Lavender

Prologue

Hey everyone! So Lavender is my very first story, so don't expect it to be perfect! Please let me know if you see any errors anywhere.

I'm good with some criticism, so let me know whatcha think!

Also PLEASE don't copy my story, otherwise I'll have to find you and sue you, and I generally like to work for my money. :)

Anyways, I hope y'all enjoy!!

~~HUGE THANKS to Summerssollitude for this awesome cover she made. It's beautiful!

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My eyes remain glued to the dark green weeds bursting through cracked concrete as I walk down the worn sidewalks of a downtown Atlanta.

I need to be like these weeds- strong, I think to myself.

When I reach the end of the street, there's a dark brick building, big and brooding, much taller than the brightly lit shops surrounding it. The only things adorning it are a few plain windows and a giant wooden door. Planting my hand firmly on the cold handle, I take a few deep breaths before pushing the heavy door forwards, readying myself for what's next.

The interior of the building is frigid, decorated simply with all neutral colors, and smells of dust, just like the funeral home that I spent all of last week inside. The chilly and bleak atmosphere matches the attitudes of the people working there.

I don't blame them though, I've only been haunted by death for two weeks. They're haunted by it every single day that they come into work.

I find myself in a meeting room on the fourth floor with no windows to let in natural light, and breathing suddenly becomes a difficult task inside the tight space. Feeling very small, I sit in an uncomfortable chair at the end of a long wooden table, the other end occupied by my lawyer and the man who wrote my grandfather's will. The cold air blowing out of the noisy vent directly above me sends a shiver through my whole body. Or maybe it's from the ice in my heart.

"As you can see, Ms. Matthews, your grandfather left you quite a bit of money, along with his house, and other belongings. What you don't keep, he would like auctioned off for charity," says the trustee, who is currently in charge of all of my grandfather's assets.

My mouth forms a slight semblance of a smile, despite the crushing weight I feel in my chest. Even in death my grandfather has a huge heart.

It was obvious while he was alive how huge it really was. He took me under his wing at the age of nine and became more of a parent to me, considering my own mom and dad weren't really fit to be parents at all. He had been retired for ten years, living life one vacation at a time. Yet, he never thought twice about taking me into his home and raising me as his own.

"We can go over the details of what you'd like to do with the money later, but for now let's decide what you'd like to keep," says my lawyer, kindly gesturing to the papers in front of me and giving me a reassuring pat on the back. "One step at a time."

Glancing down at the list of his belongings printed on blindingly white paper, hot tears start to well up in my eyes. I know every item well, picturing my grandfather with each of them in my head as I read further. With quivering hands I highlight everything I want to keep. In the end most of the paper is covered in neon yellow.

Silence fills the room throughout the entire process. I simply can't find the strength to voice words, nonetheless the right words to say.

When I'm finally done being tortured by everything that reminds me of the happiness I once felt, and can't stand to be in this office any longer, I stand quickly, my chair nearly toppling over. Shoving my copies of the documents into my oversized purse and wiping away the few tears that had escaped, I quickly shake the men's hands, and run out of the building before they notice my trembling bottom lip, away from everything going on in my life.

I run until it hurts, and I can't go any further.