(Next morning.)
Chloe stood in front of the mirror making one last check of her appearance. Having straight hair her entire life, she was completely unprepared to deal with Jan's very curly hair. Out of frustration, she ended up with a simple French twist. She had picked out a black dress that would have been considered conservative by Jan's standards and grabbed a pair of dark sunglasses to match on her way out of the bedroom. Jan may not have had the same exact tastes as Chloe, but there was certainly plenty to choose from.
Chloe went downstairs and saw Benjamin sorting the mail into piles on the table in the entryway. He quickly turned and smiled politely at her.
"Good morning... are you going somewhere today?"
Chloe quickly checked the watch on her wrist and nodded. "Uhm... yeah. I have to be somewhere at eleven."
Benjamin nodded. "Do you need me to drive you then?"
"Uhm, no, that won't be necessary. I just need to find the keys to my car." Luckily, Chloe had read that Jan owned a red VW Beetle that she barely ever drove.
Benjamin looked at her curiously and slid the drawer in the table out and handed her a set of car keys.
"Same place they're always at."
Chloe smiled sheepishly and nodded, "Yeah, I knew that. I was just making sure we hadn't changed anything while I was in the hospital. Good to know that things didn't get all crazy here while I was gone."
Benjamin gave her a very strange look and raised his eyebrows. "Of course, miss... I understand. Be careful out there."
"You bet." Chloe turned away from him and cringed at how stupid she must have sounded. She shook it off and headed towards the front driveway to find the red VW.
***
Chloe walked into St. Luke's and took a seat in the very back of the church. The last thing she wanted was to be noticed by her friends and family, so she left the shades on and kept her head turned away from the people entering the church. Luckily, none of them paid much attention to the petite girl in the back as they filtered in and took places at the front of the church.
Chloe slumped in her seat and waited for the proceedings to begin. She silently thanked God that there was a private viewing separate from the memorial service. Seeing your own body lying in a casket would be far more traumatic than Chloe felt she could handle.
She peered over the pew in front of her and noticed that there was a far larger turnout that she could have expected. The few friends she had were there of course, but with them were many of her classmates, and many members of the more prominent Salem families.
"I guess I should be impressed," Chloe thought silently to herself, "Who would have guessed that Ghoul Girl would elicit such a turnout?"
The priest stepped to the podium at the front of the church and waited until he had gained the attention of the entire room.
"Good morning everyone. On behalf of the Wesley family, thank you all for joining us here today. Instead of continuing on with a traditional funeral service, the Wesley's have opted for something that they feel is more appropriate. So, without further adieu, Dr. and Mrs. Wesley, please come up..."
Craig and Nancy stood from the front pew and walked to the podium together. Nancy was visibly shaken, and Chloe couldn't remember ever seeing her look so awful. Craig seemed to be fine on the outside, but if you could see into his eyes, you would see nothing but pain and sorrow. Even from the back of the church, Chloe could tell that he was just trying to hold things together to keep Nancy from falling apart.
Nancy cleared her throat and began, "I know that I could stand up here for hours upon end and share all my feelings of pain and anger at this tragedy that has happened, but I won't do that. My daughter's life and my own have been filled with pain, tragedy and regret. I don't want that to continue on after her death. So, I'm here to thank Chloe, and I hope that you will all follow my lead and come up here to do the same."
Chloe heard the door behind her creak open and she turned her head around to see Brady entering. She couldn't help but noticing how handsome he looked all dressed up in his dark blue suit, even though she knew this wasn't the appropriate time to be playing fashion critic. Chloe cringed when she realized that she was flat out staring him down. She quickly prayed that he wouldn't notice her, but it was too late. Brady threw her an odd glance that was a mix of surprise and curiosity before taking his seat in the pew across the aisle from her. Chloe quickly turned her gaze from Brady and returned her full attention to her mother at the podium.
Nancy had taken a long pause to keep from breaking into full sobs. Craig had wrapped an arm around her shoulder for support and she continued speaking, "I'm sorry. I've been trying to hold it together, but as you see, I'm not that good at it. Anyway, I wanted to tell Chloe, because I know she's out there listening, how much I love her. I know that she only lived in my home for 2 short years, but she has been a part of my life for 17 years. I have always loved her, and I always will. I just want to tell her how thankful I am that she was in my life and how much she has changed me for the better. Her presence and her memory will be with me always. Chloe... my baby girl... wherever you are, your mommy loves you."
