Pay the Price
Disclaimer: I own nothing
A/N: The epilogue chapter, enjoy it
Chapter 22 (Paying Respects)
Four waited in a cemetery, each standing beside a gray truck and watching as a police vehicle pulled up to them. They watched as Gary stepped out and opened the back door, letting Denise carefully exit. Her eyes met theirs and her lips pressed firmly together. "Been a long time," she whispered, "But thanks for asking me along."
Henry West raised his shoulders and turned his head down the paved, narrow path. "I just figured we should all be here." He looked towards Janet with a broken smile and she gently ran her hand over his left shoulder. Nearby, Regina stood with a bouquet of white roses. Keith was leaning against the hood of the truck, his arms folded across his chest and gaze fixated down the path.
Denise raised her head a bit, her brow furrowing. "Thomas?" Henry closed his eyes and shook his head. "It wouldn't do him much good any way."
They made their way in silence down the path until they reached a tombstone with a stone angel crafted on top of it. Gracie Nelms was the name upon the marker, the group watched as Regina placed one of the white roses before the marker, her hand trembling and fresh tears moving from her eyes. "Forgive me," she whispered softly, "Had I known…I would not have given you that chili."
As she rose upwards, the others studied the grave with a somberness in their gaze. Each of them remembered the young girl, smiling and laughing; and they could almost see her there before them just as she was back then, spinning around with her dress spinning as she kicked up the dirt and danced about. The youngest of the those who died, too tragic of a loss.
They moved slowly until they reached the next marker. Henry gazed up at the grey clouds above them, his heartbeat flickering as a cool wind caressed his face and body. "Can I put this one down?" He heard Keith ask. His gaze drifted towards the man and he watched Regina hand him one of the roses.
The man knelt before a gray slab and began to pull some overgrown grass off the marker, revealing Louise Brown's name. Keith's lips pressed firmly together and his brow began to furrow.
Henry could almost see the girl's spirit standing there, looking down at the man with a lingering gaze, her long brown hair hugging her shoulders. She'd been more than just 'sticky fingers' back then, always swiping things from people. She was one of Keith's good friends at the same time, Henry remembered fondly how the pair would always be together laughing about their next greatest scheme.
Sometimes she'd grab something off a mark, then Keith would try sell it back to the person. "You just had to take my food one more time." Keith chuckled mournfully. "We always messed with each other. You didn't do anything wrong, 'sweets'." He cracked a smile as tears ran down his face and dripped off his chin, reflecting the sunlight as it fell upon the rose. "Sleep well."
Keith rose, his breathing shallow and quick. Henry reached over to him, gently placing a hand upon his shoulder. The man closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath "Shoulda been me, not her…"
"I don't think she would agree to that," Henry replied, "What would she do hearing you talk like that?"
He chuckled. "Throw something at me and tell me to get a grip."
"Well, you want me to find a stick or something?" They didn't have to be entirely somber, no they wanted to remember and cherish the lives of those innocents that had gone on in their place; and the way to do that was to honor their lives, relish those happy memories. "Ready to move on?"
"Yeah."
The next grave was towards the back of the cemetery, it was a stone cross bearing the name of Micah Grant. Henry pictured the teenager standing there in basketball shorts and a white shirt, he always had a toothy grin and a basketball tucked underneath his left arm.
This time it was Denise who stepped forward, taking a white rose from Regina and placing it gently in front of the grave. Her lips trembled as her long hair fell around her face. "Cousin…Never could stand how the girls and I acted. Probably would be lecturing me to no end right now if you had the chance." She chuckled softly. "I guess when it's my time to join you, you'll have a whole speech planned out. Why'd ya have to pick that day to show up Holly, though? Who am I to talk, lecturing you about using fire to fight fire…" She bowed her head more, her voice breaking. "Oh Micah. I'd give anything to hear another one of your damned lectures." She looked up to the sky with a brief smile. "You'd better have one ready for me when I see you next, cuz."
The final marker belonged to Kyle Williams. Henry stood before the youth's grave, his hands closing a bit until he felt Janet's hand grace his. Turning his head slightly, he watched her take a rose offered up by Regina.
The pair knelt down and Janet set the rose at the man's grave. Henry pictured him standing there, throwing a football up in the air. "I remember how you'd always be going on about your favorite teams, always asking everyone to play a game with you. We never spoke much…I preferred the waves."
