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Chapter 14: 1 week later Eclipse
I always believed in fate. I always had a gut feeling that whatever happened, it happened for a reason. Like how rocks and dust clumped together at a force and speed so strong, it created Earth.
She stood there with sunken eyes. Her hair neatly brushed and her face clean of tears. The fire behind her eyes had burned away and froze over, colder than the arctic. Hands brushed her arms every few minutes but no one found the words to say to a girl who has endured so much like her.
It was raining. Thunder rumbled and lighting flashed, the same old weather that graced this state almost everyday. It was almost uncanny how it chose to rain on this day of days. But not a soul complained. She was surrounded by friends and family, even people she didn't know showed up to pay respects.
That's how it felt with Winston. Fate. We crashed into each other in the school hallway, and that was that. There was no hesitation, just a strong force that I trusted.
The ceremony was hosted by a priest who was good friends with Waylon Forge. He spoke with a somber tone but it was strong and that's what she needed. Staring into the casket and seeing the paleness, the lifeless, and the smile-less face of the one she loved the most was draining. It was a constant reminder of her wrongs.
Despite her friends kind and sympathetic words, there was no convincing her to believe that none of what happened was her fault. She could count the lashes on his dilated eyes, remember how warm his touch was, replay his voice in her head everyday, and it wouldn't take a drop of regret off her body.
He was the light at the end of the tunnel. His bright smile and kind eyes felt safe and reassuring, that's what I needed. I don't think I've ever met someone that compelling, intelligent, and beautiful.
Mourners gathered on the windswept graveyard, the casket hooked onto a machine that would lower it six feet under when it was time. She couldn't help but feel a sense of deja vu during this time. It hasn't even been two years since her father's passing. It was just fate's way of reminding her what happens to people like her.
The ghosts of her past paraded around her and within her, a sneaky reminder of all the nights she had spent thrashing around in bed and waking up in a cold sweat, struggling to catch her breath. Only to realize that her nightmares were real. She was alone.
Her entire body seemed to sag, exhausted and numb with agony. A burning sensation that'll take some time to get used to.
Winston Forge was gentle, with the kind of laugh that calmed storms. He was the fire that warmed my seemingly cold exterior and melded my broken heart back together. I've never said 'I love you' so quickly in my life.
