All right, so maybe it wasn't just anxiety after all, maybe it wasn't
the hormones, or the pregnancy, or even Zoë's nightmares. Maybe it truly
was evil that she had been sensing all along. The moment the fire erupted
Tess came closer to the window and Adam ran to call 9-1-1. As for Gloria,
she stayed right where she was. Just after the first explosion happened Zoë
quickly crawled onto her father's lap and buried her head in his chest.
Tessa also put her head on her Mother's shoulder and hugged her tighter.
"It's okay Zoë, it's fine." He said as he tried to quiet her, (as she was now sobbing almost uncontrollably). He got up from the window seat and held her in his arms.
"Mom, what just happened?" Tessa asked, she to was on the verge of tears.
"I don't know sweetheart, I don't know." Monica admitted, kissing her daughter on the head and pulling her closer to her. But Tessa began to cry anyway.
"I'm wondering," Adam said, as he came back into the room, "If some of us or at least one of us, should go over there."
The sirens could now be heard.
"Adam, please don't go." Gloria practically begged him.
"Sweetie, someone has to, and Monica and Andrew are occupied."
"Baby, I know that I've told you that there is no such thing as a day off, but consider this a day off."
"Alright," he said as he kissed Gloria, "I'll consider this a day off." Gloria smiled as much as she could; after all, something horrible was still unfolding across the street. Suddenly the ambulance, fire truck, police, and three local news stations pulled up across the street.
"Someone called the news?"
"That might be a good thing Gloria, now we'll get to find out what's going on." Tess said.
Later, Gloria and Adam were lying on the couch, just trying to relax and escape the night's drama before watching the eleven o'clock news.
"Gloria?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just fine." She smiled.
"Good."
After an hour of trying to comfort a sobbing Zoë, Andrew realized that she was finally calmed, and not only that; she had indeed cried herself to sleep. He laughed.
"I'll take her to bed, angel boy, you need a break."
"It's okay, Tess I'll go."
"Okay," she said as she kissed Zoë, and went back to the kitchen to finish the dishes. 'Ha!' she thought, 'Oh yeah, Andrew and Adam are going to do the dishes, yeah right, like that's ever gonna happen!'
Meanwhile, Monica and Tessa were still in the window seat. Tessa's head still lye comfortably against her Mother's shoulder.
"You feeling better sweetheart?"
"Yeah, I guess. How could someone do something like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like what happened tonight."
"Well, we don't know that it was arson, or a bomb or anything like that just yet. But I know what you mean, I have that feeling that this was no accident."
"Me too. Mom?"
"Yes?"
"If it was, um ...on purpose do you think that we will have tot testify in a court of law?"
"No." Monica laughed, "I don't think that we saw enough of anything to testify. But of course there is always the possibility that we did."
"Come on, let's go watch the news and find out just what did happen."
A few minutes later they were all gathered in front of the TV, watching the eleven o'clock news. They found out quite a bit about the explosion. It had caused significant damage to the house's cellar and some of its electrical system. Surprisingly the house was still standing, and shockingly it was inhabitable! The bad news however was that someone had poured gasoline all over the basement floor and set fire to it, in addition there was also a bomb involved. It was indeed, arson. Authorities were saying that the possible motive was murder, and that there were several suspects in the case.
"Murder, murder who?" There was a bit of fear in Tessa's voice when she said this.
"It's okay angel baby. It's fine."
"Tessa, its your bed time."
"Okay, goodnight everyone."
"Goodnight."
"I'll be up in a minute Tessa."
"Okay." She said as she went upstairs.
Tessa knew that her Mother just wanted her out of the room for their upcoming conversation. Tessa cautiously entered the bedroom that she shared with Zoë and went into their small bathroom to put her pajamas on. When she came back out she was surprised to see the lights on and even more surprised to see that Zoë was now wide a wake.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah Tessa."
"I was going to go and see if you were okay much earlier, but the truth is that I was just as messed up as you were. And just to let you know, Mom should be up here any second. We all thought you were asleep."
"I was. How did I get up here?"
"Dad brought you."
"That makes sense. What happened after I left?"
"Oh, nothing." Tessa lied, not wanting to tell Zoë about what had really happened across the street that night. "Nothing at all."
"So it was just an accident?"
"Yeah, it was nothing more than an accident." "It was still scary." "I know, it was for me to." Suddenly their door opened. "What are you doing up Zoë?" "I just woke up, that's all." "Well, that's fine, but back to bed sweetheart." She said as she tucked Zoë in and kissed her. She did the same with Tessa and whispered, 'get up early and meet me in the kitchen.' Tessa smiled as her Mother kissed her, turned off the night and left the room. Zoë got up and walked over to her sister's bed. "Tessa?" "Yeah?" "Can I please sleep with you?" "Believe it or not, I was just about to get up and ask you the same thing." (And she really was, she was scared too!) "Should we go sit on the stairs and listen to what everyone is talking about?" Zoë asked as she climbed into the bed. "No." She said as she closed her eyes. Normally she would have loved to do that. They loved to do that. But tonight was not a good night for that. After all, they were trying to keep it all a secret from Zoë. And Tessa knew that the reason she'd been sent to bed was because they did not want her to hear their conversation either. She was glad for that, mostly. Plus, there was the fact that she was tired too. "Okay, goodnight Tessa, I love you." "I love you too Zoë."
