Kindred Series Book One: Rose's Thorns

Chapter 2: A New Home

            "Grandmother did you really need to bring all this with us from Florida?" Allen called from the bottom of the stairs, groaning as he hefted another box of knick-knacks onto his shoulder and made his way up to the study his grandmother had claimed when they first saw the house. "I mean you can always start collecting more here right? This has to be what, seventy years of little figurines and crap?"

His grandmother scoffed at him as he walked into the study and set the box on her desk. "For your information these are collectables! When you are my age they will be worth a fortune!" Allen sighed but could only chuckle as he watched the old woman who'd raised him place small glass and wood figures on shelves with their respective pieces. Despite her age she barely had any gray hairs to show for it, and her blue eyes showed not weariness or her years but a thirst for adventure that Allen could never understand an eighty-three year old woman could have. "Plus a lot of them were gifts from your grandfather and you know I can never part with anything from Robert," she added softly as she stopped with a box of horse shaped figures all carved from birch wood in her hands. He frowned softly, wrapping an arm around the old woman's thin frame, brushing a bit of her raven black hair back to meet the rest of the long length she'd pulled into a ponytail.

"I know grandma, I miss grandpa too. I know part of the reason we moved was because you couldn't handle being in the house where they both died..." She winced when he said it and he immediately regretted it. "I'm sorry..."

She stopped him quickly, taking his hand in hers shakily. "None of that. Yes we moved partially because your mother and grandfather both died there but I also thought it would do you some good with a change of scenery, not just me. You were always getting into trouble at that school and you never really liked any of the children there." She looked up at him hopefully with a soft smile. "Perhaps here that can all change. We moved just in time for you to start the new school year without any hitches and maybe this time you will actually try a bit harder."

All Allen could do was shake his head and chuckle as he started helping to unload the box he'd carried up after giving his grandmother a quick hug. "Alright I get it grandma, you want me to try and be more social, but you know I've never really fit in with most people I meet."

"And why not? You are charming and handsome and intelligent. You've never even attempted to have a girlfriend or anything and you are already seventeen! Are you gay and not telling me? Because if that's it..." Allen nearly dropped the wineglasses he was holding at the remark, quickly putting up his hands and shaking his head after setting the fragile glass. "Hold up there now! I have nothing against people who are gay but I sure as hell am not grandma!" He could see her laughing the moment he spoke and cursed himself silently for getting caught in one of the old woman's horrible jokes. "You sure Allen? I mean if you were I'd have no issues with it, I'm not like those old bats from way back when that says it's wrong. Are you sure that's not the reason I haven't seen you with a girl hanging off your arm because I'd rather you tell me now I'll never have great-grandchildren by birth and to help you with adoption paperwork later on." Allen groaned, only causing the woman to laugh harder. "I'm only playing Allen. I have it in here, why don't you go work on your room."

Desperate to get away from his grandmother's crazy allegations he quickly hugged her and kissed her cheek before taking off out of the study and heading down the hallway to the room he'd chosen for himself. They'd come a few weeks back to repaint the whole interior so that it would be done before they fully moved up and he was very glad they had. The plain white walls of the house had been far from what he wanted to stare at each day. The main rooms had been repainted with a fawn tan color, a dark green trim at the floorboard of the wood floored rooms. The bathrooms had been done in the same colors but for the forest shade coming up higher on the wall, a bit above halfway. As his grandmother put it his whole life, the forest needs to be in every home but most people don't think the same. His room he'd taken special care painting, having turned the walls into a mural of the woods that had surrounded their old house.

He'd already set up his bed, desks and shelves but had yet to unpack any of the boxes he'd brought up. Thinking over what to do first he unpacked his computer, setting up the whole thing with ease after he found the internet cable he'd run up to his room. While the old desktop was booting up he started unpacking his books, stopping when he heard the familiar ding of a new email. Setting down the book in his hands he went and sat in his chair, opening the message and smiling softly.

New Email from: Rose_And_Blood

Hey you, how is the move going? Let me know when you are free to chat.

He couldn't stop smiling as he replied back, the friend he'd begun to call Rosie one of the only people he'd ever really gotten along with. He'd met her in a large chat group where she'd been talking about why certain authors could never make sequels to their stories because they left nowhere to go from. They'd started messaging back and forth after that when he'd spoken against all the people in the room saying she was an idiot but he'd agreed with her.

Reply to: Rose_And_Blood

Everything is going well, just finishing up my room and got my comp set up. Probably won't be able to be in the rooms till tomorrow because I'm trying to make sure grams doesn't overdo it.

New Email from: Rose_And_Blood

That's good to hear, keep the old woman out of trouble. Hoping to be able to chat soon.

"Allen?" He heard his grandmother call from down the hall just as he closed his email and was about to start on the rest of his book. "Yeah grams?" he called back, placing another few books up with their trilogy. "How does a pizza sound? One of the neighbors gave me a menu for one of the local places and I don't feel up to going grocery shopping till tomorrow." Allen smiled and went to his door, looking out to see the old woman dusting her hands on her storm grey skirts. "Sound great to me. I'm nearly done with my books if you want any more help." She shooed him as he started to come out to the hall, smiling as she did. "I am fine Allen, worry about your room. I'll call and order in a minute once I find the menu again. The usual?"
"Pepperoni and bacon with extra cheese, yep." Allen laughed as his grandmother cringed in disgust at his greasy pizza order and scurried downstairs to order what she called his monstrosity and her veggie loaded creation while he went back to work to unpack.