A/N: This fanfic is based on the movie World Trade Center. The later chapters will cover the Iraq War as well. It journeys into the life of one family affected by War on Terror that started on September 11th 2001 and gives the idea of what millions of others might be going through. I can't use the actual characters from the movie because they actually exist in real life and the things they went through buried under piles of rubbles actually happened. What happened afterwards is therefore not in my control.

Monday, September 10, 2001

Boston, MA

Alyssa Taylor, 12, finished talking on her cell phone and was about to rush towards the door to meet friends at the mall. They were about to compare brand name clothing that guys would find hot on them, even though she was already attractive to begin with. Little did she know that her carefree way of life would soon be over, starting with her father calling her to the kitchen where her 9 year old sister Cathryn was already.

"Dad, I'm already 3 minutes late," she cried, impatiently glancing at her watch.

"Alyssa," he calmly replied in a grave sort of way. "I have something to tell both of you." She would have told him to save it for later, but his seriousness glued her feet to the ground and made her silent. Whatever it is must be terrible because her parents were rarely in that mood. Whatever it was, she hoped it wouldn't affect them for very long and that they'll survive.

"Your mother called from work this morning," he continued. "Her mother got in a car accident in Los Angelos and she will be leaving tomorrow morning to visit her. She'll most likely be back the day after."

"Why can't we go with her?" asked Cathryn. "I don't think I can get through the day not knowing whether of not grandma will get better."

"Well you're gonna have to because you got school tomorrow," replied her father. "You'll get news of her tonight."

With that, he let them go, but Alyssa no longer felt like shopping at the mall anymore. She called her friends to cancel due to a family emergency and retreated to her room. Her father understood when she and Cathryn didn't show up for dinner. Alyssa spent the rest of the evening on homework and chatting online, tuning out the world where bad things always seemed to happen, especially to her.

"What kind of a family emergency are you talking about?" Michelle asked, as they stood by her locker before 1st period Algebra, for Alyssa forgot to say exactly what it was the night before.

"My grandmother is in the ER at Los Angelos because of a car accident and my mother had to see her," was Alyssa's tired reply. And she was tired from the lack of sleep last night, with dark circles under her eyes. "I doubt I'd be good company worrying about both of them. You understand, right?"

"Of course I do," Michelle smiled, and that was all Alyssa needed to get through the day.

During third period English, Alyssa's cell phone rang, which was strange because it usually ran during lunch or study hall, not during class. When she saw that it was her mother, she was alarmed. Something terrible had happened or she wouldn't be calling this hour.

"Alyssa, put that away!" yelled Ms. Maarsen.

"I'm sorry, I have to take this call. It would be quick," said Alyssa anxiously as she stepped into the hallway, ignoring her teachers request to get back into class. On the other side of the line, her mother cried, "I don't want to worry you, Lyss. The plane's been hijacked and two flight attendents been stabbed." And indeed, Alyssa heard chaos in the background and an order from some men to move to the back of the cabin. "I just want you to remember that if anything happens, it would be very fast."

"No mom!" she yelled. "Please don't say that. You can't go..." Then the phone cut dead on the other side before she could say, "I love you." Simultaneously, the breaking announcement came on that a plane crashed into the North Tower of World Trade Center as she headed back into class where there was a dead silence. Everyone watched the crumbling skyscraper deteriorate into a black cloud of dust and everyone running for dear life towards Battery Park. Alyssa thought with dread of her mother not being among those running.

The announcement went on for the next several minutes before Ms. Maarsen went on with the lessons, but Alyssa's mind wandered millions of miles away, knowing she could never get over what happened. She had already lost too much in her life. Her maternal grandfather got killed in the fire when she was 7 from a lit cigarette some other tenent smoked in the apartment building. Both her paternal grandparents lived in London and she never heard much from them. She also lost a an aunt, an uncle, and a cousins to a car accident in Long Beach, CA. Now she lost her mother as well.

When the bell rang, Alyssa awoke from her reverie as she walked to her next class, French 1. Michelle and Melanie joined her from their previous class. Breaking the silence, Alyssa said softly, "I can't believe anyone would do that. If they're so intent on killing themselves, they got no right to take thousands of other lives with them with a plane."

"What are you talking about?" replied Michelle. "I thought it was an accident."

"Trust me," said Alyssa firmly. "It was a hijack. My mom gave me a call to say her few last words..." Her voice trailed off. She simply couldn't talk any more about this without the danger of tears. "I got to go," she said, as she took off running to the restroom to compose herself.

