Being the Villain

-7-

Tuesday morning came, and I dressed in a nice black dress. The ceremony was going to be held at a local church in the middle of the city. It started at nine, and it was 8:33 now. My mom walked into my room and, without a word, placed a gold necklace upon my chest. She closed the clasp and smiled at our appearance in the mirror. My brown hair was in a half up half down style, and my mother's hair was in a neat and perfect bun. Our brown eyes met each other's gaze. "I love you sweetie," was all she said before leaving me alone again in my room. I slipped on a pair of black flats and trudged down the stairs to the living room.

We silently filed into my mom's 2016 Toyota Camry and headed off for the church. The weather outside was sunny and nice which felt like an insult. In stories, the weather is always gloomy to match the mood of the grieving character. Why can't it be like that? We were given a reserved row for the ceremony that was only filled with the three of us. Seven other seats sat empty next to me. They were there for visiting family, but all of my parents family lived at least four hours away and couldn't make the trip. All my aunts and uncles didn't want to pull their kids from school for such a long drive. It didn't matter a whole lot because I wasn't close to any of them anyway.

Sawyer came up to my parents and gave them both hugs and then turned to me. Hugging me tightly he whispered, "I'm sorry." Samantha, Elliot, and Aidan all came too and helped fill in our empty seats. All of them cared so much for my family and me. It was nice to finally have people like that to lean back on. I moved down one seat and sat in between Samantha and Sawyer. Then, the ceremony began.

The entire room became silent as a few people stood up and strolled toward the platform. They were the people who would be speaking today. Grim faces looked up to see who had gotten up. Both of my parents had. I knew they had considered speaking, but I didn't think they would. They could barely talk about it at home, but I guess this was a way to get everything out.

A man I didn't recognize moved toward the microphone and sighed heavily before beginning the spiel he had prepared. "We are brought here today because of the unbelievable accident that occurred exactly one year to the day. Five young people were killed in multiple fires all started in the mall only a few blocks down from our location right now."

What the man was saying did not help at all. Everyone knew that the multiple fires started at the mall had been done on purpose, so it was no accident at all.

The man continued, "While the heroes tried to save everyone, they couldn't, so today we are here to remember the lives lost." That was why I became a villain. Heroes need to be gone and someone has to get rid of them. I became a villain to avenge my sister and I was going to do as much as I could to get rid of them.

"On a day like this, we need each other. Today is going to very hard for us all. The different speakers behind me might say things that hurt, but I think we can all agree we need to get things out. Please do not make any rude comments to the speakers because it was not an easy task for them to talk about what they have lost." With those final words, the man stepped off the stage, and my parents took his place at the microphone. I realized now that tears were streaming down my face. Looking around the room, I saw I was definitely not the only one. Samantha put her arm around me and squeezed my hand to show that she was there for me, and my dad began his speech.

"Good morning everyone, one year ago, my wife and I lost our precious daughter, Valerie," My dad paused, collected himself, and continued. "At the time, she was only a freshman that was just starting to plan out the rest of her life. She really wanted to be either a dancer or a doctor. I know that they are very different. I was shocked too. While she was an amazing dancer, she always said she would prefer to be a doctor. When I asked her why she looked me straight in the eyes and told me she wanted to help people. She said she would be completely okay throwing away all the hard work put into dance to become a doctor and help others. Of course, I couldn't have been prouder as a parent. Valerie was completely fine not being in the spotlight." My dad finished, and my mom jumped in.

"My husband, Kelsy, and I have been shown so much support, and we would like to thank everyone here for that. It' been a huge struggle for us, but we will get through this. Thank you." And, with that, they left the stage hand in hand.

'We'll get through this' had become the family motto. The only thing was, I had no clue how we would.

~'~'~

After the ceremony, my friends and I parted ways to head back home. Many people told us they were sorry for our loss, but no matter how many times someone says it, it will never bring the person back. We went out for lunch at a small sandwich shop. The owner kindly told us he would pay for the meal, and my parents thanked him for his generosity. The meal was eaten in silence just like the ride home. When we arrived back at the house, I changed into something more comfortable and laid down for a long nap.

A/N: A very emotional and informational chapter. You guys now know her motivations for being villain. What do you guys think, is her motivation something that would push you to become a villain?

Anyways, I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I was on vacation this week, so I wrote it during our long car ride. (16 hours is not a fun car ride) Love you guys! Vote and comment your thoughts!