The Future is Uncertain

[Carmen Peregrin]

Carmen had received a letter from home earlier that morning but what with classes and assignments to finish she had left it for when she had a spare moment to call her own. Walking along to the cliff top she smiled watching some birds dip and soar playfully in the air. Retrieving the letter from her pocket she sighed as she looked at the familiar writing of her father. It was very rare for him to write, usually it was her grandfather and only he that did so though he often filled her in on what her parents were up to.

Finding a slightly sheltered spot she stood back against the cliff face and leaned against it as she tore open the envelope and began to read.

My Darling Daughter,

It grieves me to be the bearer of this news but hear it you must. We debated whether or not you should return home but decided that your schooling was more important. Your grandfather would have seen it that way too. You know that in recent months he was very poor in health well he never improved. So much so my dear child, that he passed away in the early hours of Tuesday morning. He has been cremated as you know this is our way and his urn lies now in the family crypt. I am sure when you return home for vacation you will want to go and pay your respects.

I know you both were very close and you will miss him but you must be strong. He did not like any show of weakness you know this yourself.

With all our Love
Your loving father and mother

Carmen read the letter numerous times trying to let the words sink in but they never quite made it. The letter was so distant, so brutal in its rendering of such a sorrowful message. Her beloved grandfather was gone and she had not been called back for the memorial or anything. Crumbling up the letter she let her body slide down, so she knelt crouched on the ground. Her fists balled and covering eyes that refused just yet to shed any tears.

 

[Kaleb Styx]

Kaleb was finished with his homework, and he put this things away in his dorm. It was hard for him to even concentrate on homework because of Carmen. It was not a horrid thing, but the best in the world. He changed out of his school robes, and into his muggle attire of a black, long-sleeved shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Kaleb was a little off since his brother graduated. He had to admit, Jaken scored a hot babe, but Kaleb adored Carmen much more. He was enamored with her looks, charmed by the sunshine in her attitude, everything about her was just...more than amazing. However, on his way through the school, Kaleb felt something.

Something wasn't right. Immediately, Kaleb rushed outside, through the lawn, his legs running beneath him. If it was one thing that Kaleb did nowadays, it was obey his instincts. And they were leading him to the cliffs, a place he did not really enjoy going. His body skid to a stop, seeing Carmen on the ground. Kaleb felt that something was deeply wrong. He may be connected with her, but he was no mind reader. "Carmen..." Kaleb's voice murmured, as he approached her. Kneeling down, one knee on the ground, he wrapped his arms around her, and he whispered, "Tell me what is wrong with my girl." Kaleb was only like this for her. And only her. Kaleb wanted nothing more but to hold her, and take all her troubles away like a childish fantasy it was.

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

She knew she should be strong, that her grandfather would want her to be but she also knew that not grieving for him would dishonor the memory she had of him. The pain at this loss, the first in her family tore through her. Began to consume her like a wild fire and then he was there. His arms were wrapping around her as he knelt down in front of her. It was almost as if she had known he would come. They had been so close all along, their first steps as best friends had cemented it but now, knowing that they were bonded to one another for life. Their hearts and souls almost one, she had surmised somewhere in her grief that he would find her.

Her hands went about his neck as she succumbed to the tears that fell.
"Kaleb, he's... he's gone" she could barely get the words out so instead moved a small bit from him to pass him the letter. Her hazel eyes glanced one more time at it before she hid her face in his shoulder to allow her own words to swallow her.

 

[Kaleb Styx]

Kaleb wanted so much but to take her pain away. It was when he received the letter from her, and he stroked her back with one of his hands. Reading the letter, and he closed his eyes. How could she suffer this? It shouldn’t be her, it should be someone else. Kaleb sighed and he murmured, “I know how it feels to lose someone you are close to. Just let it all out. Don’t hold it in. It’ll consume you.” Kaleb did all he could just to comfort her. His arms tightly around her, his body meshed with hers, and buried his face in her hair. Despite his colder nature, Carmen was the only one that could bring this side of him out. He would have told her that everything would be okay, but that would be an honest lie. “I know that everything won’t be okay, but I will tell you this, I will be there to support you the entire way.”

