Just Call Havoc

Painted Black

Rachel:

It has been two days after the marriage registration. A grumpy looking dude from social services showed up next morning. One look at the marriage certificate and he was out of the boor. Didn't even ask where Lara was at. Fucking parasite.

Lara has been going to school with Ashley, Kara and Heather. Heather is Bernadettes sister. Kara is Aaron's sister and Ashley his cousin. The three Havoc girls. Aaron just started showing up everyday day to take Lara to school. I don't say anything about it. It's better for Lara to be around the other three girls.

Havoc is a mess right now. The Haunted House was one of their four weed houses. So one fourth of their total lot is completely destroyed. The Haunted House crumble to the ground that night. The bombing, fire and the house crashing down had shredded the five bodies to pieces. Lucas's body has been buried already. The funeral is today.

Heather insisted yesterday that Lara get ready at there house. She and the other two girls have somehow convinced Havoc to let them come to the funeral. So, I packed Lara a dress on the way to school today. Aaron will pick them up as usual and take them to get ready.

The thing about Havoc funeral, you don't get to wear black. I packed Lara a blue dress she pulled out from her wardrobe. Blue is her favorite color. She said it was Lucas's too. Anyways, I thought I should go in my favourite colour as well.

So now I'm standing in front of the mirror in a red bodycon that's ends just above my knees. With my red hair, lips and heels, mom would have said I look like a traffic light. I smile slightly at the thought. I like this though. Vision in Red. It's an interesting colour. Power, desire, danger, fun, all rolled into one. Anyways. Psychoanalising a colour isn't a very normal thing to do, so I'll stop. Although you guys probably already figured out that I'm as far from normal as can be. But whatever.

Vera and the girls pick me up for the funeral. Lara is riding with the Havoc girls but I have every intention of sticking with her once she's at the funeral.

Personal I didn't want her going. She's just eight. It's not fair. But even though I am her legal guardian, I don't have any right to try and dictate her life. The kids in South Prescott are premature of their age. Lara has the right to make her own decisions. And I won't interfere with them as long as they aren't detrimental to her health or her growth.

We are all dressed in colours making the car look like a pack of Skittles.

"What are you smirking about?", Vera asks suspiciously. She things I'm always planning something. Well, technically I guess she isn't wrong.

"The funeral is going to look like a graveyard of walking Skittles"

The girls all stare at me for a while.

"The thought of walking Skittle ghosts in a graveyard is actually more disturbing than Ester being dead.", Christene says from behind the wheel.

The others all murmur agreements. Don't get her wrong. It's not like she isn't upset about Ester. By the way she keeps tucking her hair behind her ears, she's either devastated or absolutely pissed. I'm betting on the second.

It's just that, when your life is a series of disasters waiting to happen, you don't react to pain and loss like normal people would. We generally just push it aside like it doesn't matter. Mostly because we are used to it. We expect it and accept it. Doesn't mean it hurts any less. Just looks on the outside.

We reach a huge open space which Havoc transformed into their personal graveyard a few years back. I seriously have no idea how they managed to pull that off. This place is where all of Havoc's skeletons are buried; old and new, friend and foe.