The Fate That Seals Us

By Darla da Cruz

"Sophia wants to be a normal American girl. She does not want to be haunted by recurring nightmares where a mysterious young man gets pushed off a cliff into a watery grave. Her hopes are dashed when her English grandmother dies and wills her castle to Sophia's family.

Within its walls, she uncovers a magical book that can take

• Language: English
• Publisher: Ukiyoto Publishing
• Release date: Dec 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9789360495107

Book preview

Chapter 1

I

cy air whipped around Sophia’s face as she looked up at the sky; cold drops of water hit her, causing a shiver to run up her spine. The bold bright moon lit up everything around her. She stood on an edge of a high green grass cliff; hearing waves beat down on the shoreline below. Her feet drew her to the edge of the cliff, seeing the ocean lay a significant drop below. She had seen this place before and the thought forced her to look around for what she knew would come next.

As her heart started to race, she shook her head. This is just a dream, she told herself trying to find comfort in the fact. But if this was just a dream, why did she have the same one constantly?

For the last year, she had this same dream, sometimes for days on end. As much as she tried to make sense of it, she failed. She wanted to deny what she dreamt, but she couldn’t deny what she felt when she was here. She couldn’t deny the pain, anxiety, fear, and anger that coursed through her veins.

Sophia, I thought you would come, a man said, coming into view through the misty fog.

Silently she looked at this tall, slender man standing yards away from her. Even though distance was between them, Sophia went on high alert for reasons she did not know. There was something deep within her that said he was bad and that she needed to stay away.

With a wave of a hand from the man, a bound young man Sophia’s age struggled against the ropes that held him. He stopped struggling for a moment to look at Sophia with fear in his eyes.

Gut wrenching sorrow tore through her for this young man. Outside her dreams, he was unknown to her. She would know if she had seen him before. There was something about his piercing summer grass-colored eyes full of secrets and desires that Sophia would never forget and never understand.

The young man tripped on the grass, falling to his knees, breaking eye contact with her.

Please, don't, Sophia begged, her voice inaudible over the waves pounding on the shoreline below.

The man smiled at her as he pulled the bound young man to his feet again. He looked over the cliff, then back at Sophia, ready to do something terrible.

Sophia, please. Leave! Don't worry about me! Don’t listen to him! the bound young man yelled out in the dead of night on the cliff.

Come on Sophia, you know what I want. Give it to me and your lad lives, the man with blonde hair said calmly.

Run Sophia! the young man screamed, hoping that she would listen to his words.

She stared at both of them, feet unwavering, determined to stand her ground. Even though everything told her to run, she couldn’t bring herself to do so. I'm not leaving you! Sophia yelled back as tears ran down her face. There was such a strong emotional connection she felt towards this young man. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him.

The ground moved beneath her which snapped her from her nightmarish slumber. With a gasp, she opened her eyes and saw her little sister Eloise who continued to jump on Sophia’s bed in an attempt to wake her.

Sophia! Sophia! Eloise chirped.

Sophia scowled in disappointment, knowing that her dream was over because of her young sister. Sophia was convinced Eloise came up with the most creative ways to wake her up. But this time Sophia wouldn't let her attempt work since her bed called her name too strongly today.

What the heck, Eloise? Sophia complained then rolled to her side to avoid her.

Eloise pouted at Sophia, not wanting to give up yet. Their mom asked Eloise to wake her up, and she was determined she would do just that. Get up for school!

Yeah, yeah, don't rush me, Sophia muttered and closed her eyes, hoping to get another ten more minutes of sleep so she could see that young man again.

Rolling up her sleeves, Eloise gave one last attempt to get her sister out of bed. She grabbed the bedsheets then gave a hard tug, ripping them off Sophia.

Mom says you have to get out of bed now, or you're going to miss the bus, Eloise commanded as forcefully as she could.

Sophia shivered as the cold air hit her without the protection of the covers. She rolled back over to face Eloise with a sulk. Eloise would not surrender unless Sophia got out of bed.

Ok, you win, Sophia mumbled as she got out of bed and picked out her clothes for school.

Anger bubbled within Sophia as she thought about her dream. If Eloise knew how important that dream was to her, she would have let her sleep. No matter how often she had that dream, she had never seen the end. But this time, she felt like she got closer than she had ever been.

Unaware of Sophia’s anger, Eloise bounced around the room singing top 40 songs, causing her blonde curly hair to bounce around her face. 

A deep breath filled Sophia’s lungs as she pushed her anger to the side. She was reminded Eloise was only seven. Sophia couldn't stay mad at her. Even though Eloise was almost ten years younger, she was Sophia's only sister, and Sophia loved her.

