The Aftermath

Karli couldn't believe what she had heard. She did not want to believe it. She thought some sick joke was being played on her, but her sister was bawling. She dropped her phone and curled up to Nikki and started bawling. Her throat was sore from the crying and screaming but she picked up her phone and tried to call her father for over eight hours without an answer. She felt lost, alone, and helpless. Her husband Dean woke up from the screaming and went to see what was going on and found his wife in shambles. Karli couldn't tell him what was wrong so Nikki filled him in on the phone call. He was stunned and shocked and didn't know how to respond.

Karli didn't know what to do, she just felt her world shattering around her. When she finally got ahold of her father the only thing he had to say is that he was sorry and he'd call back later. No words of Comfort. No call back. She stroked Arcana who has been nestled up on her lap and cried.

In the next couple days Karli had to prepare to leave her home and travel out of state with Nikki, Dean, and Jo, Nikki's husband. It was a long 3 1/2 hour trip for them to get to Kentucky and when they got into Chester they all went to sleep in the single hotel in the area.

They woke up the next day and had breakfast at the diner next to the hotel and spent the day getting to know where the major points of interest were like the Funeral home and Walmart. That night Harley came to the hotel with her youngest son and boyfriend. They talked and mourned together because Karli's mom had chosen to love Harley like her other daughter.

Her sister stayed for a while before Karli said she should probably get some sleep for the next day cause she was going to need it. After Harley left, Karli tossed and turned and forced herself to sleep. She knew the next day was going to be very rough.

They woke up the next day and went to the same diner for breakfast again. Then headed out to the funeral home. Karli had planned on going in alone but Nikki insisted she go with her for moral support. Both women walked in and sat down and waited for the funeral home Director to talk to them. Karli told the woman that her mother wanted to be cremated and filled in some information that was missing. Karli asked for her mother's rings and was given them, then was asked if she wanted to see her. Karli knew it was going to kill her, but she had to be sure it wasn't a sick and twisted dream.

Karli followed the funeral director and tried to keep a straight face. When she seen her mother, her world just crashed all over again. She was serene. Ice cold. And looked like a beautiful, sleeping Ice Elf Princess. It was the only way she could explain how she looked. She was so pale that she had started to turn a pale, ice shade of blue. And her ears had begun to be pointed at the tips. But she was beautiful in an otherworldly way. Almost like she didn't belong in this world. Almost like she never had. The only proof of her existence was her daughter and the tears that ran from her face.

That night all Karli could do was cry. Her tears, sadness, and sorrow were the only things she could feel. Besides being purely numb. She felt truly alone and didn't want to believe she was essentially an orphan due to the lack of relationship with her father. Granted, she knew she had her husband, but it wasn't the same. Nothing compared to the loneliness she felt.