16 Awakening At The Wake

Elwyn's parents decided to have a wake on the same day as granny's funeral because his mom had to leave for the chief sergeant major academy the next day. A wake is like a memorial gathering for the dead before their funeral; a sort of time for people to share their love and final moments with the deceased. It was chilling to see Elwyn's mother firm like a tree without shedding even a single tear while all the other women standing around the coffin were sniveling so bad, it even brought the men to tears. Elwyn and I stood in a distance crying silently. The paper in my pocket felt like bricks of metal on my chest. Such was the burden of granny Elizabeth's last words to me and Elwyn. When the ambulance took granny to the hospital, Elwyn went along but I couldn't go because neither of us knew where the house keys were and there wasn't enough space in the van. So I found the time to read granny's letter slowly, letting every word of hers sink in.

Dear Elwyn,

It has come to my notice that I may have to leave this place and begin another new journey to worlds that are yet to be visited by the living. I knew of this a long time ago and I am now well prepared for it. I was the first female in the Belcher's line born with psychic powers and I think I'm also the last. A Belcher's awakening of divine power is brought into being only when the right time comes and I have seen it. But the next psychic will lose some of his powers every time the previous psychic in the Belcher's family reveals a prophecy and I'm sorry for taking this away from you my child, but I couldn't see any other way to make this work. You have seen your awakening by Loralie through Blaine though you haven't realized it. And Blaine will be the awakening of something bigger than himself, something more threatening than anything he ever knew. Never let Blaine stray from himself; never let his fears consume him. Make him see the light in Loralie. Make him see that love still lives in her. The rest of the details, I cannot tell you. I cannot interfere in the flow of fate. You will know all you need to know when the right time comes, but until then, you shall calmly wait. Give my abundant love and your loyal support to Blaine. I know you will. You both are wonderful kids destined for greatness. The fact that I won't be present in body doesn't mean I'm not present in spirit. Remember, I'm always with you.

Love,

Elizabeth Cordelia Belcher.

Granny really did have powers beyond the understanding of science and I regretted not believing her all these years. I understood what she meant in the beginning of the letter; the price she said she had to pay for revealing the prophecy was her death. She risked it all for me, because of a stupid girl whose face granny never saw but selflessly wished to help. Elwyn cried out of sorrow while I cried out of anger. I am to partially blame for her death. I felt like a sick sinner.

"At least we got to see her one last time. We gotta look on the bright side of things right? She's probably in a happy place now isn't she Blaine?"

Elwyn's sullen, red eyes set their gaze on me waiting for an assured answer. I only nodded, throwing aside my urge to state that I highly doubted the existence of heaven, hell and limbo.

Just then, a grey car pulled over in front of granny's house. The tinted windows made it hard to see who was inside. All family members and friends were here already including Callan's father so who could it possibly be now? Elwyn suddenly gasped, scaring me. I asked him what happened in sign language. Hats off to this guy who spent a really long time learning sign language just for me.

"I think I know who's in that car. It's Loralie; her aura is flowing in strong waves from that wagon. I saw glimpses of her saying 'We don't have to spare a glance at these filthy sewer rats. One of them is dead already. The doctors said it was an infectious disease. What if that infection lies in the family's bodies and crawls up into ours too? Let's just leave, babushka.' Babushka? What's a Babushka? How do I even know this word? Am I sick or something? Okay, okay. I shouldn't panic now. Maybe it's the shock making me see crazy stuff. Let's just see who comes out of the car. It can't be her, I'm sure."

The doctors who granny was taken to said the cause of her death was due to acute bronchitis caused by bacteria. Granny did die of an infection. There was a positive probability that Elwyn's powers may have awakened so we waited for about two minutes and then the car doors opened to reveal Loralie, the Aita brothers and an old woman which left us both flabbergasted. They dressed in simple, black attire for the mourning but still looked like royalty. So annoyingly flawless. Loralie looked like the grim reaper with the hooded cape and dress, both the darkest black. Just give her a scythe in the hand and she'll be effortlessly ready for Halloween. Elwyn's warmth disappeared from my side and before I knew it, he was striding toward the noble bunch, probably to give Loralie a piece of his mind. But granny wouldn't want that. Ever. I ran to him and tugged his arm, dragging him to the backyard of the house before they could spot him. He kept resisting my force against him so I slapped him hard, in hopes that it would bring his senses back. And it did.

