Part 2

Here's part 2! 

Sorry if this is kind of long; I had a little too much fun writing it.

Also, character bios are in the works, possibly to be posted in the future.

Anyways, I think that's all. 

Enjoy!

An hour later, they pulled into the parking lot of a boarding school with David grumbling about guest parking fees. He parked and said, "Time to go get your sister, Jacob,"

"Why should I listen to you?" the kid crossed his arms and stared back at David.

"Because I said so. And because if you want your sister to be safe, you'll go get her."

"What if no one listens to me?" he spoke with the same tone of bravado as before, but a slight quiver flowed through his voice; like the first tremor before an earthquake.

"They will," David exuded confidence, "Act like you belong, like nothing is out of normal and no one will question you. Tell them that there's a family emergency, your parents are waiting outside and you need your sister. You'll be fine,"

                                                                                                                                               

Inside, Jacob took a deep breath and approached the lady at the front desk.

"What can I do for you?" she asked in a bored tone.

"I need to get my sister," Jacob tried to swallow, but his throat was dry. He continued, "We had a sort of family emergency and my parents are waiting for us,"

"And your sister's name would be...?"

"Nicole. Sorry. Nicole Freedmont,"

"Alright, I'll send someone to get her. Any idea how long she'll have to be away?"

"No my parents didn't say. They haven't told me much of anything yet, but have her pack for a couple of days. That's what my mom said,"

"Just sit over there and wait for her, then," the woman didn't even give him so much as another glance. After what felt like a thousand years, but was really only five minutes, Nicole came down. Dressed in a plaid skirt, white, button-up shirt and a pull-over sweater, she was the picture of over-eager freshman.

"Jacob?" She said, "What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

"Let's go. I'll tell you in a minute." She hesitated.

"Come on, Nicole!" At last she followed him out the door. Outside on the sidewalk, Jacob stopped and turned to his sister. He couldn't speak. To speak would turn this haze of confusion into reality. When at last he forced the words out, his voice was emotionless and monotone in a way that surprised him.

"Mom and Dad are dead," Nicole didn't say anything. She stared at her feet. An innocent and child-like pair of feet in saddle shoes and white knee socks. The left sock was slipping down her leg. Jacob stared at her, unsure what to do. He made a point of being sure of himself, and in the past it had never been that hard. Today, everything had been turned upside down.

"Come on," he tugged on her hand, hoping for, needing a response, "There's two people parked over there around the corner. They brought me here. They want to help. I'll tell you what they said."

                                                                                                                                               

"Okay. Thanks Uncle Joe. Yeah, I'll let you know. Bye," Kelsie hung up the phone just as Jacob and his sister rounded the corner.

"What'd he say?" David asked.

"He said we should take them to a relative and try and explain the situation,"

"Again with the explanations!" Kelsie didn't answer.

"You okay, Kelsie?"

"Hmm? Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He gave a her a Look. It was the I'm-Your-Big-Brother-So-Don't-You-Dare-Lie-To-Me Look.

"I'm fine. Really, David."

"Good. I need you." Then he got out and opened the trunk for Jacob. Once they were back in the car, Jacob said, "This is my sister, Nicole."

"I'm David. This is Kelsie,"

"Nice to meet you," she murmured.

"Do you guys have any relatives we can take you to?" Kelsie asked.

"No," Jacob replied, "Our grandparents on both sides are dead, and both our parents were only children."

"Lovely," David muttered. Kelsie punched him in the thigh.

"Well, I guess you'll have to stay with us for a night until we figure something out," he said.

"Why??" two voices exclaimed. David opened his mouth, but Kelsie spoke first, scrambling for the right words.

"Well, the people who killed your parents will come after you too. Our original plan was to take you to some relatives and try and explain. But since that's obviously not going to happen, we have to think of something else. But we also have to keep you safe. And right now, the safest place is with us. You're just going to have to take it on faith, if you don't believe me," There was silence in the back seat and David took this as his cue to start driving. His face settled into a frown and he didn't look back until they were on the highway.

A quiet sound broke the silence in the car. Kelsie barely noticed it at first. She glanced back to see Nicole curled in a ball quietly sobbing. Jacob had an arm around her, and his eyes glistened with un-shed tears he refused to let fall. She knew no words that would help the pain. She didn't believe any existed. So she closed her eyes and rested her head on the cold window.

David glanced over at his sister. It was unfair. This should never have happened to them. To the kids in the back. To Kelsie. He knew what she kept behind locked doors in her mind. All because of that one day a year ago. And he couldn't change a single thing. I can't change it, but I can drown it.

He turned on the radio and stepped on the gas.