Carnal

Chapter One - Mourning the Missing

*Linked above is the book trailer for Carnal!*

Ella's P.O.V.

"Your grandfather is dead."

Those were words I never wanted to hear, but had been anticipating for too long.

Those words were the reason that I sat on a plane flying above German farmland, on my way to arrange a funeral I didn't want to attend.

I felt someone nudge my arm and I opened my eyes to see my older brother, Zak, staring at me. I took out my headphones, even though he didn't speak verbally.

He pointed to the date window on his watch.

November 12th.

'Happy twenty-third birthday,' he signed, smiling.

I sighed.

'It doesn't feel like a happy birthday,' I signed back, my shaky fingers displaying just how exhausted I was.

Zak sat forward and pulled something from his backpack. I noticed as he handed it to me that it was a bag of peanut m&ms, my favorite kind of candy.

He winked at me before leaning back in his seat.

I opened the bag and poured out a handful and handed them to him. He took them gladly.

'How are you?' Zak asked me once he finished them off.

His sharp eyes had been studying me the entire trip. He knew the answer.

I nodded, signing that I was fine.

I looked past him to my mom and dad, who sat in the middle row. Her tear-stained, red-rimmed eyes were staring blankly at the back of the seat in front of her.

I sighed, knowing how hard she was probably taking her father's death. They had been close, especially after my grandmother died when she was young.

My mother and father were both German and moved to the United States after they were married.

After I was born, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and my grandfather quit his job and moved to Florida to help take care of her since my dad worked all the time.

The man practically raised me.

After he moved back to Germany, he fell ill and was unable to come back to see us. We had only made a few trips to see him since that time.

I couldn't believe he was gone.

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the sad thoughts. I looked back out the window as my eyes filled with tears, blurring the sight of the setting sun.

It was late into the evening when the plane landed in Frankfurt. We got a rental car and drove a little over an hour into the country to my grandfather's cottage.

Driving up to the cottage was hard. I was used to the porch light being on, ushering us up to the house. This time the house was dark and uninviting.

As we got out of the car, I took my luggage and wheeled it up to the side door.

I could hear Remi, my grandfather's Schnauzer, barking as I retrieved the key from underneath the doormat.

I unlocked the door and flipped on the light.

Remi trotted over and sniffed me, her tail wagging quickly.

I smiled grimly as I leaned down to run my fingers through her fur, which had grayed since I'd seen her last.