Nancy broke down and began sobbing loudly. She laid her head on Craig's chest and he gently stroked her hair. Craig gently kissed the top of her head and held her tightly.
Craig turned towards the congregation and spoke, "I'm not going to reiterate everything that my wife has said. But, I did have a few things to mention. As most of you already know, Chloe was not related to me biologically. But, that means nothing to me. Never will I call her anything but my daughter. It doesn't take blood type or DNA to make someone your daughter, and that couldn't be truer in this case. I always considered myself to be a smart person, but Chloe taught me more about love in the past 2 years than I thought possible. Thank you for teaching me about love, Chloe and thank you for being the greatest daughter that anyone could wish for. I love you."
Craig sighed and suppressed a sob from deep down inside. "I really don't know how we could put into words everything we're feeling right now, so we're going to give the rest of you a chance to say whatever's on your mind. Thank you all for coming... it means a lot to the both of us."
Craig smiled weakly and led Nancy back to her seat. There was an awkward pause as the people in the front pews shifted their gazes around the room. Just as Chloe was silently wondering if that meant that nobody else wanted to speak, Belle stood from her seat. She grabbed Shawn's hand and dragged him to the podium with her.
Belle sighed softly and managed a half smile. "Hi everybody. Shawn here didn't really want to speak in front of a room full of people, but I'm going to at least force him to stand here with me. Basically, whatever I have to say goes for Shawn too. Right?"
Shawn suppressed his oncoming grin and nodded in agreement. "Yes, Ma'am."
Belle squeezed his hand gently and continued, "Anyway... first off, there are a lot of people here today whom I wouldn't have expected to see. But, I know why you're here. For the past five days, people at school have been coming up to us or calling us at home to talk about Chloe... A lot of you didn't really know her that well, and you may have barely spoken to her in the 2 years that she went to our school, but she must have touched your lives in some way for you to be here today. Everyone here and some people that couldn't make it have said such wonderful things about Chloe, and I have to agree. She was intelligent, funny and strong. The thing that most of you remember about her is that she always stood up for herself and she never took crap from anybody. Even when things were at their worse, she never let it destroy her. But, what I remember most about her is what a great friend she was. She was one of the best friends I've ever had, and I will never forget her. In going with what Dr. and Mrs. Wesley said, I want to thank Chloe too. She was always there when I needed her, and even now, I feel like she's still here. Thanks Chloe..."
Belle wiped the tears from her face and looked at Shawn sadly. Shawn leaned towards the microphone and continued, "She was right. Everything that Belle said goes for me as well. Chloe was the most unforgettable and unique person I've ever known. Nobody can ever replace her, and nobody ever will."
Shawn and Belle quickly returned to their seats in between their parents. Shawn kept one arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder and cried. Mimi stood up and nervously walked to the front of the church.
She cleared her throat quietly and looked hesitantly around the room before speaking, "Hello... I uhhh, guess I'm one of the last people that any of you would expect to speak on Chloe's behalf, but things have changed. I know that Chloe and I weren't the closet of friends... to say the least. But uhm, right before the accident we were finally starting to make a connection, so I do have two things to say to her. I'm sorry... I know that I told her that before, but I really am. And not just sorry for all the things that I've already apologized for, I'm sorry that it took so long for Chloe and I to be friends. So much time was wasted, and now... I'll never have the chance to know the Chloe that everyone says such wonderful things about."
Mimi frowned and sniffled slightly. "Like everyone else so far, I want to thank Chloe too. She saw right through my games and my attitude, and she taught me a lot about myself. When I was treating her badly, she knew why even when I didn't understand it myself. Thanks Chloe... I'll see you again someday."
Mimi returned to her seat next to her parents and Phillip stood from his. He paused in one place for a moment, and Chloe imagined that he was trying to gather his courage. Phillip may have been handsome and popular, but he was not fond of public speaking. The added weight of the situation was probably only making it worse. Phillip took a deep breath in and finally walked to the podium.
"I'm not really good with words most of the time, and this is definitely one of those times. How can I even begin to put into words what Chloe meant to me? It's not possible. It defies language and sentences and spoken words. Chloe was my world, my universe and my everything. I am so grateful for every moment we had together, and I thank God for the time that I had with her."
