Unbroken Kingdom

by Lorie Gurnett

  BANG! Josiah fired his air rifle.

  Senora ran out to the back porch at the sound. She saw three boys firing their air guns as Bancroft peddled his bike away. Papers flew in every direction. “Bobbie, Jo, Trevor, what’re you doing?”

  BANG! “I missed!” Trevor yelled as he took a few steps forward and aimed again. BANG!

  “Dang, I missed too,” Robert said.

  “Let me try.” Josiah aimed. BANG!

  “Stop it right now!” Senora stomped her foot to grab their attention.

  Bancroft reached the end of the long gravel driveway. “You’re all crazy!” he yelled.

  BANG! “I missed again,” Trevor said as he stifled a laugh. Bancroft jumped and rode out of sight. Senora ran up to the three boys and placed her hand on Trevor’s back.

  “Trevor, stop! What’re you doin?” Senora asked. The three boys lowered their air rifles and laughed uncontrollably. “What’s so funny?”

  “Oh, did you see the look on his face?” Trevor laughed.

  “Yeah, I think he lost most of his papers.” Josiah chuckled.

  “I think he almost peed himself.” Robert declared.

  “You scared me. I doubt we’ll be getting’ a paper anytime soon. He could report you,” Senora warned.

  “For what?” Trevor laughed so hard he nearly fell on the ground.

  “Ummm, for shooting at him,” Senora replied.

  Robert coughed to clear his throat. He turned and looked at Senora while trying to control his laughter. He held up the air rifle, “look.” Senora walked closer, BANG, a small cloud of dust gathered in a small dust cloud at their feet.

  She held her arms in front of her. “Oh, you didn’t.” She grabbed the air rifle and shot at the ground. BANG! She started laughing. “It looks so real.”

  “Yes, but it only shoots air,” Trevor affirmed.

  “You’re so sneaky,” Senora said as she tossed the air rifle back to Robert. She disappeared into the house.

  “Hey, I’ll do anything to protect my little sister.” Trevor winked.

  Senora was pulled from her thoughts as she focused back on the principal’s words. “As you end your time with us, may you look ahead to brighter futures. Thank you. Now help me welcome our valedictorian this year, Miss Senora Fredrickson.”

  The crowd clapped as Senora stood and walked to the podium.

  “Thank you, Principal Stroble,” Senora said.

  She fixed her eyes on Josiah and took a deep breath.

  “Good afternoon Montgomery High. I would like to thank my parents, my brother Jo, Bobbie Armstrong, and the teachers. You’ve all touched our hearts in some special way. You’ve encouraged us to never give up…”

  Her gaze panned to Robert, “to fight for what we believe in,” she looked at her parents, “to hold our loved ones close,” her gaze surveyed the crowd once more.

  “Thank you for believing in us.” She locked eyes in admiration with her science teacher and thought, All those many hours of tutoring really got me through, “Without you, I could not represent this grad class and share these words. There’re many different moments in our lives, moments of great laughter and adventure, and moments of great sorrow and many tears. But each new moment brought a lesson. It’s our choice on how we’ll receive those lessons. We’ve all made mistakes and hopefully learned from them.”

  The crowd nodded. Senora’s gaze reached the back of the room. Right beyond the crowd stood a young girl dressed in black with her hood pulled down over her eyes.

  “We have been on a journey of self-discovery, and some would say we’ve arrived. But our journey’s only beginning.” Senora squinted her eyes. There is something familiar about this girl.

  She looked down to regain her thoughts. Her gaze slowly rose back to the crowd, continuing. At the end of her speech, she sat down. The crowd stood and clapped. Her eyes searched the back of the room once again. She caught a glimpse of the mysterious girl walking away from the crowd.

  The grad class stood and threw their caps in the air to celebrate their accomplishment.

  Senora met Josiah, Sylvia, her mom and dad, and Robert at the back of the room. Each hugged and congratulated her. As she pulled away from Josiah she saw that mysterious girl standing off in the distance. Why does she look so familiar? she wondered.

