Unfortunate Beginnings

Nothing like a warm summers day. The suns warm rays rain down on Caroline's red hair and my blonde hair, both shining just as bright as the sun itself. The breeze was light, a small caress on your cheeks, gentle as a mothers touch. Comforting, soft, warm and sweet. Today would have been a perfect day to take a nice swim in uncles pool, just laughing and splashing like the kids we were. Once again, notice how I said 'were'. If it weren't for last week, all of what was described could have been. But instead, me, Caroline, uncle and our cousin Christopher are at our parents funeral.

Let me explain. After seeing our dad killing our mama and running to find uncle, dad had taken his own life. Now me and Caroline are orphans, currently staying with our uncle and cousin. Uncle hasn't been the same since that day, his expression has become sad and held a sense of lost hope. The one man who, like our mama, always cheered everyone up, has lost that cheeriness. He's not the only one. Caroline was always loud until our parents started to fight, not in the obnoxious way, just enough to let the world know she's here. I always did admire that about my sister. Since I was more shy, but still was just as loud as Caroline when I felt the need, my opinions were never heard unless if Caroline spoke up for me. I miss those people. I miss my mama, my dad, my uncle, and us. This seems to be our funeral.

Uncle held our hands the whole time, Christopher was with our aunt since he was too young to understand what was going on. The three of us understood this deep grief, and only the three of us ever would. Though we had each other, me and Caroline felt alone in the world, as if we were living in a horrible dream. Since the incident, we both woke up with the hope that what we saw was just a dream, that our lives would be back to normal and our parents weren't fighting anymore.

Sadly, it was all too real. We had our parents caskets closed tight, not just out of respect but because uncle felt its unnecessary to see them that way, any way but alive. We didn't want to see them either so we just agreed to keeping them shut. Mama wouldn't want it and neither would dad, they both always hated to be in pictures or video and I was pretty sure that seeing their empty shells would count too. None of us cried at the funeral, none of us spoke, none of us looked at anyone. We were just there, nothing more or less. If anyone had looked at us and then our parents, they would say we were just as dead as them. Though Caroline showed her devastation in her face, I had kept it in my eyes. To prevent any pity being given to me, when I couldn't find a place to hide, I kept my gaze on the ground.

Soon the ceremony began, me and Caroline sat in the front row on either side of our uncle. We looked around at the people who came. Even though it was a small funeral, there was not one familiar face besides our aunt and uncle. Where was Amy and Sharon, our aunts? I looked at Caroline with the same expression when we realized they weren't here. It was a mix of confusion and anger. Our aunts were close with mama, but me and Caroline never trusted them completely. They are very nice to us, they showed deep affection towards mama and us but after we first met them two years ago, mama pulled us to the side and told us about them.

"Lily, Caroline, I want you to listen to me," she said in a serious tone, her grey-blue eyes matching the same seriousness as her tone,"I want you both to be alert around your aunts. They mean well and truly do love us but they are still not trustworthy." Mama took a pause, her eyes now softening with tears welling in the corner of her eyes," They led a very rough life since they were your age. Both me and them have had to fight for this life, and one day, you will too. It isn't what I want for you, but that is our destiny."

End Chapter Two