"It's okay Zoë, it's fine." He said as he tried to quiet her, (as she was now sobbing almost uncontrollably). He got up from the window seat and held her in his arms.
"Mom, what just happened?" Tessa asked, she to was on the verge of tears.
"I don't know sweetheart, I don't know." Monica admitted, kissing her daughter on the head and pulling her closer to her. But Tessa began to cry anyway.
"I'm wondering," Adam said, as he came back into the room, "If some of us or at least one of us, should go over there."
The sirens could now be heard.
"Adam, please don't go." Gloria practically begged him.
"Sweetie, someone has to, and Monica and Andrew are occupied."
"Baby, I know that I've told you that there is no such thing as a day off, but consider this a day off."
"Alright," he said as he kissed Gloria, "I'll consider this a day off." Gloria smiled as much as she could; after all, something horrible was still unfolding across the street. Suddenly the ambulance, fire truck, police, and three local news stations pulled up across the street.
"Someone called the news?"
"That might be a good thing Gloria, now we'll get to find out what's going on." Tess said.
Later, Gloria and Adam were lying on the couch, just trying to relax and escape the night's drama before watching the eleven o'clock news.
"Gloria?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, just fine." She smiled.
"Good."
After an hour of trying to comfort a sobbing Zoë, Andrew realized that she was finally calmed, and not only that; she had indeed cried herself to sleep. He laughed.
"I'll take her to bed, angel boy, you need a break."
"It's okay, Tess I'll go."
"Okay," she said as she kissed Zoë, and went back to the kitchen to finish the dishes. 'Ha!' she thought, 'Oh yeah, Andrew and Adam are going to do the dishes, yeah right, like that's ever gonna happen!'
Meanwhile, Monica and Tessa were still in the window seat. Tessa's head still lye comfortably against her Mother's shoulder.
"You feeling better sweetheart?"
"Yeah, I guess. How could someone do something like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like what happened tonight."
"Well, we don't know that it was arson, or a bomb or anything like that just yet. But I know what you mean, I have that feeling that this was no accident."
"Me too. Mom?"
"Yes?"
"If it was, um ...on purpose do you think that we will have tot testify in a court of law?"
"No." Monica laughed, "I don't think that we saw enough of anything to testify. But of course there is always the possibility that we did."
"Come on, let's go watch the news and find out just what did happen."
A few minutes later they were all gathered in front of the TV, watching the eleven o'clock news. They found out quite a bit about the explosion. It had caused significant damage to the house's cellar and some of its electrical system. Surprisingly the house was still standing, and shockingly it was inhabitable! The bad news however was that someone had poured gasoline all over the basement floor and set fire to it, in addition there was also a bomb involved. It was indeed, arson. Authorities were saying that the possible motive was murder, and that there were several suspects in the case.
"Murder, murder who?" There was a bit of fear in Tessa's voice when she said this.
"It's okay angel baby. It's fine."
"Tessa, its your bed time."
"Okay, goodnight everyone."
"Goodnight."
"I'll be up in a minute Tessa."
"Okay." She said as she went upstairs.
Tessa knew that her Mother just wanted her out of the room for their upcoming conversation. Tessa cautiously entered the bedroom that she shared with Zoë and went into their small bathroom to put her pajamas on. When she came back out she was surprised to see the lights on and even more surprised to see that Zoë was now wide a wake.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah Tessa."
"I was going to go and see if you were okay much earlier, but the truth is that I was just as messed up as you were. And just to let you know, Mom should be up here any second. We all thought you were asleep."
"I was. How did I get up here?"
"Dad brought you."
"That makes sense. What happened after I left?"
"Oh, nothing." Tessa lied, not wanting to tell Zoë about what had really happened across the street that night. "Nothing at all."
"So it was just an accident?"
"Yeah, it was nothing more than an accident." "It was still scary." "I know, it was for me to." Suddenly their door opened. "What are you doing up Zoë?" "I just woke up, that's all." "Well, that's fine, but back to bed sweetheart." She said as she tucked Zoë in and kissed her. She did the same with Tessa and whispered, 'get up early and meet me in the kitchen.' Tessa smiled as her Mother kissed her, turned off the night and left the room. Zoë got up and walked over to her sister's bed. "Tessa?" "Yeah?" "Can I please sleep with you?" "Believe it or not, I was just about to get up and ask you the same thing." (And she really was, she was scared too!) "Should we go sit on the stairs and listen to what everyone is talking about?" Zoë asked as she climbed into the bed. "No." She said as she closed her eyes. Normally she would have loved to do that. They loved to do that. But tonight was not a good night for that. After all, they were trying to keep it all a secret from Zoë. And Tessa knew that the reason she'd been sent to bed was because they did not want her to hear their conversation either. She was glad for that, mostly. Plus, there was the fact that she was tired too. "Okay, goodnight Tessa, I love you." "I love you too Zoë."