My Sister Had a Death Countdown, But Mine Hit Zero First Chapter 08

My Sister Had a Death Countdown, But Mine Hit Zero First Chapter 08

My funeral was simple. 

A small white pine coffin. 

A pale pink dress Nora bought from the funeral 

parlor in town. I had never worn such nice clothes 

before. The fabric was soft. Tiny white flowers 

were embroidered at the collar. 

When Nora dressed me in it, her movements were 

gentle and slow. Helen wanted to help, but Nora 

sent her out. 

“You don’t deserve to touch her.” 

Nora’s voice was cold. Helen stood outside the 

door and cried into her hands. Marcus knelt in 

front of the coffin. Again and again, he lit white 

memorial candles. Wax ran down the sides and 

dripped onto the silver candlesticks. 

He seemed unable to feel anything at all. He only 

kept lighting them, one after another, like a 

machine. Stella sat in the corner, hugging her 

knees. 

Her eyes were swollen nearly closed. From that day on, she barely spoke. She only sat there in a 

daze. She looked at the coffin. She looked at me 

inside it, wearing the pink dress. 

On the day of my burial, light rain fell over the 

valley. Fine threads of rain pricked everyone’s 

faces like needles. 

When my little coffin was lowered into the small grave in the pack cemetery, Helen suddenly threw 

herself forward. She tried to jump in. 

“Ava!” 

“Ava, don’t go!” 

“I’ll go with you!” 

Several pack relatives held her back. She struggled and cried. Her voice was so hoarse she 

hardly sounded human. Marcus knelt before the grave. Again and again, he pressed his forehead into the cold, wet mud. Soon, his forehead was 

scraped raw. 

Blood and rain smeared across his face. 

Stella stood beside them. She didn’t cry. She only 

looked at the small grave. 

She watched it disappear beneath shovelful after 

shovelful of dirt. I floated in the air and watched 

everything. I looked at Stella. I looked at her pale 

face that still held life. Then I looked above her 

head. 

There was nothing there. The Moon Goddess’s 

cursed silver countdown had disappeared. I 

suddenly smiled. 

Good. 

My sister was alive. 

So my death had not been for nothing. 

At least she got to live. 

After the funeral, Nora held my urn and prepared 

to leave. 

“Mom, where are you taking Ava?” 

Marcus stopped her. His eyes were red and 

swollen. 

“Back to the cabin on North Mountain.” 

Nora held the urn tighter. 

“No!” 

Helen rushed over and tried to grab it. 

“Ava is my daughter. I want to keep her with me.” 

“I want to see her every day. I want to stay with 

het…” 

“Do you deserve that?” 

Nora looked at her with icy eyes. 

“Helen, what good does that do now?” 

“When Ava was alive, how many good days did 

you give her?” 

“Did you ever give her a warm dinner?” 

“Now you say you want to stay with her. Can she 

hear any of it?” 

“Does she need it now?” 

Helen seemed to lose all her strength. She 

collapsed to the ground. Through her tears, she 

said, “I want to make it up to her.” 

“I want to keep her by my side.” 

“I want to place fresh flowers for her every day. I 

want to light candles for her…” 

“Make it up to her?” 

Nora gave a cold laugh. Her laugh came out bitter 

enough to cut. 

“She is dead. What can you possibly give her now 

that she’s gone?” 

“Helen, I’m telling you now. I won’t leave Ava’s 

ashes with you.” 

“You don’t deserve them.” 

“Nora!” 

Marcus knelt down too. 

“Please. Let Ava stay with us.” 

“We really know we were wrong. From now on, we 

will…” 

“From now on?” 

Nora cut him off. Her voice shook. 

“There is no “from now on” anymore.” 

“Ava is dead. She died because of you.” 

“Marcus, Helen, you’ll owe Ava for the rest of your 

lives.” 

“And you will never be able to pay it back.” 

With that, she held the urn and turned away. 

“Nora!” 

“Mom, please don’t go!” 

Mom and Dad rushed forward to stop her. Noral 

shoved them away. 

“Get out of my way!” 

Nora roared, her eyes red. 

“Don’t touch my granddaughter!” 

“You don’t deserve to touch her!” 

She held the urn and walked out of the cemetery 

step by step. She walked into the fine rain. Her 

back was hunched. But she didn’t look back once. Mom and Dad collapsed on the cold, wet grass. They sobbed until they could hardly breathe. 

Stella stood at the cemetery gate. She watched Nora leave. She watched our parents cry on the ground. Then she slowly crouched down and hugged herself. 

The rain fell harder and harder.