Aurora

Chapter 5

I stood out there in the hallway for I don't how long, sobbing into Jessica's dress with my grandfather's hand on my shoulder.

"I've got you, Alex, it's gonna be okay," Jessica soothed, "we're here for you."

I heard my grandfather say something to her, yet I couldn't make it out. All I noticed was Jessica letting go of me and my grandpa taking her place.

"Alexa," his words rattled through me as I saw tears in his eyes, "I know you feel the same pain I do. Trust me, I know. But I also know how strong you are. I'm not trying to tell you it isn't okay to cry right now, as there may never be a more appropriate time in your life to cry. But know that you will come out of this. Alexa..." his words trailed off so i finished for him.

"I love you grandfather." he only nodded in response.

Not seconds after this had concluded reporters from various stations swarmed around us, all asking for how we felt and working hard to put up an image of sympathy. A few kind souls that were attending the funeral pushed them back off of us and helped us get out to the line of cars waiting to take my parents caskets to where they would be buried. Jessica stayed with me the entire time, which my grandfather never said anything about but it was clear that he thought something of it. Whether that was good or bad, I still don't know. But we never asked her to come and yet she did so I was grateful for that. The drive to the cemetery was a quiet one, none of us wishing to disturb the other's thoughts. The burial itself was a somber event. The air hung cold around us, despite the sun staring down with fury. There was no band playing for us, no bagpipes ringing out a somber and slow tune. Just the blow of the wind punctuated by the occasional sob. I had no tears of my own to speak of, just a dry well that I was fighting to draw some feeling from.

When the funeral concluded, me and my grandfather waited with Jessica for one of her parents to come and get her. When he fathers black Toyota pulled up, she turned to me and gave me a hug, saying she hoped she'd see me in Alaska. I was sad to see her go but my grandfather was already ushering me into a cab. I plugged in my earphones and kept to myself during the ride until I realized that we weren't going the way I thought we should be.

"Where are we going Grandfather," I asked, "this isn't the way to the hotel."

My grandfather said emotionlessly, "I told you yesterday that we were going straight to the airport from the funeral. I've hired people to move our things to Alaska"

A vague memory of him telling me this, while I was watching TV, entered my mind. So I quietly went back to listening to my music.

The rest of the trip was taken in a somber silence, me and my grandfather reeling from the service. I think I was stunned more than him, as for most of the trip I felt him observing me quietly. Looking at it now, he seemed more concerned about me than himself. I didn't much ponder this as my own thoughts were muddled. The image of my parents quiet faces still fresh behind my eyes. My head pounded with a desperation for... something.

Upon reaching the airport, we were greeted by a few men in suits, who escorted us to a private jet on the runway. The realization that this opulent aircraft was ours caused me to forget my grief, replacing it with shock and wonder at just how rich my grandfather was. The jet was small and a sleek silver. As the steps descended and me and my grandfather walked inside, another very luxurious scene awaited us. There was a soft green carpet on the ground. Black and white leather seats surrounded tables made of dark wood and steel. There were drinks and food of all kinds on granite counters near the back of the plane. I had barely sat down when my phone dinged. It was Ashely. THe first she had messaged or contacted me at all since the incident.

"Hey, what the hell Alex?"

I was shocked at how hostile that was, "What do u mean what the hell?" I responded

"You just, out of nowhere, decide that you can just vanish. And leave me here. That's not even cool."

My temper soared and the response i gave was less than kind, "My fucking parents are dead Ashely! My whole goddamn life is turned upside down!"

"Yeah, but you didn't even say anything to me. And now you're gonna cuss me out? You know what, you can talk to me when you're ready to stop being a total bitch. But until then, how about you just do whatever someone like you does when they're feeling pissy."

I swear I wanted to hit her at that moment. I texted Jessica to see if she was free, maybe she could calm me down. There was no reply, however, and i decided to get a snack. With anger hot in my belly, I grabbed a soda and a few bags of chips before flopping down on one of the large couches, ramming my headphones into my ears, and fuming a bit before falling asleep.

I heard a thud above me in the darkness. The air felt moist and cold, as I tried to look around. My eyes were open wide and yet I couldn't make out anything about my surroundings. I tried to lift my hands but they were quickly stopped in their path by a firm surface. Trying to stretch out to the sides I found that there, too, was almost no room. I became aware that my feet were pressed against another surface and I could feel my hair brushing something above me. Wherever I was or whatever I was in, there was barely room for my body. All the while the sound continued. Thud, thud, thud over, and over again. What was that sound? I pressed on the, for lack of a better word, ceiling, and found that there was a significant weight fighting me. I pushed with all my strength, my back against the floor, my flat palms against the ceiling. The top of the space lifted and a sliver of light snuck its way in. I saw a wall of dirt just outside, deep brown crumbling clumps. And the thuds continued to rain down with rhythm. With each dull noise, the weight on the ceiling I was pushing grew, and I realized with a fright that with each there was dirt pouring into my space. I was being buried. I opened my mouth and screamed. The sound of my own voice vibrated with force in my ears, but the thuds didn't stop, there was no sound from whoever was piling on the dirt. The weight on my arms was becoming more than I could hold up and the lid of what I could now determine as my coffin began to drop. As the last shard of light left i saw a glint in the corner of my eye, and turned my head to see my mother's wedding ring. Then the lid slammed shut with a deafening slam. The darkness once again enveloped me in its embrace, forcing itself into my lungs to silence my screams. And all of a sudden I was back in my grandfather's jet, screaming for fear of the death I had just felt.