𝕊𝕡𝕒𝕣𝕜𝕤 // ℙ. 𝕄𝕒𝕩𝕚𝕞𝕠𝕗𝕗

Chapter 77: The Hibiscus

WARNING: This chapter depicts/mentions themes of child molestation and sexual assault.

I rewrote this chapter 4 times and cried over it because my writer's block was that bad, so yeah enjoy lmfao

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"I still do not understand."

"It had to have been my mom Pietro, she hasn't been upset about his death and she seems different," Farah said, "I just have this gut feeling," She added to her boyfriend. The two were now sitting on a bench in the cemetery, a little further away from where the funeral was being held. Farah had finally stopped laughing and was now extremely serious.

Pietro didn't say anything and he just looked at her. She wasn't meeting his eyes but instead looking out at all the graves, deep in thought. She was fiddling with her hands in her lap and Pietro gently reached out, placing one of his hands on hers.

"Even if your mother did happen to poison your grandfather," Pietro said, never expecting to say those words, "Would it really matter? I mean it is good that he is...gone, yes?" He asked softly, trying to not make things worse. Farah glanced over at him with a confused face.

"Of course it matters!" She said with an exasperated tone, "I mean yeah I'm happy the old pedo is dead, but that means my mother would have committed murder!" Farah added, whispering the last part so no one could hear her. Pietro just bit the inside of his cheek, not really sure what to say.

Farah just groaned and put her head in her hands, causing Pietro to remove his from hers, "I swear to god shit like this only happens to me," She said to herself, shaking her head, "Fuck, I literally sound insane," Farah added with a slight chuckle, looking through her fingers at the graveyard.

Pietro shrugged, leaning back on the bench, "Eh, I have heard crazier," He said honestly, gently playing with one of Farah's curls. She sighed and rubbed her temples.

"I don't know what to do," Farah said in a rather defeated tone. She looked over at Pietro for advice and found him mesmerized by her hair. He was pulling each curl and watching as it bounced back up. He realized that she was looking at him and he looked back over at her.

"Oh, well," Pietro said, thinking for a moment, "Maybe try talking to your mother about this? There could be an explanation that is not murder," He added with a small shrug, "But you will not know until you talk to her," He said, running a hand through his white hair.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Farah said, leaning back against the bench. The two of them stayed silent for a moment, just letting the sounds of the old cemetery fill the silence.

Farah looked around at the trees that were strategically placed, seeing a few birds chirping. There was a gentle breeze blowing and the air smelled fresh. It was strangely peaceful. She sighed but then quirked her head when she saw something. She stood up and began to walk forward, causing Pietro to raise an eyebrow.

She walked for a little while, passing the graves of dozens of people. Pietro followed her, staying a few feet behind, not wanting to intrude on her space. He also stopped every now and then to admire the intricate patterns on some of the headstones.

Farah continued walking until she reached a small hill where it seemed a few newer graves had been dug. She stopped in front of one that had a plaque as a marker rather than a large tombstone. She had a rather pained expression on her face when she read the name.

In Loving Memory of Malia Ani Kai
Beloved Daughter and Friend To All

And there she stood, at the grave of her best friend. A grave that she had never visited or seen, a grave that just felt wrong. The last time she ever saw Malia was in that stupid car when she got her powers and Farah felt extremely guilty about it.