❝𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐎𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐈𝐀❞ ━ TREECH

14. somber morning

"Mhm, just out of respect, I think," she agrees. "I don't think I'd have the guts to decline either. But I would be so nervous they'd probably have to get something into my system first to calm me down."

Cas laughs a little bit. Truthfully, a few minutes ago, the thought of singing at Arachne's funeral annoyed him greatly. He figured the best option for him would simply be to pretend it never happened, that she never died in his and Coriolanus' arms, but like this it might take a while longer for people to drop the topic. Being at the Academy today had been dreadful with all of these people saying their condolences and trying to comfort him.

The only comfort he really accepts is that of his family and his close friends. Though he does appreciate the fact that neither Pup or Hilarius have said anything beyond their condolences to him today. Still, he can tell even his closest friends are keeping an eye on him and his mental state. He doesn't like how vulnerable it makes him feel.

"Can Coriolanus even sing?" Junia then questions. "I remember his grandmother used to sing a lot when we visited as children but..." She trails off.

"She was horribly off-key," Cas snickers. "I think he's going to have to go through some vocal practice with her today, then. There's no way she'll allow him to embarrass himself." He puts the pillow back in its original place, his hands on his lap.

"And you're going to be alright? You don't want to practice?" Junia asks. "I know you're not bad at singing in the shower but that's a formal event, you know? Almost everyone in the Capitol will be watching you."

Just the thought of being in her brother's shoes right now makes her want to crawl under the floorboards and curl up beneath them. She doesn't think she'd be able to handle it at all.

But Cas only waves her off. "All things considered, it can't get much worse," he says.

But he does silently tell himself that he might not want to spend the night crying again. Wearing his voice out from sobbing won't do him any good. He can only hope he won't have the same nightmares as the previous night.

"By the way," he then says, "this is extremely off-topic but I figured I'd ask mom about Clemmie. Thought because her and Coriolanus went to Dr. Gaul, she might know why they didn't come back."

He frowns, "I don't know if I'm overthinking things, but I thought she was acting rather weird."

"Weird?" Junia repeats the word carefully, almost dreading the answer. She has a feeling she won't like where this is going. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, mom was very excited about me singing at Arachne's funeral. She didn't even want to listen to me when I told her it was a horrible idea and that she should've waited until I was home so I could decide for myself," he explains. "When I asked if she had seen Clemmie and Coriolanus today, she said yes. But when I asked a bit more, she suddenly really wanted to go back to work."

"That is weird," Junia agrees. "She did say she had her hands full... Are you sure you're not reading too much into things?"

Cas shrugs and pushes himself off the bed. He walks over to his window, opening it slightly to let some fresh air in. "I don't know," he replies, "that could be it. All she said was that Clemmie looked rather sickly."

Junia's heart almost stops when she hears that and she immediately thinks back to the vials, fluids and scales she saw in her mother's study. She pales.

Confused, Cas turns around. He expected an answer from his sister but when he only finds her sitting there, fidgeting on the chair, he grows concerned. "June?"

She looks up at him. "I really need to tell you something. Can you keep a secret?"

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