away.
“Watch your step, Ember. There are more boxes just at the top of the stairs too,” Brandon cautioned before he stepped into the darkness to turn on the light, bringing a soft glow to the dark attic. “Thanks for coming. I was surprised when you said yes.”
“I love looking through old things and, with Trace off helping a friend deliver some of his pieces, I had the morning free.” Ember reached the top and took a moment to look around. “You weren’t kidding about there being a lot of stuff up here. I don’t think I’d ever leave here until I’d uncovered everything.”
“It is tempting. I’ve been through those boxes over there already: mostly old clothes and shoes that’ll be washed and distributed among the kids. My friend and I are working on this part.”
“Your friend?”
“Yeah, Seth. The one who works at that restaurant we went to the other day. He’ll be here soon.”
“Does he live here too?”
“No, he lives with his mom, but he’s been here a few times with her. Not sure why she would come here, but on one of their visits I asked Seth to play video games with me while he waited. After that, he started coming on his own. He’s cool. We’ve talked about getting a place together when we’re older.”
“I can’t wait to meet him,” Ember said. She settled down in front of a large cedar chest. There was a lock, but it wasn’t secured because when she lifted the lid, it opened with ease. “Are you sure no one will mind us going through this?”
“I’m sure. They want it gone, so the more people helping the better.”
She pushed the lid all the way back before she reached in and picked up a small blanket. The colors were fading, but outside of that it was in remarkably good condition. There was no mistaking that it had been handmade and Ember thought it strange that such a piece would find its way up here. Why would a child who had received such a loving gift be abandoned? She refolded it and placed it gently aside before she reached in for a small pair of shoes. With sparkly rhinestones on the top, she imagined they were once a little girl’s prize possession.
There was a part of her that wondered if she might uncover anything of Trace’s. A smaller wooden box was buried deep in the chest and opening it revealed letters tied together with a pink silk ribbon. She didn’t have to read them to know they were love letters.
“Brandon, where did all of this come from?”
“Apparently, the Mother Superior who used to work here was a bit of a tag sale junky.”
Well, that certainly explained the wooden box. It was sad that the letters were here, forgotten, when they had clearly meant a great deal to someone. She wanted to read them; though it would be an invasion of privacy, the temptation was too strong.
“Can I take these to read? I’ll bring them back.”
“Keep them. Stuff like that is going to be tossed.”
Ember looked down at the letters, debating with herself.
“Just take them,” Brandon insisted; that was all she needed to hear before she tucked them in her purse and continued her exploration of the chest. When she reached the bottom, she carefully put everything back. She stood and started over to the corner of the attic, but almost fell backward onto the boxes. Brandon was there to steady her.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah, thanks. Just lost my footing.” She looked down at the floorboard like it was at fault; but she’d really stumbled from the head rush from seeing a box labeled “Sister Anne.”
She pulled it into the light and was so tempted to look in it—but she thought it should be Lucien who did so first.
“A friend of mine who grew up here should have this. Maybe I could talk with the Mother Superior and convince her to let me take it.”
“I don’t see why not. It gets the stuff out of here.”
The sound of feet on the stairs made Brandon call out, “Good timing, Seth.”
Ember was dusting off the box when Seth stepped into the attic. “Found someone else to help you go through all this junk?”
“It’s not junk; it’s memories, lost memories, right, Brandon?” Ember said.
“Seth, this is Ember. Ember, my friend Seth.”
“Hey,” Seth said, but Ember remained silent, which made Brandon turn his attention to her.
“Ember, what’s wrong?”
“I’m sorry. I’m being very rude, it’s just that you look so much like