Glen was slouched precariously on the bleachers, completely zoned out from the basketball practice that was going on before his very eyes. Contrary to what it may look like in that moment, during most of the practice he behaved like the high-achieving student he was. There was a novel assigned for his English class that he wanted to get a head start on, but after two hours, his eyes and his brain were capooped.
A sudden buzzing sound startled him out of his daze. The cause of the ruckus being his cell phone that lay on the metal bleachers. He used the heel of his palms to rub his eyes, trying to erase the grogginess. He couldn't afford to actually nap because his sleep would be completely screwed that night. Since he was operating on minimum sleep already, it wasn't something he could risk.
His phone vibrated again. Glen barely picked it up in time, saving himself from watching it crash all the way to the gym floor. That would of been a disaster. With his luck, he probably would of completely shattered the screen. Then Austin would have shattered his freedom.
2 new messages from Frannosaurus
Glen snickered, just like every time the stupid name popped up on his phone. The two brothers had a Jurassic Park movie marathon one Saturday and Francis, being Francis, decided to change his name in Glen's phone.
Unlocking his phone, the message convo popped up.
Yo
We're here early.
Glen rolled his eyes, hearing the satisfying click of locking his phone. He flopped the phone back and forth between his hands before shrugging. It's not like he had anything better to do than to chill in the car. He had to end up there eventually. He quickly packed up, shoving the book into his backpack and zipping it up.
Glancing up at the game clock on the wall, he saw there was only 10 minutes left of practice. Eh, Hayes would be fine without him. He just needed to catch her attention real quick to let her know he was leaving.
Glen caught a break when the basketball went out of bounds. He moved down to the bleacher row in front of him, scooting to the edge. Technically he wasn't suppose to be sitting up here since the bleachers weren't pulled out and it was a safety hazard.
Yada yada yada... he was a daredevil.
Backpack on his shoulders, Glen then dropped down to the floor, landing effortlessly on his feet.
Like a bee attracted to honey, Hayes' head immediately turned in his direction. With a grin, Glen hooked his thumb over his shoulder indicating he'd be outside. Message received, she nodded and shot him a thumbs up before returning her attention back to the game. That was easy.
Glen let out a loud yawn as the gym doors slammed shut behind him. The sun was still shining so he kept his head down as he walked.
🎵Shine so bright that it hurts🎵
Accurate.
He followed the sidewalk alongside the school buildings, heading to the parking lot. He wasn't really surprised that no one else was hanging around. It was late Friday afternoon after all. Only crazies would want to still be at school.
Okay, so maybe he was crazy. But this week was an exception. He just wanted to be anywhere but home.
Glen held a hand up to his eyes to block out the sun as he took a look around the lot for Austin's car. Spotting it amongst the scattered cars, he dropped his hand and strolled over there.
When retelling the story that night at dinner, Glen blamed the sun being in his eyes, otherwise he for sure would have noticed the special VIP standing next to Austin and Francis.
"Hey, Smiley, how was school?"
"Boring," Glen responded, yawning for emphasis. He reached his brothers just before his feet started dragging. His body was done for the night.
"Your hair is getting long there, bud."
"Another day's problem," Glen grumbled, swiping a hand through his hair. "Can I sit in the car? I feel like death run over."
"Aren't you going to greet me first?"
"Greet me who?" Glen finally looked up, confused. Didn't he just see them this morning?
He didn't think it was that funny, so why were his brothers laughing?
Frowning, he squinted as he looked at Austin then Francis, back to Austin, to the other side where Baker was standing.
"What the hell?" Glen was taken off guard, "What, Baker? What are you doing here?" He closed the couple steps gap that separated them and hugged him.
"Took you long enough," Baker chuckled, one of his hands finding the back of Glen's head. "How you been, Smiley?" He leaned down and kissed his messy hair.
"I don't... what? But Austin said," Glen was just dumbfounded right now.
"It was a surprise, Baby bro," Francis said, "Surprise!"
"Wow," Glen stepped back, shaking his head. "Holy hell, Hayes is going to freak. This is great!"
"I missed you," Baker ruffled Glen's hair before wrapping his arm around his shoulder. "You doing okay?"
