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something for the group to
come to terms with their loss. Tabitha had sought outside catering,
which was a rather big thing for Tabitha as she always dealt with
everything herself. Clay had disappeared after the service to
organise it so that Tabitha could continue to support
Ayden.
    Cora's head
rolled down onto his shoulder, she sucked in a deep breath and then
sighed. He knew she would be mentally, emotionally and physically
exhausted. Ayden was slumped in his seat, his face was pressed up
against the window as he watched the blur of trees and hedges as
they passed. His shoulders moved as he continued to cry
silently.
    Clay appeared
at the shop door as they stopped and spilled out of the cars. As he
helped Cora into the shop, he could see as he approached the table
near the staircase that Clay had arranged the finger food on the
small table with the chairs spread out around it. For the first
time in a long time he was thankful to Clay, he'd made an effort to
help. Clay’s feeling for Cora helped at this moment in
time.
    Guided by
Tabitha, Ayden sat in the chair next to Cora. Cora's head moved a
little as she registered who was sat next to her. She peered at
Ayden through her dark curtain of hair. Jack’s pulse quickened, his
eyes strung, the tears threatening to break when he saw Ayden reach
for Cora's hand and grasp it. They sat in silence, clinging to each
other for comfort.
    Tabitha and
Ember passed little flutes of sparkling wine to each of them. Jack
held the cold flute, watching as the bubbles popped happily at the
top.
    “ To Laura and
Clio, we don’t morn them because we haven’t lost them. Today we
remember that they will forever be in our hearts,” Tabitha spoke,
holding her glass in the air.
    “ Laura and
Clio,” they chorused.

5
     
    AN UNEXPECTED
VISITOR
     
     
    Cora jerked
awake, gasping for breath. She could feel Jack's warm arms around
her waist which stopped her from screaming out loud. The nightmare
had consisted of the usual images. Evander's face before he took
her mother away from her. The fear in her mother's eyes when she’d
realised there was no escape. The snap, one that ended her mother’s
and siblings life.
    Shimmery
yellow hands were starting to creep into the cracks of the curtains
as the sun pushed its way into the room. She listened to Jack's
steady breathing to make sure he was still asleep, she’d hate to
disturb him. He was getting as much sleep as her, which equated to
very little. Holding her breath, she inched away from him trying
not to wake him.
    “ Where are you
going?” His arms tightened around her waist, holding her closer to
him.
    So much for
that plan working , she thought. “I'm awake.
I can't sleep.” She really wanted to move back into his warm
embrace and forget everything, but now she was awake, she couldn’t.
Reality always crashed down around her when she woke.
    “ Give me a
minute, I’ll come with you.” His voice was slurred with
sleep.
    “ No, you go
back to sleep,” she said as she leant over him, kissing him on the
forehead. He mumbled something incoherent and rolled over in the
bed.
    They’d both
finally given in and started sleeping in the bed. Sofas aren’t that
comfortable, especially when two people were crammed onto it. Plus,
it made more sense to sleep in the bed. I s
it weak that I am unable to sleep without him being near me? Cora had to admit she relied on him so much more
since her mother... She never could continue that sentence, even in
thought. Cora felt like her nightmares would grow worse if he
wasn’t there with her.
    Cora closed
the bedroom door behind her and walked into Tabitha's kitchen to
the sound of something sizzling. She found Tabitha stood over the
cooker as the smell of bacon and sausages wafted across to her,
making her stomach grumble. She never felt hungry, most of the time
she just felt sick.
    “ Morning, how
did you sleep?”
    She shrugged
her shoulders. “It was okay.”
    “ You had
another