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CHAPTER THREE
❝ a funeral for two ❞
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THE MORNING OF THE FUNERAL CAME QUICKER than Selena expected it to. Nothing could have prepared her for the look on Dinah's face that morning when they sat together for breakfast. She looked like a shell of herself, the once joyful glimmer in her eyes was gone.

Part of Selena wanted the day to just fly past them so they could try to make peace with what had happened, but she knew the truth. Today was going to be the first day of many in their path to healing from this tragedy.

Selena was seated at the vanity in the guest bedroom, applying makeup to conceal any blemishes on her face, including the dark circles that had formed beneath her eyes. She had already straightened her hair and put on a dress her mother packed for her. It was a modest black dress that both reached her knees and covered her shoulders. Thankfully, she had also packed a pair of black heels in her bag, so she decided to pair those with the dress.

Once she was ready, Selena made her way into Dinah's room, where she saw her cousin sitting on the floor by her closet door.

She hesitantly peeked her head into the room. "You dressed?"

"Yeah." Dinah grabbed a pair of black heels from the floor of her closet before standing up. "All ready to go."

As Dinah turned to face her cousin, Selena noticed just how pronounced her cousin's dark circles had become. If she hadn't already been concerned, the sight alone would have worried her.

"You should put some makeup on," she suggested, careful with her wording. "Just to cover those bags under your eyes. Do you really want everyone to know you aren't sleeping well?"

Dinah's response was blunt. "My parents died, Lena, I think they expect me to look like shit."

It took everything in Selena not to sigh at her cousin's words. Everyone was worried about Dinah at the moment. The myriad of texts on both of their phones provided more than enough proof. Although Selena hadn't really known many of Dinah's friends that well, many of them had reached out to her in order to get updates on how Dinah was doing.

"Exactly, they're already worried about you, do you want to give them a real reason to be worried?"

She remembered the text Caroline had sent her that morning, asking if they needed help getting ready or if Dinah needed to borrow a dress for the funeral. Selena had been grateful that she cared, but was quick to decline the blonde's offers, knowing that Dinah didn't want to see anyone.

Before she could try to argue the point any more, Dinah relented with a sigh, allowing Selena to do her makeup. It wasn't anything special, she simply added some concealer and waterproof mascara to add a bit more life to Dinah's face.

Once they were ready, the Barnes family made their way to the church for the funeral, and if she was being honest, Selena wanted to go home. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, their pitiful gazes burning into the back of her head.

Taking a deep breath, she took Dinah's hand into her own, leading the way to the first pew on the left. The two cousins sat in the seats closest to the aisle, with her parents sitting on their left. Dinah squeezed Selena's hand as the younger of the two looked to the pew beside theirs.

It was empty.

That wasn't surprising, not in the slightest. Her mother had invited their estranged family to the funeral, and they all knew the chances of anyone caring enough to come were slim. It had been years since they had spoken to her grandparents or any relatives, she was almost certain that they didn't know that she or Dinah existed.

Her mother had never explained what happened to create the rift between the family, only ever saying that the only family they needed was in Mystic Falls. Perhaps it was too painful to think about the family that had once been.

Selena had always wondered if she had more cousins back in Portland. Were her grandparents still alive? They had received Christmas cards from her father's parents, but she had only ever seen old pictures of her maternal grandparents. From the stories her father had told, Selena understood that her maternal grandmother had been a fierce woman, much like her own mother. According to her father, Alina Barnes was the kind of woman Lucy aspired to be.

And yet Alina was not here for her own daughter's funeral.

It was a bit confusing, if she was being honest. Why would her mother aspire to be anything like a woman who couldn't be bothered to attend her own daughter's funeral?

She caught her mother's gaze lingering on the empty pew, her father quickly wrapping his arm around her waist. The priest then began the sermon, and Selena was shocked she was able to maintain a calm facade. He spoke of love and compassion, how both Thalia and Everett exemplified those values in their lives, especially when it came to their daughter.

After his sermon, the priest requested that if anyone wanted to say anything, now would be the time. Selena watched her mother stand from her seat, holding a piece of paper in her hands as she walked to the podium.

"Thalia was," Lucy began, eyes daring to glisten with tears, "the best sibling someone could have asked for. She was one of the best people I knew."

Selena rubbed her hand against Dinah's back as her mother spoke, tears brimming in her own eyes.

"When we first met Everett, he was the new kid. He told me once that though my sister and I and my husband, Steven, were his first friends, he had known he wanted to marry Thalia from the moment he laid eyes on her." Selena couldn't help but smile at her mother's words. "And though Thalia was hesitant at first, afraid, I'd never seen her happier than when they were together."

It took everything in Selena not to cry as Dinah's sobs echoed through the church.

"Well, I didn't see her happier until she held Dinah in her arms for the first time in the hospital." Her mother's gaze then fell to Dinah, and for a moment, Selena saw a crack in her mother's strong facade. "It was pure love in both her and Everett's eyes as they looked at their baby girl for the first time. Thalia only ever wanted the best for Dinah and fought to be able to give it to her. She was always proud of her and I know she still is. That she's smiling down on us from wherever she is."

Dinah buried her head in Selena's shoulder, sobs rippling through her body as Lucy finished her eulogy. Selena squeezed her hand, knowing that Dinah just needed someone to be there for her at this moment.

