Graveside Manners

Chapter Three: Can you say Cray Cray or should I?

'Slainte, paiste.' His smile forced as he looked at the others. He turned to me, sadness in his gaze, he tipped an imaginary hat at me.

'Goodbye, my Fair Lady.' He talked with an accent. His words old, and slow but full of history and meaning.

With a final bow, and a last wink at me, he vanished before my eyes.

******

Not just suddenly. He slowly started fading , until for some reason it hurt to look at him, but I couldn't not look. It was like I couldn't. I watched him until his last knowing smile completely vanished. There were goose bumps on my arms and I stared in shock and wonderment at the place he was once standing. All that was left behind to tell the tale of his presence was the dark pool of blood and the shiver of static in the air.

'Chryssie.'

I snapped my eyes too my brother's worried gaze. At some point he had come closer and was now gripping my shoulders tightly .I tried to look reassuring, but I couldn't quite manage it. So I opted for something I knew he would like even less. I turned myself off. I felt the emotionless mask slip on, the same time as a flash of disappointment appeared in Liam's eyes.

This was just too much. Too much. I tried to stop the memories. I tried so hard. I closed my eyes tight digging the heel of my hands into my eyes as if that would stop the coming attack to my emotional barriers.

You see, this was not the first time a man had , for lack of better words, a man just slipped from right in front of my eyes so completely. I had felt the electric feeling that was hanging in the air before. I had even, told someone about it. Biggest mistake of my life .

Grown ups don't mind when you tell them elaborate stories of fairies and magical creatures . They don't even mind when you do nothing but talk about how unicorns really do in fact exist. They were just fat and locally called rhinoceros's.

However, they don't like it when you tell them stories about men who hurt you, bled you almost to death but left scars only you could see. They didn't want to hear about how these men vanished, by exploding into nothing. They didn't like that. Not at all. It scared them.

It scared me too. Till I got over it. Yup.

I am so badass. I should, like, join a gang or something. I'd probably need a super cool gang name though. I was thinking about bringing back my name from primary school, Chryssa the Mentally Disturbed, but I just couldn't get it to roll off my tongue, even when I used the abbreviation CMD, when I felt pressure being applied to my shoulders, as my brother tried to catch my attention. I could always use the one I had in secondary, but I'm not sure if it's suitable.

I had many, most R-rated and surprisingly creative for a bunch of unoriginal high society tossers, but my favourite, was Thorn, The Eternally Frigid. I may have been pretty, but the nice boys don't like complete cray cray, the kind that needs daily chats with a trained, overly friendly person, who insists on calling you pet and giving you spiritual tea, or whatever. Thank God, though, for good genes.

Some boys really are shallow enough to just forget their natural self-preservation instincts, and get caught up in how much of a good kisser Jimmy 'Bubba' Callaway said I was. He was obviously lying. Jimmy's an ass, so I beat him up with my hockey stick and went about correcting his lies. Not about the kissing thing, because let's face it, I am just a Legend at everything. Okay so I suck at croquet and I hate cricket so much, it's probably illegal. Anyway, like I was saying, Bubba was a liar, because there was no way in hell I would've touched him with a very long cheese stick, but his lies did benefit me greatly.

Shaking my brother's concern and his hands off me, I take a step away from him. I frown at him in suspicion. I always thought that my private talks with Dr. Kasey 'the freak who obsesses over Buddhist tea grown on a mountain, ' Terming ie. Just call me Kase, from when I first thought it was okay to just tell people about people slicing you up and then vanishing, were, you know. Private. I wondered if she'd freaked out and tattled on me to Ms. Green and Liam. Probably. I should probably sue her for, like, breaking her oath of secrecy or whatever.

'Are you messing with me?'

I could hear the not so concealed anger and hurt in my voice. His eyes widened in surprise, he shook his head violently.

'No, of course not. Why would you even think that?'

I didn't answer him, just met his gaze. He honestly seemed perplexed by my question. He didn't seem like he was lying. I narrowed my eyes, and opened myself up to the Sound around me. He was watching me with trepidation and a sour bitterness, he wasn't lying. He shifted under my gaze, but never lost eye contact, and I could hear his even breathing and in his robin egg blue eyes, the concern he felt for me both surprised and astonished me, making me feel guilty. I turned my steely gaze to his companions. They were watching me the way one did a bomb. Like I was going to explode any second.

'You saw that. Saw him disappear , I mean.' It wasn't a question.

They all turned to look at each other. They seemed surprised by the statement. Or maybe it's because I wasn't freaking out. I rocket on my heels, crossing my arms under my chest as I waited with impatience pouring out of me in a long, angry rush.

'It's called Rifting. What he did, you know when he , er, disappeared like that. It's Rifting.'

All head snapped to Lori. The pretty two blondes looked upset about something, maybe that she told me that. The twins just grinned at me, like everything was fine. Liam just looked relieved that someone else had explained so he wouldn't have to.

Lori just looked at me. She was bracing herself for something. I don't know what. All I knew, I was exhausted. So, I just nodded thanks at her and turned back to Liam. He raised a dark brow in question.

'Alright. Seeing as you're not dying anymore.' At this I got an eye roll, but I went on, I looked up at him and for a moment let him see how tired I was.

' Take me home. Please.'