Chapter 8.

*Mikayla*

Somehow I end up in the back of an ambulance. I hear voices and smell Jake all around me. I must have pa.s.sed out. I sit up, a little dazed, and realize I'm wearing Jake's Tuxedo jacket, I sniff it once.

And then I remember.

My entire family is dead.

I close my eyes and pray that this is a dream, a nightmare. But when I open my eyes, I'm exactly where I was. I feel my heart pounding harder against my chest. The ache so big it's like a volcano about to explode from the inside. I can't breath. My vision blurs as my throat closes. I need to find a way to make this better. I need James. I need Megan.

And then I remember more.

How can everything, EVERYTHING be taken from me instantly? Anger consumes me, my body trembles with the need to release something from within. I pick up the first thing I see and throw it. Sounds of metal hitting metal echo in the back of the ambulance. I pick up more things and throw, spinning in circles pushing and shoving everything in my way.

I want to die.

I want to be with them.

There's nothing else.

No one else.

Nothing can hurt more than this.

Nothing.

My face burns, and my voice is hoa.r.s.e from crying. My legs can't hold me anymore and they give out underneath me. Strong arms wrap around me from behind, their body falls to the ground with me, cradling me and rocking me like I'm a child, soothing my hair away from my face and shushing me in comfort. "It's going to be okay, Kayla. I promise." He kisses my temple.

I open my eyes and look up at his midnight blue ones, red raw from his own tears. "Jake..." my voice breaks before I silently sob in his arms.

We stay like that for what feels like hours but is only minutes. My mind is empty, completely void of any thoughts. I'm a sh.e.l.l of a person.

"Miss Jones?" A young cop tries to get my attention.

I bury my face further into Jake's body.

"Have you got somewhere to stay tonight?" he asks cautiously. "The house is going to be a crime scene for a while...uhh... you'll need to find somewhere until we clear out all the evidence."

I still have no idea what happened to them.

"What happened?" I whisper, as I look at Jake.

"It's okay, we'll talk later," he a.s.sures me. To the cop he says, "Yeah, she can stay with me."

"And what's your relation to Miss Jones?" Cop sounds suspicious.

"I'm her boyfriend."

"I don't know if that's appropriate, has she got any friends she can stay with?"

I small sob forms in my throat and escapes from my mouth, I grip onto Jake tighter.

"Seriously, dude?" He sounds p.i.s.sed. "Were both adults! And do you really think I'd be here right now if I didn't care about her! What the f.u.c.k?"

Jake's accent is so thick right now, I don't know if I understood him correctly.

"Jake?" a timid females voice comes through the open ambulance doors.

"Mom?"

"This is your mother?" cop asks.

"No s.h.i.t, Sherlock!" Jake growls.

"Jacob!" His mom reprimands.

"Ma'am," cop begins "your son here says that he's Miss Jones' boyfriend. He says she can stay with him tonight? I just want to confirm that this is suitable."

Jake's mom doesn't miss a beat. "Officer, my son is an adult. I am here for moral support, not to write out permission slips. It's obvious my son cares for Miss Jones or they would not be in the position they are in." I'm still cradled in his arms, on the floor of the ambulance. "Now, maybe you need to take a step back and re-evaluate your level of sensitivity to the situation."

"Yes, Ma'am," cop replies.

I hear his footsteps walking away.

"Jake, honey, let's go home."

Jake pulls back from me so he can see my face, he has to hold my head up because I can't seem to function at all. "Mikayla?" I blink. "I'm going to carry you into a car, and you're going to stay at my house tonight, okay?"

I nod once.

"Okay," he says, pulling hair away from my eyes and planting a kiss on my forehead. Then I'm being lifted and carried into a minivan. He sits in the back with me and resumes his cradle hold. His mom drives to their home, in complete silence.

I must fall asleep, because the next thing I know I'm being carried up stairs and being tucked into a bed. "Jake..." I whisper. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna take the sofa downstairs." He hands me some clothes to sleep in, I'm still in my prom dress. "No one will bother you here, just try to get some rest okay?"

I start to cry, and he's next to me instantly, holding, and soothing me. "Please, Jake. Can you just stay, please? I don't want to be alone."

"Sure" ...shaaww... his accent.

"Get dressed and I'll be back in a few minutes." He kisses my temple, and leaves his room.

I get out of bed and start to undress, I put on the clothes he handed me, a plain white shirt and boxers. I have no underwear on, no bra, no panties, I have no clothes. I don't even think I can get in my house to get them. Oh, G.o.d. What happened?

As I start to get into the bed, I can hear hushed conversation just outside the door.

"Get some rest sweetheart, both of you. Well, try anyway."

"Thanks, Mom, for everything, I mean it."

"Honey, you don't need to thank me. You did such a good thing today. We're very proud of you."

"I didn't do anything, Mom."

"Try to get some sleep, son." A deep male voice says, I a.s.sume it's Jake's dad. "You have a meeting with your agent here at 9am. Don't forget."