Henry closed his eyes and a heavy sigh fell from his lips. "I wonder, if you knew what Thomas had done to Erin, would you have taken that bowl from him? You always did the right thing though, you tried to be there for her back then; but we never made it easy." His words seemed to tremble away from his lips, his heart pounded in his chest and he could feel his stomach tightening. "I…We are sorry. Words can't express how different things should have been."
Janet reached out with a careful hand, her fingertips gently brushed along Kyle's name as tears slid down her cheeks. "Rest in peace Kyle," she whispered. Maybe Kyle would have gone on to join his favorite football team, maybe he could have become big time or settled down into a quiet life. There was no way of knowing how different things could have been for any of them.
A shadow fell over them and they looked up to see Erwin Sikowitz walking over. His forehead was creased and he was wearing a suit. "You guys are paying your respects as well?" Sikowitz asked. Henry and Janet rose up and stepped over with the others.
"Yes. After everything, we felt it was important." Sikowitz smiled gently and looked over to the grave, his eyes were moist. "We haven't visited Holly or David yet." Sikowitz looked back slowly and gave a brisk nod.
"Give it a little time. The girls are over there right now, they want to be alone there." Henry understood, if Trina and Tori were visiting their parents' graves then they didn't need to be disturbed. "I've been going over a lot of thoughts in my head lately…" Sikowitz breathed in slowly, then blew an exhale sharp and fast. "I've come to a decision."
"About?"
Sikowitz turned towards Kyle's grave and seemed to study it. His hands fell to his sides and his eyelids closed like curtains over a window. "I'm retiring as a teacher."
"What?" His voice rose with surprise. "But you're Jade's favorite teacher." Regina and Keith voiced the same regarding their children. "Those kids might still want you teaching them."
"I'll still be around, just I've been thinking I've done a disservice to my dad and grandfather and to these four kids." Henry furrowed his brow and the others exchanged confused glances. "You see, the camp had to close after what happened. It always could've been reopened, but I've been so afraid, upset, angry…and why?" Sikowitz crossed his arms and frowned. "Gracie, Louise, Micah, Kyle…it wasn't their fault."
"No."
"We can spend as much time as we want trying to find blame or finding someone responsible; but that wouldn't solve the problem. That wouldn't honor the innocents who had to suffer." Sikowitz shook his head. "No matter what Thomas did, no matter what Erin did then or now, no matter what you did or did not do; it is all in the past. All we can do is move forward with our lives."
Henry agreed with him, despite all the pain he felt and all the anger towards those that led to his own child being hurt in such a violent way. He knew he had to put it behind him somehow, and looking at the others, he could see the same in their eyes. Even Denise seemed to be listening to the teacher's words and taking them to heart.
"So what will you do?"
Sikowitz turned to them. "I am reopening the camp." The man paused for a moment, his gaze lifting thoughtfully. Henry raised his eyebrows and felt a wave of surprise rush over him. "Or yet a fresh start. Named in their honor…"
"Really?"
"Four Hearts Campgrounds, I think that name works." Sikowitz looked back at the grave with a twinkle in his eyes. Henry was excited to hear what the man was planning, and certainly he thought it would be nice to have a place that the kids could go together that wasn't just school.
Sikowitz raised a hand up to his chin, tucking his forefinger beneath it. "Maybe I'll erect a memorial somewhere there for them too. Maybe."
Nearby, Henry pictured the four teens standing there, watching on with grins spread across their faces.
"I think it would be a good thing for you to do, we'd be glad to see it up and running." Henry chuckled softly. "I'm sure Jade would love to take part in it, it would give her something to do, somewhere to go."
Sikowitz smiled for a moment, then nodded. "Then it's settled. I'll try to have the campgrounds up and running soon." Sikowitz clasped his hands together and then leaned over the grave marker, quickly brushing some dirt off of it. "I can't think of a better way to pay my respects and move forward…"
Well that's the end. I wanted it to be about honoring the lives of those lost lives so it seemed more appropriate that the parents would be the ones there since Trina and Tori didn't really know them. Also, Sikowitz deciding to continue down his family's legacy. What do you think of everything? I'm grateful to all who followed along this tale. I'm debating a potential sequel, but not sure what to do with it. It would probably have to center around Jade and the crew in Cali and go back and forth a little bit with the Vega girls somehow as they adjust and cope with moving forward. Would you guys be interested in seeing that at some point? Let me know.