  “Holding memories close today?” Josiah pointed at the eagle pendant necklace Senora wore.

  “Memories and friends,” Senora replied as she subconsciously reached to touch the pendant.

  Josiah nodded and smiled. “I’m proud of you.”

  “We’re all proud of you. Have you made any plans for the summer or for the fall school term yet?” Sylvia asked. Senora looked toward the young girl again; Senora noticed a hint of a red glow as the girl turned around a corner. What was that? she wondered.

  “Are you lost in thought?” Sylvia chuckled.

  “What? Sorry. What was your question?” She tried to refocus on the conversation around her, self-subconsciously fiddling with the eagle pendant again. Her thoughts returned to this mysterious girl.

  “Oh, never mind. You’ve too much happening in your mind right now to think past today. I understand. You’ve time to make a decision once today’s finished.” Sylvia hugged her.

  “Nora, are you coming?” Robert asked as she slowly pulled away from Sylvia. She followed Robert to his truck and looked over her shoulder, calling back to the rest of her family, “We will meet you at The Diner in fifteen minutes. Ok?”

  “You bet,” her dad replied.

  Robert and Senora climbed into Robert’s car and drove away. As she looked out the window, she saw that girl again. “Hey, you seem lost in thought,” Robert said. “Is something bothering you?”

  “I’m not sure. I just thought I saw someone I used to know.”

  Robert pulled the truck up to The Diner and they both entered. They joined Josiah and Sylvia who were sitting at the long table in the back. Josiah sipped his coffee, and Sylvia chatted away about the new things she had learned in nursing school. Soon, her mom and dad arrived, and the waitress took their orders.

  Senora tried hard to concentrate on the conversation, but her thoughts kept wandering back to that mysterious girl. The waitress returned to the table with a folded piece of paper in her hand, then handed it to Senora. “What’s this?”

  The waitress looked toward the door as the same mysterious girl walked out. “Umm, she asked me to give you this.”

  “Who’s that?” Robert asked.

  “I’m not sure,” Senora said and unfolded the paper.

  “Who’s K? Josiah asked.

  “Not sure,” Senora replied as she placed the note in her pants pocket. The waitress returned with two extra-large pizzas.

  “Enjoy,” she proclaimed cheerfully.

  “Oh, I will!” Robert rubbed his hands together excitedly.

  Senora sat calmly on the bench swing on their back porch pondering all the events of the day, listening to the ocean waves lapping against the shore in the background. Josiah came out and sat down beside her. “Hey, you’ve got that look in your eye,” Josiah stated.

  “What look?” Senora asked.

  “You know, the one that says you’re preparing for another adventure.”

  “Well, I just graduated. I might go for a horse ride tomorrow along the shore. I’ve a lot on my mind.”

  “Ok, I get it. I went through that same thing two years ago. If you ever want to talk.” Josiah stood to go back inside.

  “Trevor would have loved today.”

  “Yeah, he would have. I miss him too.” Josiah sighed as he pulled the door closed behind him. Senora hugged her knees to her chest and turned her attention to the barn. I am so thankful Dad built that barn last year; riding calms my nerves so much. It sure helps me not miss Trevor so much. She saw a small dark figure standing by the side of the barn and reached in her pocket to pull the note out.

  “Meet me in your barn tonight,” Senora read. She stood and slowl
y walked toward the figure. “Are you the one who sent me this note?”

  The figure shifted and moved toward the back of the barn, out of sight of the house. Senora ran to catch up.

  Robert drove up to his house and entered. His mom greeted him from the kitchen table. “Hey, Bobbie. It was a lovely ceremony this afternoon, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it was really nice,” Robert replied.

  “How was supper?”

  “Wonderful. It was great to be able to celebrate Nora’s accomplishment. You should have joined us.” Robert approached the table.

  “I was tired after the ceremony, so I needed to rest.”

  “I understand.” Robert sat down next to his mom when he noticed an envelope in her hand.

  “What’s that?”

  “A letter.”

  “Oh? From who?”

  “Your dad.” She slowly looked up at Robert.

  He instantly clenched his fists and stood.