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

It was a horrible feeling, to know that the one person in her family who had loved her unconditionally was now gone. Home life would never be the same again, no doubt her mother was delirious for she could spend now at will. She would relish her new title of Countess or Baroness whichever the foolish woman preferred to use. Carmen held tight to Kaleb as his arms circled her tighter, it was almost as if he was keeping her from falling completely apart. Knowing that her father who she had slowly begun building a relationship with over the past year would be completely wrapped up in his new role as well and would have no time to give her other than the penning of a cold letter, Carmen now clung to the boy who was her entire world. He was all she had left and she knew it. His kind words, his honesty and selflessness towards her caused the tears to flow harder until she felt as if the ache within her would slice her in two.

"How can I go home again? It won't feel like home without him there? They will have changed it to suit themselves, they way they have wanted too for years. Oh Kaleb why could they not have told me sooner" the tears soaked into his shoulder, "I could have been there for his cremation, to say my farewell. How can I say it now?"

 

[Kaleb Styx]

If only Kaleb could just take Carmen home with him, to live in the Styx Manor and show her so much affection that the pain would just vanish. But that would never happen. A gust blew his caramel hair, and Kaleb closed his stormy eyes. They managed to lose their blue hue as he aged, and he was rather proud of that. But there was nothing that Kaleb was proud of right now. Kaleb wanted Carmen to stay together, to not fall apart. Could someone so young prevent something like that? Kaleb murmured, “I don’t know. But you will have to face it. Take your stand and just… I don’t know. This should not have happened to you now. Not now. Not ever.” He stroked her hair lovingly, and he continued to speak softly, “They should not have wronged you so. I think he is with you in spirit… He smiles at you from above, like my mom does for me.”

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

It was nestled in her soul mates arms, her best friends shoulder that she found the strength she knew was inside of her. Her grandfather had instilled so much faith in her regarding her heritage, she knew what Kaleb told her now was true. She would have to take her stand, face the pain that tore through her and overcome it. All the rigid upbringing she had seemed to rise up now and the noble family she had sprung from seemed to claim her fold her in their ancestry and lift her chin, give her the back bone she needed. As Kaleb mentioned his mother she moved back from his shoulder to look up into his beloved face. Nothing could hurt her when he was near, not even her inconsiderate parents. Her hand traced gently down the side of his face as she looked into the beautiful eyes that seemed to daily change on her but she liked it. Cradling his face in her hands she leaned forward and let her lips gently brush his. The same warmth and glorious bliss that overcame her whenever they touched or more especially kissed overcame her and her hands slowly drifted around his neck as the pressure of her lips on his increased. Her perfect rosebud mouth opened to him and the only thought that came to her then was how much she loved him. That was simply unquantifiable, no measurement at all on earth could even gauge her love for him. Slowly she broke the kiss, resting her forehead against his.

"You always know how to calm me, how to still every emotion in me that would scream. Thank you Kaleb" her fingers curled into the wisps of hair at the base of his neck, "I like that, the thought of him smiling at me. Perhaps they are both near one another smiling at us now".
She moved back from him to stare once more into the most beautiful face she had been gifted to look upon for her eternity.
"I will say my goodbyes to him then my own way. I will do him proud always. I know that us, you and I made him very happy".

 

[Kaleb Styx]

Oh how much Kaleb loved the feeling of her lips against his! It gave him energy and that of course, the Kaleb Styx kissed back. His hands went to her silky hair, and the kiss deepened. No matter how many girls that he kissed before hand, that was nothing compared to that Carmen could do. Their first kiss was a hilarious experience considering that she fainted. Kaleb was sure that she would not faint again, anytime soon. They had enough practice, have they not? Kaleb murmured, after she spoke and broke the kiss, "I will have to agree with you. I am glad that we both have that effect on each other." Kaleb was highly proud that her grandfather like him. "You and I will make him so proud, he will make the sun shine as beautiful as you are. I am sure that everyone approves of what we have become, your grandfather the most of all."

