Marked (Valeterra Series Book 1) by Jennifer Reynolds

Author:Jennifer Reynolds [Reynolds, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Jennifer Reynolds
Published: 2017-06-16T16:00:00+00:00

26.

~~~Valerie~~~

Mrs. Rose and I wandered up and down the rows for a bit, then when she saw my half-eaten afternoon snack, she made me sit and finish my food while she rested and flipped through a few books that she’d pulled from the shelves. She had a cookbook, one about the histories of the different religions of my world, and one about a young girl with cancer who falls in love.

She and I sat and talked until Azure came into the store. The child’s face lit up at the sight of the old woman. My heart warmed at the look of pure joy I saw in Azure’s eyes at the sight of someone who had to be a relative of hers. The look was one that I hadn’t thought the girl could have considering all she’d lost.

“Gramma Rose,” Azure said, rushing to the woman and giving her a hug and kiss. If she had been younger and smaller, she would have crawled into the older woman’s lap and curled into her arms, and Rose would have let her.

At my questioning look and at the building anger showing in my eyes that said I wanted to know why Azure, who obviously had a family, was left in an orphanage, Mrs. Rose said, “She is one of my brother’s few remaining grandchildren…a couple of generations down the line that is. We just say grandchildren, because saying great, great, great, etc. gets to be too much.”

“I see,” I said, still frowning as her answer didn’t tell me why the child lived with strangers and not family.

“What’s wrong, girl?” Mrs. Rose asked, sensing my disapproval. I couldn’t look at the old woman. I only watched Azure bounce around the table in glee and then take up a spot across from us.

“I didn’t think she had any family left and that that was why she was living in the orphanage,” I finally said.

“She has some family scattered about Valeterra. Most live too far away from Greenleaf. I tried to send her to some of them, but she wanted to stay here. Greenleaf is her home and where she’d buried her parents. Others that might be closer are taking care of more than a few living family members and don’t have the room. Here she can be close to her parents’ grave, me, and...” The old woman and the child looked at each other conspiratorially, making me wonder what I was missing about the situation.

“And your grandson, whoever he is,” I said, though a small voice in the back of my head told me that I knew who her grandson was. Knowing I wouldn’t get a straight answer if I tried to confirm my suspicion, I asked, “Why doesn’t she live with either of you?”

“I travel a great deal. Being one of the oldest of the Valeterrian people, I’m actively involved in our government. That means I don’t stay in one place for long. Until she has gotten the education she needs to assist me and begin training as my replacement, she will remain here.

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