"I cannot believe the cops didn't arrest Jade, or even question her more about it." Trina pulled a black dress over her tanned body, turning to face Tori.
Tori stood in the mirror, her hands smoothing out her black dress which was similar to her sisters, only slightly longer. She twirled a brunette curl around her finger, biting her lip slightly. "The cops said she didn't do it. So why don't you believe them?"
"Because she's so guilty. It's all over her eyes. They are just so frozen over and lifeless." Trina shivered as she thought of Jade's gloomy eyes. "And she never cries about her."
"Maybe you just never see her cry for a reason. Jade's a very proud person." Tori turned away from the mirror. "Look, today is gonna be really hard for her and us all, please promise to just shut your mouth?"
Trina rolled her eyes slightly. "I'm hardly going to cause a scene today, that would be crazy, even for me."
Tori half smiled at her sister. "Thank you."
...
It had been three weeks since Cat had be murdered. After several interviews with various people, many DNA tests and Cat's autopsy, no one had been charged with her murder yet. Cat's tragic and shocking murder had gripped America; her story spread all over the states. On almost every news show, newspaper and magazine was a segment about Cat. The six teenagers became the stars of the crazy reality show that was now their lives. Cameras followed them whenever they were in public, reporters questioned them day and night and the press offered them all money for any photos and videos of Cat. All of them were in a constant state of shock at the insane publicity this whole situation was getting. They had finally all got the fame they were dreaming of, but for all the wrong reasons.
Andre, Beck and Robbie stood outside the church waiting for the rest of their friends to arrive. It was the day of Cat's funeral. After weeks of arguing with the police, her body had finally been released to her family.
"I'm scared." Robbie felt empty. Three weeks ago he lost a part of him he felt he was never going to get back. Most days he found it hard to get up, but he knew he had to, not for him, but for Cat.
"Why?" Beck questioned, blowing cold air out of his mouth.
"We haven't seen Cat's family properly since they found out about her and if it's anything like that time, then I can't do that again."
Beck and Andre pat their best friend on his back, a sympathetic look exchanged between the two of them as they all remembered that awful meeting.
As the group of friends finally were able to leave the police station after a long day of questioning, all of them felt a rush of relief.
"Jade, do you have a way of getting home? I'm sure my Dad won't mind dropping you home?" Tori pushed the large front doors open, revealing the orange sky as the sun was setting in front of them.
Before Jade could reply, a loud scream echoed around their ears.
"My baby!" From a car in front of them, a lady ran out and up the front steps.
"Melinda?" Jade's eyes almost doubled in size as she saw the frantic woman stop beside her.
"Where is she? Where's my baby?" Melinda grabbed a hold of Jade's shoulders, shaking her body as she cried harder.
"Melinda, let go of her!" A voice yelled out as footsteps padded behind the crying woman.
The man peeled his wife off of Jade. "I'm so sorry." He mumbled to the teenagers.
"You're Cat's parents?" Robbie let tears drip down his face as he stumbled his words.
"You know my baby? Where is she? Please tell me she's ok?" Melinda grabbed hold of Robbie, doing the same thing she'd done to Jade to him now.
The group of friends stood in total shock. Horror coated their faces as they stood speechless.
"Jade, where is she?" Melinda turned her focus back onto Jade.
Jade's face dropped, her eyes falling to the concrete beneath her. She couldn't bring herself to speak, or even look at Cat's parents.
"Let's go inside, Melinda. Once we're in there the cops will be able to explain whats going on to us." Cat's Dad, Mike placed his arms firmly around his wifes shoulders.
"You mean they didn't tell you anything? You guys know nothing?" Trina blurted out.
"Trina shut up!" Tori whacked her sisters arm, her eyes finding Cat's parents.
Both of them stood still finally. "What do you mean?" Her Mom questioned, her eyes moved around the group of teenagers.
All of the teenagers stood awkwardly, none of them making eye contact as the silence thinned out.
"No." Melinda fell to the floor as realization hit her, her hands pulled through her red hair as she let out desperate cries. "I told you. I could sense something bad was going to happen to her!"
Jade pinched her arm hard to stop herself from crying. "You shouldn't have heard this from us first. I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
Mike stood in complete disbelief, his face was cold as he stared at his wife. He waited a moment before wrapping Jade into a close hug, the first of several tears falling down his face and onto Jade. "She loved you, you know that right?" He whispered in her ear. "You were everything to her."
Jade let out a painful gasp as she did everything in her power to stop herself from crying. "I know." She replied. "I'm sorry I couldn't save her."
Mike kissed Jade's dark hair, holding her close to him. "I know you'd have done anything for my girl."
"Melinda, let's go see our little girl. She needs us now." He took his wifes hand, almost dragging her into the police station.
The group stood on top of the steps for a few minutes after that ordeal took place just taking it all in. As they began to leave, walking down step by step they heard loud, heartbreaking screams coming from inside the station.
...
"Hey." Tori, Trina and Jade arrived together, all dressed in black. Jade had even stripped the blue out of her hair and dyed in red in memory of her friend.
