Down End Road

I scanned the room, my eyes traveled from person to person. I caught a glimpse of his Saphire suit before he appeared in front of me. An older woman, was latched onto Alex’s arm.

They had startlingly alike features. Their shared sharp jaw and tight coils were beyond parallel. Her skin was smooth, dark and unblemished; exactly like Alex’s. Streaks of grey could be found in her dark hair.

Keen amber eyes focused on me. A small scowl on her plump dark lips. There was no denying who this woman was. She placed her hand in the space between us. I gripped it and gave her hand a small shake. That terrifying, keen-eyed woman, was Alex’s mother.

“Hello I’m Myra.” I introduced. Alex’s mother's scowl deepened, astoundingly, not in an unfriendly way, more analytical. My skin crawled as she investigated the contours of my face. She saw the strawberry tinge of my hair, and her lips twitched, as if thinking of a memory from long ago.

“Myra this is my mum, Rosemary Griffin.” Alex acquainted. She turned to her son with a raised brow.

“My son, I believe she has already gathered that. After all, we do look dreadfully similar.” Rosemary stated harshly in a thick proper British accent, an underlying playfulness to her tone. Alex smiled at her and shook his head. It took my head a while to wrap around the fact that this was their love language, however harsh it sounded.

She let go of Alex before she strutted over to me. Her ruby red gown trailed behind her. I swallowed my nervousness and looked back to her with a friendly smile.

Rosemary smiled at me, before her expression morphed into a serious one. "I am going to be straight forward with you Myra Remington." Rosemary announced, spitting out the word Remington with utter disdain.

"I do not like your predecessors or your family. I never will. Remington's always have a secret, ones that usually destroy other peoples' lives." She expressed. I stood there stunned and more than a little hurt. I fisted my dress and put on a brave impassive face as she continued.

"Mother!" Alex ground out. Rosemary shushed him and continued.

"However, my strong hatred toward your family name, will not hinder my judgement of you." Rosemary explained, I felt my brows knit together in confusion. "You have not wronged me... yet and because of that. I am overlooking your lineage. I do not judge people based on trivial things like names and faces." She continued. "I think that that is one of the true causes for peoples misery in this world."

I nodded my head partially in thanks and partially in confusion, while Alex began to clear the air with small talk. I hated small talk, but found it to be a skill I had picked up over the years. Alex left us to get us some beverages as I stood rigidly in front of his mother.

"He looks just like his father," Rosemary sighed. I saw a sadness flit through her eyes before she looked back to me. "His father... was my world." She began. Her face was filled with melancholy a pained expression coated her features as she shakily sighed.

"You don't have to tell me." I comforted, giving her hand a squeeze. She shook her head as if to say no.

"His father- My husband, was the kindest soul on the planet. He sure could wreak havoc though. That was what made him so extraordinary. He was a strong man with good intentions.

"Which is exactly what this world needs. He was my everything, without him...

Anyway, when he died it destroyed me. Alex was the only one I had left, but he reminded me so much of his father. When he was a boy I could tell their laugh was going to be almost identical. He has his smile. His kind eyes.

"It was hard for me, to accept that my Roger was gone and move on, when my little boy looked exactly like him and constantly dredged up my most painful memories. I couldn't look at him without feeling this overwhelming sadness. So I barely looked at him, touched him, interacted with him. I was so close to losing him to Social services, but I just couldn't let him go. I would sit, he would play quietly and the house would feel so heavy, I knew he could feel it too.

"When he was little, I didn't really care where he went, as long as he came home at the end of the day. He was incredibly bright for such a young one.

"But when he turned six, I remember so clearly, he was playing in the street and a motorbike barrelled down the cul de sac and hit him." My breathing stopped all together. He had a scar right by his hairline. Now I knew where it came from.

"I felt so scared that in that moment, I promised to be better. That I would always protect him. Give him the love that Roger would have wanted me to give him. I can't bear to see him upset now, knowing how much sadness he's had in his life.

"I know I made an absolute mess of his childhood. And I know I didn't do the greatest job raising him. But seeing him like this... happy. It makes me feel happy, that my son has finally found himself someone he can fully trust." She finished.

