Broken

Epilogue

Aidan
Song: Spanish Sahara by Foals

A crowd of people in black gather around. Today is a beautiful day to have a funeral. The sun shines down, but there's also a small breeze to cool us down. Bright green trees and vibrant coloured flowers dance with the wind. Men and women stop and slowly gather around a grave. Jordyn's grave.

A woman and her daughter stand the nearest to the grave. The woman clutches her daughter, pools of tears running down their faces. The daughter looks around two or three years younger than me. As I look closer, I realize that she was probably Jordyn's sister and the woman was probably her mother. I look away, realizing that their facial features are similar to Jordyn's.

My glance shifts over to Taylor. Taylor looks different from the last time I've seen her. She has red, puffy eyes and nicely brushed hair. After we escaped BFC, she went back to her home, which is why her parents stand behind her today. Sometimes I wish I had a nice, warm, welcoming home to go to. Or even a place I could call home. I think of the commonly used expression, 'home, sweet, home.' For me it's more like, 'home, shit, home.'

I recognize a couple of other people here too; Grace, Noah, Jeff, Jack and his younger brother. But two people in particular catch my eye. Toby and Andy. I recognize Andy from when he arrived at BFC. He didn't stay too long, only for a month or two. I didn't see him around much, mainly because he hung around popular crowds. But the sight of Toby makes me clench my fists. I don't know what would make me more upset; him coming to 'pay his respects' or if he didn't even bother to show up. Toby looks down, guiltily, when he notices my stare. I look away, still slightly angry with Toby.

***

After the funeral, when most people start to leave, Jeff waves Taylor and I over.
"I'm sorry," Jeff says. "How are you two?"
"I don't know," I respond when Taylor doesn't say anything.
"Well I only have one thing to ask each of you," Jeff say in a low voice, changing the topic. "Since you two are now Broken, you may come back to BFC to train, learn how to use your abilities. But I'd understand if you don't want to,"
"I'm not ready yet," Taylor's voice is scratchy. "But I will come back soon."
"Okay, that's fine," Jeff says softly. "What about you, Aidan?"
"Where else would I go?" I smile bitterly.
"Alright I'll give you a ride," Jeff nods. "And Taylor, here's a card with my phone number, just call me when your ready."

***

Jeff starts the engine. I sit in the passenger seat of his car. We drive in silence. We listen to the song "Got Well Soon" by Breton, but I'm not in the mood. Luckily, the cliff isn't too far away.
"Ready?" Jeff asks.
"Can't wait," I say in a low voice.

Jeff frowns, probably reminding himself that this only the first death I've experienced. The infamous feeling passes through both of us as we fall down the cliff. I clutch the seat, sealing my eyes shut. After a couple of seconds of the awful sensation, I relax my head on the seat. Still frowning, Jeff scans me, trying to find words of reassurance. But when he looks away, I assume that he doesn't find any.

We walk in more award silence towards BFC, nearly there. I try to imagine Jordyn's face. Her eyes, nose, mouth, hair, smile and voice. I remember when we played paintball together, when I tested her with the box and when we ate meals together. I remember the first time she arrived to BFC. Blood dripped down her left arm and opposite leg. A sudden hot feeling hits me in the chest. It becomes hard to breathe, tears appear into my eyes. Grief. I've never experienced this horrible feeling before.

"Hey," Jeff says lightly. He's probably noticed the tears that have formed in my eyes. "I know it's hard. But it'll get easier. Trust me."

A tear runs down my cheek. I wipe it off quickly, hoping Jeff hadn't noticed. Jordyn's face appears in my mind again, but this time, I notice something that I have never noticed before. Instead of seeing Jordyn, I see beauty. I shake my head, realizing one thing. She didn't deserve to die. At the age of sixteen, she didn't have the full experience life yet. If only I could change one thing. One thing, and she might not die. She'd still be here, at my side, right now. That's when an idea pops into my head. An idea so marvellous, that I almost laugh like an idiot. I'm going to go back in time, and save Jordyn.

|I'm so sorry it took me long to update. You see, a couple of days ago, I wrote this part, and a "acknowledgement" thingy, I had it all ready. Edited and everything, all I had to do is post it. But then this whole part got deleted. So I had to rewrite it. But thank you so much for reading! I'll talk more in the next update.|

-Tara <3

End of book one