Marvel's Cloak: Shroud of Darkness

Chapter 6 - The Smile That Doesn't Reach Your Eyes

Tandy Bowen (1 Year Ago – Now)

One Year Ago---------

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The slow and steady chimes of bells ringing could be heard, then the huge church doors were pushed open as a small procession exited the church with sad, solemn looks edged onto their faces.

Upon hearing the bell, many Boston Residents lined the sides of the street or stole glances from the safety of their homes.

The funeral was for, of course, The Johnson Family... The Community was symbolically mourning the loss of another Black Family that ended up on the wrong side of the Law without actually doing anything wrong.

Such situations were not uncommon but The Johnson Family was just too nice to be mistaken for anything short of angels to the community. If the corrupted government could kill angels without repercussion, then everyone else in the Black Community was fair game.

Four empty coffins were carried by the strongest men in the neighborhood, some even coming from rivaling gangs but it didn't matter... all that mattered today was giving The Johnson's the respect they had earned by supporting the community over the past couple of years.

"It's just sad that they won't get any justice..." A passer-by sighed angrily but also in defeat.

Another random guy clenched his fist "People are paying attention... those who did this will be found or...!"

"Or what?" An angry teenage girl asked "I bet they'll only get a couple scapegoats and we're gonna wag our tails and fall back inline... this is just the way it is around here..."

"Violent talks for another day guys..." A random old man stated, gesturing to the left to indicate something.

And there she was... a floral dress of pure white... a small, beautiful small hanging at the corner of her lips... however, as beautiful as she was, everyone still kept a certain distance from her.

She was too bright... abnormally bright for someone who had just lost their boyfriend... and the small smile that tugged at the corner of her lips was in direct contradiction to the occasional tears that would slip down her face.

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There Tandy stood... under the shade of her and Tyrone's favorite tree. They would usually come here on the hot days and make-out like there was no tomorrow.

Tandy glanced at the people that lined the streets as the coffins were loaded, and driven to the cemetery a couple of miles away. She knew she should have cried loudly... bawl her eyes out until there were no more tears left but all Tandy could feel was a life too big for her body.

All she felt was hope galore... hope bubbling out of her and amplifying the brightness around her. Hope was a beautiful thing but too much of anything at the wrong place and time would scare people away.

And that's exactly what she was – a bright smile, seemingly without a worry in the world, when she should have been a girl who had lost the love of her life... maybe even something more than a lover.

"Young miss... it's time we go. Your father and mother are asking for you at home." The Driver, Tandy's new Driver, reported.

Tandy stared at her new driver, hating the fact that her dad had Stan replaced "Have you ever wondered what hurts the most: saying something and wishing you had not or saying nothing, and wishing you had?"