Too Young (Travlyn Fic)

Aphmau

You can't forget the pain of the world.
I sit in Aaron's bed holding Aaron's hand. Melissa is watching Alina. J think she needs it too honestly.
"I never thought he'd be gone so soon," Aaron says, shaking slightly. It's been only two weeks. The funeral is today.
Derek is gone and we still haven't found Katelyn.
It all seems hopeless now. Hopeless to even look for Katelyn. It all seems so hopeless. Derek is gone. Katelyn is gone.
It's hard to give people hope, when you have none yourself.
"I know," is all I can say. Wow. Way to be comforting.
He leans against me. Why us? Why him?
I can't tell him everything is going to be okay. I can't.
"How are we going to do this?" I whisper. He gives me a hug. I'm suppose to be the one comforting. It's not my father.
But it almost feels like it.
I've known Derek since I was young because he worked with Garroth, Zane, and Vlayd's dad. He's sort of like an uncle to me.
Was. He was.
"One day at a time," Aaron says. "One day at a time.

The church bench is so cold. I tug the corner of my dress. Alina sits on my lap.
"Party?" She asks. I shake my head as I feel my throat tighten. She must think that this is like grad. Aaron wore a suit there and I wore a dress.
I close my eyes, the memory of grad in the front of my mind.
It's the day after Derek's death. My hands are still shaking as I sit down. I always imagined this day, looked forward to it. But I always imagined Katelyn here. And though I did not even think about it, I thought Derek would be here too.
I look down at my lap. My dress is white with a blue cape. I remember seeing it. I wanted a purple dress, but this one just seemed right. It looks sort of like the one Irene wears.
I remember looking forward to wearing this dress. Now I just want to go back in time.
I shake my head again. Aaron sits beside me stone faced. Melissa leans on him. Rachel sits prim and proper as usual. Most people think she's emotionless, that she married Derek only for the money. I used to think that.
But I've seen her at her weakest. She cried when Lina was born and back st the Lycan house, she cried for Derek. She hides her emotions, or rather keeps control over them.
Something I wish I was better at.
As the priest begins speaking, I can't hear a word.
Dead, my inner voice says. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. Dead.

I don't want to walk up to the open coffin. I don't want to see Derek's lifeless face. I don't want to see Aaron touch his stone cold hand one last time.
I give Alina too my mother.
I don't want her to see Derek.
She doesn't understand what dead is. She doesn't.
I walk hand in hand with Aaron. He doesn't want to see Derek either. I squeeze is hand tightly. When we stop, I want to burry my face into Aaron's chest.
Derek is far too still. In real life he was always moving, always fidgeting slightly. He is far too perfect with not a hair out of place. It is unnatural. I shiver as Melissa touches her father's hand and as Aaron does the same. Silent tears rush down my face. Be strong, I tell myself. Be strong.
I watch as a Rachel, stiff as ever, allows a single tear to drip down her face. She touches Derek's face gently. I look at Derek's peaceful expression.
I can't bring myself to do anything.
I hear Rachel whisper something.
I hear her whisper goodbye.

I go back to Katelyn's house after the funeral. I sit in her room. Think, she could be gone too. I sit on her bed, my head against the headboard, my eyes closed.
I could be sitting in a dead girl's room. More tears rush down now. Where are you, I want to scream.
I wish she was here at least for Travis. I remember back in high school when things got bad. I remember seeing the scars. I remember reading the note. I remember screaming for help, for my mom. And I remember Katelyn, holding onto Travis, keeping him in this world.
That's what I first thought of when Eric showed me the note. But no body's have been found.
And I hope it stays that way. I hope that Katelyn isn't dead. Because if she is, I don't know how I would live.
I hear a creak as someone enters the room. My eyes fly open. Kasey.
He comes and sits beside me on the bed. He looks so much like Katelyn.
Katie and Kacey, my mom use to say.
One look at him and for him, one look at me sets us both off. We are both sobbing, holding onto each other. He's only sixteen. And even though I turn eighteen in two months, that's still two years younger.
Kasey grew up without a mom. And he just lost the closest thing he had to one. His sister.
Eventually, we stop crying. My mascara has dripped all down my face.
"Sorry," he sniffs. "I just wanted to talk to you."
"It's okay. Look, I'm just going to go wash this off, okay?" I ask. He nods.
I stand up and go into Katelyn's bathroom. Katelyn and I use to play spa in here when we were little. As I wipe off the mascara, I think off all the good times I had here. All the good times with Katelyn.
As I throw the tissue away, I notice something I never did before. There is something behind the shampoo bottle. I can barely see it. But it's there. I walk towards it and carefully pick it up.
I scream. Both Kasey and Eric come running.
I now know why Katelyn ran away. I know.
She's pregnant.