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kuangningThe words hung in the air, and she felt as if time had suddenly slowed to a crawl. The sober, almost improbably yound man in front of her shifted his weight on his feet, his face a study in discomfort, as she sank to one of the chairs.
"An accident," she echoed blankly, and he nodded. "I'm truly sorry, miss..." "My parents?" He swallowed hard, and spread his hands in one oddly graceful motion. "There were no survivors," he said softly. She stared numbly. "My twin brothers - they were with them? My parents were supposed to meet them... were they on their way there, or back?" He was silent a moment too long, and turning aside, she was violently, suddenly sick, emptying the contents of her stomach into a wastebasket in long bouts of retching interspersed with choking sobs.
When she finished, she sat up, to find him standing over her with a glass of water. "There's a bathroom down the hallway," he pointed. A few minutes later, with her mouth rinsed and her face pale, she stood in the doorway. "My brothers were only ten," she said. "I have a younger sister - has anyone told her?" When he shook his head, she sighed. "I need to go home, then." She hesitated, then asked, forcing the words out quickly, "Where are the - my parents, my brothers. Where are they? Whom should I see, to make... arrangements?" She ran a hand through her hair, and his light brown eyes warmed just a little. "You can contact me later," he said calmly. "My name is Ian. If I'm unavailable, which is unlikely, you can ask for Bryant. I'll tell him to expect you." "Thank you," she said simply. "I'll be back once I've seen to Ellie." She looked to be on the verge of tears, but her back was straight as she thanked him again and walked out, headed out of the village, for home.
Three days later, she stood looking down at the second, softly gleaming coffin, her eyes burning, and mechanically released the fistful of dirt she held. Ellie, across the graveside from her, did the same. The little girl was dressed in her newest outfit - the last, Lyssa thought, that Elise would ever buy her little daughter. Ellie was holding tightly to Kyle's hand, and her eyes were bright with tears, but she wasn't crying. She had wept for hours that first day and night, and had actually crept into bed beside Lyssa for the first time in years, to cry again while Lyssa held her. But Ellie was evidently made of some of the same strong stuff as her mother; she had gotten out of bed in the hours before dawn, and returned to her own room. She explained gravely over breakfast the next morning that "Mom never would've let me get into her bed. She would've said that word that means I have to be a big girl. In- in- " "Independent," Lyssa filled in. Ellie nodded, gave an eloquent little shrug, and the subject was not broached again between the sisters. Lyssa did her own crying in fits and spurts, as she took on the task of somehow filling the empty spaces.
Two days after the burials, she climbed the stairs to the twins' room, boxes in hand, and started the chore of packing their things. The boys had been relatively neat; it wasn't a difficult job, just a painful one. Time and again, some small thing would strike at her as swiftly and viciously as any snake... under one mattress, she found a small cache of coins - Colin's collection, a craze she had triggered by giving him a pierced silver coin on a chain to wear around his neck. Fascinated by the engravings, Colin had begged for more coins at every turn until he was old enough to find or trade for them on his own.
One closet yielded an intricately-decorated eggshell and some wooden whistles. Scattered through the drawers, she found shells, bits of glass, pretty rocks. One or both boys had attempted some carving... she wondered which one, then bit her lip, angry at herself for not knowing. She would ask Ellie later, she decided, tap the younger girl's memories before they faded.
"An accident," she echoed blankly, and he nodded. "I'm truly sorry, miss..." "My parents?" He swallowed hard, and spread his hands in one oddly graceful motion. "There were no survivors," he said softly. She stared numbly. "My twin brothers - they were with them? My parents were supposed to meet them... were they on their way there, or back?" He was silent a moment too long, and turning aside, she was violently, suddenly sick, emptying the contents of her stomach into a wastebasket in long bouts of retching interspersed with choking sobs.
When she finished, she sat up, to find him standing over her with a glass of water. "There's a bathroom down the hallway," he pointed. A few minutes later, with her mouth rinsed and her face pale, she stood in the doorway. "My brothers were only ten," she said. "I have a younger sister - has anyone told her?" When he shook his head, she sighed. "I need to go home, then." She hesitated, then asked, forcing the words out quickly, "Where are the - my parents, my brothers. Where are they? Whom should I see, to make... arrangements?" She ran a hand through her hair, and his light brown eyes warmed just a little. "You can contact me later," he said calmly. "My name is Ian. If I'm unavailable, which is unlikely, you can ask for Bryant. I'll tell him to expect you." "Thank you," she said simply. "I'll be back once I've seen to Ellie." She looked to be on the verge of tears, but her back was straight as she thanked him again and walked out, headed out of the village, for home.
Three days later, she stood looking down at the second, softly gleaming coffin, her eyes burning, and mechanically released the fistful of dirt she held. Ellie, across the graveside from her, did the same. The little girl was dressed in her newest outfit - the last, Lyssa thought, that Elise would ever buy her little daughter. Ellie was holding tightly to Kyle's hand, and her eyes were bright with tears, but she wasn't crying. She had wept for hours that first day and night, and had actually crept into bed beside Lyssa for the first time in years, to cry again while Lyssa held her. But Ellie was evidently made of some of the same strong stuff as her mother; she had gotten out of bed in the hours before dawn, and returned to her own room. She explained gravely over breakfast the next morning that "Mom never would've let me get into her bed. She would've said that word that means I have to be a big girl. In- in- " "Independent," Lyssa filled in. Ellie nodded, gave an eloquent little shrug, and the subject was not broached again between the sisters. Lyssa did her own crying in fits and spurts, as she took on the task of somehow filling the empty spaces.
Two days after the burials, she climbed the stairs to the twins' room, boxes in hand, and started the chore of packing their things. The boys had been relatively neat; it wasn't a difficult job, just a painful one. Time and again, some small thing would strike at her as swiftly and viciously as any snake... under one mattress, she found a small cache of coins - Colin's collection, a craze she had triggered by giving him a pierced silver coin on a chain to wear around his neck. Fascinated by the engravings, Colin had begged for more coins at every turn until he was old enough to find or trade for them on his own.
One closet yielded an intricately-decorated eggshell and some wooden whistles. Scattered through the drawers, she found shells, bits of glass, pretty rocks. One or both boys had attempted some carving... she wondered which one, then bit her lip, angry at herself for not knowing. She would ask Ellie later, she decided, tap the younger girl's memories before they faded.
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Date: 2002-02-25 05:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-02-26 06:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2002-02-26 04:18 am (UTC)*hugs*
*hugs*
Date: 2002-02-26 06:50 am (UTC)Re: *hugs*
Date: 2002-02-27 04:07 am (UTC)