"Missed you too," Glen replied, a grin lighting up his face, "I just, wow." He couldn't think of words to speak.
"Were you surprised?" Austin asked. It was a last minute thing, that just sort of played out in their favor, so their little brother had absolutely no clue.
"Very."
————
Glen had to give credit to his brothers, they didn't even need to ask where Hayes was when everyone but Hayes seemed to leave practice.
They just seemed to know she was postponing the inevitable, of going home. Kudos to them, guess they were learning how to read the kids' minds after all. Only took them a month or so.
The brothers stopped just inside the gym, the air conditioning feel good after roasting in the hot sun. Their eyes focused on the young girl who didn't seem affected in the slightest by the lovely smell of blood, sweat, and tears.
Just kidding, the gym didn't smell that bad.
A smile threatened to emerge on Baker's lips when his little sister paid them no attention. She was fully invested in her practice against imaginary players.
Catch, dribble, shoot.
Repeat.
He didn't know how she did it. The constant sound of the basketball shoes squeaking against the waxed court was enough to drive a sane person crazy.
He did know that his sister was dang good, though.
"Quiet Storm, time's up. Go home, kid." Coach Gordon called from the sidelines.
"Just five more minutes, Coach," Hayes tried to negotiate but her Coach shook his head.
"Nu uh. Your brothers are waiting for you. Go home." He said, walking over to her. He, unlike Hayes, saw the Powers brothers come into the gym.
"But Coach..."
"Listen to your Coach, Sunshine," advised Baker, his voice full of amusement.
"Yeah, we're hungry." Glen added.
"Yeah boi, give me some skin." Francis held out his fist which Glen gladly delivered. He agreed with Glen's priorities.
Like straight out of a movie, at the sound of Baker's voice, Hayes rapidly spun around. Catching sight of her brothers standing there, her eyes zeroed in on Baker, the basketball slipping right out of her hands.
All was silent for a second, then two, then three as her brain processed what it was seeing.
"Baker?" Hayes gasped softly.
"Hey there, Sunshine."
One tear slipped down her cheek, then another, followed by a whole bunch. She stood there in shock, her arms dangling by her sides, her mouth slightly parted. "Oh, Baker." She repeated.
Her body suddenly jolted into action. Hayes took off in a full out sprint to where Baker stood. "You're back," she cried, leaping into his arms. Her hands looped around his neck as he easily caught her in the air. He supported her with one arm under the butt, the other around her back, with her legs wrapped around his waist in a tight embrace.
She had her face buried inward against his neck, but if Austin had to guess, she was crying happy tears.
"I missed you." He kissed her cheek.
"I missed you, too," she sniffled, looking up to catch his eyes. He kissed her forehead causing her to smile.
And for that moment, everything was right in her world again.
————
"There you are, I've been looking for you."
Hayes startled when a hand landed on her foot that was peeking out from underneath the pile of blankets. They playfully squeezing her socked toes before releasing. Lazily lifting her head up, she turned to see it was Austin before dropping her head back on the pillow.
"Sorry, babe. I've been calling your name, didn't you hear me?" He asked, forcefully sliding her over on the couch to make room so he could perch on the edge.
"No," She replied, her voice muffled by all the blankets she was tucked under. She was surprisingly very cozy, with a random movie playing on the television. Hayes had been camped out in the family room since around 7 that morning, unable to fall back asleep after she had to pee.
"Come on, I need you to go get ready." He attempted to rub her back through the layers.
"Nooo." She kicked her feet in the air, letting them fall dramatically back onto the couch with a thump.
"Hayes, please don't do this."
"But I don't even want to go."
"I would like you to go. Can you go get ready?"
"Why? It's so early." It was only 9am and they didn't need to leave until 11:30am.
"Please, Sunshine." He lightly brushed his fingers over her loose hair strands, curling them behind her ear. "Please don't fight me, not today."
There was something in his voice, almost like he was pleading with her, that stopped her from talking back in a snappy way. But it wasn't fair. No one asked why she didn't want to go. They all just assumed she was being difficult and continued to force her.
Which, maybe she was being a little difficult.
But she didn't want to go!
Why was that so hard for her stupid brothers to understand?