  “He’s not worthy of that title.” Robert pursed his lips into a thin line.

  “You should give him a chance.” His mom stood and tried to shove the envelope into Robert’s hand.

  He flinched away and scowled at her. “That man’ll never change.”

  His mom took a step closer to him and raised her hands, pleading. “He would like to see you.”

  “I doubt that. All he speaks is lies. The only reason you think he changed is because he’s sober. He’s only sober because he’s in jail.” Robert’s words grew louder as he backed away from his mom.

  “Robbie, there’s more to it than that.” She tried to force the envelope into his hands again.

  This time, he grabbed the envelope from her, crumpled it, and threw it at her feet. “He’s not worthy of forgiveness. He’s only trash and doesn’t know how to love.”

  She kneeled down and picked up the envelope. “I’m going to visit him next Saturday. Will you come with me?”

  “No.” Robert stormed toward the door.

  “Bobbie, at least read the letter.” She ran to Robert and shoved the envelope in his shirt pocket as he stormed out.

  “I’ve got to go.”

  “But you just got back.” She fell to her knees, covered her face with her hands, and wept in the open doorway.

  “Yeah, well, I need some air.” He ran to his truck and squealed the tires as he drove away.

  He tore the envelope from his shirt pocket and threw it on the floor of the passenger side as he sped away. How could she allow that man back into her life? Next time, he just might kill her, like he did Trevor. No, I’ll not allow him to tear us down again.

  Speeding down the gravel road, Robert headed toward Senora and Josiah’s place.

  That man only brings chaos and pain. He only cares about himself. God, I’ll never forgive him. He doesn’t deserve it. Robert turned down the driveway to Josiah’s place. Maybe Josiah can help.

  As Senora ran around the back of the barn, she almost ran over the small figure. The person turned to face Senora and slowly removed her hood. “Kat? Is that you?” Senora said with surprise.

  “Nora,” Katerina called.

  Senora leaned over and hugged Katerina.

  “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

  Katerina raised her hand to stop her from talking. “Nora, slow down with the questions. I need your help.”

  Senora stepped closer and embraced Katerina in a big hug. Katerina quickly pulled away from the embrace and held Senora at arm’s length. “Of course. Anything. What is it?”

  Katerina wiggled from Senora’s hold and started pacing, creating distance between the two of them. “Do you remember what Sam told you?”

  She thought for a moment as she leaned on the barn wall. “You mean that friendship is a bond, but family is unbreakable?”

  Katerina snapped her fingers, nodded, and turned abruptly to stare at her. “Yes, do you remember what happened to Crystal and me when you met us?”

  She nodded at the recollection and stood a little taller. “Yes, Jo and I helped you two escape Lucas’s chains and free Queen Scarlett from his deceptions.”

  “I see you still have the pendant Mother gave you.” Katerina pointed at Senora’s necklace.

  She looked down and held the pendent in her fingers. “Yes, I never take it off. Do you need it back?” She started to fiddle with the clasp.

  Katerina waved her hands back and forth in front of her and shook her head. “No, it does serve as a good reminder.”

  The necklace fell dangling on her neck again as Senora looked up, puzzled. “A good reminder of what?”

  Katerina stomped her foot and placed her hands on her hips. “How important family is.”

  She rubbed the back of her neck and nodded with uncertainty. “Is everything ok? How can I help?”

  Katerina turned her back on her and hung her head. “There’s only one way you can help me, Nora.”

  She crossed her arms in front of her and tapped her toe expectantly, “Anything.”

  Katerina turned sadly and stepped closer to Senora. “What would you do to see Trevor again?”

  Senora jumped in shock at the mention of Trevor’s name, her hand covering her mouth. “I miss him, but I know he’s in a good place. I know I’ll see him again at the right time. Kat, has something happened with Crystal or Scarlett?”

  Katerina turned away and started pacing again. “Scarlett is fine. But she has her hands full.”

  “And Crystal?”

  Katerina stopped in her tracks, fighting back the tears and trying to hide her sadness. “I don’t want to hurt anyone. But sometimes, one does not have a choice. She lowered her head and looked at the red glowing gem in her hand and sighed.

