Fork in the Road

Chapter Four

Sam watched the blonde woman walk through the garden examining the flowers. She didn't talk to Sam and Sam didn't talk to her. But they watched each other.

"How are you?" Emily asked sitting down on the park bench under a tree next to her.

"Fine. That a relative of yours?" Sam said nodding towards the woman.

"I can't see the dead. Not yet anyway. You see someone?"

"A pretty woman. Blonde. She looks a lot like you. She keeps looking at all the flowers. Examining them."

"It's probably my grandmother. This is her garden. Can you ask her what her name is?"

"You want me to communicate with her?"

"Why not?"

"I don't...I mean...I've never done it for anyone before."

"Would you?"

Sam nodded. She got up and walked over to the woman. The woman looked up from the rose she was looking at to look at Sam. She looked surprised at first but then smiled. "What is your name?" Sam asked her.

"Savannah. I'm Emily's grandmother. Would you tell her that I'm here? I'm always here with her. And that I love her. And that she's doing a wonderful job in keeping my garden up."

Sam repeated this to Emily. Emily walked over to them. She held out her hand and touched the air. She felt her grandmother's presence. "Ask her why she's here," Emily said putting her hand down.

"Oh, I heard her," Savannah said slightly annoyed she had to have a mediator between them. "Can't I come for a visit?"

Sam translated and Emily laughed and wiped away some tears. "The garden's yours, grandma," she said and walked away.

"She needs your strength, Samantha. She pretends she doesn't need anyone but she does."

"She's the strongest person I know," Sam said confused.

"She takes her role as a Guardian very seriously. Too seriously. I don't blame her for it after all she's been through. But I wish sometimes she could just enjoy being a regular teenager."

"We're not regular teenagers."

She smiled lightly. "You're special. Always remember that, child. And remind her of that. She needs to hear it just as much as you do."

They sat in the family room. Raven and Trey sat on opposite sides of the room; Raven sat in the window seat and Trey on the floor next to Isabella. Tony sat on the couch next to Ray and George looking between Raven and Trey trying to figure out what was going on between them. Jake sat in an armchair across from them. Sam entered the room and sat on the floor next to George.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sam asked.

"House meeting," George answered.

"Yeah, I got the invitation," Sam said pulling a folded up white index card out of her pocket.

"Emily. Everybody else just bangs down your bedroom door," George said with a grin.

Emily came into the room and shut the door. "You expecting someone to overhear?" Tony asked her watching her curiously. Emily silenced him with a look. She put her hands to the door.

"What's she doing?" Sam asked watching Emily as well.

"Putting on a protection spell," Jake answered softly in her ear.

"You sure you want to put the protections on this side of the door?" Trey asked her with a grin.

"Yes," Emily told him stepping over his outstretched legs.