Not wasting any more time, Sophia left her room and walked down the steps of their old house, hearing the floorboards creak under her weight. She wandered through a brightly colored hall full of homemade paintings, grade reports, and drawings she and her three other siblings had made. Finally, she found herself in the kitchen with Eloise on her heels.

There, already waiting for her, was her mom, Lucy, cleaning up breakfast for her two brothers, Alessandro, and Bryce.

Lucy looked at her daughter with a frown, not liking that Sophia was always late. This wasn't the first time she had come down the steps with only minutes to spare. In a lot of ways, Sophia reminded her of herself when she was younger. Lucy tried to tell herself that she needed to give Sophia space, but she couldn’t help feeling frustrated.

Sophia, you're late, so I'm sorry but you'll just have to stick to a Pop-tart for breakfast, Lucy said in her soft British accent.

Sophia had an interesting family dynamic. Her mom came from a wealthy and old bloodline from the south of England and her dad, Mark, was from a quiet, simple farming town in Scotland. After Mark’s parents died, he went to university where he met Lucy and they soon got married. Her parents stayed in the south of England with Lucy’s mother Victoria before eventually placing roots in the United States, where Sophia was born.

As Sophia stopped to look at her mom, she was reminded that Eloise resembled her the most out of the children. This fact made Sophia slightly jealous since she found her mother beautiful, with her long, lean frame, sharp jawline, and bright blonde hair. The four Narramore children had unique looks, but one thing they all had in common was the same beautiful sea blue eyes that they got from their father.

Um, I'll just stick to a yogurt, Sophia said, and went into the fridge.

You always have yogurt. When are you going to get sick of it? Bryce provoked while putting his plate in the sink.

Her brother Bryce was 14 ½ which made him the oldest boy in the family. Recently he reached the age where he believed he knew everything, much to Sophia's dismay.

Not having the patience to deal with him in the early morning, she turned to face him, trying to still tower over him. You know what I'm sick of? Your voice, she replied and got a spoon.

"Well, I'm-I'm always sick of your voice," Bryce sputtered, stumbling over his words, trying to think of a better comeback.

Is that the best you got? Sophia threated, eyeing him from head to toe, ready to take him on if needed. It wouldn’t be the first time she won a wrestling match with him.

Lucy stood in the background, waiting for a proper moment to step in. She couldn't stand to see her children fight and lately it happened often. Within the last few months, something had made Sophia more irritable, and she was sure it was because of the stress of school now that Sophia was a senior.

Bryce, Sophia, cut it out, Lucy sighed with her standard mad face, which resembled a kissy face while making her lips into a thin line. The kids liked to call this look the ‘mad mom lips' and knew they had to stop whatever they were doing when she made that face at them.

He started it, Sophia said stubbornly, pointing to her brother as if that justified her actions.

Lucy threw her hands up in the air, tired of this fight. All she wanted was for them to stop and have a nice breakfast together as a family. Oh, for pity’s sake, I don't care who started it, I just want you to finish it. She paused and looked at the time and went on to say, Oh goodness, you missed the bus. I'll have to take you kids in.

You know if you let me borrow the car, I could drive them. Sophia crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping with all her might that she could drive to school this time.

Even with her license, her mom continued to drive Sophia to the door of her high school like she was a child. But not today. She could feel it in her bones. Today was the day that she would drive.

Lucy thought about it for a second, then remembered all the errands she needed to do with the car. I need the car today, she said flatly.

Please! Mom, I'm a senior and I have to be one of the few cheerleaders that doesn't have a car! Sophia pleaded. She knew that a lot of the team talked about this behind her back, and she was desperate to make it stop.

Well, once you have enough money, you can buy your own car.

Even though her mom came from a wealthy family, both of her parents believed strongly in 'making it for yourself'. This meant that she had to buy all her own clothes and she would have to buy her own car when she could. Sophia thought this was fine but making only $15 a week out of chores and babysitting jobs wasn’t cutting it. She wanted a car now.

As Sophia stared at her straight-faced mother, she could sense this was a losing battle. Fine.

Breaking them from the conversation, Mark, cleared his throat. His hands shook slightly, not wanting to have this conversation with his family. He had read the letter at least five times already to help brace himself for what was going to happen next, but he still didn’t feel ready.

Sophia, Eloise, Bryce, Alessandro, we have to talk, Mark explained. I just got this e-mail, and it's important.

