CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

When Jasmin arrived at her final resting place, her mother's grief nearly overwhelmed her. It still pains Ericka to see her being sent to her final resting place. 

During the semester break, Jasmin will begin her studies. I will start seeking evidence. She thought to herself back then.

At Jasmin's burial, she saw some young people who were their classmates, teachers, and their adviser back then; as she scanned her surroundings, she also saw Thalia quietly observing. 

She was deep in thought while watching the send-off to the final resting place. She also saw Ruth, who was just holding her forehead. 

Is Ruth feeling unwell? She wondered in her mind. 

Even though she wanted to cry, it seemed she was running out of tears; she had nothing left to shed, despite the overwhelming sadness she felt during the final farewell to her beloved friend.

She sees many souls, but Jasmin still hasn't made her presence known to her. She didn't ask her for help about what happened to her. 

That's how this friend is; even though Jasmin knows her ability, even in her last breath, she still isn't disturbed by her. 

After the send-off, the other people started to leave one by one, but her mother still hadn't left, holding her child's picture, and tears continued to fall. 

Her husband was just beside her, his face clearly showing the sorrow over what happened to their only daughter.

"Ericka," called her mother, who was waiting for her and remained staring at the grieving couple.

"Mom, you go ahead first." She said back then she also wanted to accompany her friend.

"Child, the weather is dangerous right now." Her mother gently tapped her shoulder.

"I will be careful; I know what will happen when I am in danger, Mom," she said weakly.

"Child, even if you have the ability, do you know that it is putting you in danger?" her mother asked her.

She couldn't respond to what his mother said. She closed her eyes; her emotions were in turmoil now. Her composure was lost, partly due to his constant gaze at her house in Jasmin. She blamed herself back then.

Her father, who left, just sighed.

"Don't stay out too late, Ericka." That's all her father could say back then.

She just nodded. She felt her mom ruffle her hair and her dad hug her.

She felt her parents' footsteps moving away. She looked at the sky; it was cloudy; it seemed like it was going to rain.

Is this cloud sympathizing with me? Does the sky know how I feel right now? Her questions followed one after another in her mind.

The darkness and light in the sky are also starting to clash; it's getting darker.

Ericka approached where the couple was, saw Jasmin's picture, saw her happy smiles, her wide smiles when she was happy, and her friend teasing her.

She lost a friend as well as a sibling. 

The image of Jasmin when they were together plays in her mind. There, her tears fall. She thought she had no tears left to shed. Ericka wanted to scream in anger; she wanted to dig up her friend's grave and talk to her to wake her up.

For her, this was just a bad dream, a cruel joke, that when she woke up, Jasmin would be there happily telling her stories.

"Ericka, why haven't you gone home yet?" Jasmin's father asked her a question.

She noticed her; their eyes met, and she saw the tears welling up in Faye's eyes, her exhausted body, the sadness questioning why that happened to her child, and the heartbreak she felt when Jasmin died. 

She saw many emotions as she gazed into her eyes, the eyes of a mother who loved her child completely. She didn't care if her eyes were swollen from crying.

"Ericka." Faye suddenly hugged her, a hug longing for a child.

"Jasmin is gone; my child is gone." She sobbed again and cried again.

Ericka also cried; she didn't know how to calm the heart that was completely shattered.

"Why? Why?" Faye asked her. "Which demon killed my child? My child is still so young. My child hasn't even moved up yet. I don't understand!" She tightened her embrace around her.

She was also confused; she also had no answers.

Faye suddenly fainted.

"A—Auntie." She was shocked by the incident when she suddenly lost consciousness.

Ericka is grateful that her husband was there to support her immediately.

"She hasn't slept, she hasn't eaten, and she keeps crying while looking at Della's picture." He looked at her, who was holding her wife.

"Ha---" he let out a breath. "The one responsible for this will pay, whoever did this to my child."

He looked at her intently then. "Go home now, Ericka; the weather is dangerous right now; it's already night." He even said it out loud.

She couldn't speak; she saw the smoldering anger in his eyes. 

It's getting late, and she also needs to go home. The surroundings were so quiet; she still couldn't believe this happened to her friend.

Ericka. A soft voice called out to her.

She immediately turned to see who was calling her. 

A figure of a woman immediately caught her eye, but she couldn't make out her features due to the darkness. It was standing near Jasmin's grave.

Ericka. Someone is calling her again. 

She was not mistaken in recognizing her friend's voice; Jasmin was calling her.

Using the flashlight from her phone, she illuminated the source of the woman's voice.

She gasped at what she saw. 

"Jasmin," Ericka said.

Finally, her friend showed up.

Even though her clothes were bloodied, she knew it was Jasmin calling her.

He even caught a glimpse of a sad smile.

"Why? Why didn't you show yourself to me right away?" Ericka asked the soul of her friend.

Jasmin shook her head at her. "I don't want you to get involved, Ericka. I don't want you to get hurt." Jasmin explained it to her.

"Jasmin, I know what happened, so I know I'll get involved."

"I'm here to stop you from what you're planning; I don't want you to end up like me. You're going to run into someone important, Ericka." Her voice is worried about her.

"That's why I didn't show myself to you, because I know what you would do."

"I won't let you go without justice for your death."

"I won't allow you to be implicated in this; it's not possible."

"What are you afraid of, Jasmin?"

"Ellese showed me that you might be in danger, possibly losing your life." Its expression became serious.

Ericka smiled back then. "Even if I have to die, I will achieve justice for my friend."

"Please, don't continue," it slowly faded from her sight.

"Don't continue, Ericka." It completely disappeared from her sight.

For the last time, her friend is still protecting her, but her decision is final and cannot be changed; she will do everything she can to help her friend who was killed without a fight.