Burnin' Up | J. Saltzman - Legacies [1]

F I V E

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Stella had been ignoring Josie's texts all morning. First, it was a victory text about some new honor counsel. Then, it was something about an election, and Lizzie, and blah, blah, blah. Stella couldn't concentrate on Josie now.

She cannot concentrate on anything with Carter's epitaph in front of her.

The wind roars in her ears as Stella stands before the grave. The words engraved on the stone scream at Stella as she reads each letter over and over again. The grey skies hide the sun from her; if she were to find a ray of sunlight beaming down, she might destroy it out of spite.

She has been standing there for over an hour. The witch does not know what to do. She never had to do this before. No one else ever had a body to be buried.

She opens her mouth, thinking she has the words formed in her mind. But then, she sighs softly, knowing that those very words are useless anyway. How can anything help? Her first love is dead.

Stella's phone begins to ring. She rolls her eyes, quickly checking the contact to make sure it is not important. It is: Hope is calling her.

"Hope?" Stella asks. "Is everything ok?"

"Saltzman wants you to run some tests on Landon," she says, her voice dripping with annoyance. "I'm not sure where you went, but he wants you since you are 'unbiased.'"

Stella scoffs, "Bull."

"That's what I said. Then, he suggested we do it together because 'if Landon can turn us, he can turn anybody.' He's getting on my nerves."

Stella glances back at the stone before her. "Hope, I don't know when I'll be back."

Hope goes silent for a moment. Stella knows the trybrid is listening, trying to discover where she is. "I'll start without you, ok? Josie's been looking for you too. Whenever you're ready, just come back. We'll have some fun torturing Landon."

Stella purses her lips and stifles a chuckle. "Alright, cousin. I'll see you later."

She hangs up the phone and silences it.

Another hour goes by of Stella standing before Carter's grave silently. Again, she attempts to speak, but the words melt on her tongue. Every time she opens her mouth, her thoughts scream at her like a train.

After an additional twenty minutes, Stella hears a set of footsteps approach from behind. "I know," she says, not turning to face him. Pine engulfs her senses. She sniffles and rubs her face. "I know I said a few minutes, but..."

The footsteps stop.

"I don't know what to do," Stella says, looking up at her father. Derek stands to her left silently.

He grips Stella's hand as if afraid she might slip away. He remains silent as he reaches forward to brush a tear off of Stella's cheek. They know the same pain: the death of their first love.

He kneels down beside Carter's grave, setting a single poppy on the grass. He sighs before he says, "One day it won't hurt as badly."

Stella gazes down at him as he clenches his hands into fists. His shoulders tremble slightly. She reaches out and places her hand on his shoulder.

"One day, you will wake up and feel lighter. Then, you'll remember and fall back again." He looks back up at her with tears lining his eyes. "The pain will always be there, but one day, you will realize that she would want you happy. And, maybe, you'll accept it too."

Stella inhales sharply, trying to stop the tears from trailing down her cheeks. Her chest feels hollow, and her throat is dry like the desert; her head spins atop her body as if independent from her soul. "I don't know what to do," she repeats.