Read Online Arrival of the Traveler (Waldgrave Book 1) by A.L. Tyler - Free Book Online
Authors: A.L. Tyler
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ready for. The simple answer is that I was hiding, and I didn’t want to be found. Trust me when I say the rest will make you sick. For now, get some sleep, and we’ll sort it all out tomorrow. Do you need anything? Water, or an aspirin?”
Lena shook her head. She still wasn’t sure if she trusted her mother, and even though she had spent most of the day sleeping, she was exhausted. She could get her own water.
“Well, if you need anything, I’m in the room just across the hall.” Ava rose, walked to the door, and then turned around.
“I love you, Lena.”
“Okay. Thank you.” It was the first time she’d heard those words since Egypt. She felt her eyes tearing up again, but bit her lip hard to keep them in.
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” The door clicked shut, and Lena cried herself to sleep, just as she had that night in the hospital.
By the next morning, Lena had almost fully recovered. She was groggy, and ached all over, but she seemed to have back her capacity to control her emotional states. She woke up late, wondering why no one had bothered to get her for breakfast, which would have already started. She was too bleary to get dressed and entirely ready without missing breakfast, but realizing that she was still in the blue dress she’d worn down to David’s two days earlier, she elected to put on some pajamas and a bathrobe and just let it go. As she wandered down to the dining room, she remarked how different the house had become now that Howard had been forced out of his lies. Walking to her seat, she received a smile from her mother, but Howard had a look of remorse.
Sitting down at the table, she forged on.
“I see you decided to put those pictures back after all.” She put her napkin in her lap and picked up her fork. Ava looked confused.
“Yes…they’re back.” Howard didn’t look up.
Ava looked questioningly at both of them; it was Lena who spoke, because Howard didn’t look up to it.
“Well, when I got here, I noticed there was some light bleaching around the places where the pictures used to be. Howard said they were removed just before I got here.” Lena watched Howard slowly put down his utensils and sit in a purgatorial manner. “He had the hall painted blue, and I was told that they wouldn’t be returning.”
Ava glanced over at Howard, who let out a long sigh, and then she started to laugh.
“I was told you were going to great lengths, but you’ve really put yourself out!” She continued laughing, Howard’s discomfort turned almost to indignation, and while Lena smiled politely, she had no clue what was going on until Ava calmed down. Remembering their conversation from the night before, Lena realized she was expected to press the issue over waiting for an explanation.
“What was going on with the pictures that’s so funny?”
“Sweetie,” Ava chuckled again, “Those portraits were never removed. Everything leaves a shadow, even if you can’t see the thing leaving it.” She turned her attention to Howard. “Apparently you were destined to failure. She knew something was up from the moment she got here.”
“A…shadow?”
“A shadow. The mind is an incredible thing, and it protects you from things you’re not ready for. That’s why the general rule in this situation is to not tell unless asked. You weren’t ready to see those things, and you weren’t looking for them to be there, so you couldn’t see them. But sometimes it glitches a little, and you see things you shouldn’t—like shadows of things that otherwise aren’t there. You weren’t seeing light bleaching, but the shadows of portraits that were there all along. Now that you’re ready, you know they’re there, and you can see them. I think you’ll be finding a lot of…interesting things…in the house now.” Ava winked at her. She talked more than anyone else had. She seemed genuinely interested in answering Lena’s questions, and that gave her more credibility. However
Lena shook her head. She still wasn’t sure if she trusted her mother, and even though she had spent most of the day sleeping, she was exhausted. She could get her own water.
“Well, if you need anything, I’m in the room just across the hall.” Ava rose, walked to the door, and then turned around.
“I love you, Lena.”
“Okay. Thank you.” It was the first time she’d heard those words since Egypt. She felt her eyes tearing up again, but bit her lip hard to keep them in.
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight.” The door clicked shut, and Lena cried herself to sleep, just as she had that night in the hospital.
By the next morning, Lena had almost fully recovered. She was groggy, and ached all over, but she seemed to have back her capacity to control her emotional states. She woke up late, wondering why no one had bothered to get her for breakfast, which would have already started. She was too bleary to get dressed and entirely ready without missing breakfast, but realizing that she was still in the blue dress she’d worn down to David’s two days earlier, she elected to put on some pajamas and a bathrobe and just let it go. As she wandered down to the dining room, she remarked how different the house had become now that Howard had been forced out of his lies. Walking to her seat, she received a smile from her mother, but Howard had a look of remorse.
Sitting down at the table, she forged on.
“I see you decided to put those pictures back after all.” She put her napkin in her lap and picked up her fork. Ava looked confused.
“Yes…they’re back.” Howard didn’t look up.
Ava looked questioningly at both of them; it was Lena who spoke, because Howard didn’t look up to it.
“Well, when I got here, I noticed there was some light bleaching around the places where the pictures used to be. Howard said they were removed just before I got here.” Lena watched Howard slowly put down his utensils and sit in a purgatorial manner. “He had the hall painted blue, and I was told that they wouldn’t be returning.”
Ava glanced over at Howard, who let out a long sigh, and then she started to laugh.
“I was told you were going to great lengths, but you’ve really put yourself out!” She continued laughing, Howard’s discomfort turned almost to indignation, and while Lena smiled politely, she had no clue what was going on until Ava calmed down. Remembering their conversation from the night before, Lena realized she was expected to press the issue over waiting for an explanation.
“What was going on with the pictures that’s so funny?”
“Sweetie,” Ava chuckled again, “Those portraits were never removed. Everything leaves a shadow, even if you can’t see the thing leaving it.” She turned her attention to Howard. “Apparently you were destined to failure. She knew something was up from the moment she got here.”
“A…shadow?”
“A shadow. The mind is an incredible thing, and it protects you from things you’re not ready for. That’s why the general rule in this situation is to not tell unless asked. You weren’t ready to see those things, and you weren’t looking for them to be there, so you couldn’t see them. But sometimes it glitches a little, and you see things you shouldn’t—like shadows of things that otherwise aren’t there. You weren’t seeing light bleaching, but the shadows of portraits that were there all along. Now that you’re ready, you know they’re there, and you can see them. I think you’ll be finding a lot of…interesting things…in the house now.” Ava winked at her. She talked more than anyone else had. She seemed genuinely interested in answering Lena’s questions, and that gave her more credibility. However
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