Page 38 of Wicked Shadows
“Tracey, stop harassing our son. We haven’t seen him in months, and now it’ll be months before he comes home again.” Phil, Devon’s father, affectionately pulled his wife into his arms. “How long are you staying?”
“However long Elle says we’re staying.” He squeezed her gently, attempting to elicit a response.
“Unfortunately, with the tight production schedule, we can only stay a few days. I’ll have to get back to review the script changes, meet with the other cast members, and get my costumes fitted.”
“You’re here now, so let’s make the most of it. We were just about to have dinner, so you got here just in time.” Tanya led the group back to the table and grabbed extra place settings for Elle and Devon while the others began filling their plates.
“That was a subtle change of plans,” Devon murmured under his breath.
“Yeah, well, that was a blatant slap in the face that Tracey didn’t know about me after four years,” she retorted.
Tracey and Tanya carried on a separate conversation that quickly silenced all the other sidebars. With all eyes and ears on them, they continued talking, unaware they held the room’s engrossed attention.
“Mom and I had to have ‘the talk’ the other day. I think that was the hardest conversation I’ve ever had in my life,” Tracey said.
“What do you mean ‘the talk’?” Devon asked.
She met Devon’s inquisitive gaze with a heavy heart. “She’s declining quickly, son. We had to talk about her end-of-life wishes before it’s too late. I needed to know exactly what she wants so we can respect her needs. She already has the burial plot beside Dad, but she didn’t have an advance directive for medical procedures. We completed one together and sent it to all her doctors. Afterward, we hugged and cried for a solid fifteen minutes.”
“I want to be cremated when I die,” Devon announced definitively and impassively. Tracey and Elle both gaped at him over his announcement. “What?”
“You’re too young. Don’t even joke about that.” Tracey shuddered, the mere thought too much to bear.
“I’m serious. Any of us could go at any time. If you needed to know Grandma’s wishes, you need to know mine, too. I want to be cremated—it’s important to me. I’ve left specific instructions that will be delivered to you, but I also want you to hear it from me.”
The conversation continued, taking natural twists and turns, until they had covered a broad spectrum of topics. While Elle joined in, listening to their parents share amusing and embarrassing stories from both her and Devon’s childhoods and laughing along with them, she mentally pieced together the brief glimpses she’d gained into his secret life. The sum of each individual part added up to one disturbing conclusion.
His work is dangerous.
He lives in the shadows.
He avoids photographs.
He hides me from his world to protect me.
He has “in case of death” instructions.
Who is Devon Kane? Do I even know him?
