Give and take

Chapter 1

One by one they lied down a violet rose. The flowers had been Sarena's favorite. Not so long ago they decorated her house, but now they are withered away and yet to be replaced. It was Copper's, Sarena's daughter, turn to put a rose on Sarena's lifeless body, but she stood where she was.

How could the person who fed and comforted copper die before she was even an adult. It still felt like a nightmare that she hadn't woken up from yet. How she wished she could just wake up to the smell of her moms cooking at least once more, but she couldn't. Everything wasn't the same anymore, the rest of Copper's family was as depressed as she was. She walked in on her dad crying the other day she left before he saw her though. Her sister is trying to pretend that she's okay, but fails she tears up at everything. Then Copper is just like a doll. She hasn't spoke and hasn't really ate anything it was as if some drained all life from her and left the body.

Everyone waited for Copper to do something, cry, place the flower on Scrapheap, anything. Her sister Silver nudged her, "Copper it's your turn." Copper robotic-ally moved forward and set the rose down by her mom. She walked back to where she was standing before and waited for everyone else to finish. Everyone showed up aunts and uncles, cousins, people from work, and a few who only met Sarena's once. A few people from who lived in other states rented out a hotel room for the week then they would leave and carry one with their life's like nothing happened. This thought depressed Copper even more than before.

When everyone was done placing the flowers the preacher said a prayer. Then they lowered the grave into the ground and covered it in dirt. Everyone, besides Copper, left either right away or thirty minutes after words. Copper grabbed a book she momentarily put off the side for the funeral. Sarena tried to get Copper to read the book many times, but for whatever reason she didn't. Now that it was to late she was going to read it. Now that her mom was gone. Copper wished she would of gotten over herself and read the book.

Copper sat at the cold grey stone that was supposed to represent her colorful loving mother. Words were carved into the stone saying how good of a person she was. It didn't cover half of how amazing she was though. Copper read the first chapter of the book it was slow paced and didn't catch her attention usually Copper would stop reading a book, but she forced her self to keep on going. She was about to start the second chapter when she saw someone from the corner of her eye. "Sorry I didn't think anyone would be here." A boy around her age spoke with a sheepish grin on his face.

His hair was shorter on the sides and longer on the top and sandy brown. His eyes were navy blue on the inside and a grey ring surrounds it. His skin was barely tanner than his hair and brought out his eyes more. The boy was wearing a black shirt and faded pants. His shoes were what you would expect to find at Walmart. His hands were covered in oil and a couple spots on his pants were stained. He carried a red and grey back pack on his shoulder.

"It's fine." Coppe mutters under her breath. It was the first time she talked since her mom died. Words felt so strange on her tongue. The boy sat down next to her criss crossed apple sauce. Copper raised an eyebrow in question. He gestured to the stone next to Sarena's, "My sister died four years ago." Copper keeps quiet she's never been good with comforting others. "I'm Justin." the boy- Justin held out his hand. "Copper." She shook it. Copper opened her book once more and started to read again leaning against a great oak tree that brought shade to the graves. She couldn't concentrate on the book no matter how hard she tried, and it tired her. Before she knew it she fell asleep against the tree losing her page and not really knowing what she just read.

"Copper." Some one shook her awake. It was Justin. "It's getting dark you should probably go home." True to his words the sky was fading into pinks and oranges. Copper muttered incoherent things under her breath before getting up. "Thanks for waking me up. Bye." With that Copper walked all five miles back to her house. Her mind drifted to the different times she spent with her mom. How she would take her and Silver to get ice cream and their nails done, or movie night they had. She wondered if her family would still do that now that her mom's gone. Copper once read a book where the main characters family member died and after that they all drifted apart. Would the same happen to hers.

Copper was welcomed with home by her aunt, Sarena's younger sister, Becky. "Hey Coop!" Coppers aunt started to call her Coop when she was little and miss spelled her name as cooper. Becky handled her sisters death much like Silver did, but did it well. "I was thinking we could go get something to eat if you don't mind?" Becky was already dragging Copper back out the door before she got to answer. Copper wanted to go to bed and sleep rather than going out to eat, but once Becky made up her mind there was no going back. Copper also figured there was something more important then satisfying hunger too. So she went with out protest. The two of them hoped into Becky's Kea and left.

Becky pulled up to a small restaurant isolated from the rest of the town named Hickory's. Soft golden light flowed from the glass windows. The two of them went in and was greeted with a hello from a pixie like girl wiping down a table. Becky led the way to a both in the corner of the room. The floors were black and white checkered; the seats and the walls were a royal blue. The wall closest to the aunt and niece was covered in black and white photos. Only one other person was there on a laptop and a cup of coffee by his side.

"This was your moms favorite place to come." Copper kept her head down looking at a menu. "Did your mom ever tell you about the summer of 2003." This got Coppers attention. She shook her head no. her mom never really talked about her high school days now that she thought about it. Becky chuckled a little thinking back to the past for a second. "Well it started right here. Believe it or not your mom was the trouble maker back then and I was the goody two shoes. Shocking right. Well your mom was also looking for something more in life. An adventure maybe?

"One day she had this crazy idea that she was going live two hole month without rules, forget everything she was ever taught and go out and learn what the world really was from her own eyes and not those of others. Of coarse she wasn't about to do this all on her own. She came to me first but I shoot her down telling her I couldn't just up and leave I had a job bills to pay." Remorse laced through Becky's words. "Then she went to your dad he agreed to and your mom's friend Janus and her brother went with her. They all met up here and left."