His Best Girl: Her Secret Legacy-Part 1

2 Anti-Howlers Left

*picture used for same reason as Reminiscing and 1 of the 80 Million*

Setting: Carter is now 15 years old, takes place directly after the 2nd Avengers movie-age of Ultron; the church-a funeral fit for an Army General...

Many lives were saved during the battle of Ultron, but many were also taken: the number of bodies found was great, but not all were found and others couldn't be identified...Charlie was one of the ones they were able to identify. Cherry is gone...Ultron was his death. Seventy years old and that stubborn old fool refused to retire; saying he wouldn't stop helping his country until they handed him a pink slip. Since this is a military funeral, its mostly other army men in the church pews; Charlie wasn't circled-I mean married-so it's just me and Ricky here. I can't believe that goody two shoes left us like this...

"General Charles Herman Carson," the priest starts, "was a man of honor..."

I drown out the words the priest is speaking as I silently cry my eyes out,while starring at the floor; if feels like we just buried Square yesterday...but in reality, it was three years ago. I can't handle this...how did Ricky manage to sit through and talk at these five times before? I gently squeeze my aging friend's hand and he gently squeezes it before getting up to speak...

"General Carson..." he begins, "he is one of the last of my friends to go, now I only have one left. Charlie, back in the day, was always a goody goody and a tattletale that his nickname in our group of friends was Cherry; Cherry Charlie. Now I first met him and his twin brother Johnny, Slick we use to call him...now, they were fighting about something or other..."

"Who got the last chocolate," I mumble quietly to myself

"Some piece of food-so I went over, took it, broke it in half and handed it back-they just stared at it for about five seconds and then shoved it in their mouths. Now our group of friends, disbanded when Cherry's brother died at a young age...Slick's recklessness was one of the reasons Cherry decided to join the army, but the main reason was his love for his country...he was on vacation-volunteering in Sakovia: helping to feed the poor-he might not have died in the line of duty like he thought he would, but he died doing what he loved most...he died helping people...." Ricky goes silent for a moment, and it's easy to see how hard this is for him, "rest in peace buddy and see ya real soon."

Ricky comes back and sits next to me; I stand up and slowly walk up to the podium, I wipe some tears from my eyes and sniffle a bit as I compose myself in front of everyone...

"My name is Michaela..." I start but fall short at the sight of a particular man in uniform...my old man, "hm," I clear my throat and start again, "My name is Michaela, and I came here with my uncle Ricky in place of my mother, to speak on her behalf. So...here we go: the thing I remember most about Charlie and will always remember about him, is his heart of gold-he was no saint mind you; foul words did manage to slip from his mouth from time to time, but still-he was such a giver. Everything he gave was the best-the best hugs, the best advice..." I start crying and chock a bit as I talk, "Everything he did, he gave it his best; gave it his all...my last words to him were, "don't be a stranger when you get back Charlie," had I known then that what he said next would be his last words to me, then...I would've told him how much he means to me. His last words to me were, "Be brave Michaela; find that inner strength and confidence you showed us all as kids and just tell him." He was referring to a secret that was shared between me and two others..." I chock on more tears as I remember and look away to catch my breath, "rest in peace Charlie...thank you."

My body trembles as walk back to my seat next to Ricky; all eyes following me, I can't believe my old man's here...why's he here? He didn't even know Charlie...Captain America stands with five other men and they all walk up to the flag covered coffin. They carry it out to the hearse and put it in, they solute and walk away in formation; the car drives away to the graveyard followed by the honor guard. My father and the same five men unload the coffin from the car and in formation carry it to the grave-everything is dead silent as the funeral proceeds-once the coffin is on the lift, my old man and the others solute and walk away. Seven of the honor guard line up with rifle guns and shoot off the three rounds in the 21 gun solute, then the bugle player plays the honorary military taps.

When the taps ended, another officer of the honor guard removed the flag from the coffin and two others folded it and pressed it. The second one gave it back to the first and the first gave it back to the second and saluted the flag; Ricky stood up and walked up before the man now holding the folded flag...

"Sir, on behalf of a grateful nation and the U.S. army, I want to present you with our nations symbol. In honor of your friend, and brave men just like him, who gave everything they had," the man says as he hands Ricky the folded flag, solutes him and walks away.

With that, the priest says a prayer and blesses the grounds of the Charlie's grave-Ricky side hugs me as I start to cry again-a man from the VFW says a few words and places something on the coffin, and the priest says another prayer as the coffin is lowered into the ground. We all watch in silences as it's slowly lowered into the ground; I nuzzle into Ricky's shoulder for comfort as silent tears stream down my face. Now there's only two Anti-Howlers left; just me, and Ricky...we stay at the grave, even after everyone else is long gone. This is killing me...slowly losing the people I care about one by one. Square-2013, and now Charlie-2015; now I only have mom and Ricky left...but for how long? Ricky's getting up in age and mom's 94...

"Carter..." Ricky whispers, placing a hand on my shoulder

"He was here Ricky..." I say quietly

"Who Queen?" He asks

"My old man; he was here:in uniform and carrying the casket," I say with little to no feeling

"Since Charlie was the only one left in his family, the flag was given to me..." he starts, "that was one of two of his last requests...the second one was to have Captain America here. Sorry Carter."

"It's fine," I mumble, "it's my own fault that he still doesn't know about me," I cry, "I could've told him so many times over by now, but...I'm...I'm scared Ricky; I'm so scared that he won't want me..."

"You shouldn't be Carter," he says as he hugs me, gently rubbing my back in a soothing manner, "you need to tell him sooner rather than later Carter..."

"..." I look up at him with tears streaming down my face

"I'm seventy years old Carter," he states, "I might be in shape, but I'm still getting up there in age. I won't be around forever...and neither will your old lady..."

"..." I sob burying my face into his chest as I do so

"When I die Carter, you'll be alone," he states, "and when your old lady does go, you'll be even more alone...but your old man will think that he's completely alone, because she was the last person from his time, and he's still fighting to rescue his only friend from Hydra. Please Carter. Tell him soon; if not for his sake or yours, then do it for mine and your mother's...the two people who do want to see you wind up alone."

"It's not fair," I cry, "I should be seventy right now too..." I sob, "not fifteen!"

"I know, I know," he says hugging me once more

General Charles Hermon Carson
"CHERRY"
October 13, 1945-May 1, 2015

"Should we visit the others?" Ricky asks

"..." I nod slowly

We walk around visiting the other Anti-Howlers-talking with their graves for a bit-I can't stop crying over losing Charlie...and visiting the others graves only makes me cry harder as the aching pain in my heart only gets worse and worse. I'm crying so hard that Ricky literally has to piggyback me out of the cemetery; he softly sings my favorite song as he walks. I eventually calm down a bit and sob softly on his shoulder; we visit with mom, which of course only make me cry more-for other, obvious reasons-by the time we return to the apartment, I'm emotionally exhausted and fall fast asleep in bed.