The Moon Childe (COMPLETED)

Chapter 15: Emotional Last Rites

The morning was slow and dull. It was abnormally hot outside, so most of Nikki's friends hid in the church lobby to cool down. Many of the girls were crying, while the guys tried to comfort their make-up smeared friends. Amelia didn't know how many people her sister actually knew, but there was definitely a full house. She held her brother's hand as she led him down the long center aisle toward her sister's white coffin. Brandon was breathing hard, nervous about his oldest sister's funeral. Although his eyes were still covered with a fresh bandage wrap, he was shaking and didn't want to see her.

Amelia and Brandon were the only two in the chruch; it was the custom of their religion to allow the family members to see the prepared body before friends. Since their parents were still missing, Amelia had to plan the entire thing and notify everyone. She was holding back tears as she walked to her role model and best friend. While bitting her lip, she led Brandon until they stood right next to the coffin.

Brandon reached out and placed his hand onto the side and slid it across, examining it with his touch. Amelia gazed at Nikki; the body didn't even look like her. Her entire face and skin was burned off, muscle tissue was exposed, and her left cheek bone was visible. She looked terrible, like she died a very painful death. Glancing upward, to avoid tears racing out of her eyes, Amelia stared at the large wooden cross with Jesus on it. She wondered in her head, If you're our savior, why did she suffer?

Taking an over-the-shoulder glance back at the sad mob in the lobby, Amelia felt terrible about how she looked. Nikki deserved better. She deserved to look like herself, how she looked before she was kidnapped; happy.

Amelia released Brandon and placed her hands in the casket while trying to hide her movements from the crowd. One hand was over her face, and the other over her chest. "I couldn't save you, but at least you'll look normal," Concentrating, Amelia focused all that she had to her hands. She felt the device in her neck prickle, and send a tickling feeling down her arms.

Urik, the Rakian medic, was able to create contact lens for her, James, and Jerry; to properly conceal their unnatural eye colors. Attending Nikki's funeral was the first test of them, which didn't work considering Amelia used her device, causing her eyes to glow. And, just as Urik expected,  the contacts broke as soon as she used her abilities.

As Amelia drew her hands back, Nikki's face was restored, along with her chest that was showing. As a test of how thorough her handy work was, Amelia grabbed Brandon's unbroken hand, and brushed his fingers over Nikki's now perfect face. Everything was still there after Brandon felt Nikki's face all over. She wanted to feel proud of herself, but she was too depressed to feel anything but sadness and uselessness.

"Ho-How did she die again?" Brandon asked as he backed away from the open casket that held Nikki.

"She died of some Jusnor disease; Urik could've saved her, if I was faster."

Brandon wipped a tear away and held out his hand for Amelia to take it. She grabbed it, and turned him around. Looking at the many people in the church lobby, she nodded and pulled Brandon aside; to allow her friends to visit her. The glass doors opened, and young adults wearing all black swormed in. Some girls in heels ran to Nikki, crying.

Amelia placed Brandon onto one of the pews in the front row. The large mob now surrounded Nikki's white casket and began crying out in agony. Brandon began crying as well. With Jerry's now shorter hair, he sat down next to Brandon. Amelia gave him a quick glance, a silent warning for him not to make Brandon feel any worse than how he already does. Jerry nodded and placed a comforting hand over his shoulders, almost giving him a hug.

Leaving Brandon in the new friendly hands of Jerry, Amelia glanced up at Jesus again. She was buliding up hatred towards him, especially if he would give Nikki back to her, just to take her away again. Shutting her eyes, to prevent crying and trying to sooth her eyes because of her thick contacts, Amelia began ranting to Jesus in her mind. She shouted multiple swear words and threats, vowing to send all Jusnors to Hell. Amelia, dressed in a simple black dress, that was too short for a funeral, stared at the stained glass windows behind her "savior." The glass held no signifcance, but it was the most colorful thing in the chruch. Ironicly, a shadow of one of the stained glass windows was directly on Nikki's face, giving her color and a more lively look.