"We can't cancel?" Jake asks.

"Son, he's travelled from L.A" His dad again. "Just tell him you're not interested in anything right now and send him on his way."

"Goodnight, guys." Jake says as he opens the door.

He closes it behind him then leans against it. His left hand holds an ice pack to his right knuckles, from punching James.

He takes in a deep breath and lets it out in a big puff, blowing his cheeks out.

He looks over at me, for seconds, minutes, hours, who knows.

"G.o.d, Kayla. I'm so f.u.c.king sorry." His voice breaks.

I stare at him.

He puts the ice pack down on his dresser and starts to strip out of his clothes and I look away.

He gets in his bed with me, dressed in his tank and boxers.

Once he's in, we face each other. Then he sits up abruptly and rips his tank off. "Smells like beer," he shrugs, getting back under the covers and pulling the blankets to our chins.

"What happened to them, Jake?"

He looks at me and tears fill his eyes.

He pulls my body flush against his and wraps his arms around me, he rests his chin on top of my head and clears his throat.

"The police think your family walked in on a burglar in the house, the a.s.shole shot them all, Kayla."

I tense in his arms.

"He got away, but he tried to burn down the house, to get rid of the evidence I guess."

I lay silent, tears streaming down my face, I wipe them on his chest.

"They got a lot of prints and evidence so they should catch the a.s.shole soon. They got a lot of witnesses too. The police are calling it a random act of violence'." He runs his fingers through my hair and kisses my forehead again. "I know it doesn't bring them back, Kayla, but I really am sorry, for all of it, for James and your best friend, and then your family. f.u.c.k, I can't even begin to comprehend what you're feeling. Just know, that I'm here for you... and my friends... our friends, we'll all be here for you, and my family too. I mean, I know that I just met you tonight but I truly do care about you, Mikayla. And if there's anything you need, or want, you just tell me okay? Promise me you'll do that?"

I nod my head. The lump in my throat preventing me from speaking actual words.

I fall asleep in Jake's arms, sheltered from all the bad and evil in the world.

Chapter 9.

*Mikayla*

The next morning I wake up needing to use the bathroom. Jake isn't in his bed. My head is pounding from the previous nights crying and I try not to think about any of it too soon. I look around the room and notice two doors on the right wall, I'm praying one of them is a bathroom.

I get up and creep to open the doors, the first one I open is the one I need. I finish doing my business and crawl back into bed.

I hear voices downstairs, all male voices. I look for my phone on the nightstand and see a gla.s.s of water and two aspirins, there's a note leaning against the gla.s.s.

Had to take care of some business, be back as soon as it's done. Take the aspirin for your headache. - Jake'

I do as the note says and then look at my phone, 178 missed calls from James and some unknown numbers, 32 new text messages. I look to make sure I don't miss any that aren't from James, nothing from Megan. Not a single call or text.

Then I read the text from last night.

We love you too, sweetheart. Have a good night. Emily is begging for ice cream. We'll bring you back a big batch of cookies'n'cream. It will be waiting for you in the freezer, wake me if I'm asleep to share it.'

They must've come back from getting ice cream when they walked in on the burglary. I close my eyes and will this all to go away.

I lay there for a long time before I realize I should be doing something else, anything else. I start to panic. Lawyers, wills, insurance and funeral planning. Oh, G.o.d. I'm legally an adult, I won't have any help.

I'm going to have to bury my entire family.

I feel claustrophobic in this room, the walls start closing in and before I know it I'm rushing to the bedroom door and pulling it open. I stop in my tracks as I see Jake's mom bending down, about to put a tray of food and clothes on the floor in front of the door.

She startles when she sees me, an audible gasp exits her mouth.

She smiles awkwardly at me, "Good morning, Mikayla. I was just going to bring you some food and a change of clothes. I'm not sure what your size is, but I think you would fit in my sweats." She won't look at me.

She walks into Jake's room and fingers the dress from last night, it's sitting on the back of Jake's desk chair. I sit on the bed and wait.

"This must be incredibly hard for you," she says, trying to hold back the tears. She moves to stand in front of me, leaning on the dresser. She clears her throat, I notice she doesn't have an accent. "Sweetheart, I need you to understand that I'm not asking you this because, well, because we don't want you staying here. You stay here as long as you need to, we've already told Jake that. I'm asking because it's an important step in the process, I guess. Is there anyone you should be calling? Aunts, Uncles? Cousins? Grandparents? Anyone like that?"

They had a lot of acquaintances but not really any family. People cared about them but it wasn't like anyone would care for me. The only person would be my Aunt Lisa. She wasn't really my Aunt. Both my parents were only children and my grandparents are dead.

"Um, just one, my Aunt Lisa, she umm, she's not my real aunt. She's my mom's best friend from high school. My parents were only children and I don't have any living grandparents. It's um... it's just me"

"Oh, sweetheart," she coos, coming to sit next to me on the bed and holding my hand.