Swell (Complete)

Chapter Thirty-Three (Part Two)

"You meant so much to so many
I'm not quite sure how to do justice to you
if they're ready to say goodbye
I know I'm not."

....

Adora felt awkward and incredibly out of place at the funeral of Elissa.
Marti hadn't let go of her hand since they'd driven from the hotel. Debbie had decided to skip the funeral. Tom hadn't known Elissa well enough, but he stood beside Will, who had shaved and now aside from the grief on his face was barely distinguishable from his twin.
Will was as stoic as the first day they'd met at school. Adora fought every urge not to reach out for his hand and place herself between Marti and Will. Marti held Will's hand as she stood between them, and Tom stood on the other side of Will.
The only funeral she had ever been to had been her father's, and his death had been as sudden as the discovery of this one.
Marti had introduced her to Elissa's family, and the awkwardness had settled deep in her stomach, she couldn't deny some relief in being away from Wheeler Falls though, considering the doll at her front door.
Tahnee stood at the podium and started to give a eulogy for her younger sister, the emotion caught in the back of her throat and Adora looked down to the floor as her eyes burned with the memory of overwhelming grief.
She heard Marti sniffling and felt a shift on the other side of her friend as Will moved a hand to his face.
Brett's face flashed before her and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the thought of his funeral away.
He wasn't dead; there was no funeral for Brett. Her head didn't need to imagine one.
So why was it?
Marti leaned into her as music started playing over the PA system in the room.
Slow, sad violin melodies twirled around the room of mourners and Adora felt her shoulder getting hot from Marti's face.
She turned and put a hand on Marti's head and gently stroked her light-streaked hair as her friend cried.
"I'm sorry." She whispered to Marti.
Both arms lifted around her and Marti pulled her in for a proper embrace as she cried harder.
Adora returned the hold and closed her eyes, remembering the little she knew about their relationship.
Marti confessing to having her first girl crush on Elissa, her first girl-on-girl kiss.
She remembered Will's first reaction to Rae and her violin, the shock before he had run out of the music room, as if he'd known something awful had happened back then.
She wanted to reach a hand out to him, but she had her arms around Marti, and she was reluctant to let go of the crying girl.
Even to wipe her own tears.
Not from her grief, but because of the strong atmosphere of loss in the room, because of the open casket in the front of the podium.
Adora remembered looking into the open casket at her father's funeral, he'd looked so small in the tight box, it was a memory that burned into her mind forever, and no matter how she tried to remember the height and strength of her father during his living years, it was always dwarfed by the casket.
Was it the same for a teenage girl?
She had no intention of going up to find out, even if Marti or Will asked her to go with them.
She hardly felt she had the right to be at the ceremony, let alone the right to view the dead girl's body.
The only good thing about this trip had been hearing the police decide that it wasn't one of the Taylors who had killed Elissa. It had been awkward when they'd called her that morning for a few questions about Brett's attack and her stalker, especially considering the more she thought about it, the more likely she felt it was Gus who had sent the cards.
She shuddered in Marti's arms as she remembered the fear of Gus' forceful touch at the waterfalls.
Another song started, she recognised this one.
Speak to Me, by Amy Lee.
Her chest tightened and she tried to block the beautiful song out as she looked over Marti's shoulders to Will.
Tom had a hand on his shoulder as he stared towards the front of the room, was Will even present in the moment?
She remembered watching her family grieve and comfort each other. Dodge had been as still as a statue at her Dad's funeral, his father Stan, Adora's uncle and her father's older brother, had been comforting her mother, and Iain hadn't let go of her hand. Brett had held onto her other one and Debbie had been close by.
But she'd barely noticed any of them through her grief.
She could see streaks on Will's cheeks from tears he'd been wiping and trying to hide, they made her feel more for him than she felt for his younger sister crying in her arms.
She bit her bottom lip and closed her eyes.
"I'm sorry, Liss, I'm so sorry." Marti whimpered into Adora's hair.
Her heart shattered at the broken tone, her own breath shook her body as she drew it in.
"I'm here, Marti." She whispered into Marti's ear as she stroked the back of her head. She felt Marti wobbling in her arms and reached a hand out to Will's arm, their eyes met and he moved stiffly to lift his hands to Marti's shoulders.
They connected with her moments before her knees gave way.
Will's hands closed around his sister's shoulders and he turned her and lowered them both into the pew of the funeral home, taking Marti into his shaking arms.
Adora put a hand to her mouth and felt her face pinching as they closed themselves off from the room around them.
Tom caught her eyes and she saw him swallow a helpless lump. His lips mouthed his appreciation to her and she could barely nod to acknowledge the word