When her dad said the last sentence, Sophia shifted her weight uneasily. There was a tone to his voice that she didn't hear often—it was stern. A sinking feeling appeared in the pit of her stomach as she stared at him.

We got an email from England, Mark stated as he unfolded the printed email.

To the Narramore family,

I'm very sorry to inform you but Victoria Rackham passed away last Friday night. I'm sorry we haven't gotten to you sooner, but we thought this would be the most formal. The funeral will be held on the 12th of September. Imminently following, I will read her last will and testament.

If you have any more questions, please call.

Sincerely,

Aaron Hallchurch

The words sank deep into Sophia’s mind, causing emotion to bubble within her. She had just talked to her grandmother four days ago. Her gran sounded completely fine, happy to talk to Sophia. This email had to be a joke, but as she looked up at her parents, the look on their faces said this wasn't a joke.

Her mother stumbled to a chair and let out a silent sob as Mark held onto her, whispering words of reassurance that everything would be okay.

Overcome with sadness, Sophia felt her eyes well up with tears as reality hit her like a speeding train. Her mind was spinning, trying to piece together the clues that she knew of to figure out how this had happened. She took a step back as she tried to take a breath of fresh air that wouldn't come.

Eloise looked at everyone, confused. She was positive that this was not true. She had talked to her gran so recently too. I don't get it, Eloise voiced after a minute.

Bryce looked at his younger sister, not having the patience to deal with her. He knew that she was too young to understand these kinds of matters. Gran's dead, Eloise. She's not coming back, Bryce blurted out as he fought back tears.

Gran can't be dead though, Eloise whimpered. Her blank stare was replaced with tears as she finally pieced together in her head what the letter meant.

She is, sweetheart. But it's going to be ok; we're going to be ok, Lucy mourned and hugged Eloise, trying to calm her youngest daughter. Lucy tried to hold it together, but the thought of having no family left alive tore a hole in her chest. It wasn’t enough that she had lost her brother Alcott at a young age. Now she had lost her mother, leaving her alone with no living relatives except her children.

Unwilling to accept this answer yet, Sophia ran to her room to call her grandmother in peace. Sophia quickly dialed her grandmother's number and crashed into her bed as it rang. Finally, Sophia realized her gran would not answer, not now or ever again. Sophia tried to swallow the lump in her throat as tears fell. Her grandmother was dead, just like that.

Mark watched as Sophia ended the call and it killed his heart. He hated seeing his family wracked with sorrow. He remembered when his parents died years ago. His children were too young to remember any of it. They didn't understand the pain of loss. But this was different. This was their last grandparent.

Sophia, we need to talk again, Mark commanded and knocked on her bedroom door frame.

With a sharp silent nod, she followed her father down the stairs into the family room where everyone was sitting around waiting for direction. Sophia silently took a seat next to Eloise as her father spoke.

We are leaving tomorrow for England, he explained to the family.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Sophia sat there in shock. First, she lost her grandmother, and now she was expected to go to England at the start of the school year. No, she didn't want to leave at such an inconvenient time. She had plans for tomorrow with her boyfriend, Matt, and she had a test at school. She couldn't leave tomorrow. What? she choked out.

Pack your bags. The plane leaves at 11 a.m.

But I have a date with Matt, Sophia remarked, as if this would help her case to remain here.

I guess you'll just have to call him, won't you? And relax, we'll only miss a couple days of school. You should be back on Wednesday of next week, her father assured her as if that would give her peace of mind.

As much as Sophia wanted to protest, she knew this wasn't the time nor the place. Fine, Sophia mumbled and got up from her seat, ready to leave this conversation.

Deep down Sophia knew she had to go to England, but she couldn't face the fact that England would never be the same without her grandmother. Going back now would just be a slap in the face, a reminder of hopes that would never happen because her grandmother would not be there. She was relying on every excuse she had to stay. After all, she couldn’t have her life change.

Chapter 2

T

he next day passed in a blur and by the time Sophia knew it she was laying in a four-poster bed in the middle of a large bedroom.

With a stretch, she shook off her deep sleep and sat upright, taking in the familiar room. It had been too long since she was in this bedroom, but memories of her gran's castle flew back into her mind. This was her room whenever she went to visit her grandmother.

The pleasant memories of her gran reading to her in this very bed fluttered through her mind like butterflies in a field of flowers.  Her phone buzzed on the nightstand, breaking her from those memories. When she checked the notification, panic flooded through her as she realized she had slept until two in the afternoon.

Not wanting to waste any more time, she jumped out of her room and took slow, steady steps down the hall, passing old Anglo-Saxon paintings that she always thought to be creepy. Seeing these things made her admit it had been too long since she had walked these halls. When she was a child, her family would come every summer, but since she entered high school, things had gotten busier. She tried to remember the last time she spent a full summer at the castle and realized it had been at least three or four years.

When the giant staircase came into view, more memories hit her with the force of a speeding car. The thoughts caused the lump in her throat to grow as she tried to blink away tears. She had walked down these stairs many times over when she was younger. Back then she always felt like a princess, but now that feeling was gone, just like her grandmother, never to return.

Her grandmother was the one that would fill Sophia's imagination with tales of princesses and princes and evil rulers. But without her in this castle the thought of those stories just caused her to feel sick to her stomach. Quickly she blinked away her emotions, knowing the castle would never bring joy to her life again.  With a deep breath, she shoved all sad thoughts aside like her last year’s homecoming dress.

As her feet touched the cold wooden floor of the ground level, she stopped, looking around, unsure where she would go next. She quickly decided that her parents were the best people to find; however, she knew it would be impossible to find them in this massive place.

With her head held high, she ran right into a man who had quietly watched Sophia descend the staircase.

Abraham quickly brushed himself off as he tried not to show how surprised he was to see her. He hadn't seen Sophia in years and almost didn't recognize her as she passed. He gave a small smile as he remembered the last time he interacted with her.  The memory of six-year-old Sophia who insisted on putting a crown of flowers on his head flew into his mind. Though he had seen her from a distance since that point, that was the last time she talked to him per Victoria’s request.

Sophia, good. You're awake, Abraham beamed.

Sophia couldn’t help but raise her eyebrow in confusion. She wanted to know who he was and how he knew her name since she could not remember him; however, she quickly disregarded that thought as she looked at his outfit. The man looked mid 40’s but his outfit was something from decades ago. Her eyes lingered at his black pants that stopped right below his knees and were replaced with knee-high socks.

Nice outfit, she leered.

Thanks. He beamed, trying not to pay attention to her sarcasm. Sleep well? he asked, trying to carefully chose his words.

Yeah, do you know where my family is?

In the parlor, down the hall, first door on the left. Oh, and I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself. My name's Abraham, he stated, sensing she did not remember him, and gave a small bow. There was so much he wished he could say to her, but the promises he made to Victoria held him captive. Victoria urged him to stay quiet until the time was right and for that, he would have to wait.

Pleased to meet you, Abraham. Do you work here? she asked, trying to be friendly, although she was in no mood to pay attention to his answer.

He shrugged as he thought about all the years he worked with Victoria. He didn’t work in the castle, but he worked with her. Sophia would understand it all in due time. You can say that, he smiled as he walked up the stairs with long strides. Remember, your parents, down the hall and to the left.

With a nod, Sophia walked down the hall, passing more paintings that hung on cream plastered walls. The large hallways were something that Sophia forgot about, and for a moment, she feared she would never find the door that Abraham spoke of. But all fears disappeared when she found the first door to the left.

She wasted no time walking into the kitchen to see her parents sitting in chairs, talking. They looked up at her as they heard the floorboards creek as she entered.

Sophia, we were going to wake you, but you looked so peaceful, and you hardly slept on the flight. How did you know we were here? Lucy questioned kindly to her daughter.

This man named Abraham said you were here.

Mark ran that name over in his head to see if he had met him yet, but the name did not sound familiar. Hmm, never heard of him, but this place is big. I haven't met everyone that worked for gran.

There was a time when many maids helped clean this place. But Sophia didn’t run into anyone else. This brought questions to her mind. Where is everyone then?

I gave them the day off—well, most of them, Lucy objected, getting up from her seat. As much as she wanted to talk to her daughter, she really needed to talk to Mark alone. She wanted Sophia to go off with her other siblings. Maybe then they could have some peace to talk about serious matters. Alessandro, Bryce, and Eloise are playing outside. Why don’t you join them? I’ll call you in for dinner.

Without saying another word, Sophia walked out of the kitchen and wandered through the halls again until she found herself out in the cloudy day.

With clouds that threatened to rain at any moment, it caused a cozy feeling to circle the grounds, as if trying to convince Sophia that this place was just as beautiful as her home. Not knowing what to do, Sophia passed the shaped hedges and large rose bushes, hoping to find her siblings.

As her hands stroked a leaf, a memory of the last summer spent here flooded her mind like a broken dam. Her gran taught Sophia how to cook the English way. She also led great exhibitions, exploring the castle for hidden treasures her gran said that only Sophia could find. Gran used to fill her mind with the craziest stories about witches, princesses, and evil men. Gran made Sophia believe in wonder and without her here, this place was just old and dismal.

