The Duchess

This is my first story and I'm super excited to finally upload it! Tell me if there are any mistakes and leave me your opinions! Thanks and enjoy!

Love,

Raissa

Arabella’s POV

I stood quietly on the cold, wet soil that coated the cemetery. My soaked hair clung untidily in all the wrong places of my body, from my scalp down to my hips. The tears blended inconspicuously with the rain water. I looked up as a raindrop fell on my forehead; the sky seemed to cry with me. They weren’t dramatic sobs of desperation, no, that would be asking for too much; they were silent, lazy tears. Tears that demonstrated how I felt, I respected him. I subconsciously smiled sadly at the tomb stone; he was my only friend. Without him, who was I going to sit with at lunch? Who would I vent with? Who would take me to get McDonald’s while my parents were out of town? No one. But that’s just how life is. Just like a flower, because when flowers are at their beauty’s peak, they’re that much closer to dying. So I accepted it.

          I tried to tell myself that he was in a better place, but lying to myself was not an option. Who was I to know where he was going? My head began to ache from all the pressure. I stared at the ground; he lay there, beneath me, just ten feet below me. To say it was torture would be the understatement of the century. Knowing that a loved one was lying beneath my feet was like being trapped underwater, while oxygen was inches from my face.

          I was vaguely aware of someone talking to me, but my thoughts didn’t register that.

          “Miss Arabella? I do believe we should get you home.” Xavier said, his Spanish accent tempting me to listen. I turned around to face him and gave him a tearful look.

          “But I wish to stay.” I spoke, my voice strong.

          “I have orders from Sir Hank to get you home before you catch a cold.” He chose his words carefully, trying to keep my emotions at bay.

          “Yes, Xavier.”

          I dragged my legs along the soil with confliction, my heels sinking into the ground. Wishing I had no one to please, I looked longingly at the tomb stone before walking forward, hoping I didn’t turn into salt.

          The ride home was quiet and awkward. Xavier looked like he had something to say, but obviously he chose not to voice his thoughts. As I walked through the double doors to my home, Aunt Evelyn came over with a warm smile. The look in her eyes gave away what she was feeling, that was how Aunt Evelyn was: an open book. I looked into her bright jade eyes and offered her a big smile. I wasn’t one to mourn over the dead; I believed that the dead deserved gratitude, not sorrow. So I carried on, still remembering what happened. “What’s the use of crying?” That was my motto.          

          “Oh Belle, I’m so sorry about what happened. I’m sure Drake would’ve wanted you to be happy. But now that you’ve had your time to grieve over his passing, I’m sure you’d like to eat something. Come now and I’ll make you some lunch.” Aunt Evelyn said smoothly. Everyone was surprised by how fast I dealt with Drake’s death, but I knew that if I were the one to die, I wouldn’t want my loved ones having a sulk fest. So as the Golden Rule states: “Treat others how you wish to be treated.” Besides, it wasn’t as if his death was sudden. Drake had Leukemia. And during his last months alive, I was sure to make his life worthwhile.

          I sauntered across the lobby and into the main hallway that would take me to the kitchen. Along the way I let my fingertips brush against the wall like Grandmother told me not to do; she said that it would soil the paint job. I gave a quiet laugh at the thought.