Red like roses
Fills my head with dreams and finds me
Always closer
To the emptiness and sadness that have come to take the place of you
Summer Rose died two months after Yang started at Signal during a mission. Ruby was twelve at the time and her mother's death hit her hard. She didn't talk much to anyone anymore and became distant from her father. She didn't even give Yang the daily calls she'd always been impatient to make. But most of all, she wore a cloak.
It was a red cloak with a hood that Summer had given her as a parting gift in her will. She wore it everyday with the hood up, no matter what the weather was. It was very dear to her and wouldn't let anyone touch it.
Only Ruby and her dad lived in her home, now that Summer was gone. It was very quiet, as the two chattiest people in their family were no longer living there.
Ruby had decided to go to the Snowy Forest to visit Summer's grave for the thousandth time. She was at the front door of her home, putting on her black and red boots and throwing her hood over her head.
"I'm going to visit mom, dad," Ruby called over her shoulder, a solemn tone in her voice.
"Alright," Her dad called back, using the same tone as she.
Ruby opened the door and set off for the forest. She glanced at a few children with their mothers as she was on her way to the entrance of the forest. She sighed in sadness, thinking about her mother. She even saw a young girl hugging her mother tightly. Ruby really missed the feeling of her mother's embrace, the tender warmth that spread through her body whenever she was comforted by Summer. I'll never feel that again. Ruby thought, a deep frown on her face and her eyebrows knitted together.
She entered the Snowy Forest, smiling faintly at the soft crunch of the snow under her boots. Delicate frozen water crystals floated around her and onto her cloak. The black trees reached for each other on both sides of her. Ruby both loved and hated this forest. She loved it for the scenery, the gentle cool breeze and the fact that her mother was always there. The mysteriousness of that particular location, how it snowed all year, intrigued her. She hated the Snowy Forest because while it was a thing of beauty, it reminded her that her mother was dead, that she was to rest there for all eternity six feet under.
As Ruby trudged on, she thought about Yang. Dad didn't tell her yet. It's been two weeks, we've had the funeral, she's been buried. Ruby thought. Was she going to feel left out for not attending the funeral? For not being told that her stepmother was dead? Was she just going to roll with it, like how she'd tackle most other situations? Ruby had no clue how her stepsister would react. Yang had told her that Summer felt like a real mom, almost as if her own mother never existed and Yang had always been in the family. Of course she'd feel betrayed. The only reason that she wasn't told yet was that her dad wanted her to settle down in Signal before telling her so she wouldn't be too stressed with school and family, wanting to go back even though she'd just started.
Ruby abandoned those thoughts as she approached Summer's grave.
Summer Rose
Thus kindly I scatter
Ruby stared at the words on her mother's grave, memories of her flashing before her eyes. She was very kind and loving, but stern when she had to be. The perfect mother, in Ruby's opinion. Tears welled up in her eyes before being swept away by the wind. She knelt down and touched the grave, quietly sobbing.
"Mom..." Ruby whispered, deep sadness lacing her voice. "We miss you so much... Yang doesn't know yet, but she will by the end of the week. Don't worry about it, we can handle this. I miss you so much... you're smile, your cookies, your love, your laugh, everything..."
She stood up from her crouching position, brought her hands to her face and sobbed, a bit louder this time. Ruby was just a child, her mother was taken from her at such a young age. Most would say she wouldn't understand what true loss was, including Yang, but the truth was that she could understand as much as anyone. Whether an elderly person lost their spouse of forty years or a grown adult had to put a pet down, it generally was the same feeling. The feeling of loss and mourning. The feeling that a part of you was lost with that loved one, that there was a giant hole in your heart where that loved one once was. Ruby felt that, and she felt it more than any other feeling, no matter what anyone would say.
Sure, it had been two weeks, but it felt like an eternity to her. It was an irreplaceable relationship that had been shattered and broken a mere fortnight ago. Ruby was lonely, even with her father around, because he felt empty inside too.
Ruby softly said goodbye to her mother before leaving the cliffside. Her feet moved slowly, a slump in her shoulders and a lowering of her head.
What will I do now without mom?