The Haunting

Chapter 3- the funeral

My family's faces are all blank stares.

Mom practically chokes on her words. " Dorothy? But, why? How? I don't understand. I-"

She starts to cry. I can't blame her, I had done the same thing myself. But it's twice as bad for my mom, it's her sister.

Dad reaches for her and pulls her into a tight hug. She buries her head in his chest and starts to sob.

I go and sit beside Daniel, who hadn't moved a muscle since the news.

"Danny? Are you OK? Danny? DANNY!" I shake him but he doesn't budge. So I have to take drastic measures.

I slap him across the face. Still he doesn't move. A red hand mark is starting to form on his right cheek. 

I sigh. I stand up and face him. I swing my left arm back and try to summon all my strength. 

SLAP!!!!

The noise of the slap echos around the big living room. I blink and suddenly I'm lying on the floor, pinned down by Danny. 

"Why the heck did you do that? That really hurt, don't you ever try to do anything like that ever again!" He screams at me.

I smile. He was back. "Why on earth are you smiling?" He asks, cocking his head to the side in confusion, his face still twisted with anger.

" Good to have you back. What happened to you?"

"Back from where? I didn't go anywhere. And what are you talking about, 'what happened to you' ?"

I sigh and struggle against his iron grip on my shoulders. He lets me up and I go sit on the couch and explain everything to him. I worry for a moment that he might go back into that frozen stage but I shake him and snap my fingers in front of his face and he snaps out of it.

We look over at my parents. My dad's face is sad, my mothers face is red from crying. They watched the whole thing.

"Listen, Mom, Dad-" but my dad cuts me off.

" Don't. Just don't Chloe. We need a while to wrap our heads around it. Please." My dad's face is pleading. They really do need some time to let it sink in a get over it.

" Come on, sis, lets go outside. I'll push you on the swings." he grabs my hand and starts to pull me out of the room, but I resist

"But I don't want to go on the swings. Let go of me. Danny!!!!" I whine, but he pulls me out.

Once out the door, he closes it behind him and lowers his voice. 

"I know you don't want to come out here, but Mom and Dad need some time and privacy, so lets give it to them, OK?" 

I sigh. "Fine. Lets go on the swings." he smiles and drags me by the hand to the wooden swing set in our vast backyard.

*The next day, 9 am*

I wake up and hear my family running around the house. I wonder what's going on, but decide to find out later, I'm too tired.

*10 am*

"Come on Chloe, wake up! WAKE UP!" I jump so high I almost smash heads with my dad who is standing over me.

"Whaaa?"

"We're going to be late, come on, get up. Why didn't you get up earlier?"

"Cause it's Saturday?Why?Where are we going?"

"To Aunt D's funeral, don't you remember me telling you that?"

I vaguely remember Dad waking me up at around like 8, and saying something of that sorts.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed and made a shooing motion at Dad. "Come on then, out of my room. I need to change."

*In the car, on the way to the funeral*

On the way there, everyone is silent, lost in their own thoughts. I guess Mom feels awkward and decides to break the ice.

"So, um Daniel, Chloe. Your Dad and I were talking earlier and we thought it just wouldn't be right to just let Dorothy's house just sit there and have some selfish rich person buy it and destroy it."

Daniel just rolls his eyes at my mom "Mom, just get to the point." 

"So, we decided that we would move into Dorothy's house instead. How about that?"

Daniel and I just look at her in horror. "WHAT? But Mom! We can't move! I really like my school and I have friends! I can't just say good-bye to Katy, never to see her again!" My voice is rising now

"Calm down Chloe, yeesh, Dorothy's house isn't far away, it's just up on Oak Bay rd. You and Daniel can still go to your present schools and you don't have to leave your friends. In fact, we will live so close, you could walk to school! Doesn't that sound great?"

No, think again! Not when it's raining and snowing, jeez, how about then? But of course I didn't say that.

*After the funeral*(k, I know I'm skipping a lot, but I skip when I don't know what to put in there :)

I've been to funerals before. Some of relatives, some of family friends. But none, I repeat NONE were as sad,as heartbreaking as Aunt Dorothy's funeral. Every single person was crying silently, their face a mixture of pain and sorrow. Even Daniel. Half way through, I couldn't take all that sadness and pain anymore, so I went for a little walk in the woods until it was over, then we all climbed back in the car, everyone's face red and eyes puffy.

Once at home, we all go into the living room and sit down on the long comfy couch and have a sort of  'group hug', all of us sharing our sadness and heartbreak.

"Mom?" My voice is dry and croaky from all the crying. I clear my throat, but my mouth still feels like sandpaper. 

"Yes Honey?" she didn't even look at me

"Do we really have to move into Aunt D's old house?" then I regret mentioning it cause it will just remind her. I should've just not mentioned it and see if she forgets about it.

I guess it does remind her because she jumps up and stands in front of us "Oh ya! Your right! Everyone! Stop moping around! We have packing to do!" Then she goes downstairs and comes back up with our suitcases in her arms and dumps them in front of us.

Dad, Danny and I all sigh and bend down to pick up our suitcases.

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Ok, I'm sorry that it's boring and short, but I needed to upload something soon because I was going down FAST on the What's Hot List and I really want to stay on there.

Anyways, I apologize, but I promise to upload a better chapter next and ASAP.

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-Olivia/Kamacazz (and for those of you who might have been wondering, I am a girl, ok?)