Phillip shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know what else I could possibly say. I only have one other way to express myself right now. You see, there was one song that was particularly important to us, but I don't think I want to sing that one. There's another song though that I sang to her once to apologize for hurting her. It was the first time I had to apologize to her, but definitely not the last. I'm just glad that she was an understanding person. But, this song will always remind me of her and Chloe, if you're listening, you will be in my thoughts and dreams every day for the rest of my life. Dreams are the only way I can be with you now..."
Phillip closed his eyes and took a deep breath, singing into the microphone,
"Dream, dream, dream, dream
Dream, dream, dream, dream
When I want you in my arms
When I want you and all your charms
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Dream, dream, dream, dream
When I feel blue in the night
And I need you to hold me tight
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Dream...
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime, night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz,
I'm dreamin' my life away
I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Dream, dream, dream, dream, dream..."
Phillip let out a heavy sob and staggered back to his seat in despair. Belle and Mimi quietly slipped out of their seats and sat down with Phillip. His tears fell like rain as Belle and Mimi wrapped their arms around him comfortingly.
Chloe had been watching the speeches from her parents and friends in complete shock, but watching Phillip break down had finally broken her stare. Her entire body began to shake and she felt the hot tears rolling down her face.
She quietly muttered to her self, "I can't handle this anymore."
Chloe stood from her seat and bolted through the back doors of the church. She left so quickly she didn't even bother glancing at Brady's stunned and tear-stained face.
***
Chloe stood on the pier that in the same place she had stood so many times before. Only this time, she had no idea how she got here. The pain of watching what her loved ones was going through had hit her hard and she ran from the church as fast as she could. She ran past Jan's car parked in front and kept on going. The next thing she knew, she was at the pier.
Chloe leaned against one of the wooden posts and slumped to the ground. She removed the sunglasses from her head and laid them beside her. Using her free hand she wiped the tears from her face and looked towards the bright blue sky.
She shook her head sadly and spoke out loud, "It's not fair..."
Chloe sobbed deeper and brought her knees to her chest. She sat like that for what seemed like an eternity and cried until there were no more tears left in her. She had finally stopped crying and began breathing normally when she heard a set of footsteps coming up behind her. She slowly turned her head and saw a figure emerge on the other side of the pier.
Her mouth opened in shock, "What are you doing here?"
Chloe stood in front of the mirror making one last check of her appearance. Having straight hair her entire life, she was completely unprepared to deal with Jan's very curly hair. Out of frustration, she ended up with a simple French twist. She had picked out a black dress that would have been considered conservative by Jan's standards and grabbed a pair of dark sunglasses to match on her way out of the bedroom. Jan may not have had the same exact tastes as Chloe, but there was certainly plenty to choose from.
Chloe went downstairs and saw Benjamin sorting the mail into piles on the table in the entryway. He quickly turned and smiled politely at her.
"Good morning... are you going somewhere today?"
Chloe quickly checked the watch on her wrist and nodded. "Uhm... yeah. I have to be somewhere at eleven."
Benjamin nodded. "Do you need me to drive you then?"
"Uhm, no, that won't be necessary. I just need to find the keys to my car." Luckily, Chloe had read that Jan owned a red VW Beetle that she barely ever drove.
Benjamin looked at her curiously and slid the drawer in the table out and handed her a set of car keys.
"Same place they're always at."
Chloe smiled sheepishly and nodded, "Yeah, I knew that. I was just making sure we hadn't changed anything while I was in the hospital. Good to know that things didn't get all crazy here while I was gone."
Benjamin gave her a very strange look and raised his eyebrows. "Of course, miss... I understand. Be careful out there."
"You bet." Chloe turned away from him and cringed at how stupid she must have sounded. She shook it off and headed towards the front driveway to find the red VW.
***
Chloe walked into St. Luke's and took a seat in the very back of the church. The last thing she wanted was to be noticed by her friends and family, so she left the shades on and kept her head turned away from the people entering the church. Luckily, none of them paid much attention to the petite girl in the back as they filtered in and took places at the front of the church.
Chloe slumped in her seat and waited for the proceedings to begin. She silently thanked God that there was a private viewing separate from the memorial service. Seeing your own body lying in a casket would be far more traumatic than Chloe felt she could handle.
She peered over the pew in front of her and noticed that there was a far larger turnout that she could have expected. The few friends she had were there of course, but with them were many of her classmates, and many members of the more prominent Salem families.
"I guess I should be impressed," Chloe thought silently to herself, "Who would have guessed that Ghoul Girl would elicit such a turnout?"