"I was about to do something violent, wasn't I? It's just that, they way that girl spoke of granny boiled me to the core, Blaine. It just made me so mad...anyway, thanks. I needed that . I shouldn't bother about what she or anyone says about granny. Let them do whatever they want. Nothing's gonna change the fact that granny was the nicest person in town."

I patted his back, giving him a thumbs up and we went into the house. The room looked dull as if granny took with her the warmth and color of the place too.

"Faith? Oh Faith, you poor child. Come here."

The old woman who accompanied Loralie was the only woman brave enough to take Faith, Elwyn's mother into a hug and rubbed her back.

"You can cry my love. Don't hold back." She told Faith, AKA Mrs. Belcher. She never changed her surname even after marriage.

'I see no reason attaching a name to mine that takes away my identity. I was born a Belcher and I shall die as one,' She would say this to anyone who was ballsy enough to ask her.

"I don't deserve to grieve for my mother. I was never there for her to take care of her. I don't deserve to cry."

This was very heartbreaking to watch. Come to think of it, I don't know anything about my grandparents. Not that I care anyway. Why would I even think of someone who hasn't been with my mom all these years?

"My grandchildren have come to pay their respects to Elizabeth. She was a wonderful friend, almost like a guardian for anyone in help. I still can't believe she's not here anymore."

And the waterworks began but she was quiet about it, not too loud like the others.

Loralie and the Aita brothers brought roses and laid them on granny's coffin and stood in quietude when I heard Elwyn scoff and whisper 'Hypocrites' to himself.

Suddenly, we heard the sound of glass shattering behind us. It was Callan's father. He looked like he saw a ghost with his face gone pale and a tremor of unease took over his body as he trembled like a leaf.

"You...you're alive? What-how...you were supposed to be dead!" He pointed his finger at Loralie.

"Watch what you say Abdiel! You better mind your tongue before I pull it out and throw it to my dogs." The old woman put him on guard instantly.

"How dare you speak to me, the Mayor that way?!" He screamed, that filthy megalomaniac.

"You may be the Mayor but don't forget how you became one. My son would've become the Mayor without lifting a finger but he had a better job on his hands so he gave it away to you like alms to the poor. Everyone knows that but they don't say it to your face. Pity."

The Mayor's nerves popped like worms under his skin and before he could say anything, Loralie interfered as soon as she saw Montel and Carmel folding their sleeves, clearly ready to juice the Mayor's face while Tzion pulled out a very pointy knuckle duster from his pocket.

"Ah, so this is the Mayor? How boorish, telling a girl she was supposed to be dead. We don't have to spare a glance at these filthy sewer rats. One of them is dead already. The doctors said it was an infectious disease. What if that infection lies in the family's bodies and crawls up into ours too? Let's just leave, babushka."

"What the hell do you mean?!" He roared.

"Oh, nothing really. Your eldest son died of Sepsis, didn't he? The townsfolk say so." Loralie commented in a low voice, almost like a snake's hiss.

His face went blank and his nose crinkled, embarrassment invading his features.

"That's enough, Loralie. Thank you for having us, Faith. We'll meet up some other time. Farewell, now."

And like the wind, they left.

"What's a Sepsis?" Elwyn asked me.

'An infectious disease.' I wrote on an old newspaper I found beside me using a blunt pencil from my pocket. Then, like lightning I immediately grasped something and wrote to Elwyn with speed:

'You may not see the future completely but you can see fragments of it. I think this is how you pay your price for revealing your prophecy to me.'

And that's when we understood Loralie wasn't talking bad things about granny, but it was about the Mayor's late son.

Right after that old woman took her grandchildren and left, the Mayor left too. The funeral proceeded without any disturbances but Elwyn was having a hard time digesting the fact that he was now a full fledged psychic...or something like that.

"This is not the first time I've had a vision...I mean it was full video, not audio like the one I had earlier. I saw the Aita brothers and Loralie but she had long, white hair which was weird. Oh, and there was another person, more like a shadow in the back but I'm sure it's a guy. I didn't tell you because I thought it was something not worth telling."

White hair...why? Why did he see Loralie with white hair? Elwyn knew nothing about Loralie existing maybe unbeknownst to her, the living image of Analia only with short, black hair. Yet, why? It hasn't even been a week since Loralie showed up and my mind is already on the verge of insanity.