"I didn't do it for you." I said quietly, my mind a mess of anger and bewilderment at how she could do such a thing to her own son. "I did it because he is a good... man, one that needed to know people cared about him and saw the real him in a place where he was isolated and lonely in a crowd." I corrected. Rosemary nodded solemnly.

"And you Myra, I do believe he might have had somewhat of an impact on your life." Rosemary said, a smile tugged on her lips. I almost blushed before nodding my head.

"Yes, yes he has." I breathed in a whisper.

"I have heard great things about you Myra Rose." She said using my middle name instead of my last. "And I believe you have changed my son." She breathed out shakily. "For the better." Alex gracefully returned and I gave her a thankful nod.

"I'm going to go say hello to Josephine." Rosemary abruptly said. "It was lovely meeting you." She touched my arm gently before sauntering away from us. I felt I learnt a new side of Alex. One that I was glad his mother shared.

"Lets go for a walk." Alex whispered in my ear. I smiled and let him lead me down the stairs. We flew out the doors and made our way to the foyer, before crashing out of the manor's large double door entrance.

My necklace instantly turned cold because of the chilly air. My ring was a comforting weight as we ran to the forest. I was grateful I hadn't broken my ankle running in heels. We flew past the tree line and ran straight to the forest clearing.

I hadn't been able to see it during the games because I was blindfolded, but I could marvel at its beauty now. The sky was an inky navy blue with speckles of white light smattered across the vast galaxy. I sucked in the sharp icy air, refreshed by the chilling sting it brought to my lungs.

I let the stream's soft murmurs lull me into a hazy relaxed state. The trees around me bent to the wind and swayed. I felt a small flake on my nose before a dusting fluttered through the air. It was snowing.

Our intertwined hands slowly loosened as I created some distance between us. We are friends, nothing more, nothing less. I mentally chanted.

"In a way, I'm glad I was blindfolded. I think if I hadn't been I would have just stared at the trees the entire time." I joked, but only my small snicker could be heard. I turned and saw Alex with a hard face, looking displeased and irritated.

"I'm not." He whispered. I swallowed before looking back up to the sky. "We go back to Florida tomorrow, thought you might like to see this place before we go." Alex said.

I snorted. "Right on the money Alex. I don't really feel like going back to be honest, though." I told him, "I mean sure I missed my home town and all, but, lets be honest, the heat is insufferable." I said. Alex chuckled, I swooned inwardly at the sound.

"To be honest I don't particularly mind the heat. When you live in a place where it rains a hundred and fifty days out of the year and is pretty much grey everyday, the sun is... refreshing. New." He spoke. I smiled, a softness in my gaze.

"Nah, I think it's just your perspective." I stated. Alex cocked his head to the side. "I like it when it's slightly colder, it's so much crisper, gives me a clear head. However, if you try studying in 100 degree weather, it kind of melts your brain. It's happened to me and the girls on several occasions." I said, snickering at a memory of me and the girls.

"We grew up very differently." Alex said. I nodded my laughter dying out. I moved closer to Alex and reached my hand out to his scar. I brushed the pad of my thumb across it and breathed out a shaky breath.

"Your mom told how you got that scar." I said. "Along with a few other emotional ones." I stated. He nodded in response, and took my hand in his.

"This doesn't change anything does it?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Never," I confirmed. "But it makes me angry and sad and..." I trailed off with a long sigh. "I don't know." I stated. A loud squawk directed my gaze upwards.

A large Grimer swooped and twirled in the air, it's broad wings decorated in Large orange feathers marbled with lines of black. It's tail swooped through the air, not coated in feathers but fur. It's menacing beak winked in the starlight and I felt safe and in awe. It looked as if it were putting on a show for us.

Alex tensed and I stroked his hand with my thumb. "They aren't going to hurt us." I reminded. He shook his head.

"They aren't here to hurt you." I smiled and laughed at his pessimistic view. Somewhere, deep down, questions roiled and made me question everything, but to keep my sanity, I denied their pleas to be answered.

"We should get back." Alex instructed me. I nodded in agreement. Before he could run off into the distance I tugged him back.

"Alex, why did you bring me here?" I asked. A thoughtful look flitted over his features.

"Because, this is the place where I realised how I don't need to worry about you, but always will." He spoke softly. Something fluttered in my chest, before we were off again.