Graverobber (BoyxBoy)

Chapter Four-R.I.P

I enter the gates, running my fingers over my surname engraved in gold. There are fourteen names in gold. But a handful of them don't have any defenders representing them. Only teens from the golden families have to become defenders. Once you're eighteen, you're free. I look at the names again. Kenneth. Williams. Those families have kids. Both too young. They might even start off their grave defending careers with smiles on their faces. But one day they'll be stuck in the same place I am. I step past the pillars.
Our meeting place is the same as always, the Rosetta Stone. It's a large, red tombstone that marks the grave of a woman named Rosetta. We're grave defenders. We invented morbid humor.
Soon, the entire gang trickles in. Ali and Willow come in first, then Alex and Susan. Zaina's last, and I avoid looking at her as I raise my shovel.
"You're the new leader, then?" Susan asks, looking me in the eye. Her harsh black irises judge me, and I'm surprised by my lack of irritation. We used to be constantly at each other's necks in middle school and I had thought that the rivalry hadn't quite thawed yet.
I guess I've just stopped caring.
"Temporarily, yes." I look carefully at the rest of the teens.
Alex, only thirteen, doesn't meet my eyes, the anxious wreck that he is. Of anyone I would have asked to be spared this fate, it would be Alex. He's just not cut out for grave-defending.
Willow's the oldest. But she's a burnout who can usually be found hanging out with Darby. In no shape or form is she a leader. Her tall lanky frame lingers behind the rest, she watches me with a bored expression.
Sometimes I worry that I'll end up like her. I'm halfway there already.
"So are we doing this or what? I got chem homework I probably should have finished a week ago," Ali grins, rolling up the sleeve of his letterman jacket.
Ah. Ali. I don't even know why I bother with him, I think affectionately. I punched him the face the first day I met him, during freshman year debate club meeting. He tackled me in retaliation. We got away with it without detention, and became friends as we laughed over the administration's obvious favoritism for Resurrection Grave-Defenders.
"Not so fast." I respond. I hold out my phone, "We've got Holy Sepulchre today."
Is it just me or did the temperature here drop for a second? I watch as everyone's expressions tighten, and nod.
"Yes. This is probably one of the worst days to do this, but we have to prove that we aren't backing down just because Darby's down. We don't know who hurt her, but we can't send out the wrong message to the ones who did."
"Oh I know who hurt her alright," Ali says darkly. "C'mon, we all know it was Holy Sepulchre. They've got a history of this shit."
He casts a meaningful glance in my direction.
"We know what you mean Ali, so cut out the drama will you." I snap.
"Dreue's right. Let's not make assumptions. It's not like Holy Sepulchre is the only graveyard that hates us."
"What makes you think it was even a graveyard?" Alex asks quietly. We all cast pitiful glances at him.
"It's always about the graveyards, Alex," Susan says.
Alex's expression still remains uncertain.
"Don't worry, bro, you'll get it one day. If you're alive that long..." Willow mutters.
The mood darkens even more.
I want to bang my head.
"Okay! That was very enlightening Willow, but we have to get moving. What's our game plan?"
After a few minutes, everyone's involved planning. Darby always just asked me and Zaina. For as long as I'm leader I'm going to teach the rest of them. I know I don't have much time left. They've got to learn to thrive on their own.
"—no, we can't use that route. They've caught us there before—"
"—but that's the only way—"
I smile to myself. Is it just me, or are debates just music to your ears?
"Okay! How about a change of plans. Let's split up,"
The conversation ceases immediately as we turn to face Susan.
"What are you talking about. We only have six people with us today. We're already weaker than usual." Alex says, his expression indignant.
"But it's the only way we can make this happen. We've done this before. Come on!" Ali says, backing up Susan.
"But the last time we did it, we had an extra person behind to watch and keep guard. You know that the considerate doesn't pay our families if we let a corpse get stolen." Susan says snootily.
"You say that like we don't know that Susan—"
"A vote?" I interrupt, before things can get heated. They look at me. We've never had to do a vote before.