STRANGERS ♱ yellowjackets

00. the funeral

THE FUNERAL
1995, New Jersey, The Hopper resistance

SUSANN-ROSE WAS PISSED. She was more than pissed, she was angry, furious even! She had never been that angry. She didn't know so much anger could even fit inside such a small teenager. She was angry at everything, the world, God, her father, her twin, all her friends, and the stranded cat who she fed every night. She hated everything.

"It was a lovely service", some woman tells her, probably her mother's old friend who she never mentioned. Or some distant great-cousin she had met once during that only Christmas they spent in Long Island at their family house. Susann-Rose nods with a forced smile, squeezing the woman's hand that was extended to her.
"Thank you," she says, her voice flat, "for coming."

It was the same words she had been repeating for the past hour and a half, with that same robotic smile and a handshake. It was what she had planned she'd do. A choreograph she had made for herself, a script she had written, so she wouldn't burst into flames or tears in the middle of the wake. The woman gives the girl one last sympathetic smile before leaving her alone. Bunny lets herself let out a long sigh as she closes her eyes just for a second.

Everything seemed to feel off like she wasn't really even there. She had been getting these sort of out-of-body experiences for the last month quite frequently. Her father had said it was normal taking in the circumstances the girl was under. But it bothered Bunny. She felt like she wasn't in control, and it made her skin crawl.

"Hey", a soft voice calls, snapping the girl out of her trance. Bunny looks at the speaker, her shoulders relaxing a bit as she recognizes the big brown eyes. Shauna holds a cup of fuming tea, the smell makes Bunny a bit melancholic. "Hi", she answers, her voice small since she knew she didn't have to put on a show for Shauna. Bunny wraps her arms around herself, suddenly feeling awfully cold in her own living room. Shauna sets her other hand on top of Bunny's shoulder and gives it a small squeeze.

"I'm really sorry", Shauna says, letting her hand linger on Bunny's clothed shoulder. Bunny lets out another sigh, closing her eyes again. As her mind begins to wander too far away, back to the flame burning inside her, she opens them again. Bunny only nods and sets her hand on top of Shauna's, thanking the girl.

"It's really nice you all came", Bunny says, her voice cracking a little towards the end of her sentence, but she covers it with a small cough. Something flashes behind Shauna's eyes as she sets the cup of tea on top of the grand piano. She pulls the strawberry-blonde girl into her arms, squeezing her as hard as she possibly can. And for the first time that day Bunny cries. She began to sob softly into Shauna's shoulder, digging her fingernails into the brunette's back. After a moment, Bunny pushes Shauna gently, signaling that she's fine. She gives the brunette a small sad smile as she wipes her cheeks.

"If you need anything", Shauna says and soothes the girl's hair. Bunny nods and hugs the girl again shortly.

"Susie", a man's voice calls, making Susann-Rose turn around from her teammate. Her father's voice is hoarse, his eyes red and puffy. He cried at the funeral more than anybody else. For him, Susann-Rose swore to stay strong that day. Suddenly she feels ashamed for her reddened eyes, but that was quickly forgotten when Phil says, "Could you find your brother for me? PJ seems to be... missing." That was code for PJ is somewhere smoking weed. Susann-Rose nods and gives Shauna a small smile before excusing herself.

Shauna walks back to the kitchen, where most of the team is located in. Jackie is sitting at the counter with Laura-Lee as Taissa and Van are standing. Jackie immediately notices the girl's arrival and sets down her plate of food. "How is she?", the question seems stupid the second it passes from Jackie's lips and she knows it. Shauna just shrugs and pushes a piece of her hair behind her ear. "She's Bunny", Shauna says with a sad tone and looks at the girls. Taissa crosses her arms her mind deep in thought. They all loved and cared for Bunny, but Taissa's love for the girl was different. Not in a romantic way, in a way that neither of them could explain.