"Hello," I Lied.

Nate

Snuggling against a pillow, I try to let myself fall back asleep. I'm not really fully awake, but my conscience wants to wake up, as to where I just want to ignore the world and go back to sleep. Finally becoming aware of the living world, I also notice that Jack's not in bed with me anymore. Looking around, my eyes take a few minutes to adjust to the dark.

Standing up, I look around for my shirt but can't find it. Even when I turn the light on, I realize it's not here. Shrugging to myself, I tiptoe out the door and walk into the brightly lit kitchen, where Jack's mom is busy scrubbing away on some poor pan.

"Uhm..I.." Clearing my throat, I finally catch Mrs. Hellwig's attention.

Snapping her hand to her chest, she lets out a breath of relief. "Oh! You scared me, sweetie. Where's your shirt?" I circle the counter, sitting on a stool.

"I don't know. I sleep without a shirt, and when I woke up, it was gone." To my surprise, she clucks her tongue and whistles through the house. A cat hurries to the table, pouncing on her empty dish. When she realizes it's empty, she stares up at Jack's mom expectantly.

"Now where is it?" She asks the cat in a strict voice. "I know you have it, don't even pretend you don't." Wondering for a moment if she's gone insane, I start to back away slowly before the cat suddenly runs the opposite direction. The woman looks up at me, smiling. "One second." True to her word, a second later, the cat returns with my shirt.

Awestruck and amazed, I pull the shirt over my head, frowning at the dull blood stains on the hem. Staring at Mrs. Hellwig, I try to speak. "What...how..?" She laughs.

"That cat is an odd one. Things have happened and we'll never know why or how it did, but it did alright." I giggle, amused by the cat who is absently scratching at the floor, yowling for food. Her owner complies and moments later, the cat is happily crunching into a disgusting cat mix.

"So..uh..where's Jack?" I ask timidly. She points down the hall. I raise my eyebrows.

"Oh, you've never been here before? I'm sorry, I guess I just assumed..he's in his bedroom, down the hall. If you want you can..?" I shake my head quickly.

"Where's, uh,, where's Kyle? My dad?"

"I have no clue where your father is, I'm assuming he's at the police station, of course. And your brother is sleeping in my bedroom." The shock must have been apparent on my face as she holds a hand over her mouth, laughter flitting across her features.

"No, darling, I haven't been to bed. I knew I wouldn't..be able to sleep...knowing that Chuck.." She gasps, tears spilling over her cheeks. Feeling bad, I give her a quick hug, careful not to get swept in to her powerful womanly sorrow. Yeah, they can kill you with their emotions, you know that, right? That's why all the smart men are gay.

Suddenly the phone rings and she instantly stops crying. It's magic, I swear. Snatching up the phone, she cradles it in the crook of her neck, greeting the caller. A weird look passes over her features as she affirms something, handing the phone to me. Taking it, I answer cautiously.

"Nate? Oh thank goodness you're okay. I need you and Kyle to say goodbye and be ready to go in an hour. We've got a plane to catch." My breath catches in my throat as I try to croak a response.

"Wh..What? What do you mean?"

"The man who killed your mother has come forward to claim his son, and the responsibility. We're finally free, Nate. I'll be there soon, we've got to catch the trial."

"Dad, wai-" The phone connection clicks in my ear as he hangs up, obviously busy with things at hand. Staring at the phone, I rest it in the charger, wondering what's going to happen. What do I do? Are we coming back? What then?

Jack's mom looks at me carefully, overhearing my dad's and my part of the conversation. "I'll wake up Jack, you go wake up your brother. Don't worry, Nate. Things will work out. I'm sure you'll be coming back here. Even if your father chooses not to, you're an adult, aren't you? Free to make your own decisions." She looks at her hands. "Yes, well. Right."

After her short speech, she carries on to Jack's room as I head down to where she points out her own bedroom. Kyle lies sprawled out on the bed, dead asleep. "Kyle?" I whisper. Usually I would just pounce and wake him up as per normal, but today is anything but normal. Today is the end and beginning of all things good.

"Kyle?" I say again, a little louder. Finally impatient, I raise my voice. "Kyle!" He snorts awake, staring at me with sleepy blinking eyes.

"Whatchu want? Trying to sleep here.." I sit down on the bed next to him, sighing.

"Dad said to wake you up. Something's happening. Something big. We're leaving." He stares at me, not comprehending. "Mom's killer- Maxes father- gave himself up. We're going to the trial in our hometown, so we've got to catch an early flight. We're.." Sadness washes over me, leaving despair in it's place. "We're leaving, Kyle."