I Just Had to Lick the Cookie, Didn't I?

Skin against skin, blood and bone;
You're all by yourself, but your not alone;
You wanted in an' now you're here,
Driven by hate, consumed by fear

Pulling into the Boones' driveway during the day was just as, if not more, mortifying as the first time at night. Their house was nothing less than marvelous and, from what I understood, was one of many retreats. Caroline had enlightened me on more information regarding her family during the rest of the trip. It basically just made me feel even worse about myself than I already did, which surprisingly isn't that hard to do.

"Well," she sighed, taking her hands off the steering wheel and turning off the car, "it's time for the informational meeting." I ignored her and got out of her brand-spanking-new Mercedes SUV. The fresh air and crisp breeze did me good. Her car door closed and she walked up to the front door. At first I didn't follow her. First, I glanced around their driveway and yard.

The alluring pebble-made block driveway was set in front of the immaculate brick house. Surrounding the enormous building, trees added perfect scenery and made the whole place seem peaceful. Stealing one last glance at the flaming leaves, I scampered to the door, passing Milo's car as I neared Caroline.

Behind us the delicate white door closed. Caroline stopped and shrugged off her coat. I watched in silence, awkwardly holding my breath for the hell of it.

"Caroline, is that you?" William yelled. I only knew it was him because Cadan's car wasn't outside and the voice was too deep to be Milo's. That and William's was the only other car out there, assuming he drove the opulent and sophisticated black car.

"Yes dear! Adriaan's on her way!" Caroline called back. She smiled at me with her head to the side, as if she was examining me. I shifted uncomfortably and she stood up straight. "William's office is right up the stairs to the left. I assume the door's open," she informed me kindly. I nodded glumly and she smiled.

A soft padding noise sounded as my feet carried me up the stairs. No feelings overwhelmed me as I took that last step and walked proudly to the open doorway.

Inside, William was writing at a thick wooden desk. Milo stood looking out the large window. The room reminded me of the golden room from the other night. Gold colored the walls and illuminated the general area. However, a small ceramic cat sitting at William's feet did sort of creep me out...

"Oh, Adriaan, close the door and take a seat," William instructed gesturing to a chair by the wall. I closed the door gently and slowly made my way to the chair. It didn't weigh much, but I took my time carrying it to the front of William's desk. He chuckled when I set it down and I discretely gave him a dirty look. It's hard to tell behind my fallen hair.

Irritably, I sank down into the chair and refused to think.

"Logan," William hastily called. I didn't watch, but still heard Milo make his way to the wall and grab a second chair. He sat beside me and sighed. His father took a deep breath and cleared his throat before speaking again. "Now, Adriaan, I know this is a hard time for you, but you can't let things like these ruin your life. Death is a positive thing, making room for more energy to inhabit earth. Your sister left us peacefully, and hopefully she'll stay peaceful for the rest of her time."

That was a cheesy speech. Honestly, 'more energy'? Who says that?

"I'm giving you a month," he spoke firmly. I coughed in slight shock. What was this, an experiment? It takes time to get over things. "That should be enough time for you. By setting limits for your self, it makes the process easier. I only had a week after my mother died, so be grateful that I'm giving you so long." I knewhe had an arrogant side... Is he so oblivious to the fact that MY SISTER JUST DIED!? What an ass, I wouldn't want to be his wife when Idied; I'd probably only be worth about a few days, give or take.

"Father!" Milo yelled. "What are you...saying?"

"Logan, this is how we Boones handle things like these, surly you remember" William replied smartly.

"Are you kidding me?" Milo growled furiously. "There is no way that when my..." he trialed off, continuing with less ferociousness, "my...um, dog dies..." Milo paused once more before returning anger to his voice, "that I am going to wallow for a month and be over it!" After a while, it hit me. I realized why he had trailed off and struggled to find the word 'dog'. It was because of me.

Milo's POV

Let me tell you... I've wanted to wring this man's neck hundreds of times, but this one was different.

Adriaan's what, seventeen? She's clearly emotionally unstable, and my father gives her a time limit for mourning. If I could just borrow one of Cadan's good old baseball bats...

"Maelogan Madden Boone!" he shouted back at me mere seconds after my own seething. "How dare you question my word... And you know better, your brother got a week, a dog is hardly worth a day." Urg! I swear he just likes to piss me off, which is generally hard to do.

I shot up, sending the chair to the ground.

"Don't you ever," I fumed through clenched teeth, leaning onto his desk, "fucking bring him up again." His scowl deepened and he stiffened in his chair. As he opened his mouth to retort to me again his cell went off. He grumbled and took a breath, then answered the phone.

While he spoke I set my chair back on its feet and sat in it again, ignoring him speaking in the background. Adriaan was sunken into her chair with her hair over her eyes. Every part of her was limp, in a soft and gentle way. Almost like a model, like she was supposed to look that way.

"I'm sorry, but this meeting is being cut short." I turned to look back at my father. "Your mother and I need to be somewhere. I'll call Cadan and tell him to look after Charlie and Jane. Take her home and call your mother when you get there." He rose to his feet and I watched him behind my scowled face and hate filled eyes. Being the arrogant prick he is, he didn't even notice and just walked casually out of the office.