Chapter One- MIA?
A telephone ran silently in the house of the Maxwell's. A girl came bobbing into the room racing for the phone hoping just hoping it was her father. She picked it up and put it to her ear.
"Hello Maxwell's residence," said the cheerful girl her eyes full of hope. She stood their silently as she heard another voice on the other end of the phone. Her hopes were crushed inside of her but she tried her best to keep a good tone.
"Shasta is your mother home? This is Relena," Relena was in a bit of a somber mood lately. Shasta shifted her weight from one foot to another.
"Ya let me go get her can you hold on for a sec?" with that Shasta carefully put the reciever down on the kitchen counter to go get her mother. Shasta briskly walked into the study where her mother was reading over something. Her eyes seemed a bit wet. Ever since her father had gone her mother was trying hard to coop with all of the finance and not being able to see her husbond everyday.
"Momma...Relena's on the phone she needs to talk to you," Shasta informed her mother softly as her mother looked up at her in soft eyes. Shasta walked out the door and into the kitchen and listened in on the conversation of her mother and Relena.
"Relena have you found out anything? It's been a month since the accident and....and..." her mother was sobbing on the other end of the phone. But Shasta had no idea why her mother and Relena were both crying on the phone but why? She still silently listened to the conversation.
"Hilde please calm down you mustn't worry Shasta over the matter does she even now about the accident and the MIA?" sobbed Relena finally reclaiming her composure on the other line. Hilde just couldn't hold it in as she sobbed.
'MIA? Doesn't that mean...? No don't put that stupid thought in your head Shasta! Dad couldn't be....he just couldn't be....' thought Shasta she couldn't hold it in any longer she hung up the phone and ran to her room as she let loose tears fall onto her pillow. She glandsed at a photo in a framed mirror on her bedside table. It was taken when she was five years old. She smiled as she picked up the photo. She had gone to the park that day with her dad and her mom. She remembered eating ice cream and playing with her fathers braid. It had been month's since she was actually able to see him.
Hilde had silently entered the room and gazed at her daughter, she looked so much like Duo in so many ways especially her eyes were his. Shasta hadn't noticed and when Hilde sat on her bed with her she snapped out of her trance quickly. Shasta looked at her mother's tear streaked face.
"Shasta you know how Relena holds a ball every year?" asked Hilde as she wraped her arm around Shasta trying to comfort her. Shasta looked at her mother and nodded solomly.
"Well Relena's still planning on having it still even though Heero's not home. She want's us to come to the ball it would mean a lot to her. Everyone will be their it will still be fun either know your father won't be able to come," Hilde fought back tears as she said the last part. Shasta stared blankly at the ground not saying a word. She fidled with her braid thinking of it.
"I'd love to go," smiled Shasta as she turned. The smile was fake but it was to keep her mothers morale high she didn't need her mother to worry about anything she already had enough problems as it was. Hilde could easily see past her daughters fake smile. She could see sadness, where happiness should have been. But Hilde couldn't blame her at all for feeling like that, she had good reasons.
Hilde put a comforting hand on Shasta's shoulder and smiled a motherly smile," The ball is in a week. We'll need to go shopping for a outfit. Since it's a special." Hilde pulled her daughter into a hug to comfort her daughter. Hilde whispered something in her ear," Be strong for Duo, Shasta....He'll be home one of these days."
Shasta couldn't hold it in anymore tears spilled over her eyes," Momma is dad really MIA? I know it was wrong but you were crying and....and I wanted to see why...." cried Shasta as she cried harder and turned her face away from her mother's gaze. Hilde let free tears fall off her cheek as she prepared herself.
"Shasta I never wanted you to know until you were older...b-but Duo, your father is missing in action, so is Heero," she stopped to regain her breath then started to choke," They went on a mission but never returned..." Hilde took a gulp and couldn't continue any longer. It was Shasta's turn to comfort her mother's uncontroled sobbing.
"Momma it's okay....I'm-I'm sure dad will walk through our doors soon....er....one of these days," sobbed Shasta as she cried on her mother's shoulder. She knew her words were probably unsure, unstable. They both found little comfort in the words. Hilde and Shasta just stayed their for an hour crying their eyes out until the phone rang again. Shasta got up and away from her mother's hug. Shasta trudjed to the kitchen phone and picked it up.
"Hello? Maxwell's residence," sadly asked Shasta fighting more tears that threatened to spill over. She sat down in a chair next to the phone.
"Hello, I'm with telemarketing and-" the advertisement was cut short by Shasta.
"Never call this residence again were not interested in the junk your selling," bitterly said Shasta as she put the phone back on the receiver. She shivered a little. It was chilly in the house or at least the kitchen. Hilde walked into the kitchen to see who called.
"Who called Shay?" asked Hilde she had stopped crying for the momment. She walked over to the refridgerater and took out some taco shells, ground beef, and someother things.
"Just a telemarketer I turned it down don't worry," said Shasta as she turned herself in the chait so she was facing her mother. Hilde was at the time shopping up some peppers. Shasta smiled as she watched her mother chop peppers she got up and walked over to her mother.
"Momma?" asked Shasta as she got across from her mother at the island in the middle of their kitchen. Hilde stopped and looked at Shasta.
