Ms. Unlucky & The List

Chapter One

Chapter One: What Happens Now?

"Do you understand what I'm saying, Phoenix," the stuffy lawyer asked as I lay sprawled in his client chair in front of his desk.

I had been staring at my skate shoes the entire time he was talking but I understood it for the most part. After my mother had died so suddenly in that car accident five years ago, my father had written out his will. My mother had one but it was short and sweet. Everything that belonged to her would go to my father and I, mainly him. His will stated that everything would be handled by the lawyer, funeral arrangements and cremation and all that and the rest of everything would be left to me.

I wasn't going to need or want for anything for a while. I could attend the college that my father had worked at, NYU, for free and they had even created a scholarship program in his name. It was a sweet sentiment and I would be proud to attend that college. Too bad I was going to be moving. Another hitch in the will my father left, was that I had a set of godparents, or so I was told. From what I gathered, they were introduced to each other by my parents and they were good friends but they both lived in California, where both my parents were originally from. We had lived in New York all my life and I wasn't sure I was going to like California.

"Miss Dawson," the lawyer asked, pulling me from my reverie. I sighed and dragged my eyes up to meet his.

"Yeah, I understand, Mr. Lawson. I've got a 4.0 GPA. I think I can comprehend a little bit of legal jargon."

"Well, your new guardians have requested that I put you on a plane at the end of the month, when the house goes up for sale," he continued.

"Wait, what?" I hadn't known that my house was going to be sold.

"The house?"

"Yeah, the house," I told him, glaring at him.

"Well, your father thought it would be best to sell it once he was gone. He and I spent hours discussing this but he knew you wouldn't be old enough to take on the responsibilities for yourself and he wanted you to get a college degree without having to worry about a job. I also talked to the administrators at NYU and they have agreed to award you the Alistair Dawson Grant, if and when you are ready to attend college."

"They can't just do that," I told him.

"It's their personal grant, they can do with it what they please. Now, your father wanted you to have a start fresh. He told me to sell the house for as much as I can and then put the money away with the rest of your funds. Since your father was a dear friend of mine and I am doing this as a favor to him for what he did for me, then I've no choice but to obey his wishes," he told me.

I wanted to scream at him but I knew that would be childish. I had witnessed the toll it took on my father over the past five years living in the same place without the love of his life and I wasn't sure I could do that on my own. I would just have to go with the flow and hope that things got better, it was the logical thing to do. Frankly, I was ninety-nine percent positive I was still in shock.

"He also requested that you spread their ashes in the Pacific Ocean," he told me. I stared at him, remembering that my parents had both been donors. My mother's organs had saved three lives in a single day. My father's heart and liver had been cancer free and had saved two lives. All five people were grateful to my parents to be alive. I had been thanked several times in the past week by both of the patients that were alive while my father wasn't. I wanted to be happy for them but I was empty.

"Okay, where is their urn," I asked him. He was in charge of keeping them safe. Yes, I said them. Both my parents' ashes were in a single urn. They just couldn't stand to be apart, even in death. It was kind of romantic in a creepy kind of way.