I:
Lightning watched as her sister skipped around the cemetery, probably chasing a butterfly. She was thirteen, and was now in middle school. She'd begged Lightning to complete her education instead of dropping out of school, and she reluctantly complied. Tenth grade put more than enough pressure on her, what with the important exams thrown at her almost every week. How did they expect her to take care of a thirteen-year-old if she was so stressed out about school?
She mentally sighed and sat down in front of her mother and father's grave.
She remembered that day she had taken aboard her new name- in this very space- on the night of her mother's funeral.
"Claire!" Serah called. Her mind raced to the present, and she looked up at Serah.
"Y-yeah?"
The younger girl slumped down next to her older sister.
"Do you think mom and dad have gone to heaven?"
Lightning furrowed her brow. "You think they've gone to hell?" she jested lightly.
Seeing Serah widen her eyes in distress, Lightning laughed and brushed the comment out of the way. "I- uh- think they're in a better place. If that's heaven or not, I'm not sure" she sighed.
She gazed at her parents' headstones. Both Farrons had died of an unknown sickness. Her father was the first to go. His laid-back attitude had prevailed through to the end. She wondered if he was a little more serious about his condition, maybe he could have lasted a little longer.
Her mother died when she was fifteen- a year ago...
The doctors told Lightning every single dirty detail about her condition because there were no other relatives to tell.
"I think they've gone to heaven. No, I know that they have!" she optimistically stated.
Lightning grunted in reply, words spinning aimlessly around in her head.
"We better get to school..." she muttered, standing.
Serah hesitated, then smiled gloomily and nodded. She caressed the headstones lovingly, then ran up the grassy green hill that hid the entrance gates. Lightning clenched her fist and took one final look at the graves. "Bye, mom, dad..." she sighed, then picked up her bag and silently followed her sister.
--
I just read the web novel (well only the Serah and Lightning bits... but mostly the Lightning bits) and it almost brought me to tears when she has the whole flashback bit about her mother.
Lightning has so much depth to her ; ;...
She had to take care of her sister...and at only fifteen. Though it's good to know she waited until she graduated to enlist :)
Might be more chapters to come...
Ciao for now!~