MARRY YOUR KILLER
Chapter Sixty-Three: The Funeral
---
The day of Lyra's funeral was gray and cold.
The sky was heavy with clouds. The rain was falling, soft and steady, washing the streets of Manila clean. The church was old, white walls, high ceilings, stained glass windows that cast colored light across the wooden pews. The flowers were white. Lilies. Roses. Orchids. The flowers Lyra had loved. The flowers she would never see again.
Alex stood at the front of the church. His suit was black. His hands were empty. His face was pale. He had not slept since she died. He had not eaten. He had not left the corner where she used to stand. The corner was empty now. It would always be empty.
The church was full.
Jay sat in the front row, Keifer beside her, his hand in hers. Percy was next to them, his face pale, his eyes red. Aries was beside him, their hand in his. Ci N sat with Felix, his phone in his pocket, not recording. He had recorded everything. He was not recording this.
Care sat with Cole, her face calm, her hands steady. She had killed Kiko. She had watched him fall. She had watched the life leave his eyes. She had felt nothing. She felt nothing now.
Grace sat with Denzel. Kit sat with Mayo. Freya sat with Erdix. Rakki sat with Ci N. Mica sat with Calix. Ella sat with Aries. They were all there. They were all waiting.
The priest spoke. His voice was steady. The words were old. The prayers were familiar. They had been said for centuries. They would be said for centuries more. They did not bring her back. They did not make it hurt less.
Alex stood at the casket. His hand was on the wood. His face was wet. His lips were moving. No one could hear what he was saying. No one needed to.
"She was born in Manila," the priest said. "She was orphaned at a young age. She was taken in by people who did not love her. She was trained to be a weapon. She was taught to feel nothing. To be nothing. To want nothing."
Jay's hand tightened on Keifer's.
"And then she found a family. She found people who loved her. People who saw her. People who made her real again. She became a protector. A guardian. A sister. A friend."
Alex's hand was on the casket. His forehead was against the wood. His shoulders were shaking.
"She died saving the people she loved. She died protecting her family. She died a hero. She died as she lived. Fighting. Protecting. Loving."
The priest stepped back. The church was silent. The rain was falling. The world was waiting.
Alex turned. His face was wet. His hands were empty. He looked at the people in the pews. At the family Lyra had found. At the people she had died for.
"She saved me," Alex said. His voice was low. His hands were shaking. "She saved me the first day I walked into Keifer's house. She held a knife to my throat and told me she would kill me. She didn't. She let me stay. She let me sit in her corner. She let me say her name."
His voice cracked. He stopped.
Jay stood up. She walked to him. She stood beside him. Her hand was on his arm. Her face was wet.
"She saved me too," Jay said. "She saved me in the warehouse. She took a knife for me. She saved me in the street. She took a bullet for me. She saved me every day. Every day I knew her. Every day she was there. In her corner. Watching. Waiting. Protecting."
She looked at the casket. At the face she could not see. At the woman who had been her sister.
"She was not a weapon," Jay said. "She was not a tool. She was not something that was made. She was Lyra. She was my sister. She was my friend. She was the person who saved me when I couldn't save myself."
She looked at Alex. At the man Lyra had loved. At the man who would never be the same.
"She loved you," Jay said. "She loved you more than anything. She loved you from the moment you walked into her corner. From the moment you said her name. From the moment you made her real."
Alex's face was wet. "She was supposed to stay. She was supposed to live. She was supposed to—"
He couldn't finish. His voice was gone. His hands were shaking.
Jay pulled him close. Her arms were around him. "I know. I know."
---
Care stood up.
She walked to the casket. Her face was calm. Her hands were steady. She looked at the wood. At the flowers. At the face she could not see.
"She saved me too," Care said. "She saved me in the warehouse. She saved me when I was bleeding. She saved me when I was scared. She was always there. In her corner. Watching. Waiting. Protecting."
She looked at her hands. The hands that had killed Kiko. The hands that had saved them all.
"I killed the man who killed her," Care said. "I killed him and I don't feel anything. I don't feel anything because she's still gone. She's still gone and nothing will bring her back. Nothing will make it right. Nothing will—"
Her voice cracked. She stopped.
Cole was beside her. His arms were around her. His face was in her hair. "She knows. She knows."
Care held him. "I miss her. I miss her so much."
Cole held her. "I know."
---
Percy stood up.
He walked to the casket. His face was pale. His hands were empty. He looked at the flowers. At the wood. At the place where Lyra was sleeping.
"She was cold," Percy said. "She was cold and she was distant and she never let anyone in. Except him. Except Alex. Except all of us."
He looked at the people in the pews. At the family Lyra had found.
"She stood in her corner for years. She watched. She waited. She protected. She never asked for anything. She never wanted anything. She just wanted to be seen. To be real. To be loved."
His voice cracked. He looked at Alex. At the man who had seen her. Who had made her real. Who had loved her.
"She was loved," Percy said. "She was loved by all of us. She was loved by him. She was loved by everyone who knew her. And she will never be forgotten. She will never be gone. She will always be with us. In her corner. Watching. Waiting. Protecting."
He walked back to his seat. He sat beside Aries. His face was wet. His hands were shaking. Aries held him. Their arms were around him. Their face was in his hair.
---
The service ended.
The casket was carried out. The rain was falling. The umbrellas were black. The flowers were white. Alex walked behind the casket. His hands were empty. His face was pale. His eyes were on the box that held her. The box that would hold her forever.
Jay walked beside him. Keifer was behind her. Percy was behind him. Aries was beside Percy. Ci N was with Felix. Care was with Cole. They were all there. They were all walking. They were all saying goodbye.
The grave was at the top of the hill. The earth was wet. The sky was gray. The priest spoke the final words. The casket was lowered. The earth was thrown. The flowers were laid. The grave was marked.
Lyra Kulkarni. Beloved daughter. Beloved sister. Beloved friend. Beloved protector. Beloved.
Alex stood at the grave. His hands were empty. His face was wet. His eyes were on the earth that covered her.
"I love you," he said. His voice was low. His hands were shaking. "I love you and I will always love you. I will stand in your corner. I will watch the street. I will wait for you. I will always wait for you."
He knelt. His hand was on the earth. His forehead was against the mud.
"I will never forget you," he said. "I will never stop loving you. I will never be the same."
He stood. He walked away. He didn't look back.
---
The night came.
The house was empty. The corner was empty. The garden was dark. The steps were wet. The rain had stopped. The sky was clear. The stars were out.
Alex sat in the corner. Her corner. The one where she used to stand. The one where she had held a knife to his throat. The one where she had let him stay. The one where she had told him she loved him.
His hand was on the wall. Her hand had been there. Her back had been against it. Her eyes had been on the street. Her face had been blank. Her heart had been full.
"I will stand here every day," he said. "I will watch the street. I will wait for you. I will never leave. I will never forget. I will never stop loving you."
He closed his eyes. He saw her face. Her blank face. Her empty eyes. Her small smile. Her hand in his. Her voice in his ear.
"Lyra," he said. "Lyra Kulkarni."
He opened his eyes. The corner was empty. The street was dark. The house was quiet. She was gone. She would always be gone.
But he would stay. He would always stay. In her corner. Waiting. Watching. Loving.
---
END OF CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE