Chapter 2

 The cops had arrived and gone before I finally stopped crying.  My Lucas never left my side except to park his car in our driveway instead of the street.  Lucas kept speaking words I didn’t quite hear.  I just listened to the way his voice sounded.  Words wouldn’t bring Sophie back.  Nothing could.  I was afraid mom would leave me, too, the way she just stood there for the best part of an hour.  She didn’t seat herself at the table until the police made it to the kitchen.

“Kairi?”  Lucas spoke hesitantly and in a near whisper.

“Hmm?”  I mumbled sleepily with my head rested on his shoulder.

“I don’t think I can stay much longer.  It’s getting late and I don’t think your mother would be comfortable letting me stay here for the night.”  He explained it so sweetly and gently, but the words tore at my heart.  Mom could deal with it just one night.  I needed him here, and I would do anything to make him stay.  Without him, my thoughts would drift back to Sophie and I would never stop thinking about it.

“I’ll go ask her.  I need you.”  I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice, but it didn’t work very well.  I stood up and the world started spinning so I collapsed back onto my Lucas.  “You go ask.”  I demanded.

He lifted me off the couch and told me we could ask together.  We were in the kitchen sooner than I could have imagined.  “Mom, can Lucas stay with me?”  I half-pleaded drowsily.  She nodded, but it was such a small gesture that I was lucky to see it.  I was happy, to an extent.  I knew that I could sleep without fear of unwanted nightmares.  If I did have nightmares, though, Lucas would save me and tell me everything was okay.

“Shhhh.  Sleep my little princess.  We need to get our rest for tomorrow.”  I didn’t realize that we were in his car and moving away from home until we actually reached our destination.  He opened my door and picked me up again.  I snuggled up to his chest, trying to hide from the cold air.

We were at a hotel, warm and cozy inside.  I listened to him asking a lady at the desk for a room, but grew tired of it and fell asleep again.