The Letter

Two

"I am so confused," he said

Emmy didn't know how to react. For someone who always got an answer from her father, this wasn't going as well. She looked into his eyes, still misty but clear, and said the first thing she could think of.

"We will figure this out," she said. ''We have done this before, this shouldn't be any different."

Those were her words but even as she said them, she wasn't buying. He looked down at her and gave her a loving stroke on her hair, then he said the words they had both been trying to avoid.

"Your mother isn't here. We have never done this without her."

This wasn't getting any easier. She looked up at him with something to say, but her mouth seemed to have forgotten how to work. He took the hint.

"She always knew the right places to go," he said, " we would be completely lost without her."

This realization had awakened pain he had shoved very deep. He seemed to have aged at least ten years in the past 20 minutes.

Emmy, having forgotten her initial confusion, looked up and knew they would be alright.

"We are going to be okay" she said, ever so gently.

She knew at that very moment that she had to be a mother, wife, and daughter to the Jackson family.

Speaking of which, where were they? The obviousness of this hit her and caused her chest to hurt in different waves per minute.

"Where is everyone, dad?" She feared the worst.

"They don't know yet. You should call them. I need to sit for a minute", Jeff said, and let go of her. He looked like he couldn't quite find the seat.

She looked down and saw the baby she never knew existed in the man she couldn't really recognize. He looked particularly frail like his body couldn't stand losing another tear.

"I'll be back" she said, more to herself than him. He didn't look up. He would be fine, she knew that she just had to find her brothers. As she went, she felt as though her family's story played before her.

The Jackson family appeared normal. But there was nothing normal about them. Jeff and Rachel Jackson, parents to Steve, Emily, and Lance Jackson. Pretty normal. However, they had a family secret, something that always found ways to tear down their family. They were different, and unique in a way that set them apart from the world. They had something they didn't care for.

Over the past decade, they had lived and moved from place to place. Being banished was no longer news to them but this time, they had just gotten off to a fresh start. Rachel Jackson's death had shaken the family to its very core.

They used to belong to a strong sovereign clan, The Vom, until things went south and they had to adjust. She thought of the good old days as she walked past the workers in the shop like they didn't exist. Life used to be good.

A familiar laughter snapped her out of her thoughts. She knew that anytime—Steve Jackson, a carbon copy of her father, only younger.

Steve was just across their father's street. He seemed to have caught sight of her but didn't care to stop whatever it was that was making him laugh so loudly. But then, he turned and realized something was off. She would usually shout or nag, but now, she walked. She just walked and he knew.

"Are we leaving?", he asked, not wanting what he knew was the answer.

She just kept walking in his direction, not once lifting her head. When she was a few metres away, she looked up and saw it like it was for the first time. Like his father, Steve stood at 6'2, an impressive height for someone who didn't think he was done growing. He had deep brown eyes that welcomed whoever they looked at, with a finely chiseled jaw he got from Jeff, his hair was his mother's though, long and blonde hair, he preferred for whatever reason not to cut or comb. He was as built as Jeff and was more sinewy than he cared to admit.

"Are we leaving?", he said again. This was more of a shout than anything else. She caught her wandering mind and gave him a slight nod.

He turned completely white. Never had he been so pale. He looked like he was going to faint. She picked up her pace but reached slightly a second late, as he was on the floor before she could do anything about it. His friends, with whom he was sharing a laugh, had looks of surprise on their faces but, for some reason, didn't help him up.

Not until she got there did she realize that he stopped them from helping.

"You okay, man?", some red-haired, average-looking young man asked. He looked like he'd just seen a ghost. Emmy didn't recognize him and looked straight at her brother.

"How soon?" Steve asked.

"As soon as we get Lance," Emmy said.

"Why?" He looked like he wanted to ask more than that but didn't have the words to do so.

He stretched his long legs as he helped himself up. It only just occurred to him that he had been on the ground for a while.

When it was obvious he wasn't getting any more answers, he thought to change his line of questioning.

"Where is Dad?"

"Where is Lance?"

She looked at him with the anger she didn't know had been building up. He recognized that and shielded himself.

"You look at me as though I have all the answers," she yelled. "what have you done now, Steve?"

Emily's knee looked like it wanted to give way. She had just gotten into a fight-or-flight stance but she was met by something she didn't expect. Steve was quiet, shocked even.

"You think it was me?" he replied quietly. "You think I did something?"

"Let's find Lance, we don't have much time", he grabbed her arm as he searched as far as his eyes could reach.

Only when the red-haired guy gave her a handkerchief did she realize she had been crying.

Steve looked long and hard at her. It was obvious they didn't have time for theatrics, but he knew he had to make time for a hug. He hugged her. This reminded her of her who always smelled of fresh roses and cinnamon. Nobody knew how either of them managed it.

"Thank you." she managed to say, under her breath.

A look of apprehension crossed his face, they still hadn't found Lance. Where was he?

They made a quick check at his school, his friends, and even the library. Being the smartest of the three, he had many a time been known to find solace in books. But he wasn't there.

A penetrating sound filled the still afternoon air. It shocked both siblings. Steve took his phone out of his pocket, nearly dropping it. It had been ringing for a while.

"Hello"

Then silence filled the air. An almost palpable one that couldn't be filled had they tried. One look at his face and she just knew. She knew.