Epilogue- 'Hero Of The Day'
The funeral was quiet and small, being that few knew of Melissa, or those who did seemed scared of her as she seemed somehow connected with a friend or relation's death. It seemed an effort was made though, as there wasn't a body to prove her death, or a birth certificate and social security number to even prove her existence. Those who arranged it said they couldn't find any records of her but nonetheless she had her own plot, in the shade of a large tree. The plot was merely a plaque with a few chosen words on it, being that was all was needed, but all that saw it knew it was no more, no less for Melissa.
Isaac didn't want there to be a priest. It seemed such a contradiction to have somebody say kind words about his fianc� who had to potential to kill her with his religious symbols. Taylor tried to tell him it would seem odd, but Isaac barely let him get a word in. Thus, they all just said a few words about her and laid her to rest without any mention of God. Prayers were said, but not out loud, just to see she was with whoever was up there. Zac and Taylor just wanted her to be forgiven and be given a good afterlife as she had saved their lives. They knew Isaac wanted it too.
Melissa Moloko
March - December 3rd, 2000
A hero in our minds and hearts,
She was gone too soon.
All is forgiven.
Taylor wrote most of it, not wanting to try to explain why a twenty-something year old woman was said to be over four hundred years old, but also not wanting to write a false date of birth. Zac added the last line though, just wanting to make sure somehow Melissa knew they didn't think of her as a monster. They asked Isaac if it was good enough, seeing as he knew her the most and thought he'd want to write it. He said he couldn't have done a better job as he'd have only written something to comfort him, not her.
The heartbreak was felt at least from the Hanson family. They all knew her to be a sweet, beautiful and strong woman and a good friend, unlike most others. They knew she had sacrificed herself in order to keep them together as a family and for that they honoured her memory for that day. They even played her favourite Metallica ballads in the evening as they sat around the living room, talking about her. It seemed to help the healing, as for the first time in about two weeks the brothers started to smile. It was nice to share memories and later on Isaac, Taylor and Zac would share their own secret memories until the early hours of the morning, (that in itself being a memory of staying up until sunrise to talk about the secrets that had been spilled during the course of the night before).
Though the healing process had begun for them, old wounds had been opened and for that it seemed understandable the amount of time they would spend away from eachother, before they would all suddenly have a burst of inspiration to continue on doing what they did best, or at least their hardest. They were willing to start again and not so much her memory faded, but more their lives continued and she seemed ever watchful.
They would continue on, never knowing the woman they mourned for so long was still alive out there, not knowing that almost exactly twenty years later Isaac would suddenly stop loving his wife and divorce her. He would not know why or for whom he did this and why he would remain ever searching for a fictional character. He also didn't know of Melissa returning to her hiding place, where she would emerge years later, long after Isaac's death to find a new world, a new beginning for her and a story told down the generations in Isaac's children about vampires, never knowing the truth as with the rest of the world.
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