The priest stepped to the podium at the front of the church and waited until he had gained the attention of the entire room.
"Good morning everyone. On behalf of the Wesley family, thank you all for joining us here today. Instead of continuing on with a traditional funeral service, the Wesley's have opted for something that they feel is more appropriate. So, without further adieu, Dr. and Mrs. Wesley, please come up..."
Craig and Nancy stood from the front pew and walked to the podium together. Nancy was visibly shaken, and Chloe couldn't remember ever seeing her look so awful. Craig seemed to be fine on the outside, but if you could see into his eyes, you would see nothing but pain and sorrow. Even from the back of the church, Chloe could tell that he was just trying to hold things together to keep Nancy from falling apart.
Nancy cleared her throat and began, "I know that I could stand up here for hours upon end and share all my feelings of pain and anger at this tragedy that has happened, but I won't do that. My daughter's life and my own have been filled with pain, tragedy and regret. I don't want that to continue on after her death. So, I'm here to thank Chloe, and I hope that you will all follow my lead and come up here to do the same."
Chloe heard the door behind her creak open and she turned her head around to see Brady entering. She couldn't help but noticing how handsome he looked all dressed up in his dark blue suit, even though she knew this wasn't the appropriate time to be playing fashion critic. Chloe cringed when she realized that she was flat out staring him down. She quickly prayed that he wouldn't notice her, but it was too late. Brady threw her an odd glance that was a mix of surprise and curiosity before taking his seat in the pew across the aisle from her. Chloe quickly turned her gaze from Brady and returned her full attention to her mother at the podium.
Nancy had taken a long pause to keep from breaking into full sobs. Craig had wrapped an arm around her shoulder for support and she continued speaking, "I'm sorry. I've been trying to hold it together, but as you see, I'm not that good at it. Anyway, I wanted to tell Chloe, because I know she's out there listening, how much I love her. I know that she only lived in my home for 2 short years, but she has been a part of my life for 17 years. I have always loved her, and I always will. I just want to tell her how thankful I am that she was in my life and how much she has changed me for the better. Her presence and her memory will be with me always. Chloe... my baby girl... wherever you are, your mommy loves you."
Nancy broke down and began sobbing loudly. She laid her head on Craig's chest and he gently stroked her hair. Craig gently kissed the top of her head and held her tightly.
Craig turned towards the congregation and spoke, "I'm not going to reiterate everything that my wife has said. But, I did have a few things to mention. As most of you already know, Chloe was not related to me biologically. But, that means nothing to me. Never will I call her anything but my daughter. It doesn't take blood type or DNA to make someone your daughter, and that couldn't be truer in this case. I always considered myself to be a smart person, but Chloe taught me more about love in the past 2 years than I thought possible. Thank you for teaching me about love, Chloe and thank you for being the greatest daughter that anyone could wish for. I love you."
Craig sighed and suppressed a sob from deep down inside. "I really don't know how we could put into words everything we're feeling right now, so we're going to give the rest of you a chance to say whatever's on your mind. Thank you all for coming... it means a lot to the both of us."
Craig smiled weakly and led Nancy back to her seat. There was an awkward pause as the people in the front pews shifted their gazes around the room. Just as Chloe was silently wondering if that meant that nobody else wanted to speak, Belle stood from her seat. She grabbed Shawn's hand and dragged him to the podium with her.
Belle sighed softly and managed a half smile. "Hi everybody. Shawn here didn't really want to speak in front of a room full of people, but I'm going to at least force him to stand here with me. Basically, whatever I have to say goes for Shawn too. Right?"
Shawn suppressed his oncoming grin and nodded in agreement. "Yes, Ma'am."
Belle squeezed his hand gently and continued, "Anyway... first off, there are a lot of people here today whom I wouldn't have expected to see. But, I know why you're here. For the past five days, people at school have been coming up to us or calling us at home to talk about Chloe... A lot of you didn't really know her that well, and you may have barely spoken to her in the 2 years that she went to our school, but she must have touched your lives in some way for you to be here today. Everyone here and some people that couldn't make it have said such wonderful things about Chloe, and I have to agree. She was intelligent, funny and strong. The thing that most of you remember about her is that she always stood up for herself and she never took crap from anybody. Even when things were at their worse, she never let it destroy her. But, what I remember most about her is what a great friend she was. She was one of the best friends I've ever had, and I will never forget her. In going with what Dr. and Mrs. Wesley said, I want to thank Chloe too. She was always there when I needed her, and even now, I feel like she's still here. Thanks Chloe..."
