70There are many graves in the city of Newcastle upon Tyne. But there is a particular one in the West Road Cemetery marked by a black marble grave marker. The marker itself is in the shape of a heart with the figure of an angel kneeling next to it and seemingly wrapped around it. A young woman lies across the grave watching the clouds float by in the rare blue sky. In a city that rains seventy percent of the year it is a nice day. The woman holds a blood red rose in her hands, twirling it mindlessly. Crystalline tears slide from her eyes as she lies alone, reminiscing. She gasps as she pricks her finger on a thorn of the rose by accident. Slowly a droplet of scarlet liquid forms on her finger and it gently slips down her supple skin. She licks the blood, so as to not get blood on her clothes. She then sits up and traces the letters engraved on the black marble with her finger.
"We all miss you still." She says softly to the gravestone as if it were the dead person lying beneath her. "Everyone's doing well. They're all off doing their own thing. I think you'd be proud of us all." She pauses, hesitating. "Sorry I haven't really visited you. It just hurts, you know?" Again she pauses, sighing. "I followed your advice and moved on. It was hard… it's not the same, not you, but he's good to me. I didn't think it was possible to love two people, but I guess I was wrong. Blade said he'd be here. Three years… seems like a lifetime. I'll never forget about you though."
"He's rather an unforgettable person, Melanie Lilith." A male adds to the conversation, walking up behind the woman. He kneels behind her and wraps his arms around her in comfort. She smiles sadly at him before he kisses her cheek and lets his head rest on her shoulder. "So you told him?" She nods softly. "Sorry I moved in on your girl Doug. You knew how I felt about her anyways. I bet you're either sitting there saying 'as long as they're happy' or 'that bastard Blade I'm going to kill him'. Sorry mate, she's just too good to waste. I love her though, I really do. Sorry I took your place as leader too. I would have rather Shadow took it but he and Stella took this long holiday around the world and then got married. It's hard to follow someone like you, but if I'm half as good as you I'll be okay right?"
"The great Razorblade Basma admits that someone was greater then him?" Another voice joins in, playfully mocking.
"Nate." Blade greets curtly. Nathan Mentor walks up to the grave holding the hand of his boyfriend, Frediano Hugh. They are followed by the newly wedded couple Shadow and Stella Ignatius. Finally behind them Luna Sky and Lux Nguyen approach, making the total to eight, all of The Verloren âmes of the oscuro notte reunited again.
"I still can't believe he's gone." The silvery blonde haired Luna comments. There's no need for greetings, they are all friends. The others agree in their own way except Laney.
"He's not gone, not really. As corny as it sounds he never will be gone. They all agree to this and a silence falls over them as they all remember happier times when the buried leader was still alive. The silence is broken by a dog barking in the distance. The husky bounds towards the friends and approaches the first woman, Laney. "Hello there." She greets the dog, holding out a hand for it to sniff. It sniffs the proffered hand and licks it. She strokes the dog and it moves forward to lick her cheek. She giggles at the affectionate dog.
"Spade, here boy. Come here Spade." The owner, a man in his forties calls after his dog. The husky, Spade, gives Laney one last lick before returning to his owner. The Verloren watch with a sense of finality as the dog bounds after his owner, out of the cemetery. They remain in silence for a moment before Blade stands and pulls Laney with him.
"Who says we go and visit some of our old haunts together?" He asks the group. They all agree and in their own time say goodbye to the grave of their lost leader and turn to leave. Blade and Laney are the last standing by the grave. "Are you coming Laney?" Blade asks his girlfriend.
"Just give me a minute; I'll follow you in a moment. I just…" She turns back to the grave then looks back at him. He nods at her and turns away slowly. The young woman turns back to the grave and places the rose she was holding in front of the marble marker. "I guess this is goodbye for now." She says to the stone. "I'll come back, I promise. I love you Doug…" She looks back at her retreating boyfriend. "I just happen to love Blade too. Bye Doug." More tears slip down her cheeks even as she turns away and catches up with Blade.
"Hey angel." He greets her as their hands entwine and they continue towards the exit. "Say goodbye to him?"
"It's not really a goodbye. Technically it's a see you later."
"Yeah, a see you in a really long time later." They smile at each other and he leans in to place a chaste kiss on her lips. "Come on, the others will be waiting for us."
"So where are we going first?"
"I thought maybe we could all head to the school first, the place we all came together, see these amazing drawings." He suggests as they reach the exit where the others are standing next their respective vehicles. They all agree and climb into their cars. Blade climbs onto his red motorcycle, Laney behind him, her arms around his waist, and they pull off into the sunny day, towards the school where a number of amazing pieces of artwork hang, all by the same artist, in memory of him, Doug Nguyen.