Marked

Everyone came. Everyone who lived in this town came to give their respects to my parents. My parents have been killed while they were on the way to pick me and my twin brother up from our grandparents house. My brother Alex adored our parents. My father was the mayor, and my mother owned her own real estate company. Being sixteen, Alex and I are going to try to get emancipated, we have the money our parents left us, and mom left the company to me and the house to Alex. We should be fine on our own. But hopefully a judge will agree.

The town people arrive at the funeral location where the service is taking place. The atmosphere not only looks gloomy but feels gloomy, even for Alex and me. Everywhere we look there are no smiles; it reminds us that our parents are gone, our town is left without a mayor. I hate this, why did they have to die? I think momentarily before I took my seat at the front.

Even the seats aren’t very comfortable. I have to re-position his rear end a few times before I can sit properly. The chairs were my mother’s favorite color, sunshine yellow.

But what is there really to complain about? It is a sunny day, with birds chirping and flowers blooming. My parents would have given anything to see this day. They loved it when it was a nice day out, as it is a rare occasion in this cloudy and sometimes rainy town.

The moment I tune out the chattering and noise, I notice something right in front of me. What I came here to see.... the casket. Good grief. It is an open casket. Apparently I will be able to see our parents one last time. Something I wish I did not have to do so early in my life.

On each side of the casket sit two large candles. One is of course sunshine yellow in color, while the other is a navy blue for our father. Above the casket are the roses that we brought from the house. And in the background, faintly playing, is the lullaby our parents would sing to us every night. We love that song. Our parents sang that song to us every night before we fell asleep and even when we were upset or stressed. I see Alex crying and I give him a hug. We always process everything in a different way. I go numb and bottle up my feelings as Alex releases them right away.

I get up and walk in front of the casket. I look at my parents, who are laying side by side in the casket holding hands. I will miss you. I say quietly as I leave the casket and start to thank everyone for coming for support one by one.

The casket is soon closed, and pallbearers carry it on their shoulders to the hearse. Everyone followed, and Alex and I reluctantly follow.

As the casket lowered into the ground, many tears are shed. I even have a tear shed, but it honestly wasn’t sadness. It was loneliness. My mother was my best friend besides my friend Maia. She is out of town visiting her grandparents, and I haven’t mentioned anything to her yet, not wanting to make her feel like she has to rush back to be by my side every second.

After the funeral, Alex happens to be the last to stay. Why? No one but me knows.

“Hey Alex, you coming to the dinner?”

Alex looks up to see me waiting for him and he nods sadly. We have to go to the dinner. We are the late mayor’s children after all.

“Do you think we will ever stop grieving Xela?”

Alex has the saddest look on his face I have ever seen on him. I shake my head.

“I don’t think so. Sure we might feel better after a year or so, but they are our parents. We will always miss them and a piece of us will always be grieving.”

At the dinner, Alex and I sat next to each other and I start to have a conversation with the man sitting next to me.

“You must be Xela Mills, the late mayor and his wife’s daughter. I knew your parents well. I am so sorry for your loss my child.”

I nod and I say thank you sadly.

“You knew my parents?”

“Yes. I went to high school with the both of them. Your father and I played football together and even fought over your mother. I remember when your father bought her a yellow scarf. She wore it every day since.”

“That’s probably why she loved yellow so much.”

“Yep, Emilia adored yellow after being given that scarf.”

I grin as I learn more about my mother. We continue talking until the food was served. Everyone became silent as they focused on eating their meal. After everyone finished, Alex said a few words and thanked everyone for coming. Everyone then leaves but the man that knew my parents stayed behind.

“You know how they died. They were murdered while they were in their car, using the yellow scarf that your father gave her. The nerve of some people. The police thought it was your father, at first, but it couldn’t have been possible as they realized he died before her.”

“Oh my god. They told us they died from a car crash.”

“I am just saying Xela, but let’s face it, they would still be alive if your father was not mayor. Before he was mayor, he used to be part of an organization, they wanted to create a world where people were marked, branded and under their control. But then he met your mother, left the organization, and had you and your brother. He then became mayor to redeem himself, but the organization did not like that one bit. Your mother gave me this scarf and made me promise her to give it to you when you learn the truth. But also you should consider this. If they never died, you would have never found out the truth about your father. Just remember, Xela, things aren’t always what they seem at first glance. Sometimes, you got to look closer.”

He hands me the yellow scarf that my father gave my mother.

“Keep this as a reminder of those wise words.”

And with those final words the man exits the restaurant leaving me there holding my mother’s yellow scarf in shock. My parent’s death was planned by an organization, one that my father used to be a part of.