{I'm not going to ramble on, because I've finally got out of my dark, not-inspired-two-write hole}
(Oh, just quickly, I'm not dead! I just, uh, was busy… *withers under furious stares*)
Zach is speechless. "What?" he finally chokes out.
But Bex doesn't bat an eyelid; she remains stony. "Are you glad she's dead?"
This is definitely not how Zach wanted to start a conversation with her. "Uh…"
But he's saved, yet again, from answering by Grant saying, "Whoa, she was in love with you?"
Macey gives him her 'duh' look, and says, "Of course she was, Grant, but then she had to go and be a little bitch and betray us all."
Liz looks down at her tiny feet, tears forming in her eyes. Jonas walks over to her and places an arm around her shoulder, and with a comforting squeeze, she gives him a smile.
Once everyone's read the letter – well, almost everyone – they sit perched at various places around the room, chatting quietly. And only when Liz speaks up, does Zach come out of his reverie. "So who's going to tell her parents? Or, well, her mum and Solomon…"
Everyone looks at each other, not knowing what to say. Grant says, "I vote that Zach should do it. He is, after all, the one who kept the stupid thing from us for months."
"No, what about Liz? She's good at breaking news to people."
"Are you saying I'm not?" asks Macey menacingly.
"No, no… well… kind of…" But before she can attack Jonas as well, Bex stands up and says quietly, yet firmly, "I'll do it."
Everyone turns to stare at her.
"Are you sure, Bex?" Liz asks in a hushed voice.
Not looking entirely certain, she nods slowly. "Yes, I want to."
After she's got her coat and gloves on, she refuses Grant's offer of a ride, and, instead, catches a taxi. The remaining five watch her ride out of sight, and then talk quietly amongst themselves.
"Do you think she'll be alright?" Liz murmurs, rubbing her arms to generate heat.
Grant nods. "Yeah, she's tough."
After a few more minutes, the group go their separate ways, leaving Zach all alone. He heads back into his place, and slumps down on the couch, his head in his hands.
With an exhausted sigh, he closes his eyes and falls asleep.
Zach wakes up a little while later, completely disorientated. Though disorientated, he knows what he wants to do; he knows where he wants to be, so he grabs his coat and keys, and then heads out the front door again.
The trip to the cemetery doesn't take long, but Zach's almost dreading it the whole way there. He changed his mind two blocks away from his apartment, but knew he shouldn't turn back.
He lets his feet carry him towards her grave, because although he's only been there once before, he's memorised the path already.
The cemetery is completely void of anyone visiting family members or loved ones, and, although he's a spy, it creeps him out a little.
Zach stands at the foot of her grave and reads the brief words carved into the plain headstone.
Here lies Cameron Ann Morgan
Who died at age twenty-one.
Twenty-one… so young…
Little does Zach know that Cameron Morgan isn't dead; in fact, she's very much alive, off somewhere in the world, doing well. Little does he know that the person buried in the grave is not the girl he thought he would spend the rest of his life with.
But because he is oblivious to all of this, he remains there for a long time, just staring.
When a bird's caw snaps him out of his trance, he decides to take a look at the graves beside hers.
Off to the right, lies a four-year-old girl.
Sophie Janet Parkinson: aged four
Beloved sister, daughter and friend,
Will never be forgotten by the ones who love her.
She died far too young.
'If tears could build a stairway
And thoughts a memory lane
We'd walk right up to heaven
and bring you home again'
To the left of Cammie's grave there are an old couple, both buried in the same lot.
Zach lets out a small smile at the picture which someone has lodged underneath a pot plant. It's of a blissfully happy, grey-haired couple, who are both wearing Christmas hats, and waving glasses of wine around.
He wonders where in the world his father is buried, and what actually happened to him.
But Zach knows full well that there are some things in life that you'll never know.
Ugh, sorry, I really don't like this chapter…
And sorry for my disappearance. Just not in the mood for writing, sorry!
And I'm not going to be able to update for a few days because I'm going on holidays, again.
*sigh*, but when I get back, I'd be much more likely to update if I had lots of reviews ~hinthint~
Ah, thanks for bearing with me!
~Jen