Rachel

I sat with my mum, dad and sisters throughout the whole funeral in the second row. Marco was at the back somewhere and Aunty Jean and Tom were in the front row with the two policemen. I stared angrily at them. Ed, Mark and Nathan had disappeared from my view altogether. They weren't even there when I turned back towards there after the policemen had explained everything.

I thought about what they said and the more I thought about it the more it sounded ridiculous. Jake was anything but suicidal, I knew that for sure. He might not be an optimist, but he certainly valued life. I've heard him say how precious life was since we started this whole war thing and it made me sick thinking about what the policemen said.

I sat through the majority of the funeral thinking about Uncle Steve, some weren't lovely thoughts. As much as I hate to admit it, I sat there and thought how happy I was that it wasn't me or my sisters or my mum or my dad. I sat there and actually thought that if it had to happen, I was glad it happened to Uncle Steve and that I wouldn't suffer so much like Jake.

At the end of the service, everyone crowded around and talked about Uncle Steve. The usual stuff you'd say at a funeral like the times people spent with him, the fun times and the horrible times. I spent that time with my sisters, trying to explain to Sara why Uncle Steve wasn't around and where Jake was. Marco's dad was talking to my dad and my mum was talking softly with Aunty Jean. The two policemen were hanging in the background, watching them closely. I looked around for Marco and found him away from everybody else, looking down at a grave. I walked over to him and stared at the grave. His mother.

"I want to destroy this," Marco said with a laugh. "It's annoying."

"One day you'll get her back," I said quietly.

"Yeah," he said. "I bet Jake wishes he could say that about his dad."

"Suicide," I whispered. "Not likely."

"He's hiding something," Marco said, turning away from the grave. "And what the hell happened to Ed, Mark and Nathan?"

"Missed us already?"

Ed, Mark and Nathan were striding towards, carefully avoiding the graves.

"Hardly," I replied. "We were just wondering where you went. I didn't see you at the service."

"We don't do well at funerals," Mark replied. "Too much tears." He convulsed. "It's pitiful."

I felt my blood boil. "So why did you come?" I demanded.

"It was Jake's old man," Nathan shrugged. "Thought we'd be mates."

"You're doing a great job too," Marco sneered.

Ed turned his head towards Marco.

"At least we are his friends," he said. "Don't see you hanging around him anymore. What happened? He got tired of you?"

I could literally feel the heat radiate off Marco's face, but he said nothing.

"So where did you go?" I asked, impatiently.

"Around," Nathan said.

"Did you go to see Jake," Marco asked, giving him a sideways glance.

"Didn't have time," Mark answered. "We went over to that takeaway shop down the road."

I snorted.

"You don't believe us?" Nathan asked indignantly. "My mouth still has the taste, would you like to experience it's…goodness from my mouth?"

I pushed him away. "What do you think the chances of that happening?" I asked. "Slim to none, none or I'll crack your head on the ground."

"Feisty," Nathan commented slyly. "I like that."

"Back off," Marco said, stepping forward.

"Or what?" Ed asked, stepping forwards and bumping his shoulder into Marco's.

In my mind I pictured myself turning into a grizzly and tearing their throats out. I shoved that picture out of my mind and turned to them, but before I could say anything, my mum called out to me.

"Rachel, honey, we're going with the police to see Jake," she said. "Do you want to come?"

"Yeah, I'm coming," I shouted back. "Coming?" I asked Marco.

"Na," he said and looking at Ed, Mark and Nathan. "I'm not his friend."

"You all can't be present during the cross-examination," Lawson said when we were all assembled outside Jake's house. "Only one adult."

"That would be me," Aunty Jean said.

She took out her keys and opened the front door. Everyone piled in. Sara ran in and jumped on the couch. Mum ran after her and sat her down on her lap. Tom walked into the kitchen and started pouring himself and my dad a drink. Aunty Jean and the two cops walked in the direction of Jake's room. Jordan walked up to me and started having a conversation with me.

"Hey," I said halfway through her explanation about one of her crushes. "I need to go to the toilet, speak to me later."

She mumbled something rude and hurried off to find dad. I walked hurriedly to the toilet. I walked in locked the door and started stripping my clothing until I got to my spandex underneath. I had planned to sit in on this interview with the police and nothing would stop me. Fly was a good morph. I closed my eyes and concentrated on my fly morph. The changes began and I grew smaller. When I had completely changed into fly, with my clothing all over the floor, I flew under the door and through my fly eyes flew up to Jake's bedroom. The door was obviously locked, but I didn't find that a problem. I simply flew under the door and into the bedroom. Jake was sitting at his desk looking really ticked off. Aunty Jean was sitting on his bed and the two cops were standing side by side by the door. I flew and perched on the wall where I had hearing advantages.

"Now that you know that, we may begin," Doyle was saying.

