A tattered, old doll

A tattered, old doll
Raelynn's POV

Emilio Decker stood just inside the doors alongside Ares. Both men were dressed in charcoal gray suits, but what stood out to me, was the fresh black eye Ares was sporting.

The two men commanded the space with their presence alone, but when I felt Cae stiffen beside me, I glanced between the two of them, a fury unlike anything I’ve felt before igniting in my gut.

“Did you…here….come… to admire your handiwork?” I snarled, finding a strength I didn’t know I possessed any longer. “Bad…too…. the casket…is… closed...”

In my frustration, I’d entirely forgotten about me Aphasia.

Emilio’s expression was almost believable as his eyes widened with fake shock, but I didn’t miss the slight tension in his jaw that remained despite the act, “Raelynn,” he blinked. “Tell me you’re not accusing me of something so heinous.”

“You can….cut…. the act,” I hissed, ignoring the pain shooting up my broken leg as I attempted to step towards him. “No…. one…. Believes…. You…” I spoke slowly to ensure my words came out clearly.

The mask slipped, but only for a second. That second was long enough for me to see the danger that lurked behind those dark eyes.

A fake, sympathetic smile pulled on his lips, hiding his true feelings, “It’s clear that you all are grieving. Kieran,” he turned towards his son, but my eyes were focused on Ares.

‘Can we talk later?’ he mouthed behind his father.

I pursed my lips, staring at a man that had come to my aid many times before. A man I wasn’t sure I knew any longer, and that realization hurt more than seeing him stand behind his father dutifully.

My head nodded slowly, as though it had a mind of its own. I regretted it almost immediately, but I had so many questions that only he had answers for.

“Don’t forget our little agreement,” Emilio grinned, dragging my attention back to Emilio. “Hopefully before this weekend is over, we can all celebrate Kieran’s engagement as a silver lining to this tragedy.”

It felt like a dagger had been thrust through my heart.

Emilio caught my pained expression, his lips pulling into a broad grin that didn’t hide an ounce of his true feelings behind it, “I am so terribly sorry for your loss, dear. I’m sure it hurts so soon after your mother’s untimely death. She was a real gem,” that grin turned into something even the cheshire cat couldn’t match. “Amelia and I go way back, so when I heard the news of her murder, I was rightfully devastated.”

“Leave,” Kieran hissed.

“See you Saturday, son,” he winked, spinning around with Ares hot on his heel. He stopped just before the doors closed behind him, “Oh, and Kieran,” those dark eyes leered over his shoulder. “I thought I raised you better than to play with your food.”

“What aren’t you telling me?” I spun towards Kieran, nearly losing my footing.

“If you’re upset about Saturday….” Kieran started, a slight stutter in his voice, but I cut him off, “I don’t give a damn about Saturday,” I lied, my voice cracking. “Why did Cae clam up when he saw your father just now?” I hissed.

“Can we talk about this later?” Kieran glanced at the casket, then at Caelum, who was clearly overwhelmed by everything that was going on.

Guilt could have drowned me at that moment.

I sealed my lips, stitching back together the busted seams that threatened to allow me to fall apart, and pretended like I had always done.

But in doing so, I realized that’s all I’d truly been doing.

I was simply a tattered, old doll. I’d been thrown around, dragged through the mud, and left behind like a forgotten toy. Over time, I’d learned to tug on the seams of my very psyche, pulling them tight enough to keep the contents of my agony and despair hidden from the rest of the world.

But no matter how many times I found the strength to hide the things that threaten to unravel me, eventually, the threads would break, and I wouldn’t have the strength to stitch myself back together.

As we walked out of the funeral home, I allowed Caelum to be my crutch, something he seemed more than eager to do. At nearly thirteen, he was almost as tall as me.

Sometimes I forget how little people ask of him due to his disability, me included.

The drive to the cemetery was equally as silent as it was depressing. Two red flags swaying in the wind. That was it.

Johnny’s life had been reduced to nothing.

Kieran, Malcom, and Cae all assisted in carrying the casket to its final resting place, where it was then slowly lowered into the ground.

A sort of numbness settled beneath my skin, a feeling all-too familiar for me as the covered Johnny with a layer of dirt.

I stood back, as Cae approached the slowly filling hole, an image I’d seen once before, except now, he was nearly a foot taller.

He spun around quickly, ‘Can we take a quick detour?’

I nodded, watching him glance towards the section of the cemetery where our mother was laid to rest.

“We’ll wait here,” Kieran glanced at Malcom.

“Thanks. We won’t…. long be.”

Cae returned to my side as we silently made the trek towards our mother’s grave. It was grueling with my leg injury, and the dull ache in my head was making me delirious, but I pushed through it.

The weeds around her grave had been freshly cleared, and sitting on top of the gravestone, visible from behind, was a bouquet of black roses.

I frowned, wondering who would bring such sullen flowers.

But as we approached, unease filled my chest, but I couldn’t figure out why.

My eyes widened as we rounded the tall gravestone. Cae released his grip on me, and I stumbled backwards, falling with a harsh thud against the ground.

Leaned up against my mother’s grave was a body….

Tears flooded my eyes as I stared at the lifeless corpse who was dressed…. Like me.