Second Chance

Chapter Four

Claire Broker

I let out a breath as I sat down at the table with the huge pile of family records I'd collected. I grabbed the newest one, starting at the newest records. A small smile formed on my lips when I saw my name written in Grandma Ivy's handwriting, with my birthday written underneath. I traced my name back to my parents, and then my grandparents on my mom's side. Everything was always passed down from the man's side, so I followed back Grandpa Hick's tree to his parents. Grandpa Hick's was an only child since his dad passed in war and his mom never remarried, so I didn't have very many records on his side of the family to dig through. Great Grandma Marilyn's maiden name was Smith, so I went back towards Grandpa Hick's dad's side to trace it back another generation. I flipped through close to a dozen birth records between all of their children, with just as many death records to match, before I finally found the next generation. His parents were Arthur and Dorothy Broker. Dorothy's maiden name was Abraham, so I let out a sigh and moved back towards Arthur's side a generation. I don't even know how many birth and death records I had to navigate through before I reached the end. I found Edmond and Violet Broker, and I nearly jumped for joy when I saw Violet's maiden name, Clark. I immediately flipped past the marriage certificate and realized Violet was an only child and a direct bloodline from this house, because the only thing between the marriage certificate and Violet's birth certificate was Eden's death certificate. My heart was pounding, but I realized pretty quickly I wasn't really sure what I was attempting to accomplish by finding this information. Now I had all of this information, but I wasn't sure what it really meant for me. So, I sat for a moment and tried to figure out what else I needed to know to help them. I let out a gasp as it hit me, jumping up from the table. I nearly knocked the chair over as I stood, and after making sure the chair was steady and grabbing my phone off the table I made my way over to the door. The handle squeaked lightly as I turned the knob, and I shrunk back as I continued to open it. As soon as the door was shut behind me I took off down the hall and stopped at the base of the stairs. I turned to my left, taking a moment to remember for sure if this was the way to the backdoor. Once my eyes adjusted to the darkness the moonlight filtering in from the window became enough for me to see what was where in the living room. I spotted the backdoor, so I tiptoed over to it and quietly went into the backyard. The moonlight lit up the backyard with the help of the fireflies, so I didn't need a flashlight to see. I let out a yawn as I began dragging my feet across the lawn. I didn't know how long I could stay up at this point, but I just had to figure out what was going on with Eden and Ignis. The grass was wet under my feet, which was not a feeling I particularly liked, but I didn't care right now. I slipped through the somewhat overgrown entrance to the garden, and made my way towards the dried out water fountain. The closer I got the more I was able to make out the silhouette of a girl sitting on the edge. With each step I was able to make out more and more of her. Her sepia hair was tied up in a bun that appeared to be slowly coming apart, and her face was covered with a thin black mourning veil. It was then that I realized it was Eden. Her face was expressionless aside from her eyes. I'd say they were the window to her soul, but seeing as Eden was dead I don't think she has one at this point. She was staring at me, almost as if she was expecting me. Her long black gown was also the period typical burial wear, which wasn't surprising given how and why she died. Once I was about a yard away I noticed the rope burns on Eden's neck, and how she was holding her head. Eden's neck broke when she was hung. Slowly, she stretched out her hand towards me, so I shakily took it. Eden's hand was surprisingly warm as it engulfed my hand, which shocked me more than the white haze that covered my eyes. Once my vision cleared the fountain had water flowing, and the weeds were gone. It was day out, and the garden was groomed to perfection. Eden was now standing beside me with our fingers intwined. She looked sad as she stared out into the yard. I followed her gaze and found a younger looking Eden with Ignis. They were smiling as they sat on the edge fountain, hands intertwined. "Eden, we've held this courtship for quite some time now. It is quite unheard of for them to last years. I would like to end this lengthy courtship, and take things to the next step," Ignis' voice wavered as he slid off the ledge and knelt down on the grass. He pulled one hand out of Eden's, reaching into his shirt pocket. He pulled out a black ring with an