ASDFGHJGHFD ASHTON. Did anyone else witness the Ashton Revolution on twitter for his birthday? Lmao I'm cry. (only 5SOS fans will understand)The song for this chapter is "Come Home" by Onerepublic. Xo
Gena's POV
Hours after I return home I hear a boom outside my window. Startled, I peek through the blinds and see water pelting the ground, raindrops hitting the streets like bullets. The window glass is ice cold from the rain, and a small smile tries to make its way from my mind to my face. I rest my head against the cool glass and close my eyes. Although rainy weather was my favorite, it somehow brought out my depression and put me in a mood as gray as the sky.
My phone rings on the bed, but I tune it out and focus on the water shooting from the sky. I roll up the blinds and sit on the windowsill, compacting myself to fit into the small corner carved into the wall. I nestle my cheek against the window, ignoring the chills running up my spine. I rest my chin in my palm and sigh, staring at the miniature rivers filling the cracks in the concrete.
It killed me that my favorite weather would either result in me being really happy and laying on the sidewalk in the cool water, or me feeling and acting like a total waste of humanity. I shake my head, trying to push away the negativity and readjust my position on the windowsill.
I focus on one spot outside and lose myself in the reflection of the clouds in the water. A puddle in the grass catches my eye and before I can shake off the thought, I'm lost in a flashback to my mother's funeral.
Gena's POV
Svetlana appears behind me as I slide a final bobby pin into place, tucking a loose curl behind my ear. I straighten the black bow in my hair and pull slightly on my long black dress in attempt to smooth it out. My sister's hand rests on my hip as she places as kiss on top of my head. "She fought hard, Evgenia." Svetlana whispered, hugging me from behind.
"She only died because she was too busy fighting our battles to focus on her own." I say hoarsely. Sveta parts her lips to speak, but a strangled whisper is all she can manage. I draw a thin line of eyeliner on my lash line and blink away the tears. I straighten out my dress one final time and make my way outside to the car.
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When they called me up to speak, I couldn't stand. I was numb as I made my way up to the podium. Hands trembling, I fish the folded paper out of my dress pocket and slowly undo the creases. I place the note in front of me, and look up at the crowd. Despair has washed the color from everyone's faces. All pairs of eyes are directed at me through a consistent lens of tears.
Rain and thunder boom outside. I glance out the window. The grass outside the funeral home is covered by a blanket of water.
"Lidewij Krasota carried her entire family with one hand." I begin, my voice splitting the second I start to speak. "Whatever we wanted or needed, she would give to us regardless if she had it or not."
Tears spill from my eyes like rockets as I make eye contact with my family. "She was diagnosed for the first time five years ago, in October. I was only fourteen at the time, my sisters seventeen and twenty one. We almost lost her, but after months and months of medical therapy she was finally cancer free. She was in remission for about four years, until last April, when she got an insane ache in her hip. She was sobbing the whole way to the hospital."
A hiccupped sob falls from my lips as I push my hair off of my shoulders. I watch tears rain from the grey eyes of my two sisters and for a moment I'm not sure if I can go on. "We rushed her to the hospital, and after hours of waiting around for the inevitable news, the doctors finally came outside and told us the truth. The cancer was back. Except this time, it had spread from her appendix."
