We Rule the World

XVII

Month Seven, Year One

7:57AM

Whitefall had never been so bleak in despair or high in emotion before, even when the Event happened people hadn't acted like they were now. Even the night of the Jouse incident nobody wallowed and cried as much as they did now, the days after he was killed became a time of reflection but not the dower hopelessness that engulfed Whitefall now.

It had been one week since the carnage of that frightful day when the funerals began. The first was the Watchmen funeral, the rows and rows of coffins had been closed whilst others had only been symbolic as the corpses were either never found or too broken to show. Nobody needed to see the twisted and contorted features of the Watchmen who had died, most of the bodies were charred once the fire engulfed the entire building. Now the Courthouse was a burnt husk as the thick foundations still stood strong on the outside. Most of the younger years showed up to honour the Watchmen and friends they once had been before the Event; the Student Council had considered not even having a funeral for them considering that they caused so much death and chaos but the younger years were vocal about honouring the Watchmen forcing the Student Council's hand.

Three days after it was time for the senior's funeral, for all of those who lost their lives assaulting the building or those who were kidnapped and charred to death as Lucas Temple watched. Everyone was invited and everyone came. The New Masons were there, the Police Force and the girl's group were there, the Student Council were leading the ceremony, the nerdy groups clung tight to the smart groups and the smart groups clung tight to the jocks. This was real unity, something that Whitefall had been missing for the longest of time. As it turned out, without teachers to force unity onto the students they built walls and divided themselves, working together was something that they had to learn from the long road since the Event.

Everyone was starting to drastically slimmer down due to the intense rationing, most went to bed hungry each night and woke up hungry in the morning. This was the best that the Student Council could do though. Looking at the few members of the New Masons that showed up though they were the complete opposite as they looked healthy, slimmer than they were before the Event but healthier none the less. Those who came to pay their respects were a mish-mashed bunch containing Blair Shank, Effy, Liam McCall, Michael Kowalski, Anthony Dames & Nate Greene. The closest one to being the leader of the bunch was Blair by the way they crowded around him, as Michael Kowalski sat to the side of the group.

At the podium Dominic Marcuse lead the entire ceremony, He seemed to be the only one who could say two words without being chocked up by his emotions. The coffins for the seniors were far more ornate and richer in detail than the ones used for the Watchmen, the eight hostages that died were given beautiful redwood with a golden trim of nature-leaves, but like the Watchmen those coffins were symbolic as the remaining forms of the hostages were fused with the floor of the Courthouse and wouldn't move, forcing them to be left there. Three steel coffins with little trimming contrasted the beautiful redwoods but that is how people knew that those were the guys who died trying to free the hostages, one of those people was Dan Garret as his coffin was open allowing everyone to see the hero who had given his life trying to save people. Behind Dominic and behind the coffins on a completely flat and plain wall, the school photos and some personal photos of those lost cycled through a PowerPoint as the projector hissed and whined against the intense cold it was fighting. The flowers that were up there and in everybody's hands were fake flowers, the weather didn't permit real flowers so they had to send these people off with plastic imitations.

Dominic's words had been perfectly crafted solemn enough to push some people to crying who would have only watery-eyes and his research was in-depth enough that funny stories of the dead came up, bringing a sad laughter to the crowd. Such as when Rye's fresh baked roll from the canteen was stolen right out of his hands by a crow who then chased Rye around the school until lunch ended, or when Hayley Peirceson protested about... something... which lasted three days until she finally relented and given up, or when this person done that & that person done this. All of the stories were perfectly worded and some were definitely funny but they only reminded everybody of who was lost. Once Dominic had finished everybody had the chance to line up and pay their respects to each coffin, nearly everyone did. Ricky went first, she tried her best to be unbiased but she did pass a few of the coffins in haste and when she was at Dan's coffin her knees buckled and she collapsed, her wails could be heard over the rushing wind outside even as her friend helped her away and into the ladies' toilets.