Clara Styles is Dead | ONC 2024

Chapter 1 - My Funeral

It was surreal. Seeing my casket, everyone in black, even people I didn't know or recognize were actually crying.

What the hell was I doing?!

I was only 18, I was supposed to be graduating next month...

Oh My God.

I would never see Kale Ho's face ever again!

And he actually attended my funeral! Not every girl gets to say their crush was there for that. I looked over to my driver, Dave. He was calmly eating some crackers and half-heartedly dipping them in a jar of peanut butter.

"So, Dave."

"Mm?"

"After this thing is over, I get to see Hana right?"

Dave turns around in his seat to look at me, and I notice a few crumbs fall from his mustache.

"The schedule is the funeral, pick up your things, meet up with your friend, a quick course on how your new lives are going to be, and then you see Hana." He takes another bite of his cracker, turns back in his seat to face the front, and then muffles, "We already went over this three times, Miss Clara."

I huff and cross my arms. This is going to take forever.

Leaning back into my seat, I turn and stare at the service again. I'm not sure why they made us attend our funerals.

It regrettably reminded me of my mom's funeral and how utterly destroyed I felt that day when it all became too real. It's already been half a year and I still can't believe she's gone. I feel like at any moment she'll come out and tell me it was all a dream or that I got pranked, then she'll hug me and.... I stop my thoughts, already feeling the burning in my throat and my eyes blurring with tears.

"You know, you're not actually dead, Miss Clara. No need for tears." There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice and I had a feeling he said it to try and cheer me up. He turns halfway in his seat again and offers me a handkerchief and a cracker. I take them both and I can't help but let out a little chuckle.

"Thanks Dave."

Turning to the window again, I see the people start to walk away. Some of my classmates walk up to the freshly buried mound, looking a bit too emotional. It's funny how someone who ignored you most of your life can somehow muster up so much sympathy, even if it's just pity of a short life. However, it oddly makes me feel happy seeing that these people could feel sorrow, just for me.

My mind wanders to T and I wonder if the same people showed up to his funeral last weekend. I'd have to ask him once we got on the jet. And then maybe we'd finally find out why we were separated and shown our funerals in the first place.

These past two weeks had felt like some insane fever dream. Except, it was real. And today cemented that reality.

Dave starts the car and simultaneously checks the time on his watch.

"Okay Miss Clara, off to your house we go."

*      *      *

As we pull up onto the driveway, the familiarity of the sound of gravel being crushed by the wheels of the car breaks me away from my thoughts.

The trailer comes into view, my home for the last 15 years. It was nothing fancy, just an old trailer in a park.

I haven't seen it for only two weeks, yet, it looks foreign to me now. I begin to unbuckle my seatbelt as Dave parked on the driveway. Getting out of the car, I instantly stretch a bit, feeling a bit stiff from sitting for so long.