Prometheus' Orb (Legends of the Dark Creatures Book 1)

Chapter Thirteen: Goodbye Alex

Three Days Later...

A gentle cold breeze swept through the short green trees that grew near the cemetery. The clouds were getting dark... the sound of thunder echoing throughout the sky. Even darker than the clouds was the scene that lay before Ashley. Everyone was in black... men and some women were in black suits and most of the women, including Ashley, wore black dresses.

Today was the first time Ashley ever attended a funeral. Today was the first time she was asked to stand in front of everyone and give a eulogy... and a suffocating feeling came upon her whenever she thought of it; a eulogy of Alex, a eulogy of someone dear to her.

Tears were pouring uncontrollably from her eyes but she did her best not to burst into sobs. She stood under a tree and next to Leah, who held her hand tightly and had buried her face into the side of Ashley dress. Ashley could hear the muffled crying of her sister. Alex would, on occasion, babysit Leah. Leah always said she never needed a babysitter and now...

Ashley cupped her mouth, knelt down and hugged her sister and both of them let out subdued cries. Ashley felt fingers on her shoulder. She knew it was him. She ungracefully wiped her face and nose and stood up.

It was Richard. His ocean blue eyes said it all... they were both worried and reassuring. His perfectly curved lips curled into small smile and Ashley couldn't help but mirror it.

Samantha, Claire, Sara, Robert, and Luke later joined them. Luke... Ashley was, of course, happy to see him but she was also surprised as well. With everything going on in his family anyone would have understood if he didn't show up. Luke and Robert's eyes were a bit red but without tears. They both wore the same type of black suit. Samantha was in a black skirt with a black top to match it. Claire and Sara wore black dresses though Sara was of a much darker shade than Claire's.

Luke walked to Ashley and gave her a warm and soft hug. As Ashley hugged Luke, she saw Adrian at a distance standing next to his father. His mother was with Ashley's, standing beside and comforting Mrs. Grainger, Alex's mother. The woman's cries got even louder as the casket slowly began to be lowered into the ground. Ms. Hughes, Ashley's teacher of Physics, was also next to them.

Alex was being put to rest. Ashley could believe she was gone. In all honesty, she still could believe a lot of things.

"I heard she even got a scholarship..."

"The girl had a bright future..."

"How could such a nice girl meet such a cruel fate..."

"They are saying it was some kind of animal..."

Ashley could hear the whispers. Alex's death had changed a lot in the town but Ashley too had changed. She was no longer who she once was. She was now able to adjust her sight to see in the dark, to smell and hear even from the farthest of distances. She was no longer human... she never really was one, to begin with.

"And what was she doing in the woods that night..."

Ashley could feel her teeth lengthening and sharpening. She ignored the stinging pain as her sharp claws tore through her skin when she heard those words. She just wanted to...

A hand gently grabbed her right arm.

Her teeth and claws retracted and she could feel the torn skin on her palms begin to heal as she turned to face him.

Richard. He was right next to her.

"Don't mind them," he whispered. His voice was so low that even a human close to him couldn't have heard it. But Ashley could.