"Stop spacing out, Blaine! Your lack of attention to surroundings with get you in trouble someday. Mark my words."

Oh dear friend, I'm literally at the threshold of trouble as of now.

"Blaine, honey? It's getting late. We need to leave."

Mom said and Mrs. Belcher came to see us out, still without expression.

"Mama, who's that old lady who told the Mayor off? Never saw her in town." Elwyn asked.

"That was Clarise. It was through her that I learnt shooting at a young age and became a national shooting champion at nineteen. She's like a second mother to me and a sister to your grandma."

"Clarise came? She never really goes outdoors, does she? I only met her once in my clinic when her great dane got sick. She's gentle but relentless when enraged." Mom replied.

Yeah, thanks mom. We witnessed that before you came over.

"Come over some time, Faith. I'd love to keep you company. You know that right?" Mom put her hand around Mrs. Belcher's shoulder trying to lighten up the mood and it worked a little, making her smile back at mom.

"Of course I do, Ayven. I'll visit you as soon as I find time. Thank you."

"Sure, sure! We could feast on barrels of beer, order buckets of chicken, dance to Nicki Minaj and-"

At that moment, I felt that years of writing as fast as possible had prepared me only for this moment as I stopped my mom from uttering another word and showed her my note which clearly said:

'Mom, this is a funeral.'

"My bad, I'm sorry." She giggled with an awkward Mrs. Belcher standing before her and a facepalming Elwyn.

"That's um..that's alright, Ayven. Have a nice day. Bye Blaine."

We got into our car and drove home with mom chattering about how her day was at the clinic and I kept nodding my head like always. In an instant, it was a typical evening. This was the magic with mom. You forget all your sadness and problems just from one conversation with Ayven Bennett, the town's Tinker Bell. God knows where she gets all that happiness and energy from. The rest of the evening went normal, as usual. It was time to fall asleep and prepare for a new day.

"Blaine dearie, how have you been?"

Granny? How did she come into my room? Granny departed today, didn't she?

"I have given you something, so I think it's only fair if you give me something in return too?" Her voice sounded ghastly with her figure in the shadows of my room, giving me goosebumps. She was not granny.

"She's right, Blaine. You must give back what you've taken. It's our lives. You've consumed it."

I heard another voice from the other corner of my room and it was Analia, but it was not. This Analia I now saw was covered in muck with her once white gown now brown and she menacingly grinned, revealing dirty, rotten teeth. I struggled to call for my mom but I couldn't find my voice.

"Silly little Blaine. Have you forgotten? You cannot speak. Now it's time. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth, and a life for a life!"

Granny lunged at my throat, throttling me to my death while she laughed like a mad woman with her hair flowing all over the place and before I knew it, I woke up from my nightmare.

I felt very weak and dehydrated so I chugged two glasses of water and checked the time. It was 3:24 am. Great timing. Now I can't fall asleep. I stood in front of the full length mirror after wearing my glasses and God, I looked so malnourished with lack of sleep. I tried to let out my voice. A small sound, a squeak...anything, but no avail. It's time to buy that dream catcher I saw in a store last week. Wonder if it would really work though.

"You look like you saw a ghost. What happened to you?"

Elwyn asked as we cycled to school. What can I say? 'Oh, it's nothing Elwyn. Your grandma and my first love paid me a nice, thrilling visit in my dreams which blew my mind away!'

Like hell!

I just shook my head and sped up, leaving him behind.

"You do not leave the Elwyn Belcher behind. I demand your attention right now! Hey you're pedaling faster-no, don't you dare! Get back here Blaine Bennett!"

He screeched my name like a middle aged woman in a soap opera. I needed to clear my mind and the first step was to stay away from chatterbox Elwyn this morning. Despite all that had happened, I was happy seeing Elwyn get over granny's demise and turn back to normal. How simple it must be for cheerful people.

I waited for Elwyn near the place we usually park our bicycles and there he was, an exhausted panting mess.

"Not fair. So not fair."

I smiled, but it didn't last longer when I saw a convertible park itself with Loralie, the Aita brothers and a new face in the driving seat. A new, scarier face. His semblance came into picture when he got out of the car. This guy looked like he could pound a full grown bear in five minutes tops. Is he on steroids or something? How does he look so huge?

He took time to find his backpack in the boot of the car while the others were leaving. Everyone was almost out of his sight while he packed his books in his backpack when Carmelo called him.

"This way, Delran."