SHATTERING LIFE | Anthony Lockwood | Lockwood and Co

1. What It Means to Be a Winkman

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Not everybody fears
But everybody cries
Not everybody lives
But everybody dies

– Everybody Dies (Kim Petras)

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My eyes abruptly flew open and I was instantly met with deep, swallowing darkness. It took me half a second to realise that I was not in that long abandoned house anymore. Quite the opposite, I was lying on a soft, comfortable mattress. The bed felt relievingly familiar. And the most important fact – the ghost's presence had already vanished and it was no longer making goosebumps all over my body. And lastly, to my biggest relief, my dad's ghost wasn't approaching me with his arms wide open, ready to embrace me like the angel of death. However, there really was a pair of hands shaking my body indeed.

"Celaena, wake up," my mum woke me up in a hushed tone.

My brain wasn't in a hurry to process the situation so it took me a couple of seconds to recover from my sleepiness. Carefully, I raised one of my hands to rub my eyes and waited until they got used to the darkness lighted only by the moonlight sneaking into the bedroom through the window. Finally, I recognised my mum's silhouette. Despite the lack of brightness I could see that even at this dark hour she was perfectly dressed without a hint of exhaustion written on her.

"Mum?"

"Come, your father is asking for you," she explained shortly and didn't even give me a chance to react because she was already getting up from my bed and heading for the closed door.

"What does he need me for?"

With her palm on the door handle she faced me once again. "You'll see. Now come on. We don't have the whole night."

I climbed out of my bed sheets and put on my slippers. My outfit for tomorrow – what time was it anyway? – had already been prepared on a chair near my bed but I didn't think my mum would give me enough time to get dressed. Which meant my yellow pyjamas would have to be sufficient for now. Then my eyes landed on the other side of the room where another bed stood. My little brother Leo was peacefully sleeping under his covers.

"Don't wake up your brother," mum warned me, using her sharp tone when she noticed where I was looking. She opened the door for me and I had no other choice but to walk out. Of course, she followed me out and quietly shut the door behind her. She motioned for me to go after her which I wordlessly obeyed.

On the way, I inspected the familiar hallways. Here, I had strolled down countless times already. I had every inch remembered. My eyes fell on the various family portraits that hang on the walls next to each other. I spotted one taken at my parents' wedding and that immediately made me think of the picture that appeared to me in my dream. My body shuddered at that.