Unmasking the Nightmare

Chapter Twenty-Three: Facing My Problems Isn't My Forte

The burial was quiet.

Other than the distant sobs and sniffles, there was an unsettling silence that cloaked the church's cemetery. Even the birds that had once chirped cheerfully in the treetops had gone mute, as if sharing a moment of silent respect for the girl who slept below. The birds had found security in the trees, but where were we humans supposed to find refuge?

The sorrowful organ chords that clashed together and the preacher's message that followed during the funeral service plagued my mind, looping over and over with it's sadistic rewind. It felt like all my senses were melting, flickering out like a dying candle. It was like my body didn't understand how to comprehend Cheyenne's death, so it had simply shut down.

Thump, thump, thump. I hated how my heart pounded in my chest, wishing I could rip it out and stuff it into the corpse that was being lowered into the ground. I should be buried six feet under, not her. She had been so full of life, joy, and peace. She was like a beacon of light that illuminated a world of darkness.

What had we done to deserve this? What had she done to deserve this?

I was perched on top of a lamp on the edge of the church's parking lot, watching the events of the cemetery from afar. I hadn't been able to hold myself together during the funeral service, and I didn't want to lose control of myself again during the burial. I had received a few concerned glances and Xavier had even tried to coax me out from the comforting solitude that the parking lot offered me. I had refused to budge, so he had finally let me be.

I couldn't bear to lock eyes with her parents, feeling responsible since I was the one who had stolen Cheyenne away from them. Xavier and I had shared a mere hour of freedom with Cheyenne, but this was the outcome and consequence of our brash actions.

Should've been me. Should've been me. Should've been me.

Fat tears and thick mucus dribbled down my face, dripping from my chin and sprinkling my water-stained blazer. I had been trying to hold it back, but I finally surrendered myself as I was reduced to a blubbering mess. My body was wracked with sobs, knocking my balance off-kilter. I knelt into a crouch and gripped the stem of the lamp to keep myself from plummeting.

When I had a firm hold, I squinted through my bleary vision to the crowd that was circled around the burial, creating a barrier as Cheyenne's parents stood side-by-side, watching helplessly as their beloved daughter was lowered into the earth. Cheyenne's mother looked bitter, her jaw clenched as angry tears flowed down her cheeks. Cheyenne's father simply looked devastated. His palms were folded as his lips moved slightly, and I assumed he was offering up a prayer.

I shifted my guilty gaze away from them and scoured the crowd, pinpointing my mother and Fahrenheit below. All of the Elite Chosen were present, even Captain Zenith. Just the sight of him made my blood boil, my chest tightening. Before I could lose control, I swung my stare towards Xavier, who was near the back of the crowd so I had a clear view of him.

He had sunken to his knees, his head lowered as his body quaked. His hands were angrily ripping out fistfuls of grass, his once-pristine suit now rumpled and glass-stained. His composure had dissolved away, his cries hysterical and broken.

I lifted my eyes to the sky and tightened my fists, my jaw clenching. The sunny atmosphere didn't fit the mood, and if we were grieving, I felt like the whole world should be joining us. I wished I could squeeze the bright sun until it crumbled away, flushing the world in inky darkness. I wanted to punch those fluffy clouds until they bled tears, dousing the city in an onslaught of rain. I wanted to—

"Are you okay?" A familiar voice wafted from beneath my lamp, a faint murmur that the breeze threatened to blow away.

"I-I don't know." I peered down from the lamp, hastily wiping away my tears with the back of my hand. "I'm not in the best mood right now. Please, just leave me alone."