emerald, his hands shaking as he held up the ring. "I know none of this is traditional, but we've never been traditional. I love you more than anything, will you marry me?" Ignis finishes, and Eden is in tears as she begins rapidly nodding her head. She didn't even take a moment to think about her answer, or how any of this would impact her future. "Eden Rose Clark!" A new voice shrieked, causing us to all jerk our heads in the direction of its' owner. A woman who was maybe five foot two with the same reddish brown hair as Eden came marching over. Her eyes were the complete opposite of Eden's, reflecting a champagne color in the sun. Eden's eyes grew a chill to them, and I knew that whoever this woman was to Eden had just ruined this happy moment for her. "What do you want, Mother?" She snapped, standing as soon as Ignis slipped the ring on to her finger. He stood with her, showing to be half a foot taller than Eden's mother. She was clearly appalled by how Eden was speaking to her, but she honestly deserved it. "What in the high heavens do you think you're doing?" Her southern belle accent was strong, and I couldn't help but to stare. "Taking my future into my own hands, Mother," Eden firmly informs her, and by this point Ignis still hadn't said a word. His presence was there and known, backing her up, but he was making it obvious Eden's decisions were ultimately her own. "You will not be marrying this man!" She both figuratively and literally put her foot down, but Eden just stepped foreword with her hand in Ignis'. "I am eighteen years old, and I will do as I please. I will not be marrying James Brown! He's already had two wives pass from mysterious incidents, more than likely relating to his anger issues," Eden stood her ground, but Ignis had to keep her from falling to the ground as her mother backhanded her. "Constance, that is quite enough. Eden is no longer a child, and has not been for some time now. We cannot dictate her life anymore," A white haired man was approaching now, he appeared to be ten years older than Eden's mother. His eyes shimmered like arctic ice, just like Eden's. "Arranged marriages are becoming outdated, Constance. Marrying for love is what is being done now, besides Ignis has already asked for my blessing," He gently scolded Eden's mother, but she just huffed and crossed her arms. "With that settled, I believe congratulations are in order," He finished before stretching his arm out to shake Ignis' hand. Ignis reciprocated the firm handshake, and then Eden's father pulled her into a hug. Eden tugged on my arm, and the scenery changed slightly. The violets were now in full bloom, and Eden was a little puffy in the face now. "Thank you for speaking with us today, there are a few things we needed to discuss now rather than later," Ignis spoke calmly, but his eyes were full of nerves. "For starters," He took a deep breathe, standing from the fountain ledge. His white button up grew in length until it reached his feet, and his belt for his pants materialized as a cord around his waist. The chain on his wrist unhooked from his middle finger before gliding up his arm and across his shoulder like a serpent. Once the chain reached the middle of his back the ring that was around his finger disconnected from the rest of the chain, and rose over his head. It began to glow a bright white, but when I looked away from the halo I was equally as stunned. The chain had grown, and was allowing magnificent feathery wings to cascade down his back. The wing weren't like those of eagles, but made from the leather and metals that his, possibly my, chain were made from. I look down at my worn chain before looking over at the Eden holding onto me. She simply nodded at me, as if she saw that I'd finally gotten it, or at least part of it, because I saw she wasn't entirely relieved yet. When I looked back over at the memory Eden was showing me Ignis was back in his human form and Eden's parents were in complete shock. "That obviously wasn't my true form, but that was the easiest way to get the point across. We had agreed that we were going to wait to tell you about me being Nephilim until much later, but that's not really an option anymore," Ignis sighed, sitting next to Eden again. "I know that first part was a lot, and this is going to take time to process, but this next part is time sensitive," He finishes, looking over at his soon to be wife to let her say her piece. "I am with child," Eden announces, and then goes quiet for a moment. "I thought I had fallen ill, so Dr. Parrish made a home visit while you were away attending to Grandmother. He confirmed it yesterday morning. He said I should be due in the spring," Eden's voice broke, and tears began to fall. Eden let go of my hand, and before I could stop her I was back in the garden with the overgrown bushes and decaying fountain.