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Chapter 4 - The funeral part 1

Alanna had perched herself on the couch, a thick blanket covering her entire body to stop the cold biting air from seeping through her pores. It also didn't help that she had been rained on earlier. "Here." Sienna handed her a cup of hot chocolate which instantly brought a little bit of warmth to her palms. She smiled at her best friend, taking sips of the drink to stop the shivering. "I can't believe those people really kicked you out of your own parents house," Sienna scoffed as she took her seat, her brain not comprehending how people could be so wicked. Alanna smiled. "I think they had wanted me out of that house for the longest time. They just didn't have a valid reason. The marriage was, but now that things have come to this, it has given them an even bigger reason.'' Sienna couldn't believe how calm and collected her friend was even after the ordeal she had gone through over the last 24 hours. Admiration glistened in her eyes for her friend, marveling at how someone they had broken refused to break. 

"I'm just hoping this heat dies down soon and everything goes back to normal,'' Sienna said, more to herself than Alanna as she sat deep in thought. Allie placed her hand gently on her arm and smiled at her. ''I'm going to be fine. And I have you here with me.'' This brought Sia a smile of her own, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. ''You're making me teary eyed. I'm going to the kitchen.'' Alanna's infectious laugh echoed and followed Sienna all the way to the kitchen and regardless of what was happening she was glad Allie still had her spark. 

...In other news, Reginald Carmichael, the venerable businessman who's well known in the business world has died at the age of 63. The man, who died on his own wedding day was admired by the world and his family who are deeply saddened by the news. It is alleged that his young bride might have a hand in his death. As for the truth of her involvement, all evidence gathered do not point to her but the family is sure she had a hand in it and are ready to take legal acti-'' Sienna turned off the television, rage filling her up inside and she turned abruptly to her best friend who had a blank look on her face, her eyes still glued to the now turned off TV. She saw the tears she was trying so desperately to hold in, and her heart broke for her. 

''Oh Allie,'' she threw her arms around her and hugged her tightly as if by holding her, she could take some of the sorrow. Alanna felt numb. When the news came on, she had been too stunned staring at TV to register anything else. Of course, it was going to make it to the news and of course they were still going to pin the blame on her but to see the reality of it all was a harder pill to swallow than she had thought. For some reason her picture hadn't been displayed for the whole world to see and she didn't know if that was a good thing or not. ''How could they bring you in all this when that old man's death has nothing to do with you,'' Sienna lamented, her voice strained as she pulled her closer. It was unfair and cruel for them to be treating her like this. She didn't deserve it and she knew the internet was going to eat up the whole thing without considering anything else and start trolling Allie. As if his own children couldn't kill him too for his inheritance. 

Returning to her surroundings after her brain momentarily shutting down, she felt her best friend's arms tightly wound around her and she softly and silently disentangled herself. She faced her and smiled without saying anything. Discarding the blanket she had been using to ward off the cold until now, she took the cup she had been sipping from and made her way to the kitchen. Sienna just stared, not knowing the thought processes going on in her mind. If she had started crying it would have made sense as all this was overwhelming but this new persona she had taken on by being silent and unfeeling didn't sit well with her at all. Whatever had possessed her in the moment wasn't something she looked forward to. 

Sienna felt like she needed to give her space but the way she was reacting was too worrisome for her to just let her be. ''Allie,'' she called softly, trying not to startle her. ''What's gotten you all serious Sia. I know you'd have insisted to wash the cup but I'm not exactly a guest you know,'' smiling she went back to rinsing the cup as if they were just having a normal conversation and nothing had happened. Whether her attitude right now was okay or not, it was best that she didn't look so forlorn and out of her wits. If this was how she was choosing to handle the situation then she was just going to continue being a supportive friend. ''You're right, you're not a guest at all. In fact, let's start affirming that by placing some ground rules and splitting the housework,'' she played along and walked over to her, looking like she was genuinely planning to divide the workload. Alanna chuckled. ''Yes, duh.'' 

After drying her hands, Alanna excused herself to go have a bath. When she was finally alone, her brave upfront crumbled and she slid to the floor, crying softly. She didn't want to be a nuisance to her friend. Sienna wasn't obliged to take care of her emotional distress so she wasn't going to burden her with it. Not anymore anyways. There was always the 'what ifs' but at the moment she was way past that as those were just random excuses to stop accepting reality even if it was just for a while. Reality wasn't going anywhere in this case, so it was best she got used to it. Wiping away her tears she got up from the floor, taking in deep breaths to calm herself. Nothing came out of vulnerability and sorrow. She had learnt the hard way but it was worth it. It would be a constant reminder that wars were not won with tears but with strength and determination. If she had to prove her innocence with something she had no involvement in,in the first place then so be it. 

She heard her phone ding, hinting at a notification. Unlocking her phone, she read the message quietly without any change in her expression.

It was an invitation. To a funeral.

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