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

Her heart beat loudly and she was convinced he could hear it, it didn't bother her of course why would it? Her heart was his after all, it only beat rapidly whenever he was near or she thought about him at all. She loved when he told her that she made him feel the same way, about to say something else Carmen glanced overhead as an owl screeched loudly dropping a letter down to them. Her hand reached up and seemed to catch it effortlessly, wiping a tear away she looked at the envelope reading her name in a very formal scrawl that she did not recognize at all. Glancing at Kaleb for a moment before she opened it, Carmen read its contents. The letter was from her grandfathers solicitors, the family solicitors to be exact. The reading of the will had been held that morning and as she had not appeared for it, they were sending her a copy of the will which was attached to their letter. They highlighted the fact that they would have preferred it if she had shown up at the reading but understood that her education did have to come first. Once she had read the letters contents and the will she was to write back to them as soon as possible to let them know this.

Carmen frowned slightly, leaning back against the wall as she continued to read beginning now for Kaleb's benefit to read it out loud. The will specified many things but the general gist of it was that she was the soul heir to her grandfathers title and estate. Her father having been cut from the will as soon as he had married out side of his pureblood status. She was now in effect Baroness or Countess Carmen Hera Peregrin, the tenth baroness of Peregrine. Her mouth hung open for a moment before closing it rapidly and looking astonished at Kaleb.
"I'm ... I'm his heir" her astonishment was evident not only in her words but in the look on her face, she had been convinced her father was next in line but from what the will said the moment he had married her mother, her father's rights to the title and to everything had been removed. Something else niggled her though, the letter from the lawyers had adamant that she must have known about the hearing of the will and had simply not attended due to school matters, when the truth of the matter had been that she did not know a word about it. She relaid this to Kaleb wondering if he would come to the same conclusion she had, that her parents had not wanted her there for that also.

 

[Kaleb Styx]

Kaleb glanced up to see an owl screeching overhead. Once Carmen started to read the letter, Kaleb’s eyes narrowed. His ears perked and his mind opened to take in all the information and let his thoughts flow. However, something really bothered him. From the way it sounded for him, her parents did not want her for that. She didn’t know about all that…stuff? “You might want to explain this all to me, but it sounds like your parents don’t want you to be his heir, which would make sense if you were after all.” Kaleb bit his lip. Why would her parents do such a thing? Then again, maybe this is all just going over his head and he had jumped to the wrong conclusion.

 

[Carmen Peregrin]

Carmen sighed folding up the letters and pocketing them. If her mind dwelled too long on what Kaleb had said and on what she too believed she would simply want to curl up and cry but that really wasn't the person she was at all. Were her parents really so against her being his heir? Did they think she would cast them out of the estate, leave them cut off without a sickle? They had both been left a considerable amount of money and had been given the winter lodge in Norway but obviously that was not what they wanted. Carmen leaned against Kaleb, turning herself around so her back was pressed against his chest. Here she was save, here she was everything.

"It sounded that way to me too Kaleb" saying it aloud made it worse somehow, that her own parents were conspiring against their only child, "perhaps I need to give them the benefit of the doubt, until I get a chance to speak with them at least."
It seemed the only thing she could do, dwelling on their irrational behavior was weighty. Turning herself slightly once more she snuggled into him, her arms reaching around his waist.
"I am glad I have you at least" part of her believed her grandfather felt exactly the same.

 

[Kaleb Styx]

Kaleb wrapped his arms around his girlfriend, and pressed his lips to her head. Her hair smelt so good, and it relaxed his hyper nerves from her news. It just upset the poor boy, and he could not imagine what she is going through. He murmured against her head, “Speak with them first. They might not be…doing that on purpose. But so help them if they are. I’ll beat them to a pulp for you.” The embrace was warm, something so innocent but it felt so much more than that. It was as if only they existed in the world. Kaleb didn’t care what others thought, this had to be his soulmate. It was meant to be. Kaleb grinned, “And I too have you. I am your best friend, so you can always count on me”