The Woods - a duskwood fanfiction

Chapter 20 ~ Visiting

Makenzie's POV
I drove away from lily's house trying to breath. I was terrified of today. For the last sixteen years this day felt like getting your guts ripped out, your heart punched and a hurricane in my head. I hated this day and the events that surrounded it, the day I watched my dad get murdered in front of me.

I was six when it happened and I never forgot it. There had been so much noise and blood, so much blood. I shook my head, I didn't want to remember the bad memories. It was supposed to be a day of remembering the good with the rest of my family.

The rest of the trip went by in a blur. Soon enough I was on familiar road as I reached the edges of the city. After that it took me twenty five minutes to reach the cemetery.

I saw Ethan's car in the parking lot and noticed him and our dad getting out of the car. I pulled in parking in the back of the lot. They hadn't noticed me yet. I took a moment to breathe, all the events in Duskwood were bringing up bad memories and feelings. I tried to calm my mind, with everything going on I had been too busy to prepare for today. 

I flipped down the mirror and checked to see if I looked ok. I looked like trash, my eyes were red and puffy, I had dark circles from lack of sleep, and I was pale. I pushed up my glasses and quickly braided my hair back. I closed the mirror knowing this was as good as I was gonna get and opened the door. I got out slowly, closing it behind me. I made my way over to them slowly, Ethan noticed me first.

"Kenzie!" Ethan said, and my dad whirled around. "Kenzie" he mouthed, he took a few steps toward me as I began to walk faster towards them. I ran the last few steps and right into our dads arms I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his shoulder.

"Dad..." I said my voice crackling as tears threatened to pour. He wrapped his arms around my shoulders and held me tight. My words felt shaky as I breathed in the comforting scent of my dad's cologne.

"Kenz" he whispered. He pulled me back and began to look me up and down. "Are you okay? Where have you been?" Then he pulled me in again. "I'm so glad you're okay and back." He pulled back once again and kissed my forehead.

"I'm sorry, I just have had a lot to take care of and..."

"Its ok baby I know." His forehead rested on mine for a moment. He pulled away for the last time. He reached down and grabbed my hand. He turned to Ethan, squeezed his shoulder and then returned his gaze to me.

"Are you ready?" I nodded, as did Ethan, and with that we walked hand in had into the cemetery.

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Ethans POV

My dad spent a few minutes with Kenzie making sure she was ok. This was the time of year that I felt a little out of place. This was their moment. They were the ones that really lost someone, I mean Kenzie lost her dad, and my dad lost the person  who was his best friend his partner. For me it was just different, it was their time to have. It still sucked and hurt but it was more that I had to watch my family suffer and hurt.

We walked into the heart of the cemetery and through the rows of tombstones. Until we finally reached the headstone of David Thomwright. Kenzie stopped a few feet away, pulling my dad to a stop. I paused behind them, I was holding a small bouquet of flowers that dad and I had picked up on our way here. Kenzie took a breath and approached the tombstone, she knelt down in front of it. "Hey... dad..." She sniffled as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Ive um missed you... god why is this so hard. It was getting easier and then this whole mess and I just don't know..." She swiped at her face.  "But anyway, I hope you and um mom are ok and happy and um I miss you and I really wish you were here." My sister sat there for a few minutes when my dad spoke up. "Ethan... let's give your sister a moment." He took my arm and we stepped away.