Authors Note: This chapter may seem like it feels unfinished, but I thought it necessary. In the next chapter, the real story will begin.
Aaaand, thank you to my first reviewer as well! lovebitesx, you're awesome.
Remember, readers, reviews are always welcomed, but if you must state criticism please do it in a constructive fashion. Thank you.
Chapter One: Hopeless
Pale hands were stuffed into the soft lined pocket of the hoodie she'd taken from Low Shoulder's hotel room, her slim fingers clenched so tightly that her knuckles were turning white from the force that she used, her long nails digging into her palm and pressing the stems of two white roses into her flesh, the thorns piercing her skin. All around her tombstones rose from the green grass like ghosts from their graves, and a fog was rolling in from the west, coating the ground in thick grey waves. As she watched, a mahogany box was slowly being lowered into the ground, deep into a perfectly rectangular hole marked with a black marble tombstone. Next to it was another fresh grave, this one just as open as the last, though the coffin inside was white, as was the cement tombstone. Both slabs of rock were engraved, and though she couldn't read them, she knew what names were engraved.
Needy stood at the edge of the graveyard, hidden from site both by the tall, baby faced statue of an angel, and by the steady, thick waves of fog that poured in from now what seemed to be all directions, rolling and pulsing with every movement from the small amount of gatherers. Small tears rolled down her cheeks as she watched the mahogany coffin disappear fully, and heard the howling sound of a mother in pain, and she fiercely wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her sweater, before ducking fully behind the angel as the crowd dispersed. As they were walking away, Needy heard them singing. "Through the trees.. I will find you.." and the only thing she could think of was how badly she hated that song.
Unsure of how much time had gone by, though judging by the silence of the cemetery and the darkness of the sky, it had been awhile, Needy stepped from behind the angel and walked slowly towards the open graves. As she got closer, the words on the markers became more clear; "Jennifer Check" was written in scrolling calligraphy on the first, with an etched angel next to her name, which made Needy snort to herself, while "Chip Dove" was inscribed on the other, in plain, block text. Both tombstones were covered in flowers of all sorts, so that the dates and anything else on them were blocked from view, though Needy knew the death date was the same on both markers. Standing at the foot of Jennifer's open grave, Needy looked down at the dark coffin and she couldn't help but cry out from the overwhelming pain.
Even though Jennifer had been transformed into an evil, flesh eating demon, she had been her best friend, and she had loved her like a sister – perhaps even more. One of the white roses was extracted from the pocket of her hoodie, and she dropped it into the open grave, where it bounced, shed a petal, and then came to rest above where she imagined Jennifer's heart was. A heart she had stabbed with a box knife. Several drops of blood stained the white rose's petals from the punctures on her palm, and several more drops now rested on the dark wooden lid. "Goodbye, Jennifer." She said softly, and she wiped a tear from her cheek for her lost sister. "..and don't worry.. I didn't tell.."
Turning from Jennifer's grave, she moved to the foot of Chip's, and then looked around to make sure that no one was around. Carefully, so as to not bust through the top of the coffin, Needy slid down into the grave until her bunny slippers touched the top of the painted wood. From there, she lay out onto the lid of the coffin, her hands resting against the smooth surface as she began to weep.
"Salty means beautiful."
"You must be soy sauce, babe."
One of her hands balled into a fist, and she pounded gently on the top of the coffin, as though trying to wake her boyfriend from his death, and with one ear pressed to the top, she nearly expected him to knock back. Of course, he didn't. "I'm so sorry.. Chip, I'm so sorry.." She whispered softly, hoping that in whatever great beyond he'd gone to, he would hear her. "..I love you.."
Needy pushed herself up slowly, and wiped under her eyes with the sleeve of Nikolai's hoodie – which smelled disgustingly like cheap cologne – before pulling the second, and final rose from her pocket. The white petals were pressed to her lips before she lowered it gently to the surface of the painted wood. Then, while still looking down at the coffin under her feet, Needy's body hovered into the air, and floated straight up and back until she was standing on the ground at the foot of the open grave. Blowing a kiss downwards, she turned and slowly walked away from the graves, her hood yanked up over her blond hair once more.
When she was about four feet away, she abruptly stopped and looked over her shoulder at the coffin marked by a cement stone, and then looked towards the dark grey sky. For just a second, she could have sworn she heard Chip's voice.
"I love you too.."
Shaking her head, she continued on her way, walking past the gates of Devil's Kettle's cemetery and out onto the street.
