The Crystal Guardians

The Signing

After a long day at school, I finally came back home. I'd walked home with my other best friend Laura and Hawk. Laura only lived a few blocks away from me, so we parted with Hawk once we came to the park trail. Laura and I talked the whole way about the NAT test, school, the party and whole lot of random and irrelevant things.

Once I'd reached my street, I said my goodbyes and braces myself to enter the house. I opened the door to be welcomed by the lingering scent of smoke.

Just as I had thought.

But my mother was there, waiting for me.

"Hey," I sheepishly greeted her.

"How was school sweetie?"

"Eh..."

I walked with her to the kitchen as I spoke and she returned to do the dishes. "Eh? What is that supposed to mean?"

I didn't reply. Mum dried her hands on a tea towel and turned around to face me. She had her hands on her hips and stared at me. I couldn't meet her eyes and decided to stare at my shoes instead. I wasn't going to let her see my tears.

Then she had her arms wrapped around me and I couldn't help it. I felt like such a stupid crybaby, silently sobbing on my mums shoulder. "I'm sorry..." I whispered.

"No no no it's okay, I understand how you feel."

"No you don't. I mean, you know I don't want this, you should not that most."

"And that's okay if you don't want to. I need to respect your opinions and decisions, even if that's to not work for them or if you dislike them."

I smiled at her. It had been a while since she seemed to understand me, even just the slightest bit. Though my mum started again.

"There's just one thing..."

'Oh no.'

"It is because of your father."

My blood began to boil. I could not believe that I actually thought mum was okay. That she was telling me the truth. I took a deep breathe and attempted to control my anger. "So you lied to my face?"

"Ever I never answered your question this morning!" My mum shouted back. I then remembered how the way she just sat there, thinking of something to say. And for a good reason to. She then handed the letter to me, "Look... just read it for yourself."

I took the parchment with caution and unrolled it. The letter read,

Ms Ever Willa,
Upon the Elite Guardian Association of Defence terms and condition/legal policy, it is a mandatory requirement that you submit and application for a role in the EGAD. Due to Zyril Willa's history of working in the position of the General Warrior and his incarceration, by the law, any descendants of his must apply for the same role.
The General Warrior application and enrolment form has been included with your letter in the delivered envelope. By signing and filling in your details in the application form, you agree to the terms and conditions and responsibilities that apply to the role. By signing and filling in your details in the enrolment form, you agree to the terms and conditions/legal policy of the EGAD and become an official associate with the Elite Guardian Association of Defence and your department.
Sorry for any inconvenience. All is permanent.
Regards,
President Jezza

My heart sunk as I read the letter. It got worse and worse as it went on, my mind swirling; heart pounding. But it was that one line: sorry for any inconvenience. all is permanent.

I couldn't stop thinking about that. They just seemed to expect me to give in and go with it. What if I did not want to? What if I wanted to do other things with my life? I thought about how I'd respond.

After a long while, my mother tried to speak to me. "I was going to tell you but you left..."

"I know I did and I shouldn't have been so rude," I told her.

Mum handed me a pen. "The forms are meant to be submitted by 6pm. So you better..."

"Yeah I will," I said, taking the pen off of her and kissing her cheek. Once again, my mum wore an ashy scent. I asked, "Do you think I could go out tonight?"

She sighs. "Yeah why not. I won't be home until late anyways."

So I thanked mum and started to fill in the forms in silence. Once I'd finished, I put it in my pink bag and went to my room to get changed. Keeping my hairstyle and handbag, I chose a fitting outfit for the night.

After I put it on, I quickly checked myself over. I'd applied makeup to look more glamorous. My eyelashes were thick and long with mascara, eyes bold with eyeliner. I left my face natural and didn't bother to cover my spotted cheeks. My lips were coated thickly with pale pink lipstick to match my summer dress.

I'd received it as a birthday present this year. The dress was pastel pink with a white belt. I paired this with dainty white heels and a soft scarf. 'I guess I look good enough."

I walked out of the room and glanced at the dining table. I could hear mum snoring, sound asleep. To do her a favour, I rushed back into the dining room and put the empty bottle in the bin and emptied her ash tray. I lit the vanilla candle on the candelabra in hope the place would smell a little better. So she wouldn't sleep the rest of the afternoon, I set and alarm for 5pm and left a note saying that the candle was lit.

The last thing I needed was coming home to a burnt house.

I then left, locking the door behind me. This was the first gathering I'd been to in a long time, ever since my dad went crazy. As I walked down my street, I realised my sore feet didn't hurt as much as my heart.

Sometimes I wondered if mum was really okay. When she would stop worrying about me or the bad people of the world. When she would stop worrying about her loved ones being hurt. When she'd stop regretting decisions she'd made.

I always tried to stay by her side to ensure she would be okay. But as she took a nap, I didn't regret my decision. I was sure she'd be okay.