Skeleton Keys (on hold)

Chapter Four

I followed Dad up the spiral stairs, my mind still numb from all that had just happened. I glanced down at the key. A scythe. It'd been similar to Dad's in shape, but the design, the coloring - it was all different.

Dad had said that everyone's scythe was unique to the soul who owns it and the soul it was made from. That the scythe was a proof of friendship. I didn't understand exactly what he meant, but I figured I'd have plenty of time to ask him about it later.

Dad stopped at the top of the stairs. "This is it." He turned the knob, pushing the door wide.

I looked past him into a small, shadowed entryway. The walls were lined with pictures. Plain dark frames with white mats holding Grandpa's favorite black and white photography. I knew they were his favorite prints because we'd taken some of them together, and the others I'd seen in the small photo album he'd always traveled with. I stood there, turning in a circle to stare at them all. Every inch of the hallway walls where covered.

The light flipped on, and I looked back at Dad.

"You should probably keep staying with Elise and I for a while - until you know if you want to stay here or maybe get a place of your own."

I felt my eyes narrow a little. "Why wouldn't I stay here? Grandpa left it for me, so I'd have a place of my own here."

I glanced into to the nearest room, which turned out to be a guest bedroom. You could tell by the lack of personality to it, and that the bed didn't have any sheets on it under the comforter. I turned to the next room, and Dad followed me.

He took a deep breath, "What Mr. Ward neglected to say was that Grandpa wasn't the only one living here."

"What?" I stopped with my hand on the door handle. "Who else lives here?" I asked him.

He gave me an uncomfortable look. Like he'd rather be anywhere else but here. "His- well, our assistant now. Apollo."

I took my hand from the door. "And we just walked in here?!" I felt horrible for just letting ourselves in and just opening doors like I'd already owned the place.

"Wouldn't he want to be up here with us? Why didn't we wait for him?"

Dad smiled at me and reach to opened the door we were standing in front of. "Calm down, Mary. The apartment is yours. It's just..." he trailed off as he looked around the room. My chest tightened as I realized we'd stepped into my grandfather's room.

He walked over towards the dresser and sighed. "Apollo's case is complicated. I just want to make sure that you know what you're getting yourself into, that's all."

This was beyond awkward. Was Dad really trying to behave like a Dad? Because I really hoped he wasn't heading for a 'Birds and the Bees' talk. He'd never cared about who I dated in the past. But... I was always with Mom in Florida. I guess he'd never really got the chance to act over-protective since I'd never brought a guy here to visit with me. Did he really think - wait, what's wrong with Apollo that he'd want to warn me away from?

"You're just not comfortable with the idea of me living with a guy." I said, crossing my arms. "Don't worry, I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"What?" He looked at me confused. "Oh, Mary, I'm not worried about that. I know you can."

I stared at him. "Then what's the deal? What's so complicated about Apollo?"

Dad picked up a photo frame that sat on the bedside table. He studied it a moment before passing to me.

"What do you do see?" he asked me.

I glanced down. The photo was of Grandpa in Dubai. I recognized the building behind him from one of the photos he'd shown me when he'd returned. But this one, I hadn't seen this one before. He was facing the camera, like he'd asked someone to take his picture. But what caught my attention, was that Apollo was standing next to him, looking away from the camera.