The Rising (final book of The Call series) ~ TMNT Fanfiction

Chapter 7: Hello from Death

LEXI'S POV:

I vaguely remember trips to the cemetery that we'd take when we were little. Mom would dress us up and bring the three of us down to the grave site and we'd look at old friends of Mom or people that we knew previously. Since most of the people that she brought us to see were people that we didn't know when they were alive, the trips were typically very boring.

But there was one trip that we went on that I never forgot. I remember so clearly that it seems like it could have happened just yesterday.

I was about ten years old and we were at the cemetery in mid-November. As the days went by, the mornings were getting colder. Mom had woken us up early to go see the grave of our Great-Grandmother King. We had never visited her grave before, so I was surprised that we were doing so then, at six in the morning.

Bundled up in warm clothes, Mom held Benj's hand and Rosalie's hand. I walked beside her and waited for her to lead us to the grave. When we arrived, Mom knelt to the ground and stared at the grave for a while. Finally, her eyes flickered to mine and she smiled a small smile. She took hold of little Benjamin's hand.

"Benjy, look...this is your Great-Grandma King," she whispered, with tears in her eyes. Benj looked at the grave and waved his hand.

"Hi, Great-Grandma." Mom's smile shone even brighter and she looked over to Rosalie.

"Rosie, this is Grandma's mother."

"I know, Mom," she said quietly, kneeling standing beside Mom. She stared at the grave respectfully and stayed quiet after that. From the corner of my eye, I could see Mom look over to me. But I couldn't look at her—something had caught my eye. It wasn't the grave—it was the headstone. There was a headstone carved to look like a beautiful crown.

She was tortured because of something that had been held against her. Her father-in-law wasn't the best man. He stole and cheated and lied and there were people that wanted to do something about it. But he passed away, as did his son...so they had none other than to hold it against Rachelle King. She was kidnapped and tortured. They finally offered to let her go, but she wouldn't leave because they said that if they let her go, they'd kidnap and torture all her closest family and friends, just like they'd done to her. And she couldn't let that happen. So she let them kill her.

Now, eight years from that day, I stand with my sister in cemetery closest to our home; the one in New York. I feel an empty hole in my heart when I remember that Benj isn't buried with anyone that we know. His grave is the first in our family to be in this New York cemetery and that makes me feel lonely for him.

Mom tells us that she has somewhere else to be, which results in a small fight between the two of us. But eventually, Rose explains to me that this is just Mom's way of coping with it.

So the two of us stand right in front of our brother's grave. Neither of us speaks. It's a peaceful silence and it's nice.

That silence is interrupted when Rose's phone rings. Although it interrupts the silence, I don't look away from the grave. She sighs softly and picks up the phone, answering it. After a few moments, she walks away and continues to talk to whoever she is speaking with. I feel a pang in the heart at the fact that she would answer to cell phone, but not give ten minutes to show respect to our dead brother.

After about five minutes, she comes back with the cell phone still in her hand. She puts it on mute.

"That was my friend, Brevon. I'm going to go hang out with him, okay? We're going to a movie," she informs.

"What?" I hiss. "No, Rose. We already talked about this; no interruptions. We haven't even been here for five minutes." I then notice the look in her eyes. She likes this Brevon kid in a way more than friends. I bite my tongue to keep from saying something rude. She and I had talked about this too: she was going to try to avoid the whole 'romantic relationships' thing for as long as she could. Clearly, she can't wait any longer.

"Rose," I warn, seeing her pleading face. "No." She sets her jaw and goes back to her phone.

"I'll be there soon okay, Brev? Bye." When she hangs up, I notice that her expression turns from pleading, to anger. "I can't believe you're doing this."

I scoff and cross my arms. "You can't believe that I'm doing this? I can't believe that you're doing this! We're visiting our dead brother, for goodness sake, and you can't even go five minutes without making dinner reservations!"

"They aren't dinner reservations; we're going to see a movie!"

"Same difference!"

"We can see Benj's grave any time we want," she points out, crossing her arms.

"And you can make plans any time you want."

"And I want to right now."

"You're unbelievable. You can't even spend a few minutes to slow down that stupid life of yours and realize that there are people who don't have a life anymore! You're too selfish to realize it, Rose!" I'm shouting now.

"Oh, look who's talking! You're the one who ignored your boyfriend for three weeks just because he saved your life!" she shrieks. "You're the one that's so unappreciative about what people do for you!"

"You're a selfish brat that can't go a few months without having a boyfriend!" We both probably look crazy; two girls shouting at each other as the sun is going down, at a grave site.

"Four months! I've gone four months without a boyfriend, Lexi! That's longer than you ever had a boyfriend for!" she storms, and that stings.

"Oh, four months! How nice. Would you like a gold star? You're an attention-seeking—" I'm cut off by the sudden falling of a tree nearby. Rose and I both rip our glares from each other. It's a bit of a frail looking tree, but it surprises us both that it was just knocked over like that. There's a small, but firm gust of wind that blows against us.

"Benj never liked us fighting..." I whisper, swallowing. "It...it scared him."

There is a strong and screaming silence that sits among us for what seems like forever. I kneel down at the grave and sit there, staring at the tree that has fallen.

"Rose..." I say, after about five minutes. "I'm so sorry..." When there is no answer, I glance over my shoulder to see that she's gone. She has left and won't hear my apology. Even though anger is rising up in my bones that she would just sneak off like that, I try to turn myself back towards Benj's grave.

"Hey, Benjy..." I whisper, blinking back the tears that threaten to come. "It's okay. We won't fight anymore. It's okay." I feel like I'm trying to reassure myself instead of my dead brother, but that's okay too.

It's late at night and it still seems to get darker and darker. Finally, I stand up and brush my pants off from the dirt and grass. I don't know how long I have been here for, but I feel an odd sense of comfort and peace; it's almost like a hug. Benj is hugging me and he's telling me that it's going to be okay. And even though I can't see him, I know he's there.

The invisible hug is ruined when I'm grabbed from behind. It's so sudden that I don't have time to kick or scream or react. When I look to see who has grabbed me, shock overcomes me. I freeze. I feel paralyzed.

I'm looking up at a Maneuver Man.

I'm going to die.

I'm going to face my worst fear: dying after having a fight with someone that I care about. I feel the grip of the Maneuver Man tighten around my wrist and I let the tears spill from my eyes. From my other hand, I let my phone drop from my pocket. It doesn't make any sound as it crashes to the ground.