Crying: A Dystopian Novel

End of Bleeding: Part 2

++++ MICHAEL ++++

  "You okay?" I ask. Anna hasn't been the same since Dad died, and now at his funeral she just cries with her head down. She mumbles something, but I can tell she's not talking to me.

  "...Were you with him?..." She sobs and looks up at the sky, then to a nearby grave. She's talking to Drew.

 "I'm sure he was." I say. Anna looks at me. Her normally cheerful face is full of gloom and despair. It's as dramatic a difference as between a beach and a beach during a hurricane. She nods and leans her head on my shoulder. We stand and the whole community starts trudging toward our house. We get inside and everyone follows us in, offering their condolences. John is one of the last to come in, followed by Grace.

  "How are you all?" Grace asks me. I chew on the inside of my cheek before answering.

  "Here." She sighs, bites her lip, and goes on to hug Anna.

  "Michael?" Laelynn is standing beside me.

  "You okay?" I ask.

  "No." She buries her head in my arm and squeezes my hand.

  "Hey, death is tough, but we're tougher." I say. Most of the time you would never think she's only 12, but today, it shows.

  "Dad's dead, Michael."

  "That doesn't mean the world is. It just means it turns a little slower for now." I say. Everyone is gathered around Mom, and I take the opportunity to take Laelynn outside on the porch. "Laelynn, he loved you. That's what's important. You have to take that love and embrace it. Right now, it's hard to think about him, I know. But after a while, you'll want to think about him. You'll want to remember him and how much he loved you. That love will hold you like he did, comfort you like he did. It'll be there like he was. Same with Drew." She smiles and hugs me, and I return it. 

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So that's the end of Part 2: Bleeding! There is one last part (Standing), which I will be posting on Wattpad.