CHAPTER ONE : THE FUNERAL
WHEN: Sunday, February 2nd, 2020
WHERE: Wolvercote Cemetary, Oxford, England.
It’s been two weeks since the death of Harold Knox, and on this dreary Sunday morning the procession has gathered in Wolvercote Ceremony to lower the coffin into the ground. The original five Oculus Academy members and Mr. Moe were selected to be pallbearers and bring the coffin to it’s final resting place. Silence falls, and only the patter of drizzling rain can be heard as it drums on the attendees’ umbrellas. For a while it is quiet, as everyone stares down at the box which holds the body of a great leader.
The cherry blossoms are starting to bloom at the edge of the cemetery, and not far away the grave of J.R.R Tolkien (Harold’s favorite author) can be seen. It’s a somber setting, one befitting of such loss. But tension hangs in the air as the Oculus Academy’s former students stand shoulder to shoulder with The Enigmas. The Enigmas, dressed in black but still donning their masks to hide their identities, are only there at the request of their parent, Hollis Navarro. They have no idea why their parent is crying, and some tell themselves it’s just the rain.
The paparazzi is gathered outside of the gate to the cemetery and some news vans are parked along the street. But the teams have hired security to make sure they can go through the day undisturbed, and any unwelcome onlookers are merely buzzing around at a distance and are easy to ignore. The faint din of speculation and rumors can be heard all around them, but each keep their head down and proceed with only whispers. The crowd of invited attendees is small: both teams, some of Harold’s distant family, some politicians and socialites, and some former coworkers from his days at Prism. No more than forty people are in attendance for the private funeral, making people wonder how it was that The Enigmas were put on the list.
As they leave the cemetery and get into their black sedans, the shouts of the crowd gathered outside reach a crescendo but are blocked out as the doors close and fade away as everyone drives off towards The Oculus Academy manor for the wake. The wake, much like the burial is quiet. No one is quite sure what to say. Since everyone is thinking words that may easily start something. The Oculus’ wonder why The Enigmas are in their home, and The Enigmas wonder so many things about The Oculus’ as they finally get the chance to pry into their lives. They amble through the parlor and lounge of the mansion, eating the food that has been set out and watching each other nervously. Mr. Moe exchanges a few polite words with Hollis and Florence, while Blitzbang seems to be giving Zephyr a tour.
Then, loud enough for everyone in the parlour to hear, Blitzbang invites Zephyr to stay the night, instead of having to fight back through the paparazzi and sleep in a moldy old inn, Blitzbang says that Zephyr should merely take one of the guest rooms. Then calling out to the entire crowd, Blitzbang declares that anyone here is invited to stay the night in a guest room if they so choose. As they say “All are welcome here.”
THE OBJECTIVE: Attend the funeral and pay respects to Harold Knox without starting a fight.
IN CHARACTER TIMEFRAME: One afternoon.