  She wiped away a few random tears and sighed. “I’m sorry, Nora.”

  “For what? Why are you sorry?” Katerina spun suddenly and swung her leg high in the air. Her foot connected with Senora’s left temple and knocked her to the ground.

  Senora lay unconscious in front of Katerina. There was a small trickle of blood on her eyebrow. Katerina bent down and pulled her hood over her head. She placed the gem in her pocket and leaned close to Senora’s ear.

  “I truly am sorry. He wants you out of the picture, and I’ll not let him rip my family away from me again.” She grabbed Senora’s arms and dragged her into the barn.

  Katerina looked around as she dragged Senora toward the back of the horse stalls. She spotted an old 4 X 4 fence post leaning against the wall. She placed Senora down on the hay and walked over to the fence post. She dragged it over to Senora and gently laid it on top of her. “There, that should hold you.”

  Katerina wiped a tear from her eye as she looked one last time at Senora. Panic filled her as she noticed the eagle pendant had fallen from Senora’s neck. Where is it? She got down on all fours and started searching in the hay. Right then, she heard a car pull up the driveway. She stood and stepped back. Then, she turned, ran from the barn, and knocked over a lantern.

  Sparks hit the hay, and smoke began to fill the barn.

  As Robert approached Josiah’s place, he heard the horses stirring. That was when he saw smoke pouring out of the barn door. Robert blasted his horn as he pulled to a grinding halt.

  Josiah and his parents came running out of the house as Robert jumped out of his truck. He tossed his cell phone to Josiah’s mom. “Call 9-1-1. Jo, help me get the horses free.”

  Josiah followed Robert to the barn. By the time he reached the barn door, the smoke was so black he couldn’t see in. As the horses emerged, his dad tried to help him round them toward the back field.

  Robert made his way to the last stall, and the smoke burned his lungs. He managed to find and release the last stall door. As the last horse ran out, Robert tripped when his foot hit something. He tried to get under the smoke and felt around to see what he tripped over. What’s this fence post doing here? he wondered. Soon he felt a leg below the post. Fear filled his heart. The flames crawled up the walls and r
ippled like waves across the ceiling above him. He caught a glimpse of Senora’s face in the glow of the flames.

  He quickly reached his arm under the fence post to lift it off of her. As his arm slid under the post, pain seared into his arm, and he flinched and pulled the post off. Robert placed his free hand close to Senora’s nose and mouth. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt her breathing. “Hang on, Nora; we’re going to get out of here.” Robert rasped as he started to cough. He dragged her toward the door.

  As Josiah and his dad got the last horse into the back pasture, Josiah looked over his shoulder to see Robert emerge from the smoke, carrying Senora over his shoulder.

  Josiah ran over to help Robert pull Senora to safety.

  “What happened?”

  “I don’t know. When I pulled up, I saw the smoke. Why was Nora in the barn?” Robert yelled.

  “I don’t know. She was just on the bench swing on the porch,” Josiah declared. Josiah’s parents ran up.

  “Is she ok?” Tanya asked.

  “She’s breathing but unconscious,” Robert gasped through coughs.

  “The fire department and EMS are on the way,” her mom announced.

  “You’re bleeding.” Josiah gasped, pointing at the bloody eagle shape burn on Robert’s arm.

  “Must have happened when I removed the fence post from Nora,” Robert explained.

  They sat there watching the fire engulf the barn. When the fire department arrived, they pulled their hoses off the trucks. One firefighter pulled debris away from the barn, while others turned on their hoses to drown the flames.

  EMS arrived ten minutes later and quickly got Senora on a stretcher and placed an oxygen mask on both her and Robert. One of the medics bandaged up Robert’s arm. Robert and Senora were loaded into the ambulance, and they sped away from the scene.

  Katerina stood right out of sight and watched the brilliant lights of the ambulance. “I’m sorry,” she said as she wiped a tear from her eye. She pulled the red gem from her pocket. “It’s done.” A red glow engulfed her and she vanished.