Earth

Aftermath

"Nothing else matters."

-Stevie Nicks, "Edge of Seventeen"

Today is a gloomy and downcast day. The air is full of sad energy. My family and I have just come home from Arielle's funeral. We are all dressed in our finest black clothing. Mom, Mapa, Sarafina, and I wear identical laced black dresses with embroidered trains and veils. Thank God for the veils. If anyone saw my mascara ruined by my tears, I would have been humiliated. 

We open the door to our house. We enter slowly. Everything seems so different now. Even though I've lived in this house since I was 2, I feel as if I've never been here, like I'm in a completely new place. Arielle is dead. We will have to live on without her sarcastic, witty, and flirtatious self here to bring something into our lives. 

I walk into the kitchen, and sit down on a chair. Carl sits to my left, and Sarafina to my right. I hold both of their hands as I sob from my gut. How could this happen? We came to save James's life, but we ended up taking Arielle's without even trying. I feel so evil. It's all my fault Arielle died. I could've done something about it earlier on. I'm an awful, horrible murderer. 

"Anna, it's okay," Says Carl, "It will be alright."

"No!" I yell. "It won't be okay. It won't be fine. It won't be alright. Damn it, everything is out of order in our lives! Arielle is dead!" 

Carl bites his lip. Sarafina is silent, and her veil is still draping over her face. She is too sad to speak, I can tell. She wishes she could intervene, but I know she needs to mourn on her own for a bit. 

"Anna, you know my mom died when I was five, right? She was sailing in the ocean. The waves were violent, so they knocked her boat over," Says Carl. "It was really sad and hard for me. I got through it, though."

"Well, Arielle didn't die from being on a slightly sunken ship," I say angrily, as I wipe my tears. "We were exorcising a demon out of James, and it invaded her body. We killed her, Carl, we killed her."

Carl hugs me, even though I don't expect it. "You didn't kill her," Says Carl, "The demon just got vicious. The demon killed her, okay?"

As much as I want to believe that, I really can't. We should have acquired more knowledge about demons and possession before dealing with issues like such. We could have stopped the demon if we knew more. I am partially at fault for this. I need to take some of the blame. Although, I feel like I have to pretend Carl's words are meaningful, like what he's saying is actually making an impact. So I nod and smile, hiding all my feelings. 

Mom enters the kitchen with Mapa. They both lift their veils. "It's tragic, isn't it?" Asks Mom. "Arielle was so young and so sweet. She really didn't deserve to die."

"Mom," I say, "A demon invaded her body. A demon I helped to exorcise from James." 

"Honey," says Mom, "Don't worry about it! Listen to your brother, he knows what he's saying. Some demons are very mean and hostile. Magick doesn't always make a demon leave." She rubs my head. 

"I am starving," Says Mapa. "Would anyone like some pickles that I bought at the farmer's market. 

"Sure," I say along with my siblings. 

Mom grabs a jar of juicy, zesty, and spicy pickles from the refrigerator. As Darren takes his seat across from me, she puts the jar down on the table. She stares at it long and hard. Her eyes squint. Her lips purse. I wonder what she is doing, until I realize she is trying to open the jar with her mind. I become a little nervous. Sarafina, Arielle, and I were the ones who took her powers. I wonder if some of her powers died with Arielle. If Mom finds out about what's going on, and if Sarafina and I don't find a way to give my mom back her powers, we're screwed.

Finally, Mom gives up at her attempt with telekinesis. "That's weird," she says. "Normally, I'd be able to open a jar without lifting a finger."

"Maybe, your powers are going back to normal, honey," says Mapa. "I mean, you are farther along than you were a month ago." 

"Maybe," says Mom, twisting the lid off the jar with her hands. "I think I should probably meditate. That might restore my powers. Don't worry, this is nothing I can't handle. I've had my powers gone before." 

"When?" I ask.

"Junior year of college," Mom replies, as she forks pickles onto plates for each of us. "I toxified my chakras by stressing out too much over final exams. I just meditated like crazy, after the exams, and I was back to normal."

I nod, and take my plate from Mom's hand. I really hope this won't be any harder than it was for her when she was 21. I don't want her pregnancy to affect her ability to regain her powers.

After Mom finishes her pickle, she gets up, and turns on her CD player. Unsurprisingly, "Edge of Seventeen" by Stevie Nicks plays at medium volume. Mom smiles, and sits back down. "This might help everybody calm down," She says. "It could be like a little pick-me-up."

Sarafina covers her mouth. I look at her plate. She hasn't taken a bite of her pickle. I can tell she is already depressed by her girlfriend's death. Now, she cries wells of tears. They drop all the way down to her waist, so they make her pretty dress wet, which is a shame. But the primary worry is not my sister's clothing. It's my sister's mental health.

"What's wrong, Sarafina?" I ask.

"This was the song," She says through violent tears. "This was the last song she heard before she-she...I've got to go. Darren, Anna, one of you can have my pickle." Sarafina hops out of her seat, but politely pushes her chair back. She dashes upstairs in her heals, slams our door, and cries even more loudly. 

"Should I...turn this off?" Asks Darren, awkwardly. 

"Yes," We all say in unison.

I don't think we will ever listen to this song again. It has gone from great to horrible.