Norah & Daniel

Chapter-48

Cemetery decorations.

The pale blue lilies and roses looked like a part of the winter around, like this was their ultimate fate from the very start, to end up here.

I heaved a sigh, getting up.

Not a single person was around as I made my way back to my car, through the entire stretch of the compound.

It was hard not to look around at these tombstones, some looking as if they are still being cared for, some forgotten, some on the verge of crumbling down altogether, but every single one of them hoping to be forever remembered in their deaths.

As I passed a huge oak tree, my eyes fell to a weeping angel statue arched over a small grave, holding a marble baby in her arms.

It would have scared her. Those angel statues always did.

I sighed again.

I couldn't help but let my mind link everything to her. Everything reminded me of her.

I could pinpoint the place in my chest where I could feel it, feel the ache that every thought of her brought with itself.

Without letting my mind wander farther, I rushed towards my car, the only one in the empty parkway.

Who else would want to be here in this biting cold weather?

The drive back to Cassell took less than half an hour, a very silent half an hour.

Silent, just like the last two weeks had been.

Classes were almost wrapped up by the time my car entered the school ground.

I silently walked to my locker, taking long strides, ignoring the looks I still got, even after these two weeks, whenever I showed up in school hallway.

It wasn't just the school hallways though. I got the same looks in the streets from complete strangers, from my neighbours whenever I made the mistake of leaving my house, and even from my own family.

The look coated with thick pity.

Acting oblivious to the whispers around me, I pulled out my Calculus book from my locker and shoved it in my bag.

I kept repeating in my mind not to turn left, where her locker was, knowing it would just enrage me even more. There was no point. But it was like my brain just had to defy me and I decided to steal a glance.

Flowers, candles, photos and messages strewn all around it.

They called it a prayer, for her and her loved ones.

I called it bullshit.

It was just so all of them could feel a part of this 'tragedy' which had struck an innocent family. For a sleepy town like Cassell, this was a huge deal and people felt the need to talk about it, again and again and again, as if by discussing it over their family dinner they were doing their part as a community.

It didn't help that Norah's dad had decided to release the complete case to the press. Local newspapers and TV stations had gone crazy with the amount of interesting twists this story brought for them. Everyday a part of the case came out in some paper, twisted and turned to attract more readers into this very scandalous event of the town.

'All you need to know about the Bishop Twin case'

'The crime that spanned over three ends with another death'

'Police investigation for the Bishop Twin case comes to an end'

Along with Emma's and Norah's names, it was his name plastered everywhere.