An Eye For An Eye

Quatre-Vingt

The tears had barely stopped all week. Jack and Tasha had been buried together five days ago, with Jack's family paying the bill. Deuc had warned me that Jack's family got their money through criminal ways but nothing prepared me for the security and the wealth they had.

Timothy's funeral had been three days ago, he was being cremated and kept until he could have his ashes scattered with his nan's, apparently the two were even closer than either of them realised. His father had left before he was born and his mother died shortly after he was born, leaving it to his nan to raise him. I wished I could have gotten to know him better.

While Jake hadn't really liked her, I still wished he wasn't dead. I'd rather he be making snarky comments about me and Deuc, or my family, rather than watching his casket be lowered into the ground. And two hours after this was Charles' funeral. I dreaded his funeral more than the others.

Deuc held her hand and I squeezed it tightly as the priest spoke. He spoke of heaven, of how God welcomed despite any mistakes they might have made. It sounded nice, to believe in someone that would always forgive. Of course, I had seen the Old Testament, and that was not the same interpretation I heard now. Still, I wished there was someone I believed in, to pray to so someone could hear me. I understood the comfort of it.

Everything passed as blurs of people and black as they moved from the church to the cemetery. I stared off blankly, standing near the back, furthest away from the casket. The trees were nice here, a good place to sit in the shade and think for a while. Or, it would have been, if it wasn't a cemetery.

A familiar face stood out across the mass of people in black suits and dresses. Blinking, I wasn't entirely sure if it was her or not, but Tamika wiped her eyes, standing near Charles' remaining family. His parents' would have lost two children, and I wasn't even sure if they'd had any other children. Charles hadn't mentioned any other siblings.

"Surprised to see you here, Wolf Boy," said a familiar voice. Not Tamika's, but Briar's. They had puffy cheeks and a harsh glare. Their clothes were the same fairy-like style as before, but in dark greys and blacks. "I figured you wouldn't care about this, all things considered." Deuc adjusted his sunglasses, not even acknowledging them.

How did they know? I'd guess magic but... Tamika was here. And she'd liked Briar, there was a fair chance she'd gone to Briar's little cottage in the forest to escape and disappear for a while.

"I've been to all of them, you know, the funerals," they said bitterly. "And of all of your family, I wouldn't have guessed you to be the one to take after your uncle."
"I'm not my uncle, Briar," he said. His hand held mine a little tighter, and he gripped his cane. "This isn't the place for it."
"This isn't the place for anything, we weren't meant to be here. I take it Ms. Morrell hasn't even talked to you?"
"Is she here?" I asked. Briar nodded and Deuc didn't react to it. I hadn't seen them at any of the funerals and she searched the people for them. Tamika had seemingly disappeared from where she had been next to the family.

Briar stepped up to Deuc, looking up at him despite the height difference. Before they had seemed like some wild magic, a ball of carefree chaos. Now they  looked like a tempest, a storm ready to lash out.
"You won't find her," Briar said. "You never will. And one day you will understand the pain you've caused."
"I feel the pain of what I've done, Briar."
"But you don't understand it." They turned, heading off and disappearing amongst the crowds as if they'd never been here.

Ms. Morrell couldn't be found in the crowds, but I had the feeling that Briar wasn't talking about the druid, but someone else.

While everyone else disappeared to the wake to drown out their sorrows, I drove home with Deuc sitting silently in the passenger seat. He'd barely spoken since Briar had talked to them. Locking the car behind us, I headed into the house. While Deuc headed to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea, I stayed by the front door, leaning against it as I pulled off my shoes.

"How are you feeling?" He didn't talk loudly, but she could hear him from the kitchen anyway. "Would you want to sit together or anything?"
"No," I said, shaking my head. "No. I want to be alone for a while."
"I don't think it'd be good for you to be alone," said Deuc as he walked towards me. "It's not good for grief."
"Well, neither is killing your friends, but here we are," I said bitterly. He sighed, closing his eyes.
"Alright then," he whispered. "But please don't do anything stupid."

He headed back to the kitchen and once he was out of sight, I headed up the stairs and to my bedroom. Lying down on the bed, I sighed and closed my eyes. My dreams would not be pleasant tonight, I knew already. Then again...

Sitting up, I searched through the bedside drawers to find a pink jar of goo. I'd forgotten about this, how could I have forgotten about it? Dreamless sleep sounded perfect. The instructions were written on a small label, almost too small to read. Twenty three minutes and six seconds.

I fetched a teaspoon from the kitchen, making sure to avoid Deuc who sat in the living room quietly by himself. Part of me wanted to join him, part of me hated that he was the reason I was feeling like this.

I looked at the teaspoon of goo, it looked almost like a bad jelly dessert that was somehow closer to fluorescent pink than any natural jelly colour you could buy. It tasted vaguely of strawberries but the slimy texture made me want to spit it out. Instead, I forced it down, shuddering at the feeling it left in my mouth.

After rinsing the spoon off and resealing the jar, I left it on the bedside table and closed my eyes, waiting until sleep would swallow me.