Daniel

Chapter 15 - Grief

Miss Trilliard looked over at Aidelle, who was sitting at the far right corner of the room, she had the hood of her jumper draped over her head. Her arms were crossed on the table, cradling her aching head as her body quivered.

"Aidelle?" Her teacher called softly from across the room.

The students looked up from their work and slowly turned their heads around to stare at Aidelle, who began to slowly bring her head up to meet the teachers eyes. Her face was red, with glistening trails that ran down from her bloodshot eyes.

"Yes Miss?" Her voice came out croaky and ragged.

Miss Trilliard hesitated for a moment, deciding carefully what words to say, before answering, "could you do your work, please?"

Aidelle stared at her for a moment, as if in deep thought whether to obey her instructions or not. But she just lowered her head again, burying it back into her arms.

----

"Hey, um, excuse me Aidelle...?" Came a low voice from behind her.

Turning around from her locker, she looked up to find Jeremy staring back at her, his eyelids hanging heavily over his eyes.

"What do you want, Jeremy?" She hissed at him, choking back a sob.

"I wanted to say sorry. About Daniel."

"Save your breath, asshole. You're not sorry," her stinging words cut into him like daggers.

"No. I really mean it," Jeremy replied sincerely.

Aidelle scoffed and slapped him hard across the face, causing him to stumble back, and she picked up her bag, slamming the locker door shut and barging past him, knocking his arm. Jeremy watched

her storm out the two open doors at the end of the corridor, as people looked at him, their eyes widened in shock at what had just occurred.

Opening the car door, Aidelle slumped into the seat beside her mother, sighing as she looked back over at the hall doors.

"Hey Aidy," Kristine greeted slowly, her eyes appearing red from crying.

Aidelle muttered in response, obliviously staring out of the car window.

"How was school?" Her mother continued.

"How do you think," she murmured in response.

Kristine sighed and turned the key in the car ignition, accelerating onto the road.

"I've booked you another session with Chris this afternoon," Kristine said, slowly.

Aidelle turned her head to look at her mother, a disgusted expression on her face.

"Are you serious!? I don't want any more sessions! I don't need help! Nobody can help me!" She spoke loudly, furious with her mother.

"Well, we're going there now, it's for your own good and you know it, I'm seeing someone about your father too. I know it's rough, but your sisters shouldn't have to put up with your emotional fits," her mother scolded back.

Aidelle scoffed and proceeded in staring out the window, watching the blur of trees and buildings go past. It reminded her of how fast everything had happened that one night, the one that she keeps trying to convince herself was all just a bad dream.

----

"Stories are brilliant, are they not?" Chris's deep, calm voice rumbled as Aidelle entered his office, the man scanning over a page in a book. "They can sum up the way the author feels emotionally, or display them if they are oppressed. The same goes for songs, or poetry, or any form of literature for that matter."

Aidelle let out a long sigh, sitting down on the couch against the wall of the office.

"I'm sick of coming here," she mumbled.

"I beg your pard-"

"I said I'm sick of coming here," she repeated, cutting him off.

Chris closed the book, placing it on a small table beside him, and placed his hands in his lap, "and why is that, Aidelle?"

"Because I don't like it, why are you wasting your time with me?"

"I want to help you-"

"You get paid to help me," she said, rolling her eyes as she spoke.

"No, I don't," he responded, "I have rejected all forms of payment from your mother."

"So she only sends me here because it's free counselling? Wow..."

"No, I've requested that I see you, it hasn't been her making the bookings for quite a while," he said, contradicting her statement.

"Why, may I ask?"

Chris got up from his chair and paced the room, his brown, golden hair combed behind his ears, and stern, solemn expression unmoving, he stopped, looking out the window.

"It's amazing how beautiful, yet fragile life can be, or one's will. One small thing can destroy both of them for two people at once; like a bullet. It's been, what, almost two weeks since the death of your friend Daniel, I believe?" He turned to look at Aidelle, who nodded in response.

"And you only started going back to school today?" Aidelle nodded again. "And you cannot seem to accept the fact that he's gone..."

"Yes, but what could you expec-" Aidelle began to speak, but he interrupted her.

"I know, I know that people say there is a healing process. And I'm sure that friends like him don't come into a person's life very often, but there is no use holding on to something that is no longer there."

Aidelle watched him pace around the room again, confused, "what do you mean?" She asked.

"What I mean is you need to let Daniel go. Don't mourn him, remember him how a good friend should be remembered, cherish those moments that you only had with him. Don't hang the bad times over yourself forever, otherwise you will only get dragged down by the weight of your own grief and guilt."

----

"Aidy!" Her mother called out, racing into the house.

Aidelle sat at her bed, thinking about the advice that Chris had given her earlier that afternoon.

"Aidy!" She called again, rushing up to Aidelle in her room.

"Yes mum?"

"You won't believe it," she gasped.

"What? What's up?" Aidelle asked blankly.

"Irene Siffrer."

Aidelle's eyes widened and she panicked, worried that she were outside the house.

"What... What about her?" Her voice quivered.

"She's been put behind bars!"

"Really!?" Aidelle exclaimed.

"Yeah, and, the research facility has been exposed and it's getting shut down!"

Aidelle was stunned, amazed at the good news. Her jaw dropped and she hugged her mother tightly, relieved that both the facility was being shut down for good, and that Irene had been brought to justice, just like James had said she would be.