Soul Series: Blue

The Wake

Two days had passed since my father died. I sat on the couch downstairs, staring blankly at the parlor walls. People milled around me, some trying to speak to me. They gave up after a few minutes of me not responding. Lacey Harris sat beside me, her hand resting on my knee.

Lacey was my best friend. She had been since I was four years old. We were practically sisters; my dad used to joke that if we ever stopped being friends the world would implode. I suppose that was sort of true in a way. We would implode if we ever stopped being friends.

I grabbed her hand, turning my eyes towards her. "We're okay. We're gonna be okay, right Lace?" I whispered, my voice almost drowned out by the low hum of voices.

She nodded slowly. "O-of course. We will. We will be okay. We have each other, Lee." The redhead squeezed my hand in hers, offering a small, sad smile. Her eyes were glassy and watery; mine probably looked the same.

I nodded and stood up. "Okay. Then let's go talk to these random people and see how fast I can get them out of my house." I muttered, brushing off my jeans.

She nodded and stood up, wrapping her arms around herself. Lacey glanced around slowly before following me into the small crowd of black clad semi-strangers. I didn't know have of the people here, but they had known my father. We pushed through them anyway, shaking hands and accepting condolences. I stopped to speak to my aunt for a second in the entry hall before entering the drawing room.

This room was where most of the grieving crowd had gathered. I stayed in the doorway for a second, scanning the room for no one in particular. Something strange caught my eye after a second. A strange woman sat on the window seat across the room, sobbing into her hands. I noticed her black dress was adorned with small gems of red hue, cascading down the gorgeous silk like blood rain. Her skin was fairly pale, and her hair was hidden under a black hat topped with a feather and fishnet lace.

"Who is that?" Lacey asked me, her eyebrows drawn together.

I frowned and pushed my brown hair out of my face, staring at the strange woman. "I have no idea." I told her, biting my lower lip. After a moment, I crossed the room to stand before her. Thrusting my hand towards her, I spoke quickly and confidently, as I'd been taught to do by my father.

"Maylee Raymonds. Geoffrey's daughter. And this is Lacey King." The introduction was short and not so sweet.

She looked up, her blue eyes large and watery. From this close I could see she had blond hair that was tucked nicely into a heavy bun, a few loose strands framing her face. "I'm Alice Black." She didn't shake my hand.

I took my hand back, lacing my fingers together behind my back. "Right. And how did you know my father?" I asked, ignoring Lacey's warning look. I raised an eyebrow curiously.

She visibly hesitated, wringing her hands. "I was a friend of his from a while back."

I was about to answer when a voice called my name. I glanced over my shoulder to see my older brother Blaine standing in the doorway. "Excuse me." I told Alice.

I pushed lightly through the crowd, coming to stand I'm front of my 6'2 brother, offering a thin smile. His hair was shorter than I remembered, and darker. More of deep brown rather than a honey blonde. His green eyes stayed locked on me. After a second he held his arms wide.

I hugged my brother, sniffling. "Blaine. Father would appreciate you being here, even after all these years." I whispered.

"I didn't come for him," my brother replied, holding me tightly. He rubbed my back with one hand, like he used to when I was little and had a nightmare. "I came for you. I know you need support."

I pulled away, letting Lacey hug him. "Thank you." I told him gratefully. "Seriously though, I need a drink."

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a/n: another semi short chapter, but a lot of important character introductions.

Keep an eye on Alice ;)