Aunt Rose

26.

Lily and Rose hardly slept the first night. They didn't eat or drink, didn't even get out of bed.

Rose's hair changed from blue to ginger.

Marlene and James returned to their aid and helped them at least take care of themselves before having to go back to school.

On the second day without their parents, Petunia stopped by the house. The arrival of their sister forced the twins to at least stand up and see her.

She had obviously been crying, her eyes were red and puffy. It cut deeper into Rose that Petunia didn't hug her, hardly even looked at her. Even through the death of their parents, Petunia couldn't put her own biases aside.

The three girls were forced to spend the day calling different places to plan the funeral. Thankfully, their parents had a full will written out that detailed funeral and inheritance proceedings.

Petunia stayed the night in her old room. As the girls were still struggling to comprehend the death. Marlene and James reappeared, being careful to stay out of Petunia's way.

The funeral was one of the hardest things any of the girls had to show up to. They had to see their parents buried, say goodbye one last time. It physically ripped Rose's heart into a million pieces when she watched the coffins go into the ground.

After the funeral, the crying finally began.

Rose walked inside the house and placed her jacket down. And for some reason, she felt called to her parent's room.

For the first time since they died, Rose opened the door slowly. She walked in and closed it behind her, taking a deep breath before she faced it.

The sight nearly made her drop to her knees.

Anne's jewelry was still sitting out on the dresser, her father's pyjama drawer open.

All of it welled up inside Rose and in an irrational fit of anger, she ripped the clothes out of the closet and threw a vase. She was seething, her bottled-up emotions coming out in one burst.

And when she was finished and looked at the destruction around her, Rose sunk to the floor, letting all of her tears out for the first time.

She cried and she cried, the salty tears mixing with the snot from her nose as she wailed. She was too young, she still needed her parents.

They didn't deserve to die, not that way. Not at a festival for god's sake.

That night when Marlene and James stopped by, Marlene looked at Rose like she never had before. "Oh Rose," she said simply, pulling her girlfriend into a hug.

"Why did it have to be them?" Rose choked out, burying her face into Marlene's shoulder, the first words she had said to the girl in days.

"It shouldn't have been. It's not fair that it was. But they loved you, both of you. And even I could tell they were proud. Come on, why don't you go to your room," Marlene offered, returning the hug and pulling Rose up and off of the floor.

Rose was grateful for Marlene, for all that she had done for her. It was a struggle to even function but Marlene was there. She didn't complain or whine, she simply helped.