Hunted

Epilogue

He was right you know. John Green. He was right when he said that a ten on a pain scale felt like it was unbearable. What Hazel felt when she lost Augustus was worded perfectly. Sure we can read the words and imagine the pain, but we never truly know it until we experience it.

Ever since Caleb was murdered I've basically been a ghost. It's been three days and each day is harder then the last. Every night I see his death over and over again. All day I cry. Today was the day I had to get up out of bed. I didn't want to. Today would be the final steep into accepting that I'll never see him again.

As I pulled myself out of bed I broke down in tears. My father came rushing in and hugged me. "We don't have to go. We can skip the funeral." Except I couldn't. As much as I wanted to I had to be there to see Caleb. Once I was calmed enough my father left and I pulled out a color I never wanted to ware.

My dress was a cap sleeved black dress that fell to my knees. Caleb had loved me in these types of dresses. Once I slipped on some flats I applied minimal make up. No one knew how he died except me, my father, Luma, Kenna, and Caleb's brother and father. It was hard walking to the car to go to the funeral. It was even harder to walk into the funeral home.

Once we got there I almost ran back out. Up front was a casket that held my beloved. When I got there I could have sworn he was sleeping. His suit was black and his hair parted neatly. Many people don't want to touch dead bodies but I placed a kiss on his forehead. "I'm sorry Caleb." I whispered.

To my surprise Caleb's father and brother invited me to sit by them for the funeral. They didn't blame me for his death. They should though. The night we told them what happened they had to tell me at least 20 times that it wasn't my fault. When it was time for the eulogies Caleb's father and brother delivered very nice stories. To my surprise they called me up to give one.

It took everything I had but I did it. I told how he was the sweetest boy that I ever knew. I told them how he was so selfless and how he did everything to save people. Of course the part after the funeral was harder. I watched as they lowered him into the ground.

Once it was all over and I was home I ran to my room and cried on my bed for hours. Once I got over my crying fit I started packing up a suit case. My dad came in and saw all my clothes laid out. "You're leaving aren't you Ariralana?" I hated to break my father's heart right when we got to be together.

"I need to father. Please just let me." Surprisingly he didn't put up a fight. In fact he even drove me to the airport. I had enough money with me to make it to my destination then I had the currency for there. I hugged my father tight before I left. "Promise you'll call your old man sometimes."

I smiled even though I felt like shit. "Of course dad." With a final hug I went through the airport and bought a one way ticket out of the country. It was time to say goodbye to this life as I moved on to another.

For the briefest moment I thought I saw Caleb's ghost on the terminal running to me as the plan took off bringing me to a new life.

Bringing me to a new start.