Martinsburg, West Virginia
Rosedale Cemetery
Tuesday, August 20, 1996
1:25 PM

The parking lot was filled with cars as people were stepping out of their vehicles and entering into the wet weather. It was hard to believe that so many people had know the Schaffers or that Jennie’s parents had touched so many lives, but numbers persons walking to the funeral home was astonishing.
Pushing open the car door and stepping outside into the rain, Jennie stood quietly. She could sense eyes on her almost instantly. It was like the police station all over again. When an umbrella draped over her head, she looked up to see Rem looking down at her with a silent gaze while holding the tool.
It was odd to see him wearing a dress suit, but he looked respectable in it. Even with his hair combed back nicely, he appeared to be a gentleman. No one would know he could be a complete jerk at times.
“Does it always have to rain for funerals?” Jennie asked in a low voice.
“When it rains, it pours,” Rem said as he placed a hand on her back, pushing her toward the funeral home. The two were following behind Nick and Rachael while Riley was already waiting under the shelter of the building’s porch.
“Hope this doesn’t last long,” Jennie whispered as she looked to Rem with placid eyes.
“Same here,” he replied back.
Jennie looked to the ground and sighed. She thought back to the previous night when Nick had said that Rem was off his punishment. It had been a misunderstanding, but she knew there was something up with Rem. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something was amiss. Even if she hadn’t known him for too long, she knew him enough to see something was bothering him.
Stepping into the parlor that contained her parents’ caskets, Jennie paused for a moment. All this time she had been trying so hard to hide her emotions. She didn’t want to think that her parents were truly gone, but know she had to face the fact they were.
She reached out a hand and grasped a hold of Rem’s sleeve as she looked around the crowded room. Not many of the persons in the room were familiar, but she was sure her parents had friends outside who she knew. In fact, there was Nick who she didn’t know until after their death.
Hands grabbed a hold of her shoulder and gave her a squeeze as she abruptly released her clasp of Rem. “Do you want to take a look at them?” she heard as she found Nick giving her a comforting smile.
“I don‘t know,” she whispered. She glanced up at Rem who looked down at her with composed eyes. He didn’t say anything, but gave her a small nod. “Alright.”
Stepping up toward the front of the room, Jennie paused for a brief moment when she could hear the whispering in the room silence. It made everything all the more awkward.
“Ignore them,” Nick said, pushing her onward.
With his words, she peered inside the two caskets and found her parents. There was no signs of their previous wounds. They looked peaceful and at rest. “It’s kind of scary.”
“Lynnea looked like that,” Nick said as he gave her shoulders another squeeze. “So at peace with the world around her.”
“Oh my God! Jennie!”
The quietness of the room was broken as Jennie turned and looked around Nick to find three girls standing in the back. The tallest was waving her arms around wildly, trying to get Jennie’s attention.
“Jennie, there you are!” the tallest shouted, rushing forward while the other two followed.
“Who are they?” Nick questioned as Jennie’s mouth dropped open in shock.
They were the three persons that Jennie had hoped to show up, but maybe not in such a manner. Pushing past the older man, she rushed at the three girls and ran at the tall girl. Both girls collided with each other, hugging almost instantly, while the other two joined in.
Turning around to face Nick, Jennie smiled while tears streamed down her face. “These are my best friends.”
“Oh,” Nick said with an amused smile, “then it‘s good that they‘re here.”
“This is Erin,” Jennie said, pointing to the tallest girl who had short, wavy red hair. “She and I are what you‘d call childhood friends. We‘ve known each other since second grade”
“Yep,” Erin said, smiling.
“And this is Amanda,” Jennie said, pointing to another girl who had long, light brown hair. “She and I met in eighth grade and hit it off almost instantly.”
“Naturally,” Amanda said with a small smile, waving toward Nick.
“And finally there’s Megs,” Jennie called out, pointing to the last female who was almost as tall as the first and had auburn hair that hung to her shoulders. “We met our freshman year of high school, but she just fits in our group perfectly.”
“Damn straight,” Megs said with a laugh.
Nick glanced to each girl then back to Jennie who was all smiles. “I haven’t seen you smile like that before,” he said as Jennie blinked and gazed up at him with uncertainty.
“Oh?” she questioned as her face reddened.
A laugh escaped him as he shook his head. “It’s nothing. I’ll let you guys catch up.”
When he turned to leave, Jennie found Megs punching her in the arm. “What the hell?!” her friend snapped. “Why didn’t you call us sooner about all this? We had to hear about it on the evening news.”
“Yeah,” Erin reprimanded, “if Amanda hadn’t seen the obituaries in the newspaper, we wouldn’t have shown up today.”
“Really sorry,” Jennie said as her face scrunched up in regret.
“So what happened?” Megs questioned.
“Oh,” Jennie whispered, looking back at her parents’ caskets, “ah, you heard, right? Someone murdered my parents.”
“Yeah, but no idea on who?” Erin asked.
“Not really,” Jennie said. But if it’s a demon, there’s nothing that can be done about it anyway. Who am I kidding. We all know it’s a demon.
“Where are you staying?” Amanda asked.
“The Caspians,” Jennie replied, pointing to Nick who had wandered over the Byrants who were standing at one side of the room. “That’s Nick. I didn‘t know it, but my parents took care of him when he was a kid.”
Her eyes scanned the room until she found Riley standing next to Rem. Both were holding paper cups while Riley had a paper plate with a cookie on it. “Those are his sons. The tall one is Riley and the shorter one is Rem.”
Finally she located Rachael who was leaning against the back wall, watching Nick with silent eyes. Jennie paused for a moment, taking in the appearance of the older girl. It seemed that Rach was deserted. “That‘s Rachael.”
“Are they treating you well?” Erin questioned as Jennie turned her attention back to her friends.
“Of course,” Jennie said with a smile. “They try their best to keep me happy. Why don‘t you three go introduce yourselves to them. I‘d like to go talk to my parents…”
“Alright,” Amanda said as she gave Jennie a forced smile. “Take your time.”
Jennie stood silent as she watched her friends turn off, heading toward Riley and Rem. She could see that the three girls were hitting it off well as they usually did when it came to boys. A small smile formed on her lips as she turned.
Her eyes wandered to her parents. Then without much thought to it, she stepped up to them once again. She gazed downward, but didn’t look at her mother or father.
“I guess,” she whispered, taking a hold of the side of one of the caskets, “it’s my fault you both died. But it would be pointless to blame myself. I can’t help what I was born. But I promise to not let what I am become the death of me. I promise…”
“Jennie, why don’t you go take a seat.” Nick’s voice was behind her, but she didn’t away from her parents. She only nodded.