Chapter 4: There's No Alibi

Cody didn't speak at all the rest of the day. He spent the whole day staring out the window in the direction of where the Tipton had once been. Soon the sun began to set, painting the sky, snow on the ground, and buildings with different shades of orange, yellow and red. Cody turned and walked away from the window, he had seen enough of those colors to last him. He continued to walk until he found a secluded corner, where he sat down and pulled his knees to his chest.

"Cody?" A familiar voice said. Cody looked up and saw Zack holding two trays. Each had a half full plate of chicken tenders and fries. There was also a carton of fruit juice on each along with some ketchup packets. Zack lowered one of the trays down to Cody as he also sat down. "Here ya go Cody," Zack said softly.

"I'm not hungry," Cody replied. He turned away from the tray.

"Come on Cody," Zack continued. "You haven't had anything all day. You gotta eat something."

"I'm not hungry," Cody repeated. "You have it." He pushed the tray away again.

Zack took a bite out of one of the tenders. "It's good," he said persuasively.

"Whatever," Cody said. He shook his head. "Zack, how can you eat after what happened? I'm sick to my stomach over it."

Zack sighed. "I know Cody, I know. This is the worst pain I've ever felt. I also know it won't ever go away. But I also know Mom and Dad wouldn't want us to stop living."

"I guess," Cody said. He picked up one of the tenders and took a bite. "You lied Zack."

"Huh?"

"You said they were good," Cody continued. "This tastes like rubber."

Zack smiled slightly for the first time all day. "I know, but do you really think you have wanted to eat them if I said they tasted like that?"

"Guess not," Cody said also cracking a smile before taking another bite.

The twins continued to eat their dinner in silence. Every once in a while, one would sniffle a little as they thought about their parents, friends, and all the fun they had at the hotel.

Finally Cody broke the silence. "Hey Zack," he said. "Remember the time we opened up that night club in the lounge?"

"Yea," Zack replied. "That was awesome. Remember when Maddie told us to watch her daycare?"

"Ha yea," Cody said. "Or remember how we'd always go through the air vents to-" His voice broke. He remembered how the fire had spread in the gas line in a similar way to how the twins would use the air vents to get around. His eyes started to water.

Zack saw this. "Hey, it's getting kinda late, how about we head off to bed?" He suggested, picking up his tray.

"Ok," Cody replied as he sniffled. He picked up his own tray and handed it to Zack.

"Thanks."

Cody nodded as he and Zack turned and began to walk back towards their beds. On their way over they met Steven again. "So boys, I finalized a few things, and I'll be taking you to the orphanage on Sunday. The memorial services are also going to be on Sunday, so we'll go there, pick up some lunch, then head over to the orphanage. How does that sound?"

"Ok," Zack said. Cody nodded as if he also approved.

"Good, I'll see you then, good night guys," Steven said before walking away.

"'Night," Zack said, then he and Cody settled down on their respective beds.

"Zack?" Cody asked. "Are you scared? About this place we're going to?"

"I don't know," Zack said, trying to sound somewhat confident. "I'm sure things will work out eventually."

"Ok," Cody replied, yawning. He laid his head down, his eyelids slowly sliding over his eyes. "Good night Zack."

"Good night Cody," Zack said. Within a few seconds, he could hear his brother snoring softly. Zack however didn't feel tired. He sighed as he walked over to the window and stared outside. I am scared Cody. More scared that you could ever imagine. Zack thought to himself. I have no idea what's going to happen to us or if things will ever be right again. But let me worry about that. I know you need me to take care of you, so I can't show my fear. You're strong little brother, you give me my strength. Keep it up. I know one day we'll get through this…I hope.

Finally Sunday came. Steven picked Zack and Cody up at 8:30 so they had plenty of time to make it to the 9:00am service. Since Zack and Cody had lost all their clothes and possessions in the fire, Steven also brought some donated dress clothes for them to wear at the service.

The service itself opened with a reading of a list of all known victims and people still missing from the tragedy. This was followed by some prayers and a tribute to the Tipton's most predominant figures such as London and Mr. Moseby. The speech given for London lasted over a half hour, and was obviously "juiced up" because of her celebrity status. Carey, Maddie, and Arwin however had only been mentioned briefly in special tribute for Tipton employees near the end of the service. The service then concluded with a candle lighting ceremony, moment of silence, and final prayer. Plans were also announced for a memorial to be built in the local cemetery.

Afterward, Steven, Zack and Cody stopped at a local Burger King. Steven bought each of the twins a hamburger, fries, and drink. He watched as the twins ate in silence, each of their eyes still glistening from the service. Every once in a while, one would also wipe his eyes or blow his nose. Finally they were on their way to orphanage, which Steven pointed out when they got close.

The orphanage was a complex of building set up as a quad with a courtyard. All the buildings were gray and composed of concrete blocks. A black metal fence enclosed the whole area. A path extended from the largest building in the back and spread out like the spokes on a bicycle to the other buildings and to the front gate, which also had a small gate house next to it. Over the gate itself, gold letters spelled out, "BOSTON HAVEN."

Steven parked the car and led Zack and Cody over to the gate house. Through the bars, Zack and Cody could see some kids playing dodge ball in the middle of the courtyard. One team wore red team flags, the other wore blue. Zack stopped to watch them. Most of the kids looked pretty decent at the game. Zack's eyes then fell on what looked like a set of twin girls. Each had black hair with a strand of hair that fell into one of their eyes. One of the girls had a red stand, the other had a purple stand. The girls also looked like they were clearly dominating the game.

"Zack," Steven said, turning around. Cody also stopped. Zack took one last look before hurrying to catch up with them. Once Steven felt he was close enough, he began walking again.

Steven showed the gate attendant his ID, who then opened the gate and let them in. Their first stop was the main office, which was located in the first building on the left. As they walked over, Zack and Cody made eye contact with a few of the kids, including the two girls. The one with the red stand caught Zack's eye, while the one with the purple stand caught Cody's. After a quick exchange of glances, Zack and Cody followed Steven into the office.

"Hi Shirley," Steven said to the secretary sitting at a desk inside the building. She was a younger woman, that looked like she was in her late twenties or early thirties. She had straight red hair and freckles. She also had green eyes.

"Hey Steve," Shirley replied. "What can we do for you today?"

"Is John in? These are the twins I called about, Zack and Cody Martin." He pointed to Zack then Cody. "Zack, Cody, this is Miss Patterson."

Each of the twins nodded their heads "hi."

"Shirley," Shirley said. "I try to stay on a first name basis with people around here."

The twins nodded again.

"A little shy?" Shirley said with a smile. "It's ok, anyway Steve, yea go right in."

"Ok, thanks," Steve said. He motioned to Zack and Cody. "Come on boys." Zack and Cody followed him past Shirley's desk and into another office.

(A/N) The twin girls playing dodge ball (With the red and purple hair strands) belong to Darkelements10. Please Read and Review