"Yes Shay?"
"Do you think you can teach me to chop up peppers I'd like to help," shyly asked Shasta as she fidled with her braid again. She fidled when she was nervous. Hilde smiled warmly at her daughter and moved over a little so they could share the cutting board she was using. Shasta looked up and smiled and came over to her mother's side. Hilde handed Shasta a cutting knife.
"First rule don't point the thing at people I found that out the hard way. But anyways all you really do is this," calmly said Hilde as she took anyother bell pepper and chopped it up into little slices. They looked perfect. Hilde looked up to Shasta signaling her to go. Shasta tried hard to follow Hilde's close instruction but they weren't all that at all. They were huge chunks unlike hilde's perfect small ones that her thin. Shasta frowned and then laughed at her own creation. Hilde hadn't heard Shasta laugh in forever.
Dinner had been interesting especially with Shasta cooking as well. They had both laughed their heads off at looking at Shasta's poor cooking. Now they sat their in silence at the table quietly eating not saying a word. Until the phone rang. Shasta was thinking of ripping out the phone cord to finally shut up that stupid thing, it rang so much! Shasta got up and walked to the phone for the probably tenth time today.
"Hello? Maxwell's residence," annoyingly aked Shasta expecting that stupid telemarketer again.
"Shasta is that you? It's been a long time," said a very famliar voice. Shasta smiled a real smile at the voice.
"Quatre?" asked Shasta as she smiled even larger it was him! Hilde looked up from the dinner table at her daughter. The conversation caught her attention from her food.
"Yes it's me, how have you been lately?" asked Quatre his voice full of concern. Shasta's mood dropped and her smile vanished.
"Not good....it-it's hard without dad around," quietly said Shasta as she gazed at her mother. Her eyes were puffy and red but new tears formed and spilled over her eyes.
"I'm sorry Shasta I truly am. I heard about the accident and I wanted to see if you guys were doing all right," sadly asked Quatre. Shasta started to choke and tears slid down her already tear streaked face.
"Thank you Quatre, It really means a lot to us...me miss him so much," Quatre could hear her choke on the phone trying to keep her cool. But it failed and she sobbed. Quatre felt really sorry for them he wanted to some down there and see them badly but his work was keeping him to occupied.
"Shasta will you and you mother be at the ball?" kindly asked Quatre hoping they would say yes so he couldd see them.
"Yes...we'll be their...will you be? I'd really like to see you...it's been a really long time and all," quietly asked Shasta. Quatre was like a second father to her infact, he was her god father. They were always close ever since she could remember.
"I'm going to be there. I really look forword to seeing you and Hilde there," said Quatre hid voice found comfort in his voice as it always did.
"Do you cross you heart and hope to die?" asked Shasta to make sure that he was going to come. They always did this when Quatre promised to come.
"Cross my heart! But I really don't want to die. I promise I'll be there at the ball," chuckled Quatre at the comment. The smile returned to Shasta's face.
"Shasta can I speak to your mother?" asked Quatre, Shasta could tell he wanted to tell her something important.
"Sure let me get her!" said Shasta as she put the phone down on the island's counter.
"Momma, Quatre wants to talk to you," stated Shasta as she walked over to her mother. Her mother smile and walked over to the phone.
'if anytone can cheer my mom up when she's like this it's Quatre right now' thought Shasta as she saw her mother smile as she spoke to him. Before Quatre called Shasta had finished her taco. While her mother talked Shasta cleaned up the dishes so it couldn't burden her mother. Besides she missed her mother smiling and laughing. She needed to laugh and smile every once in a while.
Later that night
Shasta lay in her bed unable to sleep with this heavy burden it felt her world was falling apart slowly and it was taking its toll on Shasta. Shasta knew Quatre was trying to keep the family together in one peice. But it was hard when he worked none stop at his job. Shasta just didn't know how Quatre juggled it all in with work, his wife, his kids, and try to take care of her and Hilde.
'Quatre is just amazing, he does it all while whistling too' thought Shasta as she turned over in her bed. Her whole world flipped when her father never came back. Her mother was trying her best on her salary. But luckly the preventers were helping by paying the taxes until the family got it all back together. Shasta hated the world right now for taking her father away from her when he was needed the most to them.
Shasta let out a sigh as she glandsed at her alarm clock on her bedside table. It read 1:35 am.
'I just can't sleep with him gone....I miss him to much,' thought Shasta as some tears spilled onto her pillow. She remembered all the times he'd been there for her in her time of need but then the day he left one whole year ago. But it was also hard for the Yuy's. they had also lost one so dear to them.
Shasta felt sorry for them all. It just wasn't her but her best friend and her brother as well. They had to coop with this burden as well. She wanted so badly to speak to her friend and cry with her. She wondered it they knew. Shasta couldn't stand it she got out of bed and clicked on the light in her bedroom. Shasta started rumaging in her bottom droar in her dresser.
'Where is it? It has to be in here," thought Shasta as she kept looking,'Found it!'. Shasta grabbed a old photo album from when she was a baby. she took it to her bed after dusting it off a little. She sat their for hours looking and crying at the memories. She fell asleep with the photo album on her stomach cradled in Shasta's hands.