Adopted by Heathers: The Sequel

I Will Never Shut Up Again!

It had never occurred to me that I had the option of visiting Astrid's grave. And even though it's been over a year since she died, at 3 in the morning, I decided to visit her for the first time.

I knew where she was buried. I went to her funeral, and I still have the now dried-up flower that used to rest on her casket. 

I was heading to the cemetery, and when I got there after getting some flowers, I noticed someone had already beat me to getting to Astrid's grave. A red haired girl with a beanie and a tie floating in the wind.

"Shirley?"

Shirley gasped and turned towards me, then choked me in a hug. "Catlynn...I didn't expect you to come...I miss you." Her voice was breaking with tears. I hugged her back and said, "I take it you're seeing Astrid?"

Shirley smiled sadly at me. "I see her every night." I smiled back at her and said, "I forgot Astrid was buried here. Acadia keeps asking me and Katie when she can see Elissa and I'm scared to take her because I'm worried I'll start sobbing my eyes out upon seeing her grave."

"Elissa just died. That's normal. Astrid...well, she died a year ago and I'm still not over it." Shirley said, sitting back down on the grass.

Using my phone flashlight to try to find my way out of this cemetery, I stumble upon something a little odd.

"I didn't know Elissa was buried here." I said to myself, tears lining my eyes. I knelt down next to the grave and set a flower on it. 

"Hey Lissy. It's me. Lynnie. I really, really miss you. Um, I bet you're wondering how Acadia's doing. She's...doing great. She's adjusting really well to our new environment and her new chaotic family. She calls my girlfriend Auntie Red sometimes, I think it's adorable. Did I ever tell you I had a girlfriend?" I laughed silently and then continued. "I would've taken her to see you tonight. But...it's 3 in the morning and she's in the hospital."

"What?" Shirley said from next to me, then realized it wasn't the time and shut up.

"Cici, that's what I call Acadia, she misses you. A lot. She sometimes doesn't show it, but I can tell that sometimes when she cries out for her 'Mama,' she isn't crying out for Katie. She's crying out for you. And I don't know who will tell her or how...that you're gone. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around it myself. Acadia...she's perfect. She's a beautiful little girl with a bright future...and you, Elissa, more than anyone else in the world, deserved a new start. Your dream was to adopt a kid of your own, I'm sorry that our horrible father took that dream away from you so soon. You deserved to see Acadia graduate elementary school, middle school, high school, college. Send her off to prom with her first partner, give her away at her wedding. Just like Elle did and will continue to do for me, minus the elementary school part. Elissa, I love you, and I always will."

It was only then when I realized I had been sobbing throughout half of that rant. Shirley was still kneeling down next to Astrid's grave, but her eyes were fixated on me. 

And then I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Sunshine...what are you doing here?" I heard Elle say. I turned around and said, "How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough to know you miss Elissa a ton." Elle said, wrapping her arms around me. She realized Shirley was there and said, "Hey, Shirley. Visiting Astrid?" Shirley nodded and then I spoke up. "I originally came here to see Astrid, but I realized Elissa was buried here too."

"What's this?" Elle asked, pointing her phone flashlight towards a grave next to Elissa's. I turned on my own flashlight and read the names on the two graves next to Elissa's. 

One of them was Marina Reeve. My bio mother.

"Mama, that's my bio mom. Marina." I said, brushing the grass from Elissa's grave off of my leggings and kneeling down next to my bio mom's. 

"What's this?" Elle said, ripping a card off of the headstone and handing it to me. With the light available from my phone, I read out "To Lynn."

"This...this note is to me. If my dad hadn't almost named me Catherine, my name would've been Lynn." I said. I opened the card and read the date on the card.

"June 29, 2010. This is the day before my ninth birthday." I gasped, realizing what this meant. "This is the year my mom died."

"Go on." Elle said. "Read it."

"Lynn, I don't know how long it'll take for you to find this card and read it, but I wanted to let you know that your father is a cruel, cruel man. You didn't and won't deserve any of what he did to you. I'm giving this note to your sister. I know she's running away from here, and to be honest, I don't blame her. Perhaps she'll give this to you one day, and perhaps when you get it, you'll be away from your father. In another home, or off at college. Time will tell. And perhaps, when you get this note, you can come to Florida and see me again. Despite what your father has told you, I'm alive. I'm alive and well.
I love you.
~Mom."

I dropped the note on the ground and screamed, running into Elle's arms and sobbing.

"Sunshine? Are you okay?" Elle asked softly, running her hand through my hair.

"MY MOM'S ALIVE? SHE'S BEEN ALIVE THIS WHOLE TIME AND MY DAD LIED ABOUT IT TO ME? MY DAD LIED? WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME? WHY DIDN'T ELISSA TELL ME? WHY DID THIS CRAP HAVE TO HAPPEN TO ME?" I screamed. Elle smiled softly at me and said, "Sunshine, let's take you home."

I nodded but then said, "There's a little something I want to do first."

I walked over to my mom's "grave" and then said, "Mom. I know what you did. And I know why you did it. And you're right. My father was cruel, he still is. He murdered Elissa for heaven's sake, thank God he's in jail. But that doesn't mean you got off scot-free, wherever you are. You had plenty of opportunities to contact me, I'm pretty sure Elissa kept in contact with you. She knows I'm adopted. You probably did too. But you kept this secret from me for almost ten years? I once looked up to you, I once considered you my mother. But I don't anymore. I have a new mama, and she'll love me more than any Reeve ever did. And as Heather Duke says, I will never shut up again. I'm not in my father's care anymore. I don't need to listen to him."

I turned to the collection of Reeve family graves. Elissa. My mom. My younger sister.

"I'm a McLemore now, and I always will be."

AN: Why do I come up with some of my greatest ideas while in the shower? And this chapter got LONG, sheesh. Hope you enjoyed! Catch ya later!