M I S T A K E N
Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, or any of the characters.
Wow. Okay, then. I'll see if I can get chapter one of the sequel up today or Friday… Well, I have to think of a title. Hmm, harder than I thought… Please enjoy the epilogue! Thanks for all the encouragement.
epilogue ) gone )
I stared at the three caskets as they were simultaneously lowered into the ground. I stared at the people shuffling past me, listening to the muffled sobs and the whispered rest-in-peaces. I was aware of the stares people would give me – the last member of this incredibly talented family. I felt a hand on my shoulder, squeezing it in a way to show that I was not alone.
"Do you want to go home?"
Home. How Mr. Neil used the word incorrectly. His house wasn't my home. My house wasn't my home. Wasn't home where the heart was? If so – where had I left my heart? Did I even have one anymore? Did it count if I was too busy keeping it safe in the creeping shadows of my regret and sorrow?
"Not yet," I mumbled. "I don't want to leave yet."
"Here's the umbrella, Ari. We'll give you some time…"
I hadn't noticed the rain, but now that I wiped my tears away I saw that it didn't make much of a difference. I was already wet. Friends from school brushed past me, uttering their condolences. They couldn't make eye contact with me – they didn't want to be here. Half of the people here were doctors my parents had known. Some had even flown in – friends from college. My aunt – Aki's real mother – was here. She was sitting on the ground, hugging a bib that had been Aki's when he was younger. The moan coming from her lips shouldn't have been able to come from a human being.
"Sorry, Auntie," I whispered as I passed her. I was sorry. She must have hated my father, her husband, and me… Maybe if Aki had stayed with her he'd be alive.
Maybe.
"Baba," I stopped at his grave first. The ground was soggy beneath my feet. Now that the wave of black that had been the mourners had gone, I could breathe. My aunt was too deep into her trance to take note of my words.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I couldn't just accept your side of the family. The safe side. I'm sorry I made you break your promise. I'm sorry I ever hated you for leaving me. They said… They said your blood was on the walls, on the door, on the windows… You gave the most struggle. I hope you enjoy H-Heaven," I covered my mouth to contain my sobs. I went to my mother's grave and sighed.
"I'm sorry I hated you, too. I'm sorry that Grandma's alone, now." I couldn't say anything else to her. My throat constricted and I could barely breathe. I stumbled to Aki's grave and fell to the ground. I shuddered beside my aunt, the inhumane wail rising within me.
"Aki – I'm so sorry! You had the world right in front of you… You could have been anything you wanted to be."
"Ami, Jesu! My little boy!" My aunt's cries rose with the thunder. I shook my head and left her my umbrella, hurrying to the Neils' car. I couldn't apologize today. Maybe I'd never be able to truly express my feelings of regret to them. I hoped that they knew how sorry I was.
I hoped they forgave me.
"Hurry, Richard. She's shivering."
Mrs. Neil buckled me in before turning back to face the front. I sobbed into my hands as they drove towards their house.
My parents had left me in their care. Specifically, I think the legal documents stated that if I were enrolled in school, I was to stay with them. If not, my grandmother had custody. The Neil's were good friends – probably the closest thing I had to family, considering the fact that my grandparents on my father's side were dead and my remaining grandmother was in no shape to take care of me. I thought it was ironic, considering my culture. On my father's side of the family, I had dozens of cousins, aunts and uncles, related or not. Family and friends were always around but I always distanced myself from them. I was the antisocial social. I was a hermit dropped into a full tank. It never made sense to me.
"Sweetie, we're here."
I nodded, but didn't move. Mrs. Neil glanced at her husband and he shrugged.
"I-I'm coming," I sighed, climbing out the back. They led me into the house and I immediately went to the guestroom.
My room.
There were boxes stacked against the bare walls. I sat on my bed and hugged my wolf, staring into my almost empty closet. My mother's wedding dress, one of my father's white coats, and Aki's favorite Green Eagles football jersey from our trip to Nigeria a few summers back were hanging inside. I stared at them for many hours, just sitting and rocking back and forth. Both Mrs. Neil and Mr. Neil came by to bring me food or offer me something. I never noticed, too preoccupied with staring at these three items and imagining what could have been.
"I'm sorry," I whispered again. Could they even hear me where they were? Would they remember me? Would they know how and why they died?
None of it mattered. They were gone, and I was alone. All alone.
With no one.
Okay! Epilogue done! Thanks everyone – expect the sequel today or Friday. I have school tomorrow. Ugh. Thanks for all the reviews! Really encouraging!
--Blessed.