A/N: Hey sorry about the format of the first chapter. I don't know why it
came out that way. Hopefully this chapter will come out right (like chapt.
2 did). And thanx Kilaria and Liz Evans for the reviews! (
And if you see ( ) in conversations.. it means Diane's thoughts when
someone else is speaking to her.
Chapter 3: The Phone Clicks
Diane Evans POV
The phone rings, and since I am the only one home I answer. I cant help but to admit that I wish it was them calling. Calling to check in. I know they can't call often, but I still just pray and hope that its them. To hear Max or Isabel's voice, just so I know that they are okay, and where they are. I mean they are old enough to take care of themselves, they have been taking care of themselves for a while now. But still. "Hello, Evan's residents, this is Diane"- I answer the phone, with my habitual greeting. "Uh..(I hear someone clear his/her throat)..Is this Diane Evans, Maxwell Evans and Isabel Evans, parent?"- The man on the other side of the phone asks. What does he know about Max and Isabel?? Is it safe for me to say yes? This is one thing I just have not been able to grasp, since learning of their secret... what is safe for me to say? "Yes, yes this is"- I reply hesitantly, not knowing if I am doing the right thing or not. But this part of me feels that if he knows something about them, I need to know. And I can just tell that he knows something about them. "Mrs. Evans, I am Jake Moore from the FBI (Oh God, I shouldn't have said yes! Why did I say yes?!) I regret to inform you that your children, Maxwell and Isabel, were found dead this morning (He must be lying...they can't be dead. I'd know if my children where dead! He's FBI... he's lying). I know that this must be hard for you, but my partner and I arrived at the scene to late. We don't know how they died yet, the ambulance is moving them to a local hospital as we speak."- And with that Mr. Jake Moore stops talking and waits... waits for a response... but what response can I give him. How can I even trust him? "I am sorry, Mr. Moore, but you.. you must be mistaken. My children... they can't be.."- I am struggling, he must know I am struggling. My God how did they keep their secret from us? Everything they said... it was all a risk. My God.. what if this is a trick. Or worse.. what if he's telling the truth... he can't be! He can't be. I feel my cheeks are wet, and I can hear myself holding back from a completely crying... "Mrs. Evans, I know you have no reason to believe what I am saying. I don't think it is to presumptuous to assume that you know that the FBI has been searching for your son. (my god... my god.. how can he do it? How can he make this lie seem so real?) And that is why when we were tipped off to their location, we came as fast as we could, but I am sorry Mrs. Evans your son and daughter are... they're dead." – Mr. Moore finished.. I heard him sigh.. damnit how can he be so convincing?!
"YOU'RE LYING... YOUR LYING" – I can hear my self screaming... I feel my face get wetter and wetter. My children, my life... they're gone.. he's not lying. Because the more I tell myself, the more real it is. Oh god, why couldn't it have been their voiced on the other line.
"I am sorry ma'am, truly I am, but I have a few other phone calls to make"- He sound rushed. He tells me, my children our dead and then he leaves.. he's heartless. Wait.. if he got a call saying they where there.. and I can't believe him.. not unless, Liz. I need to hear her tell me.. they'll have her in custody.. my god.. they found... and they're lying!
"Wait.. I need you to put Liz, on the phone... I need to hear it from her... you probally have her in custody... all I just need to do is hear her tell me.. Oh please, put her on the phone"- And I realize for the first time in my life I am pleading. Pleading with the FBI.. I need to hear Liz say it, she wouldn't lie to me. Not about Max.
"I am sorry... she didn't make it"- The phone clicks on the other side... I feel the phone still pressed to my ear. Oh God, they're dead! My babies!
I don't know how long has passed...all I see is this memory of all of us sitting at the table, Max, Isabel, Phillip, and I. And were eating dinner, and talking and laughing. I can see them... I know its not real. But why can't it be?!? Why couldn't it be normal? I can hear their laughter...and I can still taste the food that we had. I remember the way Max looked whenever the name Liz, came into the conversation...or how Iz looked whenever Alex or Jesse's name was mentioned. I remember Phillip, always trying to convince them to become a lawyer and I remember... oh God, Phillip! I quickly hang up the phone that I hadn't moved from my ear since.. well since the phone call. I dial Phillip's number, I know it by heart.. my hands are shaking though.
How do I tell him? How can I tell him? I hear his secretary answer, and she asks who it is. I am frozen, I can't speak. Telling Phillip, means its real. I know its real...but telling him seems so official. I hear her ask again, "To whom am I speaking?"
"It's Diane"- I finally respond, I feel my heart pounding, my voice quivering, and all I can see around me is a blur, nothing looks real, like I am not in reality.
"Oh, Mrs. Evans I am sorry, but he is in a meeting right now, can I leave a message?"- she tells me... what kind of message could I leave, 'Oh, just tell him that his children are dead'. My god... how can she think that I could just leave a message!
"Its an emergency, please patch me through"- I plead, I feel pale and old, and I can actually feel myself age as she puts me on hold, till he picks up. How do I tell him that our children, they're dead? How does anyone tell anybody that they're children are dead!
"Diane, whats the matter, Cynthia said you said it was an emergency! What's wrong"- I can hear the panic in his voice. And it dawns on me that Cynthia, that's the secretaries name. "Diane"- He's sounds worried, and for the first time, I realized how old he sounds too. "Phillip... they're dead!"- I tell him, though I hardly believe he heard me, my sobs, have taken over my body, my whole body is just quivering. "Diane, sweety, whose dead?"- Phillip's voice sounds more panicked and desperate than before. "Max, Isabel, Liz, They're ...they're dead!"- I scream this, trying to make my self heard over this uncontrollable sobs that are racking through my body. "Diane, you just stay right there...I'll be right over"- Phillip says.. and I can hear him shuffling papers... and then I hear the phone click one more time. And once again I am alone.
