every sky is blue, but not for me and you Justin wanted Brian. No. He needed Brian. The tears welled in his eyes threatened to spill at any moment as the two siblings drove in silence. His heart hurt. His throat burned. His body ached. He had never been this scared in his life. He wanted Brian. Even for a moment. Even if he would never be able to see him again after that; he needed to see him now. I can’t do this. How can anybody do this? I can’t… it’s too much. It fuckin’ hurts too much…. He glances over at his sister. She’s staring out the window, the straw is between her lips, but she isn’t drinking anything from the to-go cup. He sighs heavily, returning his gaze to the road. I have to do this. For Molly’s sake, I have to be strong. But what if this is a trap? What if they’re waiting for us at the airport? What if I’m leading my little sister to her own death? The thought of that pushes the tears out of his eyes and down his cheeks. Quickly wiping them away, he swallows hard. He couldn’t cry. He had to stay strong. He hurt all over, down to his bones. “Mommy’s in heaven now?” Molly asks; her voice so soft that Justin barely heard her. He nods. Though he wishes she was still alive. Maybe she is… maybe she’s still alive… maybe she’s trying to call me back and this was all some horrible mistake?... but I don’t have a phone. She can’t call me. She can’t… “Do you believe in angels, Justin?” She asks, her voice quivering. He looks over at her, “Yeah, Molly. I do.” I have to. I have to… At that moment, Justin finally understood the importance of faith. It helped people cope. It made things feel less horrible. And above all, gave people hope. Looking down at her hands, Molly whispers, “I bet Mom is a beautiful angel.” Justin smiles softly, “Yeah. You’re right.” Maybe she’ll be at the airport waiting for us? Maybe everything will be okay after all? He sighed. ‘Faith’ was all he had left. “How much longer until we’re there?” Molly asks, her voice gaining strength. Clearing his throat, Justin estimates, “10-15 minutes, probably.” He was proud of Molly. He didn’t think he would be taking it as well if he were her age. She nods, finally taking a sip of her soda. “Okay.” Her voice loses its strength. “What is it?” Justin asks, though the answer is obvious. He feels stupid for even asking. “I think we’re going to die.” She answers matter-of-factly, her voice detached of emotion. Justin is quiet; absorbing her statement. “It’ll be quick, right?” Molly asks. Justin turns to look at her in disbelief. How could his twelve year old sister be talking about death as easily as discussing the weather? She looks back at her hands. Justin stares back at the road. He should say something, right? But what? “Do you think it’ll hurt?” She asks. Justin bites his lower lip. This was horrible. Fuck faith, what he needed was a miracle beyond miracles. At this point he would easily make a deal with the devil himself in order to keep Molly safe. Slowly turning to his sister, he states as calm as he possibly can, “Molly, I promise you that I will do whatever it takes to make sure we are not going to die. And if for some reason, I die, I will do everything in power beforehand to make sure you are safe. Do you understand me?” Molly stares at him. Her blue eyes wide open in shock. Returning his gaze to the road, Justin forces himself to breath. It’s at that moment that a loud explosion is heard underneath their car. His heart skips a beat as he tightens his grip on the steering wheel. Trying to block out Molly’s scream, he struggles to maintain control of the car before it crashes against the side railing. The two siblings sit there, catching their breath as they come to terms with their new predicament. “Are you okay?” Justin finally speaks. His heart is beating a mile a minute. She nods. “I think so…” “I think the tire blew.” “Can you fix it?” Justin has to laugh. That was ridiculous. “So now what?” She asks; her frustration evident. Justin looks through the rearview mirror. “We don’t have much of a choice, Moll. We have to walk.” She bites her lower lip. Fear etched across her face. Justin looks ahead. He couldn’t see anyone coming and he couldn’t decide if that was good or bad. “We have no choice. We have to walk.” She nods, near tears forming. He knows what she’s thinking. He’s thinking the same thing: they were going to die. ----------------********************_______________________ Thanks again to everyone! I'll be adding a new chapter tonight!