Revolution: Chapter Two: Funeral

After a half hour, Christine went to Beau's room to find him crying on his bed. She knew she needed to calm him before his father got home. Sitting on the edge of his bed, she patted his arm.

"Beau. I know this is hard, especially for you. JJ is your best friend, and of course you'll miss James. But I need you to be strong and calm down. It is very important that we all pretend we're not sad. Your Father will not tolerate any tears. He will be angry James left and doesn't want anyone to like him anymore. So we'll play pretend and act like we don't miss him, yes?"

"Okay, mama." Beau sniffled and rubbed his eyes as he sat up. "But I really miss him."

"I know, honey. This is going to be very hard. But you're strong and know how to behave. So let's get up and go play with Ryder."

He nodded and slid off his bed. Christine pulled him into a quick hug, pushing down the sorrow that threatened to overwhelm her. Beau pulled away and went off to find Ryder, who was probably also sad but more adept at hiding it.

Marcus would be home for dinner, so Christine went to the kitchen to prepare his favorite meat loaf and scalloped potatoes. Knowing him, however, he would be too angry to eat. When he got like that, he hid away in his office and the boys knew to be quiet.

Shortly after the dinner finished, Marcus walked in with Ace, Karter, and Hunter. Their expressions were grim as they followed their father. Marcus looked murderous. He told everyone to sit at the dinner table, so she and the boys took their usual places while he sat at the head of the table.

"James has left the colony," Marcus said. His voice was quiet but his face and neck were red. "We've burned his house down, and you are all to say he and his family died in the fire. I will not suffer the shame of having raised a filthy unbeliever. Understood?"

Everyone agreed, and silence reigned for several moments. "So James died in a fire?" Beau asked. Tears pooled in his eyes, but he wiped them away.

"Yes. And we will never speak of him again after his funeral tomorrow."

Even though she knew James was alive, the thought of attending his funeral made made her stomach drop. All she could think to do was rise to put food on the table. Meat loaf, potatoes, and salad. No one seemed inclined to eat, and they all waited for Marcus to fill his plate. He did so, and the table rattled as he cut the loaf.

The man looked around. "In case any of you are thinking of following James, be assured he is likely dead by now. And should he return, he will surely die."

Christine thought a quick prayer as she sat, hoping James had made it to safety. It was strange to consider anyone being safe outside the colony walls. But James was a smart man, and likely had reason to believe the Other Side was not the brutal wasteland they learned about growing up.

Dinner was silent, fast, and tense. Marcus went to his office with Ace and Karter, no doubt to plan the funeral. It would be a grand affair, befitting the heir of the Grand General. And every moment of it would grate on Marcus, knowing they were celebrating the life of an unbeliever.

After cleaning up, Christine went to her sewing room. She sat at the window and watched the brilliant orange sunset. It looked hazy, and then it clicked. The house on the lot smoldered away, sending smoke across the town.

No doubt people would wonder what had happened. Rumors spread like a disease in Jerusalem. The women would have a lot to say at the wake, and Christine dreaded the questions.

How did the house burn down?

Why hadn't they escaped?

How were the boys doing?

Was Ace ready to become Grand General when the time came?

Christine rehearsed her answers to be appropriately mournful.

The entire town showed for the funeral, plus many people from across the colony. Christine had never seen so many people in the church at once. She sat at the front of the women's section, dabbing her tearless eyes with a handkerchief. Her daughters-in-law sat beside her, doing their best to console her.

Marcus sat in the front row of the men's section surrounded by their sons and many men from the militia.

Christine wondered if High Preacher Everett knew the truth as he climbed the dais to his pulpit. He stood in silence for a moment, watching the crowd.

"Three lives lost," he said. "A tragedy beyond imagination. Overseer James Moore was a strong man, a hero. They only man in the last hundred years to receive the Colony Defense Medal. He slew a beast so fearsome even the hardest of men trembled at the sight of the corpse."

Christine had not seen it. James brought it home in the middle of the night, when women had no cause to be outside. Since the men feared women would not be able to handle the sight, so they took the alien corpse to the militia compound to burn. From what she heard, the beast was more horrible than the darkest tales of aliens ever told in the colony.

Everett continued. He spoke of James at length, barely mentioning JJ or Alaina. That didn't surprise Christine. Funerals for women always drew a small crowd, usually close family. Most people gathered for James. Christine would bet most of them didn't know Alaina's name until the funeral.

When the ceremony ended, they buried empty coffins in the cemetery. Christine stood beside stoic Marcus. His dark mood permeated the crowd, leaving everyone quiet and subdued. Christine angled herself under the shade of a large tree, careful to stay out of the blistering sun.

She went with the other women to bring out the food for the wake. Men gathered on the back lawn, waiting for the women to serve them.

The papers in her chimney gnawed at her thoughts. Christine dreamt of a time when women would be equal to men, but knew it would take more than her voice to bring about change.

"How are you, Christine?"

She turned to see Alicia Moore, a cousin of Marcus's, standing just behind her. Christine put on her best expression of grief. "I am well, thank you. I have never experienced such sadness, but I will survive."

Alicia smiled, but she still looked mournful. "Everything will be fine. You will adjust to his absence. James was a good man."

"He was certainly interesting." Christine lowered her voice. "I would like to speak more about this. Let's do a knitting circle this Saturday, yes?"

Alicia tilted her head. "Of course. I'll tell the prayer group."

Christine understood the risk, but the reward was too great to pass up.

Saturday was the day she would begin her journey into unbelief.

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