Adora couldn't describe the relief that the cool breeze left on her face as shestepped out of the funeral home. The closer family and friends were takingturns showing their grief to the casket before it was taken away to thecrematorium.
Outside of the small chapel-styled building was a rolling view of various sizedmemorials; some just plaques that were the resting place for ashes, others fullheadstones to return to.
She sat down on a bench in the small alfresco area and shakily took her mobilephone out of her pocket. She turned it on and immediately started to call home.
"Baby?" Her mother's panicked voice answered the home phone at Edgar's Escapeand Adora almost lost her breath in relief.
"Hey Mum." She croaked.
"When will you be coming home? Are you OK?"
"Maybe tonight, maybe tomorrow, I'm..." She couldn't figure out a word todescribe how she was. She let a shudder run over her body and leaned into thewooden bench. "I'm safe."
"Adora, where are you?"
"We're at the funeral."
"Oh darling..." Her mother's voice faded as if she knew Adora was being plaguedby her father's memory. "I wish I could be there to hold you."
"Me too."
Adora heard the door open and looked beside her as Tom stepped out slowly. Hegave her a weak half smile and she tried not to think how hard it was to remindherself it was Tom, not Will. Tom's outfit was dark, but more casual than hisbrother's, and his cheeks were void of teary grief.
He kept walking to the end of the outdoor roof and leaned against the supportbeam.
"Baby?" She'd barely felt the phone still in her hand for that moment and shetried to clear the lump in her throat.
"I'm still here." She reassured her mum. "But I'm going to go, I'll let youknow what Debbie decides about driving home later. Love you." She didn't lether mother respond before she ended the call and stood up from the bench.
She walked over to Tom and stepped out a few feet further. Patchy cloudslittered the sky with darkness, some looked heavy enough to drown the town inrain, but for now the sun was peeking out.
"Thanks again, for being here." Tom said quietly behind her.
She let her shoulders slump and turned to face him. "Part of me wants to saythanks for asking Debbie to bring me," she scoffed as she looked back to thebuilding of mourning. "But nobody really wants to be at a funeral."
"No, but they are better since you arrived." He gave her a small smile.
"Have you asked Deb to the dance yet?"
He looked out over the green land spotted by death. "She asked me almostimmediately, but I kind of don't know if she wants to go with go with meanymore."
"What?" Adora frowned. Debbie hadn't said anything about hesitations with him.
"We had kind of a fight when you guys arrived." He leaned heavier against thepillar.
"She didn't say anything." Adora shook her head.
"Yea, she probably won't. It was kinda about my memory."
Adora tilted her head. "I don't get it."
"Dodge's party, Brett's accident..." Tom looked at her and smiled weakly when herealised she still had no idea what he meant. "You are so innocent." Hesnorted.
"Tom... What is it?" She let annoyance seep into her voice and watched hisamusement disappear.
He looked down to the ground and hesitated. "She lied. She told me that weweren't actually together after the party."
Adora stepped back and felt her lungs freeze.
Debbie had lied to the police about where Tom was when he was drunk andcouldn't remember?
"Look, I'm still positive it wasn't me. If that means anything." He tried tosound sure, but it took every inch of her to focus on not shaking.
Maybe her certainty about it being Gus sending the cards was misplaced.
The doors opened behind Tom and people started to exit the building.
Before Adora could find breath she felt Marti wrapping her arms around her andcrying in her hair again.
In her mind it was more likely that Tom would hurt Brett than his cousin Gus,especially after her rejection.
But Gus could have used Brett's accident as a reason to come back to WheelerFalls before summer holidays, couldn't he?
She forced herself to take a shuddering breath and lifted her arms around herfriend.
Suddenly, she wanted to be back at the hotel, talking to Debbie and trying tofind out what her old friend believed Tom was capable of, and why she had liedfor him.