Alone In the World

Chapter 3: A Crash Heard From Around The World

As soon as they left, Seth and I finished our breakfast then washed our dirty dishes in the sink. I applied some lemon scented soap on a sponge and scrubbed my grimy dish with lather.

As soon as he was finished with his plate, Seth rinsed the soap from the water and placed it on the dishwasher rack. "As soon as you're finish," I instructed. "Make sure you are done with your work, so I can check it."

"Got it, Nanny McPhee." Seth grumbled, washing his cup. Rolling my eyes, I rinsed my dish and cup then set it on the rack. As soon as we dried our hands, Seth went upstairs to do his work while I took out a broom and dustpan from the supply closet and sweep around the house.

It was at least two stories high, or so I thought. On the outside, our lawn was perfectly trimmed to perfection, the wooden walls were repainted into a white finish, and the windows were spotless.

Ironically, its insides were different: the wooden floor was covered in dried mud from Seth's boots, the kitchen cupboards and walls were slathered in a hideous yellow, a refrigerator that never works, and the best part, bills stockpiled on top of the coffee table as if it was cash.

But nonetheless, Seth and I were grateful to live under a house with happy-go-lucky detective parents. After I was finished sweeping off the caked mud, I dumped it into the trash.

Quickly, I started working like a responsible brother: I cleaned my parents bedroom, cleaned the mirrors, did the lawn, and raked the leaves. As soon as I came back, Seth showed me his completed work on his laptop.

It was a website that challenged 4th grade Math, Reading, and other school subjects. On each subject, he received perfect scores from his teachers. It wasn't surprising that Seth scored very high, it was like our parents' genius IQ had rubbed off on us.

My nine-year old Seth had skipped third grade and began taking fourth grade courses, while I skipped both third and fourth grade. I think I will be taking fifth grade courses next fall.

"What should we do now?" I asked. Our duties were done and it will still too early to make lunch. Just then, Seth took the laptop from my hands, typed something in the computer, and turned the volume up.

A loud guitar came out of the speakers as Seth placed the laptop on the table with a grin on his face. The song came out, like a bird flying out of its cage. I let out a laugh when Seth sang the lyrics.

"Josie's on a vacation far away..." Seth sang. I laughed even harder because he was a bad singer, but joined in the chorus. "I don't want to lose your love tonight." I imitated a drummer's movements then jumped around. We started to dance like a maniac, from doing the Can-Can to copying the Breakfast Club's dance routine.

We started to laugh so hard that we collapsed on the floor. The song was in one of Mom's 80's mixtapes. Seth found it in the attic while doing some spring cleaning.

As soon as he showed it to me, he popped the tape in the radio and we danced to it until Seth broke it. After I turned off the laptop, I pulled Seth up to his feet. We acted like we were drunks: we fell down, constantly bursting out laughing.

"We are so stupid," I giggled. Seth took a couple of deep breaths and walked over to the refrigerator to get some water. Just then, I heard a loud crash coming from outside. Curious, I brushed the creases out of my pants and headed out of the door. "Where are you going?" Seth asked, trailing after me.

I didn't want to worry him, so I told Seth that I was going to check out the mailbox. But when I told him to go back to the house, he didn't budge. "You never check out the mail," Seth snorted. "Get back into the house," I instructed. "Fine," he sighed. "Sheesh." Seth walked back into the house and closed the door behind him.

I scrambled down the doorsteps and headed straight for the direction of the crash. Neighbors were walking out of their houses, stopped doing their chores, and followed the same direction I was going. For a moment, I felt a sharp pain in my chest. Something was wrong, I thought.

It must have been some car accident, but the question was: who got hit? I replayed the sound of the crash. It occurred around ten miles from where my house was. Swallowing a gulp, I pulled out my phone and tried Mom's phone, but it lead to voicemail.

Trying to stay calm, I explained that there was a car accident just far from the house. "I don't think anyone was hurt," I continued. "I told Seth to stay in the house, but I am going to check it out for myself." After I pushed End Call, I tried Dad's cellphone, but like Mom, it lead to voicemail.

"They are just....probably at work." I said. If they were probably at work, then shouldn't they answer my calls? I tried their cellphone numbers again, but they keep leading to voicemail. In anger, I shut off my phone and shoved it into my pocket. I stopped walking for a moment then ran. Tears were coming out of my eyes.

I had a bad hunch, but maybe I was wrong. I kept running until I saw my parents' red Chevy car, crushed against a white Honda. Both of the windows were cracked, the airbags projected out of their hiding places, and I saw traces of blood on the windshield.

The white Honda driver came out of the car with a huge scar across his cheek. He had dirty blond hair, blue eyes, white shirt, and pants. His sandals mixed in with the glass and blood. People were gathering around the cars, quietly surveying the scene.

If the driver got out, maybe Mom and Dad did. "Mom?" I shouted. "Dad?" The white Honda driver walked over to me and began apologizing. His breath smelled like whiskey and cigarettes. "Kid," he began. "I am so sorry. I tried to stop it-" "Mom?" I repeated, ignoring the liar's voice. "Dad?"

They didn't answer my voice. I hurried over to the driver seat and found both my parents dead. I covered my mouth to prevent myself from puking. Blood and glass was all over their clothes. Dad leaned against the air bag while Mom was leaning against the window beside her.

Their eyes were wide open like puppets and stared into space. "Dad," I sobbed, trying to get him to wake up. "Wake up, please." For an instant, he turned around and look at me. "Hey Ben," Dad croaked. "Where's your brother?" "He's in the house-" "What's going on?" a small voice asked. I turned around and saw Seth in tears.

"Why are you and Mom covered in blood?" Seth asked. "What's going on?" "Be good," Dad beamed. He gave us a cheery smile then closed his eyes.

Cast

Liam Neeson as Aaron Justine

Seventeen-year old Ben as Robbie Kay

Younger Cole Porter as Riele Downs

Kate Hudson as Cole's Mother

Younger Ben as Valin Shinyei