Chapter Twenty-Two
~Brielle’s POV~
My heart was racing, not only from my run, but from the horrible memories of this place… I walked through the large black iron gate of the cemetery and walked down the tiny dirt road through the endless rows of gravestones. I had a love-hate relationship with this place; I hated the horrible memories, somber tone, and death all around me, but I loved knowing that my mother was here, feeling closer to her. I made my way to the row my mother was buried in and froze when I saw her grave for the first time in a while…
“Hi, mom” I whispered as I knelt down near her gravestone, “Sorry I didn’t have time to bring you anything… I really miss you, mommy.” I cried. I kissed her grave stone and just stared at her name on the stone… I remember the first time I was here…
*Flashback*
I sat in the car with my dad, we were following a strange looking car that mommy was sleeping in. When the car stopped, daddy and some other people came out and carried mommy’s “box” to a little place under a tent. It was raining, and I was cold, yet I felt completely numb to everything around me. The priest began to talk, but I couldn’t listen… I was just looking at the box my mom was in and reading her name on the grey stone… I knew that when people die you don’t see them, but no one told me that they get put in the ground and you can never even see their sleeping box again… when they lowered my mom into the ground I panicked.
“Mom!!!!” I screamed as I moved closer to the hole that they were putting my mom in.
“Honey, it’s okay, mommy isn’t there, she’s in heaven.” My mom’s old friend whispered in my ear as she held me back.
“I don’t want her to go!!!” I sobbed as I watched her sleeping box disappear into the ground.
Everyone was given a flower to throw and then they left; daddy ripped his up angrily and stomped away, leaving me there alone. I kissed my flower and threw it in the hole right on top of mommy. I heard daddy calling my name, but I just couldn’t leave. I stood there crying; it really hit me, I wasn’t going to see mommy anymore.
“Brielle! Let’s go! Now!” my dad yelled angrily as he took a sip of the bad drink again.
I didn’t listen to him, I couldn’t, no matter how hard I tried to move, my body just wouldn’t let me. My black dress was soaking wet, my shoes were muddy, and cold air was blowing all around me, but none of that mattered… my mom was in the ground, and she would be there forever…
“I told you we’re going, now!” my dad screamed as he ran over to me, “it’s raining!”
“I don’t want to leave, daddy!” I cried
“You have three seconds before I drag you out of here!” he threatened
“No!” I cried as I knelt down near mommy’s grave.
“1…2…3.” He counted; on three he grabbed my braids and pulled me away from my mom…
*End of Flashback*
By the time I pulled myself out of my memories, I was completely sobbing. I laid down on her grave and took advantage of the feeling that she was so close to me.
“Mom? Do you think I’m worthless?” I asked, “Because dad does… and I do… and everyone else does… well, accept maybe the boys. They’re really great, mom, I wish you could have met them” I cried
~Zayn’s POV~
“Zayn, track her phone again, just to be sure!” Harry said
“Okay!” I said as I quickly put her number in the app I had gotten, “Guys, it showed she moved... She’s in “Colonial Park Cemetery”… Why is she there?” I wondered
“Her mom…” Niall whispered
“We should probably hurry up…” Liam said, “She’s probably upset…”
Niall nodded and whimpered, clearly fighting back tears; I felt so bad for Niall, he has been a wreck all day. ..
After a few minutes of driving we turned into the cemetery and drove along the tiny dirt road surrounded by rows and rows of graves.
“Everyone, keep on the lookout for Brielle” Liam said.
I scanned through the graves until I saw what looked like a person lying on the floor, “There!!!” I yelled, pointing towards the figure
“Nice job!” Liam said when he saw it.
We pulled over, jumped out, and ran towards her, but Liam stopped us for a minute and motioned for us to be quiet…
“Mom, I feel crazy, I mean I’ve been talking to your stone for who knows how long, yet I still just keep wishing there was a way I could hear you. I’ve been so lonely, mom, I really miss you… and I know dad misses you too… He hates me though… I really don’t know what to do… Maybe I should give him what he wants… what I want… I think I’m going to see you soon, mommy.” She sobbed as she laid down on the ground next to the grave with her back towards us.
“No!” Niall cried out
She screamed and jumped around, turning to face us. When she realized it was us, her eyes widened and she froze; but we were frozen too… there was dried blood down her face, bruises covering her arms and face, and her eye was surrounded by a ring of black… someone had hurt her… her father… If I ever see that man, I will give him exactly what he gave her, I will beat him so hard, he will be begging Brielle for forgiveness. Seeing Brielle like that… it just… it made me want to kill the man responsible!
“Guys…..” she whispered she collapsed on the ground, crying to the point where she couldn’t breathe.
~Brielle’s POV~
I couldn’t take it anymore, I couldn’t hold myself up, or breathe, or move, or anything; I just fell on my mother’s grave. The boys all ran over to me and surrounded me, but I couldn’t even pay attention to them too much.
“Brielle, shh, it’s okay, love. We’re here” Liam soothed as he hugged me close to him.
“Brielle… I’m so sorry!” Niall cried
“Please… just… leave me alone right now… I can handle myself.” I whimpered, ashamed of myself.
“No!” Niall cried again
“Brielle, we’re not going to leave you like this, you’re upset and you’re hurt. We’ll get a hotel here for the night and you can rest” Liam said calmly, trying to relax me.
“I don’t want to leave” I cried
“Do you want to stay for a little while longer?” Harry asked
I nodded and scooted closer to my mother’s stone, leaning against it and crying, “Mom” I whimpered in pain, wishing she was here to tell me everything was going to be okay…
“Brielle, its okay, don’t cry” Zayn whispered as he rubbed my back.
The boys were quiet, they just let me cry. I looked up at them and saw that everyone had tears in their eyes, even Louis who had always been so happy and smiley… I felt so guilty. I looked back down at my mother’s stone and just couldn’t stop crying.
“…Mrs.Korey… I never had the chance to meet you, but your daughter is absolutely perfect, I bet you would be very proud of her. She’s sweet and amazing and talented and smart and just all around perfect.” Harry said to my mother.
“Thank you, Harry” I sniffled; it really meant a lot to me that he tried to talk to her too, even though it was crazy of us.
I sobbed even more, feeling like a wreck for being so weak; Zayn pulled me into his chest and stroked my back, trying to calm me down with very little success.
“Brielle, you’re shaking, I think you need to get some rest… we should go” Zayn whispered as he hugged me tighter.
“I… I can’t leave… not again…” I cried in agony, thinking about how painful it always is to walk away from her grave, every time, it feels like I’m losing her all over again.
“We can come back tomorrow morning if you want, we’ll stay at a hotel for the night to rest and then we’ll come back” Liam offered
I reluctantly nodded and Zayn let go of me, waiting for me to get up… I just couldn’t move, not just because I’m so sore, but because I didn’t have the heart to move off of my mother’s grave…
“Brielle? Are you ready?” Liam asked
“I can’t move…” I sobbed
“I have you, love” Niall said as he picked me up and held me close to him. I forgot all about the fact that I was angry about him breaking his promise and just held him close to me.
“I love you, mom…” I whispered as I watched the gravestone grow further and further away from me with every step Niall took. That was the last thing I remember before exhaustion took control and I faded out of consciousness.