"Wait," Lawson interrupted. "You have to be aware Jake, that we will be taping this interview, so I advise you think very carefully about what you are about to say."

He placed a small tape recorder on Jake's bedside table and pressed a button.

"Senior Constable Lawson and Senior Constable Doyle conducting an interview with Jake (……)," he paused and glanced at his watch. "At five-fifty-nine p.m. Jake's mother Jean is accompanying him. Now Jake, lets get down to the basics. Were you in the car crash with your father?"

Jake now had a bored expression on his face. "Apparently," he said.

"Apparently?" Doyle said. "We don't want that kind of response. Were you or weren't you in that car accident with your dad?"

Jake hesitated and then nodded.

"Jake, we need a verbal answer for the recorder," Lawson said.

Jake sighed. "Yes, I was in the car accident."

"What do you remember about the car accident?" Lawson asked.

As I watched the two cops I identified their personalities. Lawson was the nice, gentle cop that could turn nasty when he had to, but understood situations and reacted accordingly. He was an all around nice guy. Much like Jake or who Jake used to be. Doyle, on the other hand, was a jerk. He didn't care about the person's feeling as long as he got information out of them. Even if it was useless information.

"I don't remember anything," Jake said, falling back on his lie.

"Listen, kiddo," Doyle said, striding towards Jake. "We know nothing's wrong with your memory, so you better spit it out or we'll make you."

"Interview suspended at three past six," Lawson snapped. He pressed the stop button on the recorder and faced Aunty Jean who had risen from the bed and was standing protectively in front of Jake.

"Jean, I am sorry for that outburst," he said, then turning to his partner. "Tom that was inappropriate. I will conduct the rest of the interview."

Doyle gave his colleague a greasy before walking back to the other side of the room, and Jean moved aside carefully and back on the bed.

Lawson walked towards the tape recorder again and pressed play.

"Interview sustained at five past three p.m.," Lawson said. "Now, Jake, according to your doctors, there is nothing wrong with your memory. So you should have no problems trying to remember the crash."

"Maybe the doctors made a mistake," Jake shrugged. "But I seriously can't remember the crash."

"The doctors also claim that you and your father were both conscious at the same time just after the crash," Lawson continued. "Do you remember anything about that?"

Jake seemed to shift uncomfortably, but he looked at Lawson with a coldness in his eyes and when he spoke it was hard and expressionless.

"No," he said. "I don't remember a thing about being conscious at the same time as my dad."

"You do realise it is a federal crime to lie to the police?" Lawson said, this time he had the hardness in his voice.

"Yes," Jake said.

"If you can't remember we must take some evidence into consideration," Lawson said. "Do you realise that your depression has been going on since before the car accident, which gives us reason to believe that you may have caused the accident yourself."

"What?" Jake sat up straight. "You think I murdered my dad?"

"Manslaughter would be the word," Lawson said. "In order to end your life, you had to sacrifice your father's."

Jake stood up. "You're joking me," he said.

"Unfortunately I'm not," Lawson said solemnly. "So unless you can provide any other explanation for the accident, I will be forced to put my plans into action."

"And what are your plans?" Aunty Jean asked.

"Because of his depression he will be put into a care facility," Lawson explained. "But if it is found that he doesn't have depression because the doctors have made a mistake, which I doubt, he will be put into a juvenile correctional facility."

I have never seen anyone talk down to Jake before, I have never seen anyone act like he is just some kid, that he didn't matter, but that cop did. I knew Jake hated it and I hated it because I knew the truth. I tried not to think about it. I tried to just forget about it, because I couldn't betray Jake, but the way he was going I knew I had no choice. I had been on the phone with him when he and his dad had crashed. I heard what had happened. He yelled at his dad to stop, to watch out. He didn't crash the car, his dad did, my uncle. For what reason I don't know, but I knew he hadn't crashed the car. He was protecting his dad. He knew what was at stake for himself, but he didn't care. He didn't want his dad, the well loved doctor, to go down in the history books as a reckless driver. But I didn't want my cousin to go down as some kind of suicidal, murderous idiot. And if it came to it, I would tell the police what I had learned. I would tell the police everything about what I knew about the crash.

Lawson had long turned off the recorder and was now talking casually with Jake and Aunty Jean..

"If you remember anything at all, please contact us," he said. "Come on, Tom, let's go."

They walked out and Jake and Aunty Jean were left there. I took my chance and flew out after the cops.

Author's Note Apparently I do have a life after all which is why I didn't update yesterday! Who would have known! Anyhow, thanks to all my reviewers especially Soul Raider 116 because I'm learning a few things about American terminology! I'm soooo smart! (Yeah right!) So thankyou! Oh, and whoever has time should read LilManiac's story, FUTURE SHOCKED! Great Story! And thankyou to everyone who has read and reviewed! THANKYOU!