Austin took her silence as a 'yes' and decided to help her get up. He went to pull the bajillion blankets off of her but they were pretty solidly tucked around her. So he went with plan B and managed to pick Hayes up, blankets and all, and placed her on her feet.
"Hey," Hayes protested, "Austin." She was not above stomping her foot in frustration.
Austin cupped her cheeks with both hands, "I hear you. I know you don't want to go, but I and your brothers would really appreciate it if you came."
Hayes chewed her cheek as she returned Austin's earnest stare. Gosh darn it. She nodded once.
"Thank you," Austin kissed her forehead, "Please go get ready. There are two showers for 7 people, so we need to get moving."
"I showered last night," Hayes pointed out. Thinking she found the loop hole to be able to wait some more, she went to flop back down on the couch but Austin quickly stopped her with hands on her shoulders.
"Go get dressed then, your clothes are on the chair."
"Do I have to wear a skirt?" Hayes whined, making a face. The two of them had gone through Hayes' closet the night before, picking out her outfit for the funeral. A pretty black skirt that still had the tags on them and one of Peyton's black long sleeved blouses that she dropped off for Hayes to borrow. The shirt was a bit big for the tiny girl but it would do the trick.
Austin didn't even bother responding, instead, he scooped her up in his arms and escorted her to the bottom of the stairs before deciding it was probably better to bring her all the way to her room.
"Love you," He dropped a kiss on her head before putting her back down on her own two feet. Leaving the room, Austin closed the door behind him.
Hayes huffed, letting her annoyance stew for a good couple moments before biting the bullet and getting ready. It's not like she had a choice, after all. Apparently she was going no matter what.
Getting changed took Hayes no time at all, though she did waste a few seconds trying to find scissors to cut the tags off. Colton didn't have any on his desk so she had to go hunting next door. Glen had laughed at her when she busted into his room looking for a pair. He had clearly remembered when Hayes was gifted that lovely skirt from Mama Deja Rayon because 'every little girl needs a black skirt' or something like that.
It didn't really matter, because Hayes swore to Glen that she'd never ever wear it.
Welp. If only Mama Deja could look at her now... she'd probably want to smack her with a wooden spoon. The thought of Hayes not wanting to attend her own sister's funeral, regardless of bad blood, would give Mama Deja a heart attack.
Once dressed, Hayes made her way to use the hallway bathroom. She knew Emerson had been taking a shower in the master bedroom with Francis and Glen waiting to go after him. The door in the hallway was open although occupied, with Colton standing shirtless in front of one of the sinks, a towel around his neck.. He was shaving, looking the most relaxed Hayes had seen him recently.
The last time she'd seen him behaving relatively himself was yesterday morning, but she knew that most of her brothers attended Charlotte's visitation at the funeral home after the kids were dropped off at school, hence why Francis was allow to play hooky for the second time that week.
Baker's arrival had lightened the mood of the house for the rest of the night so by the time everyone was home from practice and work, the only lingering sign of sadness was their red-rimmed eyes. They had no more tears left to shed, or so they thought.
Hayes hated seeing her brothers cry, she couldn't handle it.
"You just gonna stand there?" Colton asked, glancing at her through the mirror.
"I need to brush my teeth." Hayes dug her toes into the carpet, hesitating.
"Well go on then, that sink is free." He tilted his head towards the open space.
"Okay," Hayes shuffled forward to stand next to Colton. She grabbed her toothbrush and the toothpaste. Silence encompassed them as the two of them did their own things, with Hayes watching Colton as he shaved.
It was a minor lightbulb moment, but Hayes didn't think she'd ever seen someone shave before. Heck, she never learned how to shave her legs yet and Glen certainly didn't have any facial hair to shave off. Which, even if he did, his hair was so blonde that no one could see the peach fuzz that he swore was there.
She was intrigued. It looked very soothing.
Finished with her own task, she returned the toothbrush to the holder and wiped her mouth on a towel before standing next to Colton again. Her palms gripped the sink counter, debating if she exceeded her visit or not. He didn't seem to mind the company.
She grabbed her hairbrush that was laying on the counter but didn't make a move to brush her hair yet.
"So you do know how to brush your hair, huh?" Colton teased.
Hayes stuck her elbow out, jabbing him in the side. So her hair always had fly-aways, so what?
