Wings of the Walker - CoraLee June Page 0,377

a pretty crier, that’s why I preferred anger. Anger was beautiful, in the right light.

Cyler observed me and chuckled. “You look like shit, sis.” My shoulders dropped, and I looked up at the sky while counting to ten. We were kind of doing ok, and I didn’t have the energy to ruin it by slapping him.

“Are you always this idiotic, or are you just putting in the extra effort today?” I asked while rolling my neck and adjusting my dress. I put out my arm for him to take. “Walk me to town, will you? I have business to attend to at the clinic.”

“Fine,” Cyler agreed, rolling his eyes. I hated that spending time with me was so taxing on him.

“How are you liking the Gardens?” He smirked.

“Maybe we should walk in silence. We’re actually doing pretty good today, I’d hate to ruin this lovely chat with a swift kick to your balls.”

Cyler chuckled as we walked into town. “You’re all talk Jules,” he chided.

“Might I remind you of the time I cut your hair in your sleep?” I gave him a mischievous grin. Cyler ran a rough hand through his thick, wavy mass of hair that was so last season. I had half a mind to trim it again. I’d be doing him a favor.

As we made our way to town, our steps became slower. Neither one of us wanted to socialize or deal with the conflicting emotions of the day.

"I always hated how chipper people were on Pioneer Day," I mumbled as a drunk man sauntered by.

"It’s what they would have wanted." He let out a half-hearted sigh. His shoulders slumped, and I heard the worry in his voice. He shared my feelings, regardless if he wanted to admit it or not.

"I heard about Kindle," I added. "How was the funeral?"

"People showed up. They cried. They moved on. It’s what we all do, Jules. We all move on."

Before I could reply, Mr. Mark Caverly interrupted us. He was a nice enough gentleman, but a brown-nosing fool, if I ever knew one.

“Master Black! Mistress! It is so good to see you both…” He then started rambling on about Mother and Father.

I smiled politely. It took many years of etiquette training, but I had perfected the art of pretending to look flattered and interested while planning an escape route. God, could Mark talk. He lacked tact and the social sense, or know-how, to understand when to stop. Most of the time his unwilling audience fell asleep before he realized that he was boring them.

Mark was talking about my mother when I spotted her. Ashleigh. The little Walker that had it all. She looked around with a small, genuine smile that made me want to claw her throat out. She looked so innocent. So fucking perfect. I knew the truth—it was all a rouse. No one was that kind or that innocent. When she saw me scowling at her, I resumed my fake smile.

Ashleigh greeted us with a timid grin, and even though she was enemy number one, I was thankful for the interruption and an excuse to be on my way.

“Hello, Happy Pioneer Day,” she said in her stupidly pleasant voice. I saw Cyler’s eyes widen and his face slip into a look of pure joy. I huffed and turned around before I barfed all over his shoes at his obvious attraction to her. But something solid stopped me in my tracks.

“Well hello there, Jules,” Tallis said with a grin. “You’ve got to stop bumping into me, some will start to think you’re doing it on purpose.”

I laughed nervously while peering around at the growing crowd observing us. Mark Caverly looked like someone turned his water to wine.

Great, just what I needed, a trip to the rumor mill.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Move out of my way,” I ordered with false bravado and puffed out my chest.

Tallis gave me a determined look that I felt in my core. His bright, wild eyes glistened with promise as he took a crooked finger and traced my elbow before bending over and whispering. “You first.”

I hiked up my dress, then maneuvered myself around him after spitting in the dirt at his feet. While storming off, I felt the eyes of everyone on my back. I refused to slump my shoulders under the weight of their stares. Let them speculate. I was Jules Fucking Black.

Chapter Six

A strong hand pulled me back as I walked towards the Clinic. I whirled around and