Blake's funeral was quiet.
Gray clouds of sorrow seemed to weave itself among the people attending, leaving a bitter emptiness in their mouths. The clouds were dark; people's moods were darker.
The ceremony was quick and silent. The preacher from the local church had grief etched into the lines of his face during the ceremony. The whole town grieved for another young soul lost.
Sage and Nathan had tears in their eyes as they cast lilies on top of the mound of fresh dirt.
Afterwards, a select few sat around Blake's tiny apartment. Sage was wearing the same dress she had worn to Evie's funeral. Looking at it made Nathan feel too weird, like his body was too small and frail to handle his emotions.
The siblings sat together on the tiny couch, Aeron sitting on the arm.
Sage fiddled with the bandages wrapped around her palm, watching as Blake's mom gave brave smiles to her guests.
"Was it for the best?" she asked quietly.
Nathan looked over at her. "You know what, Sage? I don't know if it was or not."
Aeron spoke up. "I think... it was for the best." His voice was quiet like he was afraid to somehow make the earth quake. "Blake is— Blake was dangerous. I think what happened was for the best."
The trio was silent. Everything since Evie passing was quiet. It was more than just that: it was the absence of sound.
People fixed up the town with a hushed air to them. The storm had washed out roads, broken trees, and snapped power lines. Volunteers helped fix the damage that was created, Nate and Sage included. But how, Nate wondered, could they possibly fix the emotional damage left over?
Almost as if she read his mind, Sage said, "I guess we keep moving on. We try to mend the best that we can and move on with our lives." She looked at him. "We try to be happy."