"Easy does it," Colton flinched out of her reach, the razor held in his hand.
"Rude."
"I'm just joking," he gave her a playful grin in the mirror before turning serious again as he brought the razor close to his face.
"How do you not cut yourself?" Hayes waited until he was done to ask her question. She watched as he rinsed his face of any remaining shaving cream.
"Practice," Colton said, patting his face dry, "but I do nick myself sometimes. Stings like a bitch."
"Oh." She glanced down at her legs. Looks like she wasn't going to be shaving them anytime soon.
He leaned down so his cheek was touching hers, drawing her gaze back up in the mirror. "How'd I do?" He asked, looking at their reflections.
"We look alike," Hayes pointed out, mesmerized by his eyes. That was probably her favorite feature, sharing the blue eyes with all her brothers.
"Duh, we're siblings." Colton sneakily wrapped his arm around her waist and squeezed her side making her squirm.
"I think we're very beautiful," Hayes concluded with a cheeky grin.
Colton nodded along with her skilled assessment, "very beautiful, indeed," he added with a quick kiss to her cheek before standing back up to his full height. "Now scram, I have to shower."
Hayes made a dramatic motion of wiping the kiss off with the palm of her hand and rubbing it on her skirt. Her hairbrush remained clutched in her other hand.
"Wow and here I thought you loved my affection," Colton said, with a mock hurt expression. "You wound me."
"Sorry, not sorry," Hayes laughed which turned to squeals when Colton grabbed her waist and laid more kisses on both of her cheeks.
"Ew."
"Oh hey Smiley, did you know Hayes owns a hair brush?" Colton asked, letting Hayes escape him as their brother joined them. His random words distracted Glen long enough that he grabbed Glen by the arm, landing a smooch on his cheek. "Muah."
Ha.
"Colton," Glen groaned, his cheeks flushing.
Hayes laughed at his misery, quickly taking her opportunity to further embarrass him by standing on her tippy toes to kiss his other cheek. Glen was still going through his 'too cool' phase this week.
"What the hell," he complained, roughly pushing her away. Hayes continued laughing as Colton caught her from losing her balance.
Colton chuckled, and after making sure his sister was okay, he turned his attention the bathtub. He reached passed the shower curtain to turn on the water. "So did you need something, Smiley?"
"Yeah, actually," Glen's cheeks started to flush again as he stammered, "I was wondering if like, you could maybe show me how to shave sometime? Or I could ask Austin, if you're too busy..." Glen had wandered by a couple minutes earlier and saw Colton in action, reminding him of his forever request. The two of them bonded well, so he just thought...
He could have asked Stephan Rayon and he would of done it without hesitation, but Glen just never felt like it was the right timing.
Colton paused and turned his head to take a good look at Glen. "You sure you got enough hair to even shave?"
Glen rolled his eyes in his good-natured way, ducking away when Colton made a grab for him, "Thanks Cole. I can see you're in a good mood."
Colton simply laughed before sobering up, "I'm honored you asked me. Anytime, little brother."
"Alright, well thanks," Glen replied all bashful now. Hayes thought it was just absolutely adorable and she was never going to let him live this down.
This time Colton was successful in messing with Glen's head of hair. "Welcome. Now both of you, scram, for real, before Austin yells at my ass for not getting ready." He playfully began pushing them backwards to the doorway.
"Fine, fine, we're leaving," Hayes giggled, stumbling into Glen. As soon as they crossed the threshold, Colton shut the bathroom door in their faces.
"So rude," Hayes huffed, spinning around to look at Glen. "Ow!" Glen suddenly punched her arm, hard. "What was that for?"
"You know what," Glen stated cryptically before walking back to his bedroom. He also had to get dressed, considering Austin already asked him twice.
He did not want to find out what happens the third time.
"Love you too, Glennard!" Hayes called after him, only for Glen to shut the door behind him. Laughing to herself, she remembered she still had to do her hair. Shoot. She held the brush up, twirling it in her hand. Now she just had to find a mirror to use.
"Why are you screaming the house down, little girl?"
Hayes flinched, not hearing Dakota come up behind her.
"Glen's a piece of turd." She replied, turning around to look at Dakota.
Dakota snorted, "That's lovely."
Hayes smiled innocently at him before she went to go on her merry way, only for Dakota to spin her back around and roughly grab the skirt waistband to pull her closer. "What..."
"Hold on," Dakota responded as he started nimbly tucking her long blouse into the skirt.
"I can do it, Kota, stoooop, " Hayes pushed his fingers away, finishing what he started.
"Much better," Dakota gave his stamp of approval with a nod. "Wait, hands up."
"Huh?" Hayes wasn't following.
"Put your arms up," Dakota huffed, pulling her arms arm towards the sky. He fluffed out her blouse a little more. "Now, much better."
"Thanks," Hayes grinned, smiling wider when Dakota returned the gesture.
Dakota, the fashionista; who would've thought?
————
Glen and Hayes had never been to a funeral before.
It was weird, getting out of the car and walking into the church, seeing everyone in black clothes. There was a lot, like a lot, of people, making it was very intimidating for the kids. They never would have guessed that she was missed by so many.
Her brothers looked handsome, dressed in black slacks and jackets, and Peyton wore a simple black dress. Hayes fit right in with her depressing attire. She always did dislike dark clothing.
Baker had his hand entwined with Peyton's as they led the way up the aisle to their reserved seats. Family was suppose to sit in the front section.
Hayes fiddled with her blouse sleeves as she followed closely behind Emerson with Francis beside him. Their bodies blocked her view, so all she had to do was focus on following Emerson's feet. She didn't want to be here. She wanted to go home.
She didn't want to be here.
She wanted to go home.
She didn't want to be here...
Hayes flinched when a warm hand gripped hers. It was Dakota coming up behind her, he could always tell when she was starting to panic. Just like Glen, who appeared on her other side, the three in a line. That just left Colton and Austin who were bringing up the rear, ensuring that no sibling detoured from the group.
Baker stopped at an empty row, waiting for everyone to catch up before entering. Peyton sat on the end, with Baker next to her, the rest filling the seats in such a way that the three eldest brothers were interspersed between the younger ones.
Hayes sat between Austin and Dakota, with Glen on Austin's left side. Even though Austin was the one to force her here, he was also the one who provided her the most comfort. She was also lowkey avoiding Baker for the time being, so her choices for seating were limited.
It was weird, she had been so ecstatic to have Baker home, literally moved to tears. But then, there was this teensy tiny voice in her head that confused her, telling her to not get too close to him when he could just leave her again. So she was building her walls up, to stop her from getting hurt the next time.
What she didn't know was that Austin and Baker had already noticed her odd behavior, and it was killing Baker on the inside.
A mix of coughing and sniffling jerked the girl back to the present situation.
She could feel Dakota tapping his foot as he had their conjoined hands resting on his thigh. Sitting next to Dakota sat Colton, with Emerson and Francis filling in the last two spaces between Colton and Baker.
The siblings talked quietly amongst themselves as they waited for the service to begin. Hayes kept silent as she fought the urge to tuck tail and run. Dakota was the only thing keeping her from fleeing.
Several people came up to their row, conversing in whispers to Austin. She didn't recognize any of them, her eyes only darting up for a second at each newcomer before returning to staring at a random black smudge on the floor. It didn't matter, none were introduced to her or Glen anyways.
The whole time, Austin kept his arm draped around Glen's shoulder in a protective manner, holding him close as he'd shake the outstretched hands with his right hand.
But there was one man amongst the masses, who looked to be about her brothers' ages, that Colton and Baker stood up to greet as well.
"Who's that?" Hayes whispered to Dakota, watching the exchange with interest. The brothers didn't seem to care for any of the previous guests.
"Ian," Dakota whispered back, "Charlotte's boyfriend."
Hayes' eyes went wide. This was the first time she was hearing this bit of news. She couldn't even believe her sister had a boyfriend.
Suddenly, the church was very quiet, eerie, letting the young girl know that the service was about to begin.
"The grace and peace of God our Father, who raised Jesus from the dead, be always with you."
Dakota's grip instinctually tightened before he stood up, tugging her to stand like everyone else. He looped his arm around her in an embrace so she now stood almost in front of him, as if she was shielding him from his own demons.
She leant back against his firm chest, her free hand gripping onto his arm.
