Blaine walked out of his room, rubbing his eyes but feeling well rested. He saw Layla sitting there holding up Cecelia's scratch off, searching it, taking in its every detail. Her green eyes had grown wide and looked even bigger with the smudged mascara underneath it. Her dark brown hair with cherry red highlights was a big knotted mess and her eyes had a familiar puffy outline.
"Lay, you okay?" Blaine asked his sister, worried.
"Blaine where was Ceil buried? Where's her cemetery?" Layla hadn't even remembered where her own sisters grave was, and it bothered her. She didn't know if she could walk to it or even if it was half way across the state. It was the place her twin sister laid, but she didn't even know where it was.
"I've been there a few times, it's not too far, it's forty five minutes away, so not too bad, why?"
"Can... can we go? I haven't been there since her funeral, and I need to talk to her. Would you mind maybe taking me? If it's okay, though, if you want to."
"Layla! Of course, yeah we can go, I'll go tell Aunt Lynn. Now, you go get ready!" Blaine had been to Cecelia's grave quite a few times. He liked to go every season, and make sure there were flowers there. His parents had payed the groundskeepers to always keep fresh flowers at her grave, but Blaine liked to bring his own. The last time he was there was in the beginning of June, and he remember telling his deceased sister about losing at regionals, and about his new boyfriend and how he was excited for the coming summer. It always felt strange to him, talking to block marble, but his sister was there, six feet under him and he missed her so much.
Cecelia's grave looked just as Layla remembered it. It was right under a big oak tree, and it was made of shiny white marble. Her name was engraved in a pretty script lettering: Cecelia Anais Anderson. A big bunch of pink roses were placed in front of it, and next to it was a dozen lilies her and Blaine had bought on the way. The leaves on the big oak tree had now turned to a bright orange color and other fallen leaves where blowing around in the breeze.
Layla kneeled down on the ground, looking square at the name carved into the headstone. How could she start? What would she say? Layla had never visited a grave before, and she hadn't talked to her sister in three years. She couldn't find the words, and she sat there, silent for nearly ten minutes.
"Blaine...I don't even know what to say. I can't think of the words." Layla said.
"Lay, you don't have to say it, just feel it. Think deep and the words will come." He told her.
Layla thought of everything she missed, and she realized how much she wished she could have her sister there, right next to her. She wanted to go to where ever Cecelia was, and be with her. Ceil would know the right words, and she would know just how to say them. She could feel a tune playing faintly in her mind. She knew the words, but the words were someone else's, they were someones song.
"Blaine, do you think I could sing it? "
"Yeah, yeah of course!" Blaine was surprised at this, he never heard anyone sing to a grave before, it was a first. But, he could see his sister, struggling for the words. He couldn't stop her, he could never stop a song.
Layla knew the words now. Six months ago, she had gone through a foreign pop-star phase and only listened to foreign music. Some of it was in different languages, and Layla had no clue what the song was saying, but she found one artist she loved and sang in English. The song came to her. She looked at the headstone, took a deep breath and sang. It was Maria Mena's 'Calm Under The Waves,' and it was perfect.
I walk barefoot where the water drowns the sand
With you no longer here to hold my hand
I let go
I let go
The ocean makes my swollen heart feel small
With the sounds it makes, you won't hear it, if I call
I let go
I let go
There's a breeze in the air
There's a boat anchored out here
There's a calm under the waves
As I choose to sink
Your skin protected me from sunbeams
Your hands made sure I'd stay intact
I let go
I let go
You were always there to walk me home
With you not here, the streets I roam
I let go
I let go
There's a breeze in the air
There's a boat passing over there
There's a calm under the waves
As I choose to sink
With your voice in my head
I could fall here instead
But there's a calm under the waves
So I choose to sink
I'm tired now, I'll see you when I wake up
I've heard it's pretty where you are
I let go
I let go
Layla finished, and tear had welled up in both her and Blaine's eyes.
"Layla, that was so beautiful," Was all Blaine could say, as Layla had taken his breath away. Her voice sounded so wonderful, and powerful. He could feel her pain as she sang, and he was so amazed. Layla smiled back at Blaine, thanking him, and finished talking to her sister.
"Thank you for being there, Ceil, thank you so much," Layla said, pulling Cecelia's scratch off (now in a plastic bag) out of her pocket and placing it against the grave. "Promise you'll stay with me now, even though I finally have a family, I still need you, Ceil, I really do. I can't do it with you, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. I promise I'll visit more often though, three years had been just a bit long. I love you and I miss you so much, I always will. I'll be back to visit soon."
Layla got up and wiped away a stray tear. She touched Blaine's shoulder. He was holding back his tears, he we so moved by his sisters song and what she had to say. He didn't think he'd ever be able to bring out that much emotion. He never thought to talking to Cecelia like that. He just updated her on things, told her what was going on and what he had been up to. He couldn't just go and tell Cecelia about his life's events after everything Layla just let out. It was time to go, if they stayed any longer, they'd both be sobbing like babies.
"You ready to go?" Blaine asked.
"Yeah, I think I've said pretty much everything I needed to." Layla said, letting out a small laugh. The rain clouds had rolled over them and it was only a matter of minutes before a downpour started. They both walked swiftly to Blaine's car and headed home. Home.
