The morning, the two boys woke and made their way back home where breakfast was prepared for them. Jamie scraped his food around on the plate more than ate it. During the day they helped the Turners around the farm, feeding the animals and taking care of other things Jamie threw all his energy into helping out around the farm. The need for distraction fueled his work ethic. The following day would be the day of the funeral. Jacob decided to join them in the afternoon, driving the pick up to the Turner farm and soon got stuck in, helping to shovel the stalls and put down fresh hay. During lunch, the hard work had given Jamie his appetite back and he dug into the ham and coleslaw sandwiches with renewed vigor. After lunch they all returned to work and by the dusk they were sat on the fresh pale of hay with a cold bottle of beer in hand. Reece had even snuck one out for Jacob. When the sun set they were called in for dinner. It was Jamie's favorite: Lamb casserole and for Jacob, his favorite cherry pie was made for desert. Reece's grandparents were both grateful and sympathetic to the Lanes and showed that in Grandma's cooking.

Grandpa Turner had been out all day to sell his goods at the market and obviously had also collected some fresh cherries for the pie. All three boys thanked the Turners then set off back to the Lane residence where Aunt Linda was still waiting around for them. Jamie told her she could go back to her place but the woman refused with the explaination that their mother would have wanted her to look after Jake. Jamie's eyes had narrowed. Tensions rose but to both Reece and Jacob's surprise and relief, Jamie simply gave the Aunt a nod and announced that he would be going to be due to an early start in the morning. Reece followed him to bed after a long shower and curled up behind Jamie hugging him. He could hear that Jamie had been crying. His bed friend was sniffling. As soon as Reece's comfort was present, Jamie drifted off to sleep.

The morning of the funeral brought a solemn mood over the Lane residence. Reece had expected it to be raining, gloomy for the funeral but it was anything but. The sun was shining brightly and it was a peaceful Thursday morning. The two Lane siblings barely ate the porridge and fruit that Reece prepared for them. They hardly even spoke. Reece understood and didn't press them. At 11 am they made their way to the church which was packed with nearly half the town's residence. Everyone had come to pay their respects. A few people spoke, including Jamie and Jacob. Reece and his grandparents also said a few words. The funeral procession leading to the graveyard was particularly painful for Reece who was dealing with memories of his own parents' funeral when he was barely 13. They even walked past the graves of his parents.

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

The wake seperated the boys entirely. Jacob stayed in his room for most of it. Jamie listened to stories about his parents and how they affected many people's lives. Reece sat on the couch nibbling on finger food Linda and other family friends had offered. It was growing dark and people were trickling away like water after a rainfall. His eyes scanned the room then stopped on a figure with blonde hair and golden eyes.... His lips parted. No... no way. Reece instantly rose to his feet to get a better look.

Apollo.... staring straight at him with the most intense 'I own you' gaze that Reece had ever seen on anyone. Reece's eyes widened and he set his paper plate of half eaten finger foods on the coffee table before advancing on his stalker. Apollo dropped his head and began weaving away through the crowd.

"Excuse me. Sorry. Excuse me." Reece had to reach him! He began pushing people roughly when he found them to be too slow to move out the way themselves. He ignored the begruntled mutterings of 'rude' and 'no manners'. Finally Reece reached the spot where Apollo had been, right in front of the huge blow up of a family photo with and overpowering strongly scented bouquet of flowers. Reece's eyes scanned the area but Apollo was no where to be seen. Suddenly someone grabbed his arm. Reece's panicked eyes snapped to the figure next to him. He was seconds away from shoving whoever it was into the crowd behind them.

"I need to get out of here. I'm suffocating. Please."

Jamie's eyes were now a much thicker read than before. Reece instantly hugged him. Was he going crazy? He needed to get out of there too. He needed to calm down. He was too stressed out. There was too many emotions in this one room. He felt trapped by these people, by this room, the wake, the food, the eyes and voices...

He took Jamie's hand, pulled from the hug and fled leading Jamie up the stairs.