Jhondie
The funeral was tough. I mean real tough. Most of the hospital staff was there, and some other people that we knew from my school and Kayla's soccer team. It was actually too beautiful of a day for us to be burying someone. On a day like this, we should be all outside together having fun. Playing volleyball, or laying out at the beach, or anything other than putting Dad in the dark, cold ground.
I cried a little at the graveside service. Mom kept together real well, and that kept Kayla from falling apart. When it got real bad for me, I just kept thinking about what I was going to do to the guy who shot him. Lydecker would be so proud of me. Instead of getting emotional, I was concentrating on destroying those who would destroy me.
Justin and his dad were there with the twins. It was the first time my family had met his. Except I didn't get the chance to introduce my dad. How do you introduce someone at a funeral? I mean, pleased to meet you is not something you want to say at that moment. Everyone sort of muttered something at each other as we filtered back to our cars.
People were supposed to be coming back to our house for something or the other. I think it was considered appropriate, but I personally didn't want to see anyone. There was going to be food and stuff. Maybe I could grab a couple of beers and go out onto the roof. Mom didn't approve of me drinking, so I kept it to a minimum, but today, I needed a beer. Something stronger would be better, but that was asking for trouble.
Before we got into the cars, Justin turned and hugged me. It kind of freaked me there for a second until he whispered in my ear, "Armani has the information." Anyone seeing us would have thought it was a comforting little hug. I got into my family's car, and forced myself not to smile. I was going to get him. There wasn't a gang around that wanted to mess with me. But they were.
Justin
The last funeral I attended was my aunt's two years before. She was seventy-eight, and had advanced cancer. It had killed her quickly, and it was hard for me to be really sorry that she was dead. I liked her and all, but she'd had a pretty long life, and she died before she could linger for months in pain. After the funeral, there was a sense of acceptance. I'd say something about Mom's funeral, but I really don't remember much of it. Someone said a bunch of stuff, and there were people in black everywhere, and nothing was comforting.
We all went back to Jhondie's after we left the cemetery. I hadn't been to one in a while. I don't think of Mom being there, even if Dad keeps up with the flowers on her grave. The twins asked me where mommy was once, and I told them she'd become their guardian angel. Even though it was only supposed to comfort two lonely six year olds, it comforted me too. I still think about her. I still miss her.
Dad took the twins home, but I went over to the Harris' after the funeral. Mrs. Harris saw me after I got there and came over to say thank you for being there the night Dr. Harris died. You could tell she'd been crying, but she was perfectly composed now. Jhondie said that her mother was a strong lady. For a Manticore project to describe someone as strong, that's one heck of a compliment.
"No problem," I said to her. "Just glad I could be there." Someone else called her attention away, and I started looking for Jhondie. She didn't seem to be around with the main crowd. I thought about it for a second, and went upstairs.
Her bedroom door was shut. I knocked lightly. No answer. Oh well, she'd slept with me, like she would mind me coming in. I opened the door a little, hoping she wouldn't scream or anything. I could see her window was open. I went inside, and peeked out the window. It was right above an overhang that faced the back of the house. She was sitting there with a white cat in her lap.
"I didn't say come in," she said dully. She had a bottle of beer in one hand, and was petting the cat with the other.
I sat down beside her. "You know me," I replied, "always have to get the story." She had another bottle beside her that I liberated. "Besides, it's bad to drink alone. First step towards alcoholism or something like that."
She smiled a little. At least she didn't try and snatch the bottle from me. "Who's the fur ball?" I asked. I had only been over here a couple of times and hadn't met the cat yet.
"Cody," she replied. He glared at me as her attention was diverted from his belly getting rubbed. He made a rather aggressive noise, and jumped up, walking with great dignity to the edge of the roof.
"Guess I'm batting a thousand with making first impressions around you," I said.
"Don't mind him," she said. Her voice lowered. "His name is short for Barcode. If you don't have one, he doesn't like you. He'll learn to tolerate you, but he won't like you."
"So you're it on his Christmas list?" I was trying to get her to ease up a little. She had grabbed a six-pack and was mostly done with her second already. I didn't know if heavy drinking abilities were hard-wired into her, but the last thing anyone needed was a depressed genetically engineered solider getting drunk and going off on every gang in LA.
"No," she said. "He likes Zack better than me."
He likes who better? I guess she could see the question on my face. "My brother," she continued. "He drops by every now and then to check on me." She never talked about the other escapees and I knew the topic was making her uncomfortable.
"So," I said, trying to change the topic. "Armani is ready whenever we are."
She finished her bottle and went into her bedroom and plopped down at the computer. She pulled open a few programs, and started running through systems. I couldn't really follow what she was doing. It reminded me of Dink a little except that her fingers could move at a super-human speed.
Fifteen minutes later she hit the print button, and the reservation spewed out. She smiled. "Check in is tomorrow after three", she said. "He has to be out by eleven the next day." Having a super-human partner rocks, and that's all I have to say about that.