The rest of the funeral was beautiful, and thankfully, ended before Selena's eyes filled with tears. Before she knew it, it was time for the luncheon, a town of strangers offering their condolences to the grieving family.

Selena stood by her mother's side, counting the number of times she had heard the words I'm sorry in the past hour. It was becoming tedious, the greeting and accepting of condolences before the person became just another face in the crowd.

There was a man standing across the room, his gaze transfixed on Dinah's figure. He was standing beside the Sheriff, though she didn't recognize him. Perhaps he had moved to town since her last visit and was here to just show face. There was something strange about him, she could feel it from across the room.

"Hey, Dinah." Selena snapped her focus back to reality and smiled, recognizing Elena Gilbert. Standing behind the taller brunette were the familiar faces of Caroline Forbes and Bonnie Bennett, two of Dinah's other friends.

"Hey, guys," Dinah said, looking up from the floor. "Uh, this is my Aunt Lucy, Uncle Steven and cousin, Selena."

Selena waved at the girls when her name was spoken.

"I don't know if you remember them from the last time they came down to visit."

"I'm so sorry for your loss," Bonnie said.

"How are you holding up, Di?" Elena asked, eyes filled with concern.

"I'm... not fine, but, you know..." Dinah trailed off. "Working towards getting there."

"If you need anything at all." Caroline's lips pulled into a small smile as she spoke.

"You just have to call," Elena agreed.

"Thank you. Really."

Selena couldn't help the sad smile that appeared at the sight of her cousin's friends. She wished Dinah would tell them the truth, that she was leaving and wasn't planning on coming back. The three girls continued on, making their way toward the tables covered with finger foods.

"How much longer do we have to stand here?" Dinah asked, resting her head on Steven's shoulder.

"Just a little while longer," Steven promised, gently squeezing Dinah's shoulder with his hand. "You want me to go get you some of those finger sandwiches?"

"Yes please," Dinah replied. "And some punch, too?"

"Of course." Steven turned to his wife and daughter, a small smile on his face. "What about you girls?"

"Just punch for me, please," her mother replied.

"I could go for some of those cookies," Selena said.

"Cookies, sandwiches and four glasses of punch, got it."

With that, Steven placed a kiss on his wife's cheek, walking in the direction of the punch and food. Deciding that it was the perfect time to switch their positions, Selena moved to the other side of her mother so she was standing beside Dinah. She squeezed her cousin's hand with her own, knowing the day was far from over.

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THE NEXT FEW DAYS FLEW BY with the amount of time Selena spent packing. They had finished packing up the majority of the house, only the essentials left in the house. Her mother had organized which of her sister's belongings would be shipped back to California and what would be donated.

It was strange, seeing how empty the house was now. The last time she had visited Mystic Falls, the house had been filled with laughter and joy, but now it was just barren. Although she had nowhere near as many memories in the house as Dinah did, it felt wrong to see the once lively house so changed.

She would never return to the house for another holiday. Never open presents in the living room with the entire family. It would be strange to not make any new memories in this house.

All of her things were packed away, only her essentials and outfit for the next day were left outside of her bags. Their flight was scheduled to leave first thing in the morning, and Dinah had yet to tell anyone she was leaving.

What would they think when they drove by Dinah's house to find it empty?

She knew that if Dinah left without telling anyone, her friends would berate them, leaving dozens —if not hundreds— of messages on both of their phones. Especially Caroline.

Selena walked into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water when a knock on the door snapped her from her thoughts. She placed her water on the counter, knowing that everyone else was preoccupied doing other tasks to answer the door.

The brunette opened the door, a small smile appearing on her face at the sight of the somewhat familiar boy. "Stefan, right?"

"Yeah, and you're Selena?" Stefan asked, and Selena nodded in response. "Is Dinah around?"

"She's not really up to seeing people right now," Selena replied, avoiding his gaze. A chill ran down her spine at the look in his eyes. There was something off about him. "Why don't you text her?"

Stefan sighed, green eyes cast down. "We both know she hasn't been answering anyone. I'm really worried about her."

She didn't want to admit that he was right, especially because this could be the last time Dinah speaks to Stefan if Dinah got her way.

"Please, I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't try to talk to her again."

Selena bit down on her lip, debating what to do. If she turned Stefan away, Dinah may never be able to say goodbye. But if she let Stefan see Dinah, perhaps he could make her cousin smile.

"If you upset her, I will make sure your body is never found." There was a flash of panic in the boy's eyes at her threat, causing Selena to smile to herself before turning toward the stairs. "Di, the door's for you!"

The sound of Dinah jogging down the stairs echoed through the house, growing louder with each step she took. As her cousin appeared at the bottom stairs, Selena approached her, leaning close enough to speak softly without fear of being overheard.

"He's cute," Selena whispered, a teasing smile tugging on her lips. "I'm going upstairs."

With that Selena walked up the stairs, typing out a quick text to her boyfriend to let him know she'd be home the next day.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE

Chapter two is here!  This one is definitely sadder than the last one, but at least you got to meet Dinah for the first time!  Next chapter has Selena going back home to Beacon Hills, so I hope you're all excited for it.  BE SURE to read OBLIVION by pseudonym-lux to see Dinah's perspective on the chapter!  Be sure to vote and comment! Love you all lots!

UPDATE!

This version of the chapter literally owns me!! Welcome to the angsty rewrite everyone!

- Daniella

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PUBLISHED: January 18, 2021

REWRITE: December 28, 2022

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