Belle wiped the tears from her face and looked at Shawn sadly. Shawn leaned towards the microphone and continued, "She was right. Everything that Belle said goes for me as well. Chloe was the most unforgettable and unique person I've ever known. Nobody can ever replace her, and nobody ever will."
Shawn and Belle quickly returned to their seats in between their parents. Shawn kept one arm around her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder and cried. Mimi stood up and nervously walked to the front of the church.
She cleared her throat quietly and looked hesitantly around the room before speaking, "Hello... I uhhh, guess I'm one of the last people that any of you would expect to speak on Chloe's behalf, but things have changed. I know that Chloe and I weren't the closet of friends... to say the least. But uhm, right before the accident we were finally starting to make a connection, so I do have two things to say to her. I'm sorry... I know that I told her that before, but I really am. And not just sorry for all the things that I've already apologized for, I'm sorry that it took so long for Chloe and I to be friends. So much time was wasted, and now... I'll never have the chance to know the Chloe that everyone says such wonderful things about."
Mimi frowned and sniffled slightly. "Like everyone else so far, I want to thank Chloe too. She saw right through my games and my attitude, and she taught me a lot about myself. When I was treating her badly, she knew why even when I didn't understand it myself. Thanks Chloe... I'll see you again someday."
Mimi returned to her seat next to her parents and Phillip stood from his. He paused in one place for a moment, and Chloe imagined that he was trying to gather his courage. Phillip may have been handsome and popular, but he was not fond of public speaking. The added weight of the situation was probably only making it worse. Phillip took a deep breath in and finally walked to the podium.
"I'm not really good with words most of the time, and this is definitely one of those times. How can I even begin to put into words what Chloe meant to me? It's not possible. It defies language and sentences and spoken words. Chloe was my world, my universe and my everything. I am so grateful for every moment we had together, and I thank God for the time that I had with her."
Phillip shrugged and shook his head. "I don't know what else I could possibly say. I only have one other way to express myself right now. You see, there was one song that was particularly important to us, but I don't think I want to sing that one. There's another song though that I sang to her once to apologize for hurting her. It was the first time I had to apologize to her, but definitely not the last. I'm just glad that she was an understanding person. But, this song will always remind me of her and Chloe, if you're listening, you will be in my thoughts and dreams every day for the rest of my life. Dreams are the only way I can be with you now..."
Phillip closed his eyes and took a deep breath, singing into the microphone,
"Dream, dream, dream, dream
Dream, dream, dream, dream
When I want you in my arms
When I want you and all your charms
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Dream, dream, dream, dream
When I feel blue in the night
And I need you to hold me tight
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Dream...
I can make you mine, taste your lips of wine
Anytime, night or day
Only trouble is, gee whiz,
I'm dreamin' my life away
I need you so that I could die
I love you so and that is why
Whenever I want you, all I have to do is
Dream, dream, dream, dream, dream..."
Phillip let out a heavy sob and staggered back to his seat in despair. Belle and Mimi quietly slipped out of their seats and sat down with Phillip. His tears fell like rain as Belle and Mimi wrapped their arms around him comfortingly.
Chloe had been watching the speeches from her parents and friends in complete shock, but watching Phillip break down had finally broken her stare. Her entire body began to shake and she felt the hot tears rolling down her face.
She quietly muttered to her self, "I can't handle this anymore."
Chloe stood from her seat and bolted through the back doors of the church. She left so quickly she didn't even bother glancing at Brady's stunned and tear-stained face.
***
Chloe stood on the pier that in the same place she had stood so many times before. Only this time, she had no idea how she got here. The pain of watching what her loved ones was going through had hit her hard and she ran from the church as fast as she could. She ran past Jan's car parked in front and kept on going. The next thing she knew, she was at the pier.
Chloe leaned against one of the wooden posts and slumped to the ground. She removed the sunglasses from her head and laid them beside her. Using her free hand she wiped the tears from her face and looked towards the bright blue sky.
She shook her head sadly and spoke out loud, "It's not fair..."
Chloe sobbed deeper and brought her knees to her chest. She sat like that for what seemed like an eternity and cried until there were no more tears left in her. She had finally stopped crying and began breathing normally when she heard a set of footsteps coming up behind her. She slowly turned her head and saw a figure emerge on the other side of the pier.
Her mouth opened in shock, "What are you doing here?"