The sky was dark and gray. The grief in the air hung like a thick, wool blanket, draped over all of the teenagers. There were no smiles exchanged, at least not real smiles, only sorrow over the loss of Cat. It felt as if time itself was standing still; that this was just a horrible nightmare, and everyone was trying to escape. All of them were desperately trying to come out of this darkness that was there new life.
"I think it's time to go in." Jade pointed to the group of people that were headed into the quiet church.
From the gates of the church, cameras flashed and flickered as the press tried to get a glimpse into the lost angel's funeral.
"Fucking animals." Jade shot daggers at the camera men as she walked into the church. "They have no clue what privacy means. All they care about is getting good headlines for the news. It makes me sick."
"Why can't they let Cat just have this one day in peace?" Andre shut the doors behind them, following his friends to the front.
The front row was reserved for Cat's family on one side, and her friends on the other. As the friends took their seats they scanned the church, almost everyone that attended Hollywood Arts was there. It was the first time they'd seen Sikowitz look normal.
"Who's that lady with the boy?" Tori pointed subtly to the row opposite her own.
"That's Cat's Nonna and her brother, Talon." Jade whispered. She felt her heart break as she witnessed how distraught they both were. Jade knew how close Cat and her Nonna were and she knew her Nonna had never imagined outliving her young grandaughter.
"Her brother looks so normal." Tori replied, staring at Talon some more.
"Looks can be deceiving, Tori." Jade took Tori's hand as music began to play around the church.
The song Tears In Heaven began playing and the wooden doors behind them all opened loudly, followed by Cat's parents and other family members the friends didnt recognize carrying a small, white coffin. The friends watched as they walked slowly down the aisle to the song, each of them composed, besides her Mom who was having a hard time trying not to cry.
Tori and Jade squeezed eachothers hands as the service went on. Each speech and song played seemed to get sadder as the ceremony went on. Throughout it all, all everyone could do was cry. Family members told happy, and funny stories of Cat and what she got up to in her short life and even during those brief moments of laughter, tears still flowed.
The coffin in front of everyone made it all to real. Cat was in that tiny box, forever. She'd be dressed in her best clothes, with her hair styled to perfection, because she was going to stay like that for the rest of time now. Although they'd all seen Cat's body, they all found it hard to imagine it laying flat in that white box.
As the funeral came to an end, it was finally time for the friends to pay their respects to Cat. After much deliberation and various arguments, the friends had settled on singing the country song 'Who You'd Be Today'. The six young teenagers stood at the front of the church, all the nerves of performing slipped away as they each placed a hand on Cat's white coffin and began to sing. The room was silent the entire time, breaking into a loud applause as the song ended.
"She'd of loved that." Mike mouthed to Jade as they sat back down.
Everyone stood up again as Cat's coffin was carried back out of the room just as slowly as it came in. The friends walked behind it, Tori and Jade hand in hand again.
"I didn't think today would be just this hard." Tori took a deep breath as they exited the church.
"I know what you mean. Seeing all her family there broke my heart." Jade pulled Tori into a close hug as the crowd mingled outside the church.
Tori took a deep breath as she held on Jade tight, her eyes watched the coffin be placed next to an empty grave gently. "It's time to say goodbye, Jade."
Jade kicked her feet along the ground as she headed towards the site where Cat would forever be now. Her head hurt as she looked down into that shallow grave. It didn't feel real or right that Cat was going to be down there forever. Dirt and grass covering her up. "Please wake up." She begged under her breath as the coffin was raised level to the hole in the ground.
Tori held Jade's hand tight with her own as the coffin lowered down slowly.
Cat's parents held one another, her brother standing beside them with an emotionless look on his face. "My baby." Her Mom sobbed uncontrollably.
As the coffin hit the floor softly, her parents and brother placed three white roses onto the coffin. Jade let go of Tori, kissing the red rose in her hand carefully before throwing it into the grave and onto Cat's coffin. Everyone stood back as dirt began to fill up the grave.
"Jade?" Mike stood beside Jade and Tori, his eyes were red but the tears had finally stopped. " I wanted to give you this." He held his hand out and placed the item in Jade's pale hands.
Jade examined it carefully, holding the chain up to reveal a silver locket. "It's beautiful, but it's Cats?"
"We found it in Cat's room when the police were going through her things. We thought you should have it." Mike placed his arm around his wife and son and left towards the church again.
"Why don't you look happy?" Tori looked at Jade with confusion covering her face.
"I gave this to Cat years ago." She flipped the locket over. "Look, it has our initials carved into the back." She traced her fingers over the 'CJ' carved into the locket. "She'd worn it everyday without fail since I'd given it to her. Why wasn't she wearing it that weekend?"
A/N - I deserve a medal right now. I'm so sick that I got sent home from work and I still updated for you guys! It's probably the worst chapter in the world but its an update nonetheless.
I am literally so excited to reveal the big ending and who did it. I'll also explain at the end all the clues I left along the way ;) Only 3 days to go.