Only Ashes l Closed

There was nothing left.

Karma stood on the top step of Grimmald Place, looking down on the ashes and charred remains of what used to be her house. The only home she'd ever known.

The bottom half of the door was still there, scorched within an inch of its life, bullet holes still there. Karma found herself sliding down the ashy embarkment on the other side of the steps, falling gracelessly and landing on her knees.

It took a moment, but she got back to her feet, her sneakers sinking into the ash. There was so much of it. Everywhere. She looked upward, unfamiliar with seeing the sky from this location. It was cloudy, overcast. A usual london day.

She started down what used to be the main hallway, her eyes deadened as she looked from left to right. Her foot jolted as she stepped on something, and she froze.

Her eyes slowly went downward, her hands clenching into fists. The ashes were raised slightly, in a rough rectanglular...

Suddenly on her knees, she started digging, moving the ash franticly.

She paused, still in the face of disaster.

The gilded rectangle gleamed back at her as she moved her now ashy fingers over it. It reflected a girl she didn't know. A girl no one knew.

A girl who was alone.

A whispered word, softly. Grandmother…

Karma stood, turning away from the frame and continueing her journey, her arms limp at her sides. There was still a chance.

She stopped at the entrance of what used to be the family room. The doors were on their sides, and she kept her eyes on them, afraid of what she’d see. What if…?

Clenching her jaw, she forced herself forward, walking into the room that was her birthrite, her home, her family.

Her eyes stayed on the ground as she went through the ashes, her eyes taking in the slight raised details of the ashes. She froze, her eyes going to the far wall.

The family tree.

It was supposed to be there. Her entire family, her legacy. The wall was still there. She could see it as if it was still there. She could trace the lines of her ancestors with her eyes, remember where each person and scorch mark went, and who was in each circle, waving.

But it wasn’t there.

A slight whine split the silence, and Karma had to stop for a moment to figure out where it came from.

Her.

She moved back to the portraits, slowly and metholicly wiping away the ash and moving the frames into a pile based on their size.

Uncle.

Grandfather.

Great Aunt.

Grandmother.

She was on the last one when she found her.

The body was curled, small, and almost burnt to a crisp. If she hadn’t raised the girl, she probably wouldn’t have recognized her at all. Dropping to her knees, Karma picked her up, cradling her close. She was so light, so insignificant in the eyes of the world.

Just a house elf.

Her head dropped forward, looking all the world as if she was holding a small child, but in reality she was holding the only mother she remembered. The only one she had.

The only one she’d had.

Slowly, carefully, Karma stood, her head still ducked and her hair falling to cover her eyes. A minute shaking of her shoulders was the only emotion shown. As gentle as a butterfly, she placed Lace into the pile of frames, and stood there motionless, looking down on her.

She slipped her jacket off her shoulders and laid it over the body, tucking her in as the elf had done for her so many times before. Slowly, she caressed the elf’s charred face, her lower lip quivering.
Pulling out her wand, she stepped back, pointing it at the grave. She knew of no spell that would do what she wanted, and no encantation for preserviation. She only knew that she would not leave her to decay.

Raw magic poured from the wand as a choked sound split the silence. The light from the wand was golden, sparkling. She’d never seen anything like it before.

From the ground rose a water like substance, that spread around the pile until it came together at the top. A slight breeze and the tomb was done, encased in a crystal like ice.

She sagged forward, tears streaming down her face as she fell to her knees.

Empty. She was empty.

The sound of feathers on wind barely registered until the bird itself landed in front of her and held out its leg. Karma stared at it, uncomprehending. The owl hooted in annoyance, urgency, and she nodded, taking the letter from it. Immediately it flew off, and she sat there with the letter in her hands, her eyes following the owl before returning to the tomb.

Slowly, she opened the letter, her eyes dropping to it. Her tears made it hard to read, but she blinked them back.

Aria.

Just like that, she was gone, ignoring the pain in her stomach in the face of Vampire Speed.