Celadon

Celadon Chapter 12

Bryce stood outside the entrance to the cave, holding onto Serenity tightly. Lyle stood beside him, although a few feet behind and Sen sat by the base of a nearby tree, picking at the grass silently.

Solis slowly climbed out of the hole in the dirt, a motionless body slung over his back.

"Hey, Solis.." Bryce greeted softly as Serenity sobbed into his shirt, still wearing his large orange hoodie. Solis nodded a little in response and pulled Grayson off his back, gently laying him down on the grass.

The boy looked strangely peaceful, his eyes gently closed, lips slightly parted and hair slowly drifting in the breeze by his forehead, a few strands blowing into his eyes every now and again but each quickly gets dislodged by the next gust that hit. Solis stared down at the boy, trying to keep the tears that threatened to fall at bay. Grayson hadn't deserved to die, he hadn't hurt anyone, and he hadn't done anything wrong.

But the fates didn't listen to that.

They wanted him, so they took him. Solis hoped that the poor boy's spiritual soul was in a better place now.

Bryce slowly pulled away from Serenity's tight grip. "Serenity..?" he asked gently, pushing her chin up a little so she was forced to look at him. "I'm so proud of you."

"Why?" She choked on her sobs a little as she sobbed.

"You were so brave down there, thank you.." He trailed off, his own tears filling his eyes as he pulled her back into the hug. Bryce couldn't bring himself to look at Grayson's peaceful face, he refused to believe that his kind, gentle, quiet cousin was gone.

"I wasn't brave," Serenity sobbed out. "I couldn't help at all."

"You helped bring Lyle back to us, Serenity. You did help, I promise.."

"I couldn't help when it mattered! Grayson still died!" She exclaimed, struggling out of the hug and forcing Bryce to look at her.

Bryce quickly turned his head, unable to look at her as she glared with such intensity with tears making her dirty cheeks all the more grubby. "Please, Serenity, stop.. He... he didn't..."

"You can't deny it forever, Bryce. Grayson is gone. I know it's hard, trust me, I know it well, but there's nothing any of us can do about it now. We have to deal with his death."

"I did it." Sen's eerie, dead voice floated out from the base of the tree, her eyes not leaving the floor they stayed focused on.

"No, you didn't, Sen.." Lyle muttered, trying to convince her otherwise.

"It was my bolt. I struck him. I killed him." She continued to say, completely ignoring Lyle's words."

"He deflected it! The bo-I mean, my father, he did it! Not you!"

Sen stayed silent.

They all turned slightly as they heard rythmic footsteps on the rungs of the ladder behind them, a familiar, soft voice talking gently.

"Alright, Marie," A small, childish voice replied to whatever had been muttered. Then, seconds later, a small, dirty blonde head popped up from the ground, bright, brown eyes looking around curiously while squinting slightly, trying to see in the dark.

"Keep going, Lissa," The familiar voice called lightly.

"Okay, Marie." She replied, before climbing up the rest of the way and sitting on the grass. She was very small, only about two foot tall at most, her hair long and dirty, falling around her middle and over her eyes, which were bright, brown and curious. She was dressed in a ragged dress which was littered with holes, but she didn't seem to mind.
Maria quickly followed her out of the hole, keeping her gaze directed to the grass and the small girl in front of her in order to keep herself calm. "Everyone, this is Melissa-"