When we meet again

Chapter 8: Another Chance Meeting

Happy new year everyone!

-Author-Chan

Lucy POV

I couldn't sleep. I haven't been able to sleep all week. I had time to deal with what happened when we all went to lunch and it helped that I haven't seen Natsu since then. Granted I made it my mission not to leave my apartment unless I needed to. Specifically to avoid that because it seemed like every time I walked out my door I ran into him. School started tomorrow and all my friends were busy getting prepared buying school supplies. Levy and Juvia wanted me to go with them but I declined because I knew if I did I'd buy more of what I already have. Erza was out of town seeing an old friend, whom she avoided naming. Gajeel got stuck at the shop until Juvia was done school shopping and then when she came back it was his turn. They were covering for each other. Gray, I believe he was out doing the same dragging Natsu along with him. If he's still the same person underneath then I know he's trying his best to run away. He always hated school shopping. So much so even his parents never used to bring him along. They just grabbed him whatever he needed.

So, in said avoidance I've decided to stay home today. I finally have time to myself to relax after moving. When I woke up this morning I finished putting away whatever boxes remained that still needed to be unpacked; Took a shower doing my morning routine and then sitting down in my bean bag chair and have been reading ever since. It was late afternoon now, I've had a great day. The only problem was that now I was bored. I rolled myself out of my bean bag and laid on the floor with my book at my side and stared up at the ceiling.

I couldn't help thinking about mom and dad. They'd be so proud of me for standing up to my sister, moving back home, getting a job and taking care of myself. When I got to Paris Michelle flew back to Magnolia a few days later for mom and dad's funeral. She made Cobra swear to keep me home. I think her not letting me come to our parents funeral, even if I really, possibly, in her words, "couldn't handle it", was what really shoved the wedge between us in recent years. I realized I resent her for it. I don't blame Cobra for anything. It's not his fault he married a hypersensitive maniac.

Getting up off the floor I grabbed my phone that I threw on my bed hours ago to ignore for the day, and texted Cobra asking if he could nonchalantly get Michelle to tell him where mom and dad were buried. Grabbing my things I got in my car and drove to the local grocery store and bought a dozen roses. By the time I got back in the car, Cobra had texted me my answer. They were buried in Mount Cavalry Cemetery off to the edge of town. I typed the name into google on my phone to get the address so I could find my way there on my gps due to my habit of getting lost. I'll get used to this town again eventually. Hopefully. When I drove into the cemetery I stopped for a moment to look at the text message again. It said they were buried somewhere on the left side in the back, Cobra could only get the approximate location from Michelle and now he said she's suspicious of him. Oh brother.

I drove almost to the back of the cemetery, pulling off to the side a bit, not quite knowing where to stop, turned the car off, got out and started walking up and down the many rows of graves, until eventually coming across theirs. It was easier to find than most as I already knew they were buried next to each other with both their names on the one headstone. At least even though they didn't have a will, and with Michelle never being around, she remembered this is how they wanted to be buried. Not sure if this was the cemetery they had in mind though.

Taking the plastic off from the bouquet or roses in my hands as I kneeled in front of the headstone, spliting the bouquet in half. Half for mom and half for dad, placing the halves on both sides of me in front of their names. Looking at the polished pink and white marble flecked headstone, clearly something mom spent hours talking dad into agreeing to, or Michelle just wanted to get the whole thing over with so she picked a random color. There was a symbol I didn't recognize at the top between their names. It looked like an urn with no cover and had curved handles on its sides. Maybe it had some kind of special meaning to them or an inside joke I never knew of, or once again something Michelle did. Thinking nothing more of it I dusted off the few leaves that had fallen in front of the headstone and began tracing my fingers over the engravings of their names and dates. I felt myself let out a huge sigh I didn't know I was holding in.