Ten Years Earlier

Leonard

Ten years ago

"Earth to Earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust..." The minister muttered, pausing for a moment, as he pulls in a breath looking around at the gathered mourners, and continues. "In sure and certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, who can subdue all things. God has received one of his angels today. I commit Rosaline Alice Salvatore-Shepherd's body back to the earth from whence she came, and I wish for a blessing on her beautiful, kind soul."

I held the hand of a weeping sixteen-year-old Kendall Alicia Crawford, with tears threatening to come down my face. The thoughts of my mother taking her own life, a shock to everyone surrounding the grave-site. I looked to my identical twin brother, who stared at the lowering pearl, golden, rose embroiled casket. I placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He sighed, not looking at me, "She's gone." was the first words that he had spoken since we found her lying in her blood, a Beretta 9mm pistol by her side.

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Later that night

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I stood in the bedroom that I had called my own over the past seventeen years, wishing that the parting with my family was on happier terms. My brother and I would be leaving home, leaving Shepherd Manor to gather dust. With the passing of our father, our mother lived here and kept it up. Now that she too has passed, neither one of us wanted to stay here any longer. Though the home had some great memories, it had a lot of bad ones, too. I took the remaining luggage from the bare bed turning off the lights, leaving the large home to start a new life.

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