A Burden of Death: A Circle of Roses, #2

By Stefan Ellery

Samuel threatened by Dana’s pregnancy flees from his home. He hopes to avoid his father’s anger when his parents find out about Dana.  However another Rose is looking to find a host and spread its power and Samuel is open to its influence.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stefan Ellery
• Release date: Mar 7, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524245054

Book preview

DEDICATION

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This book is dedicated to my family who has to deal with my eccentric behavior and day dreaming. The dreaming often makes both my son and wife think I am losing my hearing. I’m not, I am just working in another world.

CONTENTS

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

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I would like to thank Tiffany Short who edited this book despite issues with my files. The issues increased the time she spent editing A Burden of Death. Tiffany I promise this won’t happen again. I also would like to thank Amber Dane, J.P. Grider and Kathleen Ball who have provided me with valuable writing, publishing and marketing tips. As with my previous novel I use songs that are in the public domain. The song I have used in A Burden of Death is a The Last Rose of Summer which is a Poem written by Thomas Moore in 1805.

CHAPTER ONE

Samuel lay awake in his bed, waiting for his parents to leave. He strained his ears for the opening and closing of the front door. It took about twenty minutes before the door slammed shut. His father was in a foul mood. Something to do with a bad business deal, Samuel was grateful that it was taken out on the door and not him. His father could be rough at times and when he didn’t have football to blame on the bruise, he would hide it as best as he could.

Samuel watched from his bedroom window as his parent’s Beamer left the drive. He hopped out of bed and ran down the stairs toward the kitchen where his father kept a safe. The combo was nothing special to crack: his dad never changed his routine and used the same key code on the electronic safe as he did on his email account. Samuel punched in Password1. The locking mechanism released with a satisfying click revealing stacks of twenties and hundred dollar bills as well as the master key to the cabins his father rented out over the summer. He stuffed the loot in the pocket of his pyjama pants.

A creak on the tiles startled him and he turned around to see his father, What are you doing up.

Samuel’s muscles tensed. Looking for a snack, Sir.

His father nodded his head A little late for that, you keep snacking like that and you’re going to start slowing down while playing football. Samuel’s father walked over to the kitchen table and picked up a cellophane wrapped gift basket. Your mother, she’s forgetful these days and more useless than usual.

Samuel stood still looking for a sign from his dad that he’d been discovered. His father walked to the front door, opened it and turned around for a moment. Don’t stay up too late. He then walked out and shut the door behind him.

Samuel leaned against the counter, and slid down to the floor, his heart which had been racing through the whole encounter needed a chance to settle back into its normal rhythm. He could not believe his luck; one minute longer and his dad would have found him out.

Afraid that his father would come back, he rushed to pack a few cloths in his sports bag and left the house. The October air hit him and cleared his head a little. He was not sure whether running away would make things better, he just knew that when his parents found out about Dana and his child his life would be a nightmare, not that it had ever been pleasant.

Samuel first discovered his dad’s anger when he was seven. It was an innocent thing, he didn’t know better, his father had an old collection of sport cards and he had discovered it. They were not organized in any fashion, just dumped in an old shoe box. Liking the pictures he gleefully cut the shapes of the players out of the cards and glued them on construction paper. He was proud of the way he had assembled the players on the paper and wanted to show his father what he had done.

With delightful innocence he presented the collage to his dad, his dad smiled at first until he realized where the images came from. His face darkened and he tore the collage from Samuel’s hands and angrily ripped it up.

Samuel’s lower lip trembled and tears pooled in his blue eyes. Why?

His father let out a heavy breath. Why? What would you understand? Roger Cle-Roger Clemens rook—. His dad’s voice constricted as he kept trying to get words out. His father balled up his fists. Roger Clemens rookie card. He said through clenched teeth. His father then swung at Samuel.

His mother who had been in the kitchen making lunch rushed out of the room to move in front of him and took the punch that was meant for his small body, she fell backwards with the force of the punch and struck her head on the corner of the coffee table, her body slumped back and finally rested on the thick shag carpet. Samuel went to her, but she didn’t move. His father spat on the floor and left the house.

Samuel with no knowledge of first aid stayed at his mother’s side, when he tired he fell asleep with his left arm draped over his mother stomach and his head pressing against her side. They lay together for several hours before she regained consciousness.

After that incident things changed. His mother became timid around his dad and when he was angry at Samuel, his mother would look away and allow the beating. His only escape from his parents was football. The games and practices kept him away from his dad just a little bit longer, sometimes long enough that his anger would subside after a bad day and Samuel would avoid being used as a punching bag.

A cat running by Samuel’s ankles brought him back to his present situation, what he was doing now was the best thing he could do for himself. His home was not far from a convenience store and he stocked up on sports drinks, beef jerky and granola bars.

The clerk smirked. That’s some craving you’ve got.

Samuel gritted his teeth. Just food for a party. Why couldn’t the guy mind his own business?

"Granola bars and beef jerky? When I was a teen it was chips and pop.’

Samuel closed his eyes briefly and handed the clerk some twenties. He walked out, not bothering to wait for his change.

He could have taken a taxi to the cabins, but then someone would know where he went. He didn’t worry about his dad checking the safe; he rarely opened it as the cash was meant for emergencies. His father carried a duplicate of the Master Key on his key chain, so it was unlikely to be missed.

Samuel walked north out of the town, his eyes and ears alert to his surroundings. He didn’t worry about wild animals; at the moment, people were his biggest threat. By now his parents would be home, they won’t notice anything amiss until they see an empty chair at the dinner table.

