Chapter 9

Funeral

The room was absolutely silenced. Lewis and Sasha were on their knees, too. The world had ended, so why were they still crouched by a shattered spawner, staring at the empty shell of what was once their friend? There was no way the ten-year-old Jade Sparks was dead. All evidence was lying. What did the world have against Jade? What had he done wrong? Rather being said for Jade's loss, he was angry at the world's decision to take his life. Not the world's decision. The skeleton's decision. Riddle's decision. Simon was more disgusted than ever before in his life. He was livid.

"When we find Riddle," Simon spoke through the silence, his voice shaking with unshown rage. "I'm going to make him suffer a fate worse than death." Sasha didn't seem shaken by Simon's headstrong words.

"I'm over it." Only Simon knew what Sasha meant by this. There was a flinging sound, and everyone but Jade flinched.

"Something's about to come out of that spawner!" shouted Simon. Lewis, Lucy and Sasha all sprinted out of the room. Simon grabbed Jade's body and dragged it out with him. They all stood a reasonable distance from the destroyed spawner's room. Without warning, the spawner spat arrows and bones in an assortment of different directions. Lucy and Lewis recoiled; they hadn't seen a spawner after it had been broken before.

"Look at all of those arrows and bones!" exclaimed Lucy. She started walking towards the room, but Simon grabbed her by the scruff of her shirt.

"It's not done yet." They all stared at Jade's dead body, his eyes still wide open. Simon's fists clenched and unclenched at Riddle. Finally, the spawner calmed itself, and there was silence again.

"I'm going home." Simon said. He turned his back on the skeleton spawner and began making his way up to the house with Jade lugged over his shoulder.

~O~

"I want to bury him," said Simon once the other four – no, three – were gathered in the common room. "It's the least he deserves. Do you have a shovel?" Sasha nodded. She stared deep into his eyes.

Simon laid Jade's body across the floor. They were all looking at it again. Lucy stood up and walked over to Jade. Her eyes were watering. She took two fingers and placed them on Jade's eyelids. She pulled them over his blue eyes.

"There," she said quietly. "Now he could be sleeping." A wave of sadness washed over Simon. Sasha went upstairs and returned with an iron shovel.

"Are you ready?" asked Sasha. Simon nodded. Sasha walked slowly to Simon and extended the shovel arm. Simon took the shovel and scooped Jade up.

"Can somebody get the door" Lucy was the first to get there. She opened the door carefully. Simon stepped out into the warm, breezy day and started walking forward. He didn't know where to bury Jade, but he continued walking straight toward the sun. Finally, he found a suitable place for a burial ground. The sun burned his eyes so they were tearful. Simon then realized the sun was behind a cloud, covering the blue sky. He laid Jade's body onto the ground again gently and drew his iron shovel. Simon looked around. Lucy, Sasha and Lewis were visible from the door of the stronghold about half a mile away. Simon was staring at them, but he wasn't sure they could see them. Wiping his eyes of tears, Simon took his spade and began whacking it into the ground. His burning heart gave him strength to dig vigorously at Jade's new home. Simon knew the grave was deep enough already, but he kept digging. The dirt soaring from his shovel to the exterior of the hole was how Simon chose to cope with whatever it was he was feeling. Rage? Depression? Maybe though Simon was trying to block it out, scared? All of these attacks were no coincidence. Simon was always sure that when his leg caught fire, there were no torches to brush against as Sasha had suggested. It must've been someone in the cave. The white-eyed man attacked Lewis. Now Jade was dead.

Simon finished at last. The hole was probably three feet too deep. He resentfully chucked his shovel out of the hole, spraying dirt everywhere, then climbed out.

"Guys," Simon hollered, his voice cracking. "I'm finished." They seemed to hear him and began walking from the stronghold. Once they were all there, Simon gestured to Jade. He tried to make his funeral as respectful as he could, for Jade deserved it.

"We gather here today," Simon started quietly. The other three bowed their heads. Simon stopped.

"Screw it," Simon said, throwing aside his grief. "We're here because our partner, Jade, is dead. He was s important as all of us, and damn it, he didn't deserve to die this way. Right now, our goal is to stay alive and break the curse on this godforsaken island and get the hell off it. For Jade." he added. Lucy and Sasha acted stunned, but they knew they would've said the same things, though harsh for a ten-year-old's funeral. Lewis nodded, his face showing anger and grief.

"Rest in peace, Jade," Simon finished. He looked down at Jade's body one last time. Lucy was right. With closed eyes, he looked asleep. Simon picked up Jade and walked down into the hole, and Simon felt like he was walking into his own grave. Simon gently laid Jade's cold body on the soft dirt.

Simon couldn't take it anymore.

He scrambled out of the grave and began shoveling dirt back into the earth.

"I'll be back," Sasha promised before leaving to the stronghold. By the time she had returned, the grave had been refilled. Sasha appeared to be carrying a stony. She forced it into the ground with a grunt of anguish. Simon then noticed the inscription on the stone.

R.I.P Jade Sparks

2001 – 2011

Died in a noble effort to help his companions.

Simon couldn't help but allow a tear to leak from his eye. More tears fell from the gray sky above. The atmosphere expressed distaste in Jade's death as well. Soon, the whole field was covered in a cold and fitting drizzle. Simon placed three buttercups next to the gravestone. The quiet drizzle had had transformed into a drenching downpour. Lightning blasted the sky open, and thunder shook Simon's heart.

Crack. Lightning struck dangerously close to Lucy and Lewis, who were hugging. Lucy's face was buried in his shoulder.

Crack. The force of the next strike sent Simon flying through the air.

"This isn't natural!" cried Sasha as Simon landed hard on the ground.

Crack. Jade's gravestone cracked down the middle and was enveloped in a curious mist.

"What is that?" asked Lucy, frightened.

"You mean who?" Lewis corrected her. A man stood by Jade's grave. He turned. As he faced Simon, chills ran down his spine.

The last guest he had expected to show up at Jade's funeral was Sam Riddle himself.