Chapter 3: The Phone Clicks
Diane Evans POV
The phone rings, and since I am the only one home I answer. I cant help but to admit that I wish it was them calling. Calling to check in. I know they can't call often, but I still just pray and hope that its them. To hear Max or Isabel's voice, just so I know that they are okay, and where they are. I mean they are old enough to take care of themselves, they have been taking care of themselves for a while now. But still. "Hello, Evan's residents, this is Diane"- I answer the phone, with my habitual greeting. "Uh..(I hear someone clear his/her throat)..Is this Diane Evans, Maxwell Evans and Isabel Evans, parent?"- The man on the other side of the phone asks. What does he know about Max and Isabel?? Is it safe for me to say yes? This is one thing I just have not been able to grasp, since learning of their secret... what is safe for me to say? "Yes, yes this is"- I reply hesitantly, not knowing if I am doing the right thing or not. But this part of me feels that if he knows something about them, I need to know. And I can just tell that he knows something about them. "Mrs. Evans, I am Jake Moore from the FBI (Oh God, I shouldn't have said yes! Why did I say yes?!) I regret to inform you that your children, Maxwell and Isabel, were found dead this morning (He must be lying...they can't be dead. I'd know if my children where dead! He's FBI... he's lying). I know that this must be hard for you, but my partner and I arrived at the scene to late. We don't know how they died yet, the ambulance is moving them to a local hospital as we speak."- And with that Mr. Jake Moore stops talking and waits... waits for a response... but what response can I give him. How can I even trust him? "I am sorry, Mr. Moore, but you.. you must be mistaken. My children... they can't be.."- I am struggling, he must know I am struggling. My God how did they keep their secret from us? Everything they said... it was all a risk. My God.. what if this is a trick. Or worse.. what if he's telling the truth... he can't be! He can't be. I feel my cheeks are wet, and I can hear myself holding back from a completely crying... "Mrs. Evans, I know you have no reason to believe what I am saying. I don't think it is to presumptuous to assume that you know that the FBI has been searching for your son. (my god... my god.. how can he do it? How can he make this lie seem so real?) And that is why when we were tipped off to their location, we came as fast as we could, but I am sorry Mrs. Evans your son and daughter are... they're dead." – Mr. Moore finished.. I heard him sigh.. damnit how can he be so convincing?!
"YOU'RE LYING... YOUR LYING" – I can hear my self screaming... I feel my face get wetter and wetter. My children, my life... they're gone.. he's not lying. Because the more I tell myself, the more real it is. Oh god, why couldn't it have been their voiced on the other line.
"I am sorry ma'am, truly I am, but I have a few other phone calls to make"- He sound rushed. He tells me, my children our dead and then he leaves.. he's heartless. Wait.. if he got a call saying they where there.. and I can't believe him.. not unless, Liz. I need to hear her tell me.. they'll have her in custody.. my god.. they found... and they're lying!
"Wait.. I need you to put Liz, on the phone... I need to hear it from her... you probally have her in custody... all I just need to do is hear her tell me.. Oh please, put her on the phone"- And I realize for the first time in my life I am pleading. Pleading with the FBI.. I need to hear Liz say it, she wouldn't lie to me. Not about Max.
"I am sorry... she didn't make it"- The phone clicks on the other side... I feel the phone still pressed to my ear. Oh God, they're dead! My babies!
I don't know how long has passed...all I see is this memory of all of us sitting at the table, Max, Isabel, Phillip, and I. And were eating dinner, and talking and laughing. I can see them... I know its not real. But why can't it be?!? Why couldn't it be normal? I can hear their laughter...and I can still taste the food that we had. I remember the way Max looked whenever the name Liz, came into the conversation...or how Iz looked whenever Alex or Jesse's name was mentioned. I remember Phillip, always trying to convince them to become a lawyer and I remember... oh God, Phillip! I quickly hang up the phone that I hadn't moved from my ear since.. well since the phone call. I dial Phillip's number, I know it by heart.. my hands are shaking though.
How do I tell him? How can I tell him? I hear his secretary answer, and she asks who it is. I am frozen, I can't speak. Telling Phillip, means its real. I know its real...but telling him seems so official. I hear her ask again, "To whom am I speaking?"
"It's Diane"- I finally respond, I feel my heart pounding, my voice quivering, and all I can see around me is a blur, nothing looks real, like I am not in reality.
"Oh, Mrs. Evans I am sorry, but he is in a meeting right now, can I leave a message?"- she tells me... what kind of message could I leave, 'Oh, just tell him that his children are dead'. My god... how can she think that I could just leave a message!
"Its an emergency, please patch me through"- I plead, I feel pale and old, and I can actually feel myself age as she puts me on hold, till he picks up. How do I tell him that our children, they're dead? How does anyone tell anybody that they're children are dead!
"Diane, whats the matter, Cynthia said you said it was an emergency! What's wrong"- I can hear the panic in his voice. And it dawns on me that Cynthia, that's the secretaries name. "Diane"- He's sounds worried, and for the first time, I realized how old he sounds too. "Phillip... they're dead!"- I tell him, though I hardly believe he heard me, my sobs, have taken over my body, my whole body is just quivering. "Diane, sweety, whose dead?"- Phillip's voice sounds more panicked and desperate than before. "Max, Isabel, Liz, They're ...they're dead!"- I scream this, trying to make my self heard over this uncontrollable sobs that are racking through my body. "Diane, you just stay right there...I'll be right over"- Phillip says.. and I can hear him shuffling papers... and then I hear the phone click one more time. And once again I am alone.