Not wanting to deal with those memories, Sophia shook her head, then looked down at the ground to stop herself from tearing up. Her shoe met the dirt ground with force as she kicked at it, causing a hole in the grass to appear.

Quickly her mind was pulled away from her loss when she saw a gold ring buried in the dirt. It glittered in the light as if it were brand new. Unable to stop herself, she picked up the ring, brushing off the dirt. The three red ruby stones glittered with newness even though it had a vintage design.

Questions filled her as she looked around, trying to see if someone around had dropped it, because it looked expensive. Knowing that no one lived close to this castle, she wondered what she should do with the find, but she shoved the ring into the pocket of her ripped jeans 

Alessandro ran up to her with a smile on his face, breaking her from her thoughts. Hey Sophia! You're up! Alessandro cheered.

Sophia nodded with a smile, hoping he didn’t see her find the ring. Hey, are you having fun? Sophia inquired him, looking at the mud smeared on his tan cheeks.

YES! You have to see the flowers in the backyard. Then you can play cricket with me.

Sure. I guess I should see it, shouldn't I?

Yay! he cheered as he took off running to the garden.

Sophia ran after him, quickly catching up to him. As the flowers and curated bushes came into view, she gasped, not remembering how beautiful they were. Overcome with amazement, she stopped mid-run to take in the beauty.

Sophia! Come on! Alessandro called out to her, seeing that she was distracted.

He ran to a gravel path that led to rose bushes.

Coming! she yelled, then ran over to him.

Smell these flowers. They are amazing, he quipped as he sniffed a red rose.

Breaking her from the moment, she heard their mom's voice from the window calling, Sophia, Alessandro! Dinner!

Sophia smiled at Alessandro, knowing what to do next. Last one there is a rotten egg, Sophia teased to her brother, then ran to the castle before he had time to react.

The two of them ran into the kitchen, out of breath, and sat around a small table. As the family dished up food, Sophia’s mind wandered, thinking about the ring she found. For a moment, she thought about telling her family about her find but decided not to. If they found out, her mother would make her scour the town for the real ring owner. This was something she did not want to do.

After dinner ended and the family cleaned up, Sophia walked around the house. She wandered up and down the halls, trying to cling onto any memories she had here with her gran. She remembered playing hide-and-seek but as she wondered the halls, she remembered times when her gran vanished for hours on end. Victoria always had an excuse, but to this day Sophia wasn’t sure where she went.

Finally, she made her way to the ballroom, stopping to take in the beauty. Even though she had been here countless times before, this time it meant more to her. She was old enough to enjoy a ball. She thought about her homecoming and convinced herself that having a dance here would be much more interesting.

She closed her eyes and did a little waltz on the polished dark wood floors, trying to imagine a time when this was used for its purpose

A whisper echoed throughout the space causing Sophia to stop and drop her arms, afraid her siblings would make fun of her. She looked around the room and saw that no one was there with her.

There you are, Lucy said with a friendly smile as she walked into the room a second later.

Did you just see that? Sophia asked hoping that Lucy; her mom didn't just see her dance with no one.

See what? she replied in a confused tone.

Nothing. Sophia blushed, glancing at her reflection in the floor to hide her rosy cheeks.

Lucy looked around at the room and remembered so many happy memories in this place. Those moments seemed so long ago now. After all, she hadn't participated in a ball in over 20 years. You like this room?

I love it. I could live just in this room.

You're my girl. You know, this used to be my favorite room in the house. We had balls twice a year, after family tradition. Those were my two favorite times of the year. They were even better than Christmas, Lucy mused and looked around, thinking about the people she used to see at these parties.

Victoria would throw huge galas yearly for business reasons Lucy never understood. While her mother was busy, her brother Alcott would accompany Lucy. The two always stayed out of Victoria’s business. But as her brother got older, Alcott joined Victoria, leaving Lucy alone. She tried to forget about the times when Victoria and Alcott were too busy with guests to pay attention to her but the thoughts consumed her mind. 

Sophia tried hard to imagine what Lucy was thinking about. She pictured the room lit up, the smell of food coming from the kitchen, people laughing, talking, lively events happening. Her mother looked so happy here, not only in this room but here in England. …Mom?

Yes, dear?

If you loved being here so much, why did you leave? The question was simple, but Sophia never understood why they left. In her mind, this place would be hard to leave.

Lucy winced at the memory. After Alcott died, she felt like she didn’t belong. It wasn’t like she wanted to leave, but there was something