The funeral mass was starting.
————
No matter what was happening on the altar, Hayes couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from the closed casket that was in front. It was creeping her out, the goosebumps littered up and down her arms, hidden by the sleeves of her blouse.
Her sister lay mere feet away from her.
Or, whom she thought was her sister. But the young woman that was being described didn't sound like her at all.
Charlie, that's the term of endearment that the speakers kept referring to her as.
It was like a totally different person.
Someone who was loved and loved others; a great friend to many; Ian's better half.
Someone who was going to be sorely missed.
None of that depicted the traits of Lotte.
Hayes couldn't be here any longer. She felt almost guilty for attending the mass, having realized she didn't know her sister at all. None of her brothers truly knew her, apparently the 'real' her. They only got her bitter side. But wasn't that real as well?
Hayes started to sweat.
Yes, it was. What her and Glen lived through, was very real. It had to have been.
She could feel her ears start ringing, her heart pumping, her fingers tremor. Adrenaline rush. She needed to get out of here.
Hayes abruptly stood up, confusing her brothers as she stumbled over their legs to exit the row. It wasn't until she almost escaped that Baker reached out to grab her. Hayes shied away from his attempt and sped walked down the side of the Church to the exit doors.
"What the hell?" Dakota muttered, the brothers still stunned. She had been practically glued to his side up until that moment.
The brothers all looked at each, having a silent conversation. Austin was about to get up but Baker beat him to it, moving with a purpose as he strolled after his little sister.
His gaze swung around the empty courtyard, looking for any signs of where Hayes ran off to. He knew she wouldn't have gone too far off, just enough to be able to breathe.
He decided to check the preschool playground, down the corridor to the left of the courtyard. He let out a little sign of relief. There she sat, hunched over on the bottom of the slide, her hands crossed against her chest as she breathed heavily.
The mulch was crunchy under his shoes, alerting Hayes of his presence. He squatted down in front of her, her legs hanging in between his with his right hand resting on her knee for balance. His thumb gently rubbed up and down the side of her knee, providing a comforting touch to Hayes. She didn't flinch away from him this time.
"You don't need to say anything," Baker spoke softly in order to not scare her off, "I'm just going to keep you company." His SWAT training to remain calm under pressure was paying off because he was sweating bullets underneath. After the sudden delayed cold shoulder act yesterday, he doubted how to interact with his little sister anymore. He didn't want to screw up their relationship anymore.
He was doing something right though. Slowly but surely, Hayes began to relax. Little by little, her arms became less rigid, before eventually dropping down to her lap.
Baker shifted in his stance and laid his left hand on her knee. Hayes' hands found his, playing with his fingers.
"Are you mad at me?"
Baker flipped his hand over, clasping one of her hands in his giant one. "Why would I be mad at you?" He asked, running his thumb over the top of her hand.
Hayes shrugged one shoulder.
He tried to meet her eyes but she refused to look at him. "I'm not mad." He assured her, "no one is mad at you."
"Austin..."
"Is not mad at you, either. We know we asked a lot from you for coming today."
Hayes finally looked up at him, her glossy eyes giving her slightly blurry vision. "I didn't even know her."
Baker furrowed his eyebrows, "Yes you did." The hell was she talking about?
"No," Hayes shook her head, "I don't think I even know Lotte. I don't know who Charlie is. I don't know who they are talking about. Everyone loves Charlie. How could she be Lotte? Lotte, she... she is so..."
"Sunshine," Baker squeezed her hand, cutting off her stuttering, "don't get yourself worked up, it's okay."
"no, its not!" Hayes suddenly exclaimed, "It's not okay, Baker." Tears finally overflowed, running down her cheeks. She dropped her head forward against his chest. "Nothing is okay," she whimpered. Her walls were broken so easily. She was not okay.
Baker hushed her quietly, his fingers soothing scratching the back of her head. "Where is this coming from, Sunshine?"
Hayes sniffled, "I can't close my eyes without seeing them in my nightmares."
"Who? Charlotte?"
Hayes nodded, rubbing her forehead against his shirt, "and mom."
"Baby, when was the last time you got a full night's sleep?"
"Glen stays with me." Hayes fumbled with his jacket.
