The car ride to the church was quiet.
Jays sat in the backseat, staring out the window as the city moved past in a blur of muted color and sound. The world hadn't changed, but hers had shifted entirely. The silence inside the car wasn't awkward—it was sacred. A moment to breathe. To process. To grieve without words.
As the church came into view—its tall stone spire rising against the pale morning sky—Jays felt a sudden lump rise in her throat.
The car pulled into the small lot beside the church, where a few early mourners were already gathered. The priest stood at the entrance, his hands folded, eyes solemn but welcoming.
Victor stepped out first, rounding the car to open Jays door.
Jays and her people entered the church in silence. The familiar scent of incense and old wood filled the space.
At the front, the casket had been placed gently in its final position—centered beneath the great cross, surrounded by white lilies and quiet reverence. It looked so still. So final.
The priest began to speak, his voice echoing gently through the high ceilings. Words of comfort, of faith, of passing into peace. But Jays barely heard them.
Her eyes were fixed on the polished wood of the casket. Her mind was far away—lost in half-formed memories.
It wasn't until she heard her name—soft, respectful—from the priest's lips that she returned to the moment.
Everything inside her stilled.
Jays approached the casket slowly, her footsteps echoing softly through the church.
She stopped just in front of the casket, her breath catching in her throat as she reached out with trembling fingers and placed them gently on the smooth wood.
For a moment, she said nothing. The weight of a thousand memories pressed down on her chest—but then, in a voice barely above a whisper, full of love and grief and strength, she spoke.
Jays: Dad, I've got your back. Rest in peace.
As she pulled away, a single tear slid down her cheek, but her spine was straight. Her hands no longer trembled.
She turned and walked back down the aisle, the echo of her goodbye lingering in the air like a prayer.