Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily) Read Online Free Page A

expected to see pictures plastered all over the place.
    “Mine and Anthony’s room,” she announced, pausing at a set of open doors.
    Suns, moons, and stars decorated the large room. Their midnight blue king-sized bed was centered on the far wall with a plaque above it that said, Love knows no limits .
    A lump formed in my throat. My parents had the same saying in their room. I didn’t plan on so many reminders of home. I’d be fighting back tears no matter where I lived.
    We continued down the wide hallway and I stopped at a closed door. I had an overwhelming desire to look inside, but I knew that would be rude.
    “That’s Nathaniel’s room, but he left for Colorado yesterday,” Louise said. “My oldest son, Dylan, and his wife live there, and Nathaniel is starting school there this fall, so he moved in with them.”
    “Right.” Embarrassed that I’d stared at his door so long, I forced myself to step away.
    “And this is your room.” Louise pushed open a large wooden door.
    It took my breath away.
    The room was much bigger than anything I’d had in Maryland. It might have been bigger than Louise’s room. The wood beam ceilings looked twelve-feet high. Forest green curtains draped the towering windows. A crystal hung in each one, reflecting rainbows in numerous directions. Glass doors led to a private balcony.
    “It’s so…enchanting.” I couldn’t believe I used that word, but wow.
    Louise stood in the doorway. "I'm glad you like it.”
    I felt like I’d entered a woodland fantasy. The bed frame was made from thick tree branches that extended to the ceiling. White flowing material canopied the bed and draped down each side onto the floor, enclosing whoever slept there. Me. I’d be sleeping there. In the fanciest bed I’d ever seen. I should’ve felt weird about sleeping in a strange new bed, but something about the room comforted me.
    A round thing made of twigs, strings, and peacock feathers swung gently above the bed. “What’s that?” I nodded upward.
    “A dream catcher. It’s a Native American talisman. Bad dreams are caught in the web while good dreams travel along the feathers and into the mind of the person sleeping beneath it. As the sun rises, the light dissolves any negativity it captured during the night.”
    “Hmph. Nice idea.” Not that I believed it, but it would be great if a circle of wood and feathers could keep my nightmares away.
    “Ooooh,” Krista sailed into the room, running her fingers over a bowl of pink and white stones on the nightstand. “Himalayan Salt Rocks. They enhance your wellbeing.” Krista loved natural hippie stuff, so of course she knew what they were. “I am so jealous of this room. Can I move in here too?”
    I wanted to smack her. I hadn’t decided to move anywhere yet. “You didn’t do all this for me, did you?”
    “It was a joint effort by the family,” Louise replied. “However, Nathaniel did most of the decorating. He wanted to make sure you had a special place to escape.”
    I gazed around again. “He outdid himself.”
    Louise tapped softly on the door knob. “Carson’s room is down the hall. He’ll be home later. And Edgar and Helen live in the in-law cottage next door, but they’re out of town.”
    Krista kicked off her sandals. “Do you have anything to snack on? I’m starving.”
    “Certainly,” Louise replied.
    Krista bolted across the room, but I wanted some alone time. “I’m really tired. Mind if take a nap?”
    “Do whatever you like. This is your home, Maryah. Make yourself comfortable.” Krista gave me a thumbs-up just before Louise shut my bedroom door.
    I rifled through my suitcase until I found what I needed. Krista had been making scented candles for years and they always made me feel better. I lit one for each of my parents and Mikey. My favorite three scents: Green Clover, Nag Champa, and Ocean.
    I climbed into the big fluffy bed and closed my eyes. It was the first sense of peace I had since the night of