During 12:05 lunch, everyone already heard the news of the South Tower and the Pentagon also being crashed into. The 4th plane were headed for the White House but crashed instead into the cornfield of Pennesylvania thanks to the heroic efforts of the passengers. Now it was quite evident that none of this is an accident, not if it's a string of hijacks in the same day. Alyssa grew more despondent by the minutes as she wondered how many other families must be going through what she's going through.

Someone from her table said something about staying a few hours after school based on distance to their house. Alyssa looked up. "You can't be serious," she said. She lived 5 miles away so she knew she was done for.

"Hey, I didn't make the rules. I just tell 'em." said the practical Karen. "Apparently it's going to be that way all over America so you better get used to it. And you better get used to your mother being dead as well bc that won't change. Life goes on without her."

Alyssa gathered up her books and as she rose, she shouted, "Get bent, biotch! You may not have any feelings but everyone else does!" She left the table to finish the rest of her lunch in the ladies room. Behind her, she heard Cady, from her table shout at Karen, "Why the hell do you have to be a bitch all the time? That's why nobody likes you."

After school was out, Alyssa hung around Melanie and Michelle in the cafeteria. After giving them additional details of the cell phone call, she asked them if they would like to spend the night. They said they would love to. Their parents work late at night anyway and they needed a place to crash. Most of all, however, they need to be around for each other. "I'm glad you understand," Alyssa said as they boarded the city bus home. "Sometimes, I half expect to lose my father as well."

Melanie and Michelle looked at each other. After some time Melanie spoke. "Just be glad you haven't."

"Oh I am. I don't know what I'll do if he's gone as well." They sat the rest of the way in silence. The ride was long because most of the roads were blocked and shortcuts were impossible. Furthermore, the only open roads were full of pot holes and some were in the process of fixing. When they arrived home at 7 pm, the house was dark and empty because Boston Memorial Hospital was a bit packed and Dr. Taylor (aka Alyssa's father) had to take an extra shift in the ER, but Alyssa was anything but rational in her emotional state. For the rest of her life, she would always suspect something wrong where nothing really is, especially after what would happen two years later that even she was now unsuspecting of. Thankfully, with her friends by her side, she managed to pull through.

Cathryn came home half an hour later with a timid look on her face. "Is it true, Lyssie?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so," her sister answered gravely. "The Twin Towers were bombed."

"Anything else?" she asked, half expectant of something having direct effect on her own family. Feeling that she might as well be told the truth, Alyssa did just that. Their mother died on the plane that crashed into the North Tower.

Cathryn was silent for a minute before falling apart. "It isn't fair!" she yelled. "Why does everyone in this family have to die? All mom had to do is visit grandma in LA and this is how it ends. Who's gonna be next, my father?" She rushed past Alyssa to the kitchen for a bottle of Advil where Alyssa caught up to her, grabbing hold of her arm. Cathryn snatched it away. "Don't touch me!" she yelled.

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you!" Alyssa yelled back. "You think this is easy for me? She was my mom as much as she was yours! You don't see me trying to kill myself. I wish you'd just grow up for once!"

Stuffing the bottle back into the drawer, Cathryn replied icily, "I never knew you, sis. I'm going through a hard time right now and you turn around and be a bitch. Who's the older one here? You're the one who need to grow up."

"It's always about you. You just don't give a damn about anyone else as long as you got what you want!" Alyssa turned and left before Cathryn was able to say anything. She would not give her little sister the satisfaction of arguing, especially at a time like this.

She fled back to her room where her friends were, just waiting for nothing and yet everything. Ten minutes passed and Cathryn joined them as well, but everyone was too deep in their thoughts to say anything. In silence, everyone got ready for bed and drifted into blackness. No one was awake to hear Mr. Taylor enter the house.

The next morning, the atmosphere was tense and everyone left after breakfast. School was to be closed for the next several days. Hopefully forever, Alyssa and Cathryn thought, but it didn't matter because they weren't gonna go anyway. All they wanted was to stay home and waste away, thinking of the way things used to be, of the world as they knew it ending taking their previous lives with it. All they did all day was watch news coverage of that Tuesday morning. Some days they did nothing at all. After a week, school finally opened and they went reluctantly because their father said so.

They made efforts for things to return to the way it used to be, but that could never happen. Things will be dark and days will feel empty. Millions of hearts will break over the losses felt everywhere. Almost 3000 other families are going through the same thing. They are the most affected because they lost their loved ones, and Alyssa won't let anyone forget that.