone forever.
My phone buzzed in the breast pocket of my jacket. I turned away from the grave and began digging for the device. Birds sang in the trees, though I was only now noticing. The smooth screen of my cell phone held a notification for a message. I wiped away the tears from my face and swiped it open.
Hello, Ms. Tio Lewis
I am informing you that we will be leaving soon. Please return to the vehicle.
My sigh lingered in the air. Of course these damn rich people have their rutines to return to. Mourning a loved one never seems to torment them, as money seems to fix all their ailments.
The gravel path crunched under my footsteps. It was cold for an April morning. A chill had creeped its way into the core of every living thing. Which given where I was, there weren't very many.
A sleek black limo waited at the gates, a door already open for me. A door to my new life. A door I wasn't sure I wanted to pass through.
Crossing into this new life, this new normal, felt like I was betraying my old life. I was going to sweep my father, my brother, and my friends under a rug and forget about them. I would forget my mother. They didn't matter, because that wouldn't be ME anymore. That would be the old Tio.
The new Tio had a rich family in one of the most prominent cities in the world. The new Tio lived with Tony Stark. The new Tio didn't have any problems, because she had the money to fix them.
I already hated the new Tio.
I refused to turn into some spoiled rich girl. My mother taught me that I need to work for what I want, and money can't fix everything. And I'll be damned if I forget what she taught me.
The driver caught my eye, and a flash of sympathy crossed his features. A kennel rested in the backseat, it's contents no mystery to me. I hopped into the limo and sat down, wiping my eyes one more time.
"Are you alright, Miss?" The driver turned around in his seat to look at me. I curled my knees to my chest and held them there, fighting another wave of emotions.
"No."
The door closed. The trees began to blur. And I began to prepare myself.