Master Maker

Chapter 24 - Enough death

It had been a week since Amanda had died. I had stayed indoors since coming home, home? Funny how a place that had someone I had only met a few months before was considered home. I had spoken to no one, seen even less. Lucis being the only exception. That was going to change soon though, Lucis had come home one after one of his business deals, an envelope in his hand. He had handed it to me still sealed. I opened it without a word and read it, soon after I left it on the counter. My choice had already been made, but Lucis wasn’t going to let it stay that way.

Today I stood in front of the mirror looking at myself in the black dress that Lucis had bought me for the day. As I stood there I had images of memories flashing through my mind. I slowly wiped away the tears that started to fall and tied my hair up in a messing bun and started to do my makeup, using as little as possible seeing as id probably spend most of the day wiping at my face.

“you almost ready,” Lucis said walking into the room, he was wearing a neat looking black jacket with a blue shirt and black jeans, I couldn’t help but think he looked incredibly sexy.

“Yeah just a few final touches” he smiled and walked up to me taking my face in his hands

“you are perfect” he whispered

“of course you would like that” he pulled away raising his eyebrow

“it's true,” he said kissing my forehead “don’t be too long” he smiled at me and walked out the door again, I watch him as he walked, getting up slowly and grabbing a pair of heels as I followed him out the front door. I walked on the gravel barefoot, the feeling of the small stones pressing into the bottom of my feet made me feel somewhat alive. The pain and grief I was feeling on the inside I could now feel it on the outside I looked at the car as I walked, purposely making my steps heavy until I reached the car.

We drove in silence, it seemed to be the running joke lately. Lucis took my hand and kissed my knuckles before placing it on his leg as he held my hand while he drove. He arrived at the church, everyone standing outside was in black, most of them teary-eyed, others were chatting with each other and a few sat quietly by themselves Amanda’s mother was in her arms of her husband, her tear-streaked face and puffy red eyes were the first things you saw when you looked at her. Amanda’s father was shaking hands with people as they came to greet them and give their condolences. I took a deep breath before I opened the door, slipping on my high heels as I got out. Lucis took my hand and the two of us made our way towards the grieving family and friends.

We had been standing outside the church for about 5 minutes when someone dressed in a purple suit announced that things would start in 2 minutes asking everyone to please enter and take their seats, we started following the crowd.

“grab our seats?” I asked Lucis “I need a sec” he nodded and walked on as I walked towards the bathrooms.

I stood at the basin, looking at myself in the small mirror I so badly wanted to smash it, I felt like I was in a dream

“shh” I frowned as I heard a giggle and looked back at one of the stalls, a whole lot of giggling came from it before it turned into moaning

“yes,” a man's voice reached my ears and a surge of anger rushed through me. I felt my breath catch in my throat as I walked up to the stall kicking it open, the two people scrambled away from each other the girl fixing her dress while the man pulled up his pants.

“Lilith!” he said surprised

“Seriously?” I shouted “your dead girlfriend's body isn’t even in the group yet Justin and you are already screwing around” the girl's eyes went huge and she tried to make a break for,

“hold up,” I said grabbing her arm, “how f*****g long has this been going on for

“look lady I just met this guy,” she said not making any eye contact “ I had no-“

“no idea??” I interpreted her “no idea that this was his dead girlfriends funeral”

“stop calling her, my dead girlfriend” Justin snapped

“no, because that is what she is Justin” I snapped back at him, “or have you forgotten?”

“I haven't, I was there with you when she died, I remember it well”

“funny way of showing it” I shouted and walked out the bathroom and into the hall that was lined with chairs and flowers, stupid pinks ones. Amanda might have been a girly girl but she hated pink, not to mention pink flowers, she loved yellow flowers I remember her complaining about it once when she had gone on a date, the guy pitched with pink flowers after having asked what she liked. I smiled at the memory and sat down next to Lucis.

“you okay?” Lucis said taking my hand and kissing it, I looked back as I heard footsteps walking up the ilse, the girl that has been in the bathroom walked past us her eyes focusing on the floor as she walked. Justin appeared next to Lucis and sat down. I looked at him, my gaze acid,

“what's going on,” Lucis said feeling the tension between the two of us

“you want to tell him” I hissed

“It was nothing,” Justin said putting his hands up ‘it meant nothing”

“that’s f*****g worse” I shouted out loud, standing as I did, the whole room went quiet, people were staring, I bit my lip and turned around and walking out the hall, pushing the doors open and letting them slam behind me

I  sat outside listening to the speeches and bible readings being done for Amanda, soon people were streaming out and heading to their cars as the coffin was loaded into the hearse. I watched as Amanda's mother walked towards it touching the coffin and then heading to their own car. Lucis stood in front of me

“do you want to go home or are we going to the cemetery?” he offered me his hand waited for my answer

“cemetery” I whispered taking his hand and walking with him.

We followed the line of cars to Amanda’s final resting place. I had taken off my shoes s we walked along the soft ground, my long dress flowing in the suddenly heavy wind, clouds were starting to gather, they were dark and looked heavy. Everyone gathered to the left of the huge hole in the ground as a group of six men carried the coffin towards the whole and set it up on the ropes that held it up over the hole. A passage from a book was being read by a woman I didn’t recognize, she had red hair and she was oddly enough in bright pink. She spoke slowly and lost her words every few seconds as she tried to suppress a sob

BANG!!

Screams filled the air as the sound of a gunshot went off.

“Shut up, and don’t move” he shouted, I looked up to see Greg standing at the other side of the grave a gun in his hand

“where the f**k is he” Greg's eyes scanned the group until they landed on Lucis, he raised the gun and pointed it to the gun at Lucis. I moved so that I was in the way.

“move Lilith” Greg shouted, I moved, but it wasn’t out the way I moved forward making sure that I was in front of Lucis, I lifted my hands to show that I had nothing in them

“what are you doing?” I asked slowly

‘he killed them” Greg shouted

“killed who,” I said trying to keep calm as the gun moved in Greg’s hand

“all of them,  Keith, Amanda, Matt” he shouted

“he didn’t, you are just grieving,” I said as I got closer and I stretched out my hand “give me the gun” I whispered, Greg, shook his head and took aim again

“Greg!” I shouted now losing my temper again “there has been enough death, give me the f*****g gun!”

“not until he is dead”

“kill him and I’ll kill you” I didn’t recognize the anger that rolled off me, the growl in my voice, it got Greg's attention though, he looked at me, his eyes wide with surprise at my outburst, he lowered the gun though and looked at the crowd behind me, he suddenly turned on his heel and walked away. It took a few minutes for people to get over what had just happened. But soon we were back to the final goodbyes, one by one, people threw a mixture of flower petals and dirt onto the coffin as it lowered into the ground. I watched as the coffin softly hit the bottom of the hole before the straps were removed from under it. I looked up at the sky as raindrops fell on my face. I made a small smile before looking at Lucis who was standing on the side of the grave, I smiled at him and slowly made my way towards him.