The only family member Imani had was her mother. After the death of her mother, Imani's whole world is turned upside down. In hopes found a family and uncovers the secrets of her mother. Imani never thought she would run into an Alpha claiming to be...
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Imani
"Dust to dust. Ash to ash"
Goodbye, mom.
More tears fell down my face as I watch my mother's casket get buried. It was a small private funeral. I don't have a big family. All I knew and had was my mother. I never knew nor met my father. My mother never talked about him no matter how many times I asked. And now the only person who I called family I gone. I am all alone.
"Imani" My best friend Eric calls me. I don't answer and continue to look down at my mother's casket.
"You know you can stay at my place for as long as you need." He says coming behind me to give me a hug. Eric is an orphan who never met nor knew his parents. He spent most of his life in foster care up until high school. My mother treated him like a son and he was like an older brother to me. And now we're both orphans.
"I want to be alone," I said.
"Okay, but don't stay out here for too long." He says giving my body a squeeze before he lets me go. Once everyone is done paying my mom respects I am alone with her in the graveyard.
I sat on the ground not caring that my dress would get dirty.
"I am all alone now." I said with a sigh. I sat in silence while I replay the beautiful memories of my mom in my head. I cry in silence until I see the sun about to set.
When I got home I didn't bother turning on the lights. Everything still smells like her. I slowly walk into her room. I go onto her bed and breathe in her scent and close my eyes. It's almost like she is here in this room with me.
"What am I suppose to do now?" I never went to college I have been working at an afterschool center. Tutoring and watch over kids from K-5th grade. And on the weekends I work at a small clothing store. They don't pay much but it's something. I work so I could help pay bills and pay for my mother's treatment although my mom was against it. Now that she is gone I am not sure what to do or where to go. I don't have any grandparents, siblings, uncles, or aunts to go to. I am alone.
The next day I woke up to the sun shining through the window. I got up and stretched out my arms. I looked over at the clock on the wall to see it's 8 AM. Luckily before my mom died she was able to pay off this house so I won't have to worry about being put out. But what's the point of living in this by myself. I slowly get out of bed and go take a shower. After I changed into some comfortable clothes I made myself a small breakfast.
My mom was an artist. She loved painting, drawing, and photography. She made money by selling her art and teaching art. One of my favorite paintings my mom made was a painting of a black wolf with golden eyes in the middle of a forest. My mom would always tell me fairy tale stories about the black wolf to the point I would think the wolf was real. The painting staying in the living room. I walked up the painting and traced my mother's signature with my finger on the bottom. With the details of the wolf's eyes and trees, you would think it was a photograph. I was touching the painting too much causing it to shift and fall off the wall. I jumped in shocked and bend out to pick it up. I looked up at the wall and saw something I never saw before. In the wall, there was a small safe with a lock on it. I looked at it confused. My mom never told me about this. I touch the locked and put in the numbers for my birthday and it unlocks. I am surprised by how easy it was to open.
Is this what she wanted me to find?
Once I open the safe I find letters, photos, and a neckless. I take them out and sit on the couch. I read the letter first. The letter was written by a woman name Neema who gave my mother some money so she could run away. Neema also gave my mother a map and directions to take in order to reach California and avoid being seen.
"Why would she need all of this?" I say to myself confused. In the letter, there is a photo of my mother when she was young. Growing up I never saw photos of my mother's childhood and the life she had before she had me. In the photo, my mother and a woman who looks like could be Neema are in front of a small cabin.
The next thing I pull out is a beautiful Amethyst necklace with little diamonds around the stone and a gold chain. I never saw a necklace like before. It was breathtaking.
"Why did she never wear it?" I asked myself. Something tells me it may have been a gift. I don't understand why she hid all these things from me but I am going to find out. Maybe they could connect me to a family I never knew about. My first clue is finding out about Neema and seeing if she is still alive. The map and the picture is a great start. I quickly go into my room and start making plans to pack my things and book a plane ticket to North Carolina. Although I still miss my mom the idea of having other family members excites me a well as terrifies me. There could be a reason why my mother never wanted me to know about her family or my father. But at the same time, I need to know for myself.
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