***EVAN***

In every movie, it's a rainy day when there's a funeral happening. Because we're in California at the end of May, this funeral breaks that rule. Well, technically, it's not even a funeral. Harris is getting cremated. Fire tradition, of course. But we're all here at this mortuary, dressed in black with some red somewhere in all our outfits, reflecting Harris' powers. In my case, a gel bracelet. It happens to read "San Francisco 49ers," but since it's one of the few red things I've got to wear...

The gang's all here, for the final time. Except for Rachel, that is. Her loss still weighs on me, almost as heavily as that of Harris. I've had time to recover from Rachel's death...but now it's like one step forward, three steps back.

But other than Rachel, yes, it's the last time we'll all share a room. Me, Adele, the Cross boys, Michelle and Kevin back from Utah with clean bills of health (she's finally got a proper cast and crutches), Morgan, Anjali, and Henley. All of us have stayed home from school all week, and for the most part, we've stayed offline too. Me, however, I poked my head in a few times and was disgusted by what I saw. Outside of the Unite Network, mainstream social media was now full of bigots coming out of the woodworks, supporting the late Senator Mallon Bosch and threatening some kind of race war against anyone who wasn't a Normal WASP man.

Elena's final move may have been to save us, but in the end, I think it may have done more harm than good. Of course, this country's far more enlightened than a vocal minority of angry reactionaries would have you believe, and time will tell if that continues.

For now, though, we're in a safe place. Isolated from the internet, and the rest of the world beyond, as we take turns speaking over Harris' wrapped body. Not everyone will talk - Morgan, for instance, said what he needed to say that night in Utah. But Jay and I will talk, at the very least. And I know Aimee, Michelle, and Kevin will have some words to say as well. We've agreed that I'm going to go up first.

When I do go up, it's hard for me to find the words I want to say. I've been thinking hard about where to start. What's my most personal Harris moment? And I'm not talking about moments the others have been part of. Not directly, anyway. That's what gives me the idea about what I'll say.

"I wouldn't be dating Jay if it weren't for Harris," I say. God, that sounds awful. I clear my throat and try again. "Harris...he was the one who helped me pluck up the courage to start talking to Jay when it became clear he wouldn't talk to me." Better. "He was that kind of guy - a little sneaky, but made of so much sunshine. He existed on his own plane where he could be himself for the rest of us. Sweet, funny, playful. And his dog was the perfect companion for him...hell, I wouldn't be surprised if Harris was really a dog in a human suit. That's how good he was."

Blinking back tears, I step down from the podium and walk up to Harris' side. I kiss my fingertips and touch him where his cheek lies under the sheet. Then I take my seat next to Adele, looking back up as Kevin takes his turn speaking.

"I legitimately worried for a while that Harris had an ice cream problem, the number of times he came into my family's place," he says - this is the highlight of his own short speech. "Then I figured I wasn't so much concerned for him as I was amazed that he could actually eat all that ice cream and never gain weight. That's how I guessed he was part Fire, you know?"

My speech didn't make anyone laugh - well, other than Jay and Aimee snorting a bit at my "dog in a human suit" thing - but Kevin does better with his ice-cream-themed story.

Michelle, on the other hand, gets a little more serious. "I probably lived the most sheltered life out of any of you...well, except maybe Jay." That's her one laugh moment, I'm thinking. "But until Monday, I didn't realize how sheltered, because until then I'd never experienced that level of bigotry. Injured for who I am. A warlock, a woman...and a queer woman at that. And to see my best bisexual friend dying...I have to stand up and be counted now. And I will, going forward. You'll be seeing me get pretty active for equality now. Count on it."

Then it's Jay's turn. "What can I say that hasn't been said already?" he asks rhetorically. "Well, I think I've got something. Without Harris, I probably would still be going around thinking I'm not man enough. Harris taught me that being a man isn't about being toxically masculine, all big and brutish and unfeeling." He jabs his finger into his chest. "A real man has no fear of emotion. A real man embraces his weird. A real man steps up to defend those he loves. Like we did for each other right up to the end." He removes a piece of paper from his pocket - a drawing of Harris feeding a wolf. Or is it Thor? It looks like it could go either way. Whatever the drawing is, it looks beautiful, and I'm sad to see Jay leaving it by Harris' side to be committed to the flames.

Finally, Aimee makes her speech. "I might have been the only one to see a less perfect side of Harris," she says, "but I don't blame anyone for seeing him as superhumanly great. And it's not like I didn't play a part in dragging out his angry side once in a while. Comes with the territory, I guess, when you call him your boyfriend." She buries her head in her hands, and for a second, I think she's crying - but no, it's just the opposite. "Listen to me," she laughs. "I make him sound emotionally abusive...but no. I emotionally abused him, because I lost control one night and said some insensitive, hurtful things...I accused him of wanting to have a threesome with me and some other guy. That kind of stereotype offended him so deeply..." She shakes her head. "Even though he forgave me and we made up eventually, I still regret it, and I always will. Because now that he's dead, I'll never be able to fully make it up to him." She does what I did, giving Harris a finger-kiss, although she touches him on his mouth. "I love you, Harris," she says. "Say hi to God for me, okay? For all of us."

Minutes later, to a somber organ rendition of "Knockin' On Heaven's Door," Harris goes into the flames. That's when I really break down and cry - the sight of him being cut off, knowing that that's the last time I'll ever see his face, it's almost too much to bear. Only Adele and Jay holding my hands keeps me from losing it completely. That, and Jay using his other hand to wipe my tears away.

He could almost get a job, doing that for money. He's such a natural at it.

When the ashes are presented to Mr. McCallum, he takes the black urn and carries it outside, with the rest of us following behind him. Stepping into the sunny day beyond these walls, I immediately close my eyes for a second before adjusting to the light. Even with my Light powers, my eyes are still pretty sensitive sometimes. Crying doesn't help at all.

Crying because this chapter in my life is over.

This chapter...but not my life itself.

None of our lives are tied that closely to that of Harris, even with all the snaky tendrils of affection he hooked into all our hearts. Letting them go, after we've come to rely on them as part of our existence for so long, is an insurmountable challenge.

Or is it?