Entering In: Day 4

Word Count: 24,003

Summary of Events:

Traeton decided to go to the library and look up some names to create an alias with hopes to maybe try and stop running eventually. Hadia and her family went to Alberta — where her dad had bought a grave plot — and she got mad at her cousins for not seeming to grieve her dad or understand her grieving. Levi was shown a video by one of the grooms of the Bensonville owner deriding Twilight and getting mad at Levi's comments about his horse. Hadia sat with her family through the funeral and then rose into the procession as they went to do the burial . . .

Excerpt of the Day:

"Matthew and Jonathan, in black suits, then went, with Hadia walking beside Emily — both of them in black dresses — and Timothy and Sara both being carried after them by Grandma and Grandpa Shannon, who were then followed by Grandma and Grandpa Onderka, and then all the aunts, uncles, and cousins.

Hadia kept her walking track slightly to the left of where she'd been told to be, mainly so that she could see the officers carrying Dad to the hearse outside, which was a black carriage, drawn by four black horses, driven by one of Grandpa Shannon's longtime friends who drove wagons for a living — but had refused to be paid for this one because Dad was a Mountie.

Being as the cemetery wasn't that far away everyone was just going to walk behind the hearse, and as it pulled away, the four handsome black horses looking quite beautiful in the sunlight, much less in the harness, Hadia felt tears pricking her eyes.

She kept up her stride, even though she wanted to falter and stop, while Mom followed close behind the hearse, the two columns of officers having split into lines of three and fallen back to be walking alongside Matthew and Jonathan in stoic unison.

Hadia watched as the hearse turned into the cemetery before she made the turn herself, following the hearse over to where the hole was dug and ready. The officers quickly picked up speed and formed into one unit between Mom and the hearse as the hearse pulled ahead and parked.

The door was opened and the officers gently removed the coffin before carrying it over to the hole, which was framed by a silver fence that had two broad green straps spread across the short way, with a lot of extra strap rolled up on either side.

With great care the officers set the coffin down on the straps, where it wiggled a little bit, before they removed the great big piece of elasticised red fabric from around the coffin that had been holding the flag down.

Two officers then removed the flag, folded it neatly into a triangle, and presented it to Mom, who nodded a teary thanks and clutched the flag to herself.

Everyone gathered around the hole, the pastor appearing at the head of the coffin, where he opened his Bible and read a few passages. An assistant produced a little tube, from which he poured sand in the shape of a cross onto the coffin pretty much directly on top of where Dad's head was.

The pastor then prayed and one of the funeral home people caused the straps to start unrolling and lower the coffin into the hole. Mom uttered a loud sob and Grandpa Onderka came forward to hug her, while Grandma Onderka knelt down by Emily and held her close.

Tears Hadia had been long striving to restrain flowed down her cheeks as she watched the dark wooden coffin be settled down onto the boards that had been placed down at the bottom."