"That didn't answer my question."
"Sunday."
"Shit, Hayes," Baker breathed out. He pulled back to get a good look at her face, his hand cupping her right cheek. The purple circles were prominent under her eyes.
"It was real, right? Mother and Charlotte, everything was real?"
"Yeah, Sunshine. You're a survivor, don't ever doubt yourself." Baker kissed her forehead before standing up. She glanced up at him questioningly before being tugged up so he could swap places on the slide. He pulled her sideways onto his lap.
Old age, his knees were starting to bother him.
Knowing where her thoughts now laid, he wasn't going to ask her to go back in. How could he? Not when she was second guessing her own existence right now.
They needed to help her before this progressed to an existential crisis.
So the brother and sister sat there, Baker hugging Hayes tight in his arms. His head laid on top of hers, periodically leaving kisses on her hair.
"Baker," Hayes said softly.
"Yeah, Sunshine?"
"Should we go back in?" They'd been sitting out there for almost 10 minutes, the service was bound to be done soon.
"Do you want to go back in?"
Not particularly.
Hayes twisted her lips to the side, thinking about it. She nodded.
"Alright," Baker helped her up, and taking her hand in his, he slowly led her back to the church. They stood in the back corner, not bothering to go back to their seats. They could see Ian standing on the altar, a microphone in hand. It seemed like they returned right at the end.
"I just wanted to personally thank you all for gathering here today as we mourn the life of Charlotte Powers, known to many simply as Charlie." He glanced around at the crowd. "She won her battle here on earth and now she's off to cause riot up in heaven." Ian spoke fondly of Charlotte. It was comforting in a way to her brothers to know that there were people who loved her sincerely, because they wanted to. She had been able to chose her family after all.
Ian continued, "The other day, Charlie and I were dancing in the kitchen and her favorite song came on, which meant we listened to it on repeat a couple times," chuckles bounced around the church, "so I thought, why not listen to it one last time, one last dance around the kitchen," Ian's voice cracked as he lowered the microphone, trying to reel back in his emotions. If he lost his composure, he wouldn't be able to finish.
"I just thought, why not have one last dance. Charlie, will you have this dance with me?"
He took a deep breath, settling his nerves. He closed his eyes as the piano started playing the notes in the background.
Hayes steeled her self against Baker's chest, able to feel the goosebumps that lined Baker's arms as well as hers.
🎵Somewhere over the rainbow,
way up high
And the dreams that you dream of
once in a lullaby🎵
Hayes turned her head against Baker's chest, unable to look anymore. It was a vulnerable setting, watching Ian sing his heart out to his beloved, one that she didn't feel privileged to see.
🎵 Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dream of
Dreams really do come true🎵
Baker rocked them back and forth in a soothing notion. He needed Sunshine just as much as she needed her big brother.
🎵Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dream that you dare to
Oh why, oh why can't I?🎵
There didn't seem to be a dry eye left in the church. The siblings were not immune either, as much as they tried. No one could deny the power of raw emotion coming from Ian's singing.
🎵Someday I'll wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemon drops
High above the chimney top
that's where you'll find me🎵
In the front where the rest of the Powers siblings remained, Austin had his arms draped on the shoulders of Glen and Francis, the two tucked in his embrace. Colton had his hand on Emerson's shoulder, whether to comfort his brother or to support himself standing was undecided. Peyton stood on the other side of the grieving twin, holding onto his forearm.
🎵Oh, somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dream that you dare to
Why, oh why can't I?🎵
"I love you, Charlie."
The Priest said a few closing words before leading the procession back down the aisle, the casket wheeled behind him, followed by Ian and three of Charlotte's closest friends. Ian stopped to shake Austin's hand again as he passed by, a sign of respect between the men.
The train stopped right before the doors. The Priest blessed the casket with holy water before allowing Ian to do the same and then the three friends. The four of them barely holding it together.
Hayes wrapped her fingers around Baker's arms, her eyes trailing after the casket at they exited the church to the parking lot where the hearse was waiting. From there, the procession would head to the cemetery, where it would officially mark the end of a life.
Neither Hayes nor Glen were attending, so this was the end for them.
Bitter sweet.
Rest easy, Charlotte.
~~~~~~~~~