Shadow Warriors

Chapter three

Lexi dropped Sarah off at her apartment before heading to work at the restaurant. Once inside her apartment, Sarah dropped the tube and her handbag onto the sofa and grinned wide. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed her grandmother's number.

"Hello?" the old lady answered, sounding distracted.

"Hi, Nana, it's me."

"How did it go?"

"Really well. Mr Takamori accepted my plans and he wants a contract sent to him. I got it, Nana."

Sarah heard the emotion in her grandmother's voice, "Oh, Sarah, honey, that is amazing. I am so proud of you, honey."

"Thanks, Nana. Looks like work will begin in about a week or so, so I will be swamped for the next few months, but it will be worth it."

"You deserve it, Sarah. You worked so hard on this project. All those late nights and endless hours on the internet and in the library learning about the Japanese culture has paid off."

"It sure has. How are you feeling?"

A long sigh came over the line. "Oh, you know. Getting old is no picnic, dear. The doctor said that the medication should be helping with the pain, but it's not really doing much when it rains."

Sarah sat down beside her handbag, the joy and excitement replaced with worry. "Do you need me to come over?"

"Oh, no, honey. I'm fine. I have David from next door to help me if I need anything. I just move slower than usual, nothing to worry about."

"I do worry, Nana. You're all I have left."

A long silence filled the line. Mentioning that to her grandmother always stirred unpleasant feelings in both of them, but Sarah had been thinking about it all day.

"Nana?"

"Yes, honey?"

"Do you think mom and dad would be proud of me? Of what I decided to do with my life?"

Again, the emotion in her grandmother's voice brought tears to Sarah's eyes. "Sarah, I think they would be over the moon for you. They loved you more than anything else, and they would be... they are the proudest parents in the whole world. They only ever wanted the best for you. And to know that you are doing what you love would have made them very happy."

A tear rolled down Sarah's cheek, the pain of their loss still fresh in her mind from her dreams. She couldn't shake the feeling of wanting answers. As though she was about to learn the truth. Do I want to know the truth? What is there to know? They are dead, nothing more to it.

"Sarah?" Nana Marge's voice broke her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Are you alright, honey?"

Margret Weller was the only person that knew about the smoke that followed Sarah. The only one that Sarah ever told, even if her grandmother didn't believe her, she never made her feel crazy.

"No. I've been thinking about mom and dad a lot lately. I feel like there is something I am supposed to know about them, you know. Like something missing from the story. It's hard to explain really."

"Whatever it is, I'm sure you will learn about it when the time is right. All I know is that they loved you. Always remember that."

"Thanks, Nana. I will talk to you soon."

"I love you, pumpkin. Be safe."

The call disconnected and Sarah sighed, leaning back against the sofa. Her thoughts flashed with the years Sarah spent living with her grandmother. A middle-class home in the suburbs of New York. Her grandmother tried to give Sarah the best life she could, despite her mourning the loss of her only son. They had their struggles, but as Sarah thought back, all she could remember is feeling loved, safe, and happy.