Fragile #Wattys2015

Chapter 11

Cass came and picked us up in the morning. Our parents didn't even want to say goodbye. We rode to our new home in silence.

Once we arrived, a plump older lady came out with her husband to greet us. The woman had long grey hair with natural streaks of black in it. She wore it in a bun. Her dress was floral and her shoes were practical. She appeared to be 60 years old and looked spritely. Her husband was the opposite, he had no hair and wore an argyle sweater with trousers. The man looked slightly older than his. He looked tired, but happy nonetheless.

The couple introduced themselves as Mabel and Harvey. They helped us bring our things inside and then Cass left, wishing us good luck.

"Hello. Welcome home!" Mabel smiled. "We'll be your new guardians. Don't worry about calling us mom or dad or anything formal, Mabel and Harvey will be alright. Use common sense around here and you'll be just fine. You can have friends over or go to a friend's house whenever, just make sure you ask first. Dinner is always served at 6:30, so if you want to eat be in the kitchen then. Breakfast is at 6:00 when school is in session, but otherwise it's at 8:00. Lunch is at noon when you don't have school. Make sure you let us know if you're going to be home late for some reason. Indigo, your curfew is midnight and Benji's is 10:00. You'll start your new school next week, this week you'll have a break. Any questions?"

We shook our heads. "Wonderful! Now let's get you settled in. Harvey, help these kids get their things upstairs."

Harvey helped us with our things and then let us get settled in. My room was small, but nice. It was dimly lit, but once my things were set up it looked alright.

I decided to go and check on Benji. His room was all set up too.

"What do you think?" I asked.

"They seem nice."

"Yeah."

"It'll just take some getting used to..."

"Definitely."

"I kind of miss having a big, fancy house. This place is so tiny and old."

"Yup."

"I guess I'll get used to it."

"We both will." I smiled and got up to leave.

I hung out in my room for a while and then it was dinner time. We had meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I could tell Benji was already warming up to Harvey and Mabel. I think I actually was too. I accidentally swore at dinner, which made Harvey laugh and Mabel gasp. Otherwise, things went smoothly.

After dinner, Mabel called a "family meeting." That never means anything good, so I was a bit nervous about what she had to say.

"So..." Mabel began. "I heard about Evelyn. I'm so sorry about that. Of course, we need to have a funeral. I already spoke to Cass and your parents will be paying for it, so no worries. Tonight we need to get everything planned out because I'd like to have it tomorrow afternoon. I know it's last minute, but it'd be nice to get this out of the way."

"Yeah, sounds good. What do we need to do?" Benji asked.

"Indigo, I want you to invite people and do decorations. Nothing too much though, remember it's a funeral. Harvey, you can be in charge of the setting up the event and other business things. Benji, can you choose some food and music for afterwards? Call a caterer, don't try and make something. I'll do whatever is left."

We nodded and got to work. I ended up staying up all night, getting things ready. By morning, I was exhausted. I ended up taking a nap at 6 AM and then waking up an hour before the funeral.

The car ride there was quiet. We all wore black and the day seemed ominous. Benji stared out the window sadly.

We arrived at the funeral just in time. A preacher said a few words and then everyone was able to go and say goodbye to Evelyn one last time. Looking into her casket was the hardest thing I've ever done. Her tiny body was clothed in her favorite outfit- a casual, pink dress and flats to match. She was paler than at the hospital and looked sad. I kissed her forehead and placed a bag of her favorite things in her hands.

"Goodbye, baby." I whispered and walked away, tears rolling down my cheeks.

Benji engulfed me in a hug. "It's gonna be okay, Indigo..."

"I know, I know." I sniffled. Thank god I wore waterproof mascara.

A few men lowered Evelyn's casket into the ground. Everyone was given a white rose, which we all placed on top of the soil. I kissed her gravestone and then we were all escorted into a separate room.

There were pictures of Evelyn everywhere and lots of vases of purple and pink flowers. The music was soft and seemed to lighten the mood a little. I took a moment to look around the room.

Sam was stuffing his face with sandwiches. Benji and Lacey were talking a bit too closely in the corner. Carter was looking at the pictures. Mabel was trying to meet everyone and Harvey was trying to not be pulled along with her. Everyone else seemed to be sitting at tables and snacking. I smiled to myself, the scene was peaceful.

The funeral ended a few hours later and everyone went home. I retreated to my room. The funeral seemed to settle something inside of me. Maybe it patched the cracks in my fragile heart, I don't know. What I do know is that life went pretty smoothly after that. I guess it is possible to fix a fragile family.