Samuel pulled his jacket tighter around himself feeling a chill, the wind blew harder and leaves swam past him, he kept his head down to avoid getting dust in his eyes, he walked for hours before he found one of the cabins. Samuel unlocked the door and entered. He was lucky that the moon was out, without it he would be fumbling around in the dark. Instead, the moon’s light shone through the windows.

Samuel looked at the hard wooden bed; it was void of any sheets and blankets. He should have known that it would be this way. He should have taken more time to prepare, but he needed to be gone before Dana went to his parents and told them about the child.

Samuel punched the nearest wall, and heard a crack. Pain flooded through his nerves and he screamed in frustration. He tried moving his finger but the pain was too much. He went outside to look for a small branch, to stabilize his broken finger. He didn’t have to go far to find some lying on the ground below a tree. With his teeth, he ripped some material off one of the shirts he had stuffed in his bag and used it to hold a makeshift splint in place.

His finger throbbed as he put pressure on the splint to keep the bones straight; he didn’t want them to set crookedly. That would affect his throwing of the football.

Football? He laughed out loud. Everything was a mess and he wouldn’t be in school for football. He doubted that he would ever play on the high school football team again. He already missed the game, the feeling of the adrenalin kicking in when he was about to tackle someone to the ground, the surge of joy when the student body cheered for him as he ran with the football ahead of the opposing team, just before he scored a touchdown and most of all he missed the camaraderie of his team mates. They were his family, they watched out for him and he did the same in turn. Something he knew they were lacking at home.

There was a time that he thought he’d get a football scholarship and attend a university in the States. He and Rod were being watched by some scouts from a couple universities. It was one of his dreams to play in the NFL or as a backup, he would settle for the CFL. He’d be happy making a living playing the game.

Samuel gritted his teeth, when he tried to close his fists he found pain instead. He should have ran away to Toronto, like every other kid who was tired of abuse from their parents, he could probably do better there, he had about five grand on him and he was sure he could get some food and shelter in Toronto. Problem was he didn’t know what to do. He had become attached to Wardell and the people who lived there. Toronto would mean breaking ties with everything he cared about, to start a new life and abandon everything from the past. At least staying in these cabins meant he could watch and observe from a distance, see how everyone was doing. Toronto was definitely out of the question.

****

Amelia scraped the shovel along the drive scooping up the heavy wet snow. Her back ached and she was sure that by the end of winter she would walk with a permanent stoop. A snowflake dropped on her nose and she groaned knowing that she’d be out later to repeat her task. She hated winter, hated the cold and the snow it brought. Spring was her season, winter just made her wilt.

The first day of her holidays was spent slogging away at the wet snow that covered her driveway. She hated the fact that her father widened the driveway so he could comfortably fit the SUV and minivan side by side. It created more work for her.

Why couldn’t he at least buy a snow blower, something that could easily cut away at the packed snow, and grind up the large icy boulders the plough left behind? Just because he shovelled the snow when he was a kid was not a good enough excuse to expect Jen and her to break their backs. She felt like an ox.

Amelia wished Jen was here to help, but she had gone to France through an exchange program. Amelia felt a pang of jealousy, she wanted to go abroad, but unlike her sister she hadn’t had the opportunity to do so.

Amelia stopped shovelling the snow and looked at what she accomplished; the drive being half done caused her to let out a big sigh. She started moving the snow onto the side once again. The banks grew larger with each toss of snow.

She slipped on an icy patch and almost tumbled backwards, stopping only when arms draped around her waist arresting her fall. They remained around her and she made no move to pull away. Amelia could smell the comforting scent of Lee.

You know you should let me go.

Lee, held on and playfully brushed his nose along the back of her exposed neck. And why should I do that?

Amelia arched her neck at the sensation of Lee's skin touching hers. For one, my parents don't know about us, and I'm pretty sure they have some rules hidden away about me dating that they haven't bothered telling me about.

Lee held her tighter as he kissed her right ear causing an electric shock to run down her spine. Well then, let’s find out what those rules are.

Amelia pulled away and turned to face Lee. She crossed her arms and had a smirk on her face. Sure, two conditions. You finish the drive for me and you come over for dinner with us on Christmas day.

Lee, looked at her for a moment that seemed endless. He then picked up the shovel and started clearing the snow. I am not expected elsewhere, and if spending time with your family means being with you, I’ll gladly go.

Amelia grinned at getting her way with Lee, her grin was cut short when she saw the curtains swing in the front window.

Amelia sent Lee home after he had done the drive. She wanted to go out and have some fun, but the telltale sign of the curtains moving meant she would have to deal with her parents. She steeled herself for the questions that were to come. Hesitating only a moment, she opened the front door and entered the warm house.

Her mother and father sat on the couch, looking at her expectantly. Amelia's mother tapped her knee with her finger. Well?

She hated one word questions, they always implied you know what they are talking about and often suggested that you had done something wrong. Amelia didn’t want to give in so easily. Well, what?

Her mother pursed her lips. Her finger tapped her knee a little faster. Who’s that boy?

Amelia looked daringly at her mother. Lee, he's a friend.

Her father cleared his throat and stared accusingly at her. He seemed to be much more than a friend, the way he held onto you. And what was he doing with your neck.

Amelia scrunched up her face Dad, you shouldn't be spying on me, I have rights

And I have the right to make sure my daughter is safe

Amelia pulled on a lock of hair. Fine, he's my boyfriend. I have been seeing him for two months and believe me I am more than safe around him.

Her mother stopped tapping her finger. And when were you going to tell us?