Her eyes were downcast, her mother held none of her attention. Her bottom lip trembled as she watched them settle his coffin in the hole, her eyes stinging with hot tears. When Carson put his arm around her shoulders she threw her logic out the window— she didn't care if anyone saw them together, it wasn’t like it was forbidden and besides, they wouldn’t be there for long anyways. She turned, tucking her face against his shoulder, taking in a choppy breath. A young boy about her age, if that, walked by and placed his hand on her shoulder, offering a tight smile before walking away. A couple others did after they watched the dirty fill the deep hole, sealing Oliver’s fate.<br/><br/>Eventually, the crowd began to dissipate, leaving Malia, her mother, and Carson alone together, staring at his grave. It was next to her fathers, side by side. Malia’s mother looked up to them again, her eyes flickered from him to her repeatedly as she drew the connections. “He won’t be around forever, Malia.” She warned, but even though her words were cold, it almost seemed motherly. Even so, she just shook her head and stepped closer into Carson’s embrace if it was possible.<br/><br/>After a few minutes, her cheeks shiny with the dampness of her tears, she looked up to him. “We can go back now.” She mumbled, wiping her glossy green eyes with the heel of her palm. She began to walk back, her shoulders hunched as the gravel crunched below her. After stepping into the house, the entire walk completed in silence, she simply shrugged off her coat before leaning against the counter, her eyes red from grief. “Thank you.” She sighed.