Devil's Angel ° {K.M}[Rewriting]

{050}

After School Special [2]
———
"Some mommas and daddies ran outta love in '94, some mommas and daddies don't even talk no more and some mommas and daddies let their heartstrings tear and tangle. And some of us get stuck, and some of us grow up in a love triangle."
—Raelynn {Love Triangle}
———

-

A week passed and though school was yet to resume, the halls were filled to commemorate the memory of Carol Lockwood in a tasteless, impersonal assembly. America avoided the school while the memorial was held, choosing to forgo the public acknowledgement and instead have a personal one of her own. The former mayor's funeral had already come to pass and so when the woman made her way to the familiar cemetery, there was a black, granite stone to greet her. She set the bouquet of carnations down and the smooth surface of the stone, absently aware of the steep drop in temperature. 

"You're still here," she murmured softly, brushing away the specs of snow that covered the woman's name. The apparition of Carol Lockwood blanched, the former mayor furrowing her brows in bewilderment. "You. . . you can see me?" America hummed her confirmation as she straightened up, idly checking her phone for the time. "I can," she said shortly before a frown marred her lips. "Why haven't you crossed over?" Days had passed and any other human soul would have passed on and sought their awaiting Peace. Only tethered souls stuck around but Carol didn't classify as one of those miserable, inconsolable ghosts. 

"I'm not ready yet, I guess. I understand Richard might—" The onyx-haired woman blinked before she shook her head, cutting the woman off. "He won't be there." It was a toss-up if the emotion on Carol's face was relief, resignation or disappointment. Either way, she felt a string of guilt despite the current situation being out of her hands. "The afterlives of the supernatural and humans are different. I, uh, they were made separately but there is something for you after this. Something constructed to bring you closure, I suppose." Carol arched an eyebrow at her, her lips quirking up into a half-hearted smile. "You don't know?" 

America offered her a somewhat sheepish shrug. "I've never been mortal," was all she had to offer on that front but in terms of what she could possibly find. . , "If it helps though, you might find Grayson and Miranda—maybe Jenna and John too." The aged woman tilted her head at her, silently questioning. "You mean your mom and dad? Aunt and uncle?" Again, she shrugged, this time with an air of nonchalance. "By the technicalities, yes," she pursed her lips in thought, "but it's a long story—one Mi—mom will explain to you." 

She chuckled to herself at Carol's affronted look at her almost slip, incorporating the moniker to stress the woman a little less. An influx of the emotion couldn't very well harm her anymore but it could hinder her 'moving on'. "What if they aren't there? What if I'm alone where I go?" America glanced at her as she picked up on a figure nearing, one she didn't wish to interact with any time soon. "Do you want to be alone?" She questioned softly, her eyes following the sound of Tyler's vehicle as he pulled into the parking lot by the cemetery.