The Funeral

Jacklyn and Ash left a note for Scarlett explaining where they were going. They made their way to the church, where the funeral was being held. The weather was holding up quite nicely. The sun was shining and the snow was melting, no wind, no rain. The sky was a bright blue colour, and there was not a single cloud in sight. It was not too warm or too cold. They arrived at the church, to their surprise, there was a lot of people there, ranging from kids to adults or people that didn't even know Heath. There was a strange feeling surrounding the area. Kind of like no one really cared if Heath had died. The church where the funeral was being held was a gothic victorian church, It felt dark and mysterious but also spooky.

"This is huge. I didn't think it was going to be this big," Ash exclaimed.

"I know right? Scarlett would love this place." Jacklyn added.

Ash nodded and proceeded to walk closer to the church entrance. They could see a pile of people trying to get inside, pushing and shoving each other. They entered the church, and the inside was decorated with roses. At the front was Heath's coffin, bouquet on top followed by a portrait of him. If you were quiet enough, you could just hear the music playing and the room, full of voices talking about Heath. Ash and Jacklyn made their way to the front and sat down. As they walked closer to the front, they could hear whispers amongst the people. Before they could sit down, the priest greeted them.

"Oh, hello. You must be Ash, and you, you must be Jacklyn. Heaths daughter." He said, shaking their hands.

"We are. I'm so glad you could make it here, Thank you." Jacklyn thanked.

"Oh don't be sill. It's my job. Pardon me, But it seems your friend isn't here. The gothic girl? Where is she? if I may ask?" The priest asked.

"She couldn't make it today. She has some serious wounds that need healing." Ash explained.

The priest nodded in understatement and walked up to the mic to begin the ceremony.

"We have come together to celebrate the life of Heath Winters, who died at Willows forest on 16th August, aged only 34. With or without religion, one of the important things a funeral does is remember so that Heath lives on in our memories, So let's remember." The priest started.

The room started quietening down and someone came around handing out little booklets of poems and songs.

"Heath was born in a rural town in Australia. Heath was educated over there but, nobody knows where. Once educated, he decided to move over here, where he pretty much stayed for the rest of his life. This was his ground. Everyone knew him best as the strong-willed man who never let his guard down. He was always out busy doing something. Some even say he lived a double life." He continued.

Ash turned to Jacklyn and giggled a little,

"A strong-willed man? More like a psychopath." Ash said, Jacklyn.

"Yeah, but we have to act like we're generally here for Heath, Just go with it," Jacklyn said.

They turned their attention back to the priest. He blabbed on about Heath's life, Where he was educated, the women he met and the children he had. After a while, he slowly drew the ceremony to a close. It was now Jacklyn's and Ash's turn to make their speeches. Jacklyn made her way up to the pass and pulled out a piece of paper and spoke.

"As most of you know, Heath was my father. He was a strong-willed man indeed. One of his flaws was he always put himself before others. When I was only seventeen, I moved out of his house. If he knew the secret inside me, he would have killed me. I didn't know him very well as others did, all I knew is he hated my best friends Ash and Scarlett. I never knew my mother, Heath never told me about her. He would always say, you'll find out when the time is right. He picked a lot of fights with my friends, he always thought he was better than everyone else but you knew with him, by your side, you were safe from all angles and sides. Thank you," Jacklyn spoke with emotion.

You could see tears forming in peoples eyes from Jacklyn's speech. Funerals usually make people cry. Ash sat there thinking to himself;

"Why are people crying? Are they seriously crying over this guy?"

Ash got to his feet and walked up to the pass. It was his time now. He was going to let these people know who he really was, Who Heath really was.

"Hello everyone, I'm Ash. Gosh, where do I start? I've not known Heath very long, but I've known him long enough to know he is a very determined man. If he wants something, he goes after it. My girlfriend, Scarlett, knew him longer than I did. She used to tell me that he did some bad things in his life. To be honest, Everyone has done some bad in their life. Unfortionally, Scarlett couldn't be here today. Scarlett and Heath got into a fight, Scarlett escaped with some serious wounds and Heath? Well, you can see what was in store for him?" Ash explained.

Before Ash could continue everyone's attention was turned to the doors, Which shot open to reveal, Scarlett, standing in the doorway. Everyone gasped when they lay their eyes upon her and her wounds.

"Scarlett.?" Ash whispered to himself.

"Seriously? A funeral for him? Heath. Look what he did to you all. Are you blind? Look at me, He almost killed me. Then you all are going to sit here and mourn his death? He doesn't deserve that." Scarlett snapped, walking up the aisle

Scarlett proceeded to walk up to the pass and stand next to Ash. Jacklyn joined them up on the stage. Everyone was in shock at how Scarlett was even there.

"Excuse me, but I have a speech for you all. Firstly, I'd like to say, Why the heck are you all sat here mourning him? Heath doesn't deserve this from anyone. He thought he was better than everyone else, he thought he always had the upper hand. He tried to kill me and my friends. He killed my Father, The guy that everyone loved, Ogron Luna. If my mother was here, Cadence Luna, she would say the same thing I am standing here telling you now. I haven't seen my mother in years, Wouldn't surprise me if Heath had killed her too. I almost lost my life because of him, so in return, for almost killing me and killing my family, I killed him. There's the full story, Now sit there and tell me he should have a funeral." Scarlett said.

"Excuse me, ma'am, this is a funeral, not a debate," The priest said.

Scarlett shot a death glare at him and he backed up. Jacklyn and Ash pulled Scarlett off the stage and seated her next to them, holding her firmly.

Everyone proceeded outside to where the massive drop hole for his coffin was. Six men brought the coffin out, Ash being one of them and slowly lowered it into the hole.

"We've celebrated Heath's life. We've said our goodbyes. But, we have our memories and the

rest of our lives to remember. Once you've paid your final respects to Heath, you can help fill in his grave. It's not obligatory but, it might be a final kindness that you want to do for him. You may wish to lay some flowers down with him. Goodbye Heath, Goodbye all." The priest said before leaving.

Everyone took turns to throw a handful of dirt on his grave. Scarlett just walked by and didn't even touch a flower or dirt. Everyone began to leave and Scarlett went back and spat on his grave.

"Curse you Heath, Curse you, I hope you rot." She snapped.

Jacklyn walked over to Scarlett and stood by her.

"Is everything okay? You seem mad. Is it Heath?" Jacklyn asked

"No, It's this damn funeral. Why a funeral? He doesn't deserve this. I would of just let him rot." Scarlett said with an attitude.

"Scarlett! You cant say that!" Ash exclaimed joining them.

"Forgive me if I'm not sobbing over his burial. He almost killed me, and for what? He killed my father." Scarlett snapped.

"Excuse me, kids? Are you meant to be here? This is a funeral, not a playground I'm afraid. I know what you edgy kids are like nowadays." A kind voice said.

They all turned around to find a woman staring at them. Scarlett froze when she lay eyes on the woman and her eyes widened. She could feel her heart skipping a beat. She couldn't tell if she was mad or shocked. Ash and Jacklyn just stared at each other, confused then, back to the woman.

"Mom?" Scarlett questioned.

"S-Sc-Scarlett?" The woman studded backwards.

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