Shadowplay | Tony Stark

THIRTY TWO - THE BLACKEST DAY

The sun hung high in a cloudless blue sky the day of Jack Campbell's funeral. The spring air was warm though the stress and apprehension about such a heavy day dawning on her made Mila's blood run hot anyway, barely being able to sit still let alone get more than a half hour of unbroken sleep the night before.

Mila and her mother had both contemplated giving speeches that day, though had ultimately decided against it. It wasn't because neither of them loved Jack enough to stand up and talk about him and reel off heartfelt memories, it was because they weren't sure they'd be able to say what they wanted to without crumbling to pieces in front of a church full of people.

The service was short and sweet with hand-picked passages read to the guests, accompanied by specifically selected music scattered between shared memoirs that Mila and her mother had given to the celebrant a few days prior.

Sun streamed through coloured stained-glass windows and cast a rainbow of shadows across the attendees, countless familiar faces taking time off work to support the family. Mila hadn't anticipated even half the number of people to arrive that morning that did, her heart swelling with directionless hope and love from the amount of people that wanted to pay their respects to her late father, though none of it making her feel any better.

Surprisingly, Melanie had remained mostly dry-eyed throughout the day, wiping only a scattering of tears from her cheeks as she left the church hand in hand with her daughter. Much like her mother, Mila had managed to hold herself together, too.

She had felt on the verge of a downpour of heartbreak since the moment she woke up, battling a heavy, nauseous feeling in her stomach that made her unable to eat or drink a thing. However, with the desire to remain strong not only for her mother, but for everybody around her, Mila's mascara never ran.

The wake was a casual affair held in a bar on the main street in town, catered by friends and those Melanie and Jack considered family out of the goodness of their hearts. Mila and her mother hadn't wanted the day to be one of sorrow, and so they placed a hefty tab behind the bar for people to have a drink in memory of Jack, knowing that he also wouldn't have wanted anyone there to be sober if he had his own way.

''Mila, hey. Sorry I didn't catch you earlier, I was all the way at the back. I'm so, so sorry about your dad.''

Joss Miller approached Mila with a bottle of beer in his hand and an empathetic smile on his lips, a skinny black tie fixed neatly around his neck. His eyes were filled with sorrow yet tinted with hope, delighted on the inside at seeing Mila for the first time in what felt like forever, finally being able to relax knowing she was safe and unharmed, despite wishing her return was for a different reason.

Mila smiled and embraced her friend, feeling comforted by him as he rubbed her back and gave her a tight squeeze. Joss was perhaps the closest thing to a friend that she'd had over the past few years, and while recent months had made it difficult to maintain a friendship that had blossomed in kindergarten, having a familiar face there to support her on one of her darkest days was certainly the saving grace that Mila had needed.

''Thank you, and thank you for being here. Most of these people are my parent's friends, it's nice to have someone here that I actually know,'' Mila said with a small shrug.

''Of course,'' he nodded, ''Can I get you another drink? You look like you need one, no offence.''

Mila laughed quietly and nodded, handing Joss her empty glass and watching as he shot her a smile before heading in the direction of the bar. She stood alone for a moment, observing the people around her. The bar was full, just as the church had been, and although she was in a room full of people that she knew, albeit very vaguely, she had never felt more alone.