You May Be Gone But Your Love Is Eternal (May's Funeral)

Ice, freezing cold, it spreads through her body like a wildfire engulfing her. Her entire body seems to be shutting down throwing her into an abyss, an abyss of grief. Her legs crumble beneath as she stands in her classroom. Her knees slam into the floor just as her beloved sister May's body hits the ground. She remembers first meeting May after they found each other again. She was so strong and so brave, but now she was dead signaled by the firing of a canon. Then came the pain, as if that canon had shot straight through her chest. Her eyes began pouring a cascade of tears down her cheeks. All she could think through it all was... May... May... May... come back.

However, that was several days ago now but she still felt the same. Still lost in a world of grief, still bleeding from the canon wound. Yet her tears had stopped falling mostly because she had none left to fall. Her entire body felt numb or weak as she feebly rose from her bed and scuttled over to her closet. The moment she slid open it's doors she regretted it, for there hanging in front of her eyes was a single black dress. It wasn't fancy but it was the color required, the color of misery and death. She reached out a hand and slowly ran it down the length of the dress. A knot began forming in her throat at the thought of her sister waiting for her in a coffin. Her face twisted as if she had eaten a very rotten piece of something and her stomach felt that way as well. She shakes her head vigorously before grabbing the dress and slamming the closet shut.

As she slides the dress onto her it all feels wrong, not like it was on backwards, but evil. Black was a color of death, defeat, and most of all darkness. Wearing this short black dress on the day of May's funeral was all to wrong because all those things are so opposite of May. She was always so bright, confident, beautiful, and most of all filled with hope and bravery. Yet by wearing this dress she feels as if she is personally saying screw it to all the May was and forever will be in her memory. She wants to rip this dress of the devil off and set it to fire and put on a bright vibrant dress, however, she knows she can't since she doesn't own any. With a sigh she looks at herself in her small cracked mirror, even she looks wrong in black. It was a color she always refused to admit was there, a color she said she would never wear yet now here she was.

No longer standing to look at her defeat she turned away from her mirror and put on her small black heeled shoes. They were way too big for her small petite feet but she couldn't complain since they belonged to her neighbors. Alas there was one more thing to put on before leaving. Carefully and almost fearfully she approached a small white box sitting next to her bed where she left it. Her heart was now hammering in her chest and her hands quivered as they clicked the box open. As soon as she did she regretted it as a new wave of remorse drowned her. For sitting inside the lovely white box was her one last true piece of May, a small slightly rusty necklace with a small sun on it. As she lifted it into her hands they shook even more violently and she didn't realize how hard she was biting her lip until blood sprang forth and tainted her mouth. Taking a long and hard breath she slowly but surely put the necklace on then she whispered in a very minute voice, "Now you will always make my day brighter May. And I will never take it off."

Not wanting to waste any more time she left her room and her small rickety house in general. Yet as she trudged down the long cracked and weed infested path towards the cemetery she veered off and headed towards a small path of flowers. Seeing all of the warm and bright colors made her smile for the first time in weeks. She then preceded to drop to her knees and pick one flower in particular, a pink rose. As she held it in her arms the memories began to flock into her head from miles around. The one that most caught her attention was how it was pink roses that her and her sisters had laid on their mother's grave so many years ago. She tenderly lifted the flower to her nose and inhaled it's sweet fragrance allowing her self to get lost for a few short moments. Yet as she knows all times of happiness always end, so she rose to her feet and continued her deathly journey.

As she entered the small and quite spooky cemetery she wanted to turn and run. But today she couldn't, today she had to be strong for May. Today she had to say farewell to her sister, and one of her best friends. With a pang of sadness but also relief she discovered there was little to no one present. In a way she was hurt about how little people cared about May. Yet in another she was indeed relieved at the fact that no one important was here to see her emotional wreck that was sure to come. As she approached the on grave stone freshly dug with a coffin open above it and several candles around the ground. Her feet began to tremble ferociously as she approached the final resting place of her sister.

Her feet finally halted before the lonely coffin with following delinquently inscribed upon it. May Rhodes 16 years old Tribute of the 67th Hunger Games. Her fists tightened in anger at the Capitol for having to add the part about her being a tribute. Did it honestly matter? We all know what happened to her. She died because of them plain and simple. She began taking deep breaths to calm down because today was about May not about the monsters in the Capitol. Taking one last look up at the sky she took a small step forward and looked down at May. Her heart froze at the scarring sight before her. Her normally friendly and warm sister was now grey and cold. Now the tears had began to fall and some even sprinkled onto the coffin below her. What was even more disturbing to her was the fact the Capitol had fixed all the wounds before sending her back here.

With tears cascading down her face and her legs threatening to give way any given moment she lifted her flower up. Now came the hard part, the part she knew she had to do. She reached down and opened up May's frozen hands and quickly placed the flower in them before shutting them again. Still shaking and still crying she leaned forward and softly placed a kiss on May's forehead before whispering "Thank you for loving me. And I want you to know I will never forget you... Also can you say hi to mom for me? Thanks May, you're the best sister ever." Then it all just was too much, the world had come crashing down on her head as she stumbled back from her sister's coffin. And finally she fell to her knees wailing as she buried her face in her hands. Kneeling here she finally knew, no matter what she does death and darkness will always follow me. It was the life that she, June Rhodes, would have to live with and now she wished she could be it's next victim.