[[Jess's POV]]

Black.

That's all I could see as people I know and loved mourned over our now dead parents. Men in both new, but dull black tuxedoes and women in either black, conservative, lacey dress or plain black suits.

I stood there, as silent as I could, playing with the hem of my black and white dress, tears streaming down my face. Beside me stood the only person in my life that truly understood my exact feelings at the moment in time. Sam Adams. She and I had basically grown up together since our parents had been friends since college.

We hadn't been told much about what had happened on that dreadful day though. All we had been told was that they had been on their flight back from Fiji, where all four of them had gone on a two-week long, second anniversary. But on their flight back, one of the engines had blown out and then plunged into the ocean below the,. No one survived, and now they all lay at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean along with the metal scraps of the airplane in a deep watery grave.

I was drawn back to reality when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I could tell it was a man's hand, just from the weight of it, and I was confirmed when I looked up. I found myself staring right into the steel gray eyes of my Uncle Jon. He had the exact same eyes as my father, which brought even more tears to my eyes.

It had been my father that had called my that afternoon while they were still on the plane. I can still remember the noise in the background. The noise I thought was always normal. A soft buzzing that was just loud enough to get annoying after a while.

"Jess," he had said, his emotion clearly leaking into his voice. "I need you to listen to Daddy. Mommy and I just needed to call you to tell you we love you-"

"Deeper than the holler," I finished for him. All of us had been big country music fans, which included Randy Travis.

"That's my big girl," he told me, a small smile in his voice. "Mommy and I won't be home. We just need had to tell you that we'll always be in your heart and be with you. We'll be safe where we're going."

"What do you mean? Where are you going? I thought you were coming home." I didn't understand at all. What had they meant by they wouldn't be coming home?

"We're going to go see Grandma," he told me, sorrow filling his voice once more before a long beep announced the call had ended.

"No," I muttered. It wasn't possible. Grandma was dead….

I shook my head to clear my thoughts just in time to hear Sam's uncle tell her that she had to leave for New York. Shock covered my face.

I glanced over at Sam just as a single tear streaked her face and she quickly embraced me tightly. In return, I wrapped my small arms around her the best I could.

"I'll never say goodbye to you Jess," she whispered into my ear. I knew exactly what this meant. I was losing every person I needed in my life. Or at least it seemed like it.

"Good, 'cause I won't either," I replied, my voice no higher than a whisper. A small smile had formed on both of our tiny faces, but were replaced by frowns as her uncle pulled her away from me. "No…"

But it was too late. She was too far away already. I looked up at my uncle and then what he told me next broke my heart.

"We have to leave to," he said softly. "I promised your mother I would take you to Wisconsin to live with me and Christi."

And I thought the day couldn't get any worse. I start mourning my parents, Sam is pulled away and forced to leave, and now I'm being taken away from my home state, Florida.

Uncle Jon led me away from the empty coffins that my mom and day should have been in, along with the Adams. I knew that everyone would say they were with me, but I knew where they would be. Even at my young age of eight. The place they loved to death. My parents hometown.

[[Sam's POV]]

Black.

That's all I could see as people I knew and loved mourned over our dead parents. As Jess and I stood there staring at the broken bodies of our parents, I wondered what's gonna happen now? And also what did I do to deserve this? I was only eight years old when my parents died in a plane crash.

They were coming home from their anniversary that they spent with my best friend Jess's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. They were so excited to go to Fiji for two weeks alone. Child free. Work free. Stress free. That is until they heard that the engine was acting funny and they were having a gas problem. I got a worried phone call in the middle of the night at my friend Jess's house; mommy wanted me to spend time with her instead of having me home with my cranky aunt.

She said that I was to go to my Uncle Brad's house and to vacation there with him and his wife, Aunt Jenny, and their son Danny, who was my age. I asked why I had to, and that I wanted to stay and spend time with her and daddy instead of Uncle Brad. She just told me to do so, and that she loved me as high as the sky.

I was getting worried about how she kept saying daddy and her loved me so much and that I should behave for my family. But I just was told that they loved me with all their heart. When mommy said she had to go, and yet again that they loved me, I told her "I love you mommy and daddy, I'll see you when you get home." mommy just cried after that, I knew she sounded like she was going to through the whole conversation, but didn't say anything. "I love you baby, you know that I'll love even when I'm gone." I was starting to get scared because after that daddy said one word he never uses to anyone, no matter what, "Goodbye sweetheart." And then the phone dial rang into my ear as I started to panic.

Why did daddy say goodbye?!?! He NEVER says goodbye that is there was one time he did say it, but where? About five seconds later I remembered where he said goodbye and where….great-grandma Bettis's funeral. It was after she told him he was nothing to her and that she hated him. Daddy was really depressed after the funeral, he kept saying 'I didn't mean it, I didn't mean it' over and over again. Now I realize why he said goodbye.

The next day Aunt Kathy came and told us that our parents died in the plane crash.

I was a mess after I learned they died; only Jess understood me. Why she was the only one I could turn to.

As I stood next to my mute friend I felt a presence upon me.. As I felt a hand land softly on my shoulder I hear a familiar voice ring in my ear.

"Are you ready Samantha?" of course Uncle Brad had to come and take me away. Mommy was smart and called her lawyer after me and had a will made out. As I turned towards Jess I saw a single tear race down her colorless face.

"Say goodbye to Jessalyn, Samantha." WHAT!?!? My Uncle Brad, who KNOWS I don't like saying goodbye is now telling ME to say GOODBYE to one and only FRIEND!?!?

"Why?" I ask as Jess looks bewildered at my Uncle Brad.

"Because you are coming back to New York with me and your aunt Jenny to live with us." He simply stated. I knew this was coming, but I tried to avoid thinking about it.

As I turned towards Jess I felt a single betrayal tear run down my cheek. traitor! I screeched in my mind at the tear. I promised myself I wouldn't cry, and yet I felt I couldn't anymore, I was just too over whelmed. I embraced Jess fiercely as the water works slowly flowed down my face. My only friend that knows what I'm going though is being left behind me as I move to a town I never liked. MY LIFE STINKS!

"I'll never say goodbye to you Jess." I whispered into Jess's bleach blonde hair.

"Good, because I won't either," Jess replied to me into my ear as I smiled at her response, but was frowning again as Uncle Brad took my hand away from Jess's shoulder and stated to pull me towards the door. Towards the car. And towards my new life away from Jess, and the empty casket of where my parents and the Andersons spirits laid, even though I knew that every one would say they are with me, I knew where they would be. The place they loved. My parents' hometown.