I remained silent.
She took my hand again. "Do you remember our tradition?"
I frowned. "What tradition?"
"The final rites."
I stared at her.
"You are the one who is supposed to bury me, Helen."
My breath caught.
Seraphine continued, "You are my daughter. You are the one who is meant to perform the rites when my time comes."
I said nothing.
"You were meant to take over from me fully." She looked at me with a strange mixture of sadness and determination. "That is the order."
My heart tightened. "Mother..."
"I die before you do."
I stared at her. She spoke the words with such certainty that, for a moment, I couldn't respond.
"If you think this is about what you want, then think again," Seraphine said.
She released my hand. "I have no intention of letting my daughter die before m
