icarus falls • felix catton

FOURTEEN

fourteen's theme - candle in the wind (1997) - elton john

The funeral was beautiful, it was a joint one per request of both families, if they couldn't be united in life they would be in death. It was a small service only Elspeth, Pasiphae, James, Venetia, Oliver and Farleigh, per request of Pasiphae who recognised that the boy had helped her daughter through the roughest time of her short life. 

Felix's coffin was adorned with his childhood teddy bear and a wreath of carnations and lilies with roses sprinkled in the foliage. 

Ariadne's coffin was adorned with buttercups (courtesy of Farleigh), lily of the valley, baby breaths and chrysanthemums with her childhood rabbit heading the coffin. 

Hymns were sung and eulogies given. For Ariadne her mother had spoken about her fondest moments with her daughter, the light and laughter she provided into others lives and her love for Felix that knew no bounds. Farleigh had also spoken for Ariadne, he struggled but pushed through for his best friend, he talked about her smile and her gentle and kind nature, he had chosen one of her favourite poems to read to the congregation, Jean Valentine; 

I
You. You running across the field.
A hissing second, not a word,
And there it was, our underworld:
behind your face another, and another,
and I

away.
—And you alive: staring,
almost smiling;
hearing them come down, tearing
air from air.

II
'This dark is everywhere'
we said, and called it light,
coming to ourselves.
Fear

has at me, dearest. Even this night
drags down. The moon's gone. Someone
shakes an old black camera-cloth
in front of our eyes.
Yours glint like a snowman's eyes.
We just look on, at each other.

What we had, we have. They circle down.
You draw them down like flies.
You laugh, we run
over a red field, turning at the end to blue air,—
you turning, turning again! the river
tossing a shoe up, a handful of hair.

Felix's eulogies had been delivered by Elspeth and Venetia, the younger girl cutting herself off midway as it was too much for her to handle. 

Oliver had no role to play in the funeral, he just sat there at the funeral of the two people he murdered and he felt nothing. No remorse, no guilt, nothing. 

Cold hearted bitch. 

The burial was worse, the only two people showing true emotion were Farleigh and Paisphae, the latter clawing at the ground where her daughter had been interred, crying out for lost time, wishing she had not been so absent. 

Farleigh stood there sobbing, not knowing how they ended up here or why for that matter. 

He had 2 stones in his pocket, Ariadne's and Achilles. He had found it when they found her body, it was in her clutch purse with her phone and pack of cigs. 

Venetia had Felix's stone in her coat pocket, feeling the weight of it when she moved. 

Felix had been buried at the edge of the Catton plot, it bordered the Andersen plot. Ariadne had been buried at the edge of the Andersen plot so the two could be buried next to each other. Together in life, together in death. 

The other side of Ariadne was where Achilles had been interred, the two siblings finally reunited at last.

Peace. 

The stones were dropped into the river later that day, with Farleigh and Venetia front and centre, dropping Achilles first, letting his stone float to the river bed. 

Farleigh's hands trembled as he dropped Ariadne's into the water, watching the water carry it down and settling it gently next to her brothers. 

It was Venetia's turn now, her tears had long dried up and a vacant look now resided on her face. She dropped the stone in with little emotion, watching as it landed next to the names of Felix's dead girlfriend and dead best friend. 

Pasiphae had tears rolling down her cheeks, hating that the Cattons could show little emotion when their only son had just died. 

Oliver watched on at the grieving family, fractured by deceit and lies. Farleigh would have to leave straight away or face the wrath of Oliver Quick but it wasn't Farleigh's turn. 

Oliver's gaze turned to Venetia on the bridge, his lip curled up. 

She would be next.