Chapter Two

Meeting the Ducks Again

Lina's Outfit: cgi/set?id=84003074

*********************************Connie Moreau's POV********************************

I'm sitting in my room when I hear our phone ringing. I rush to it ''Hallo Connie here'' I answer the phone ''Hi Connie it's Les, I was wondering if we should get the ducks together today so that Malina can meet all of us again?''

Malina is back? Finally, I've missed her so much. The last time we saw each was when we were six years old. It was her last day here and we were both crying, I remember I begged her not to leave. ''Lina is back? Since when? And why?'' I fire questions at Les through the phone. ''Yeah we picked her up this morning and I don't think I am allowed to tell you why, sorry'' Les answered all of my questions, but why can't he tell me why she's here? A silence falls between us ''so are you up for meeting her today?'' Les breaks the silence ''yeah sure I'll be on my way'' I say and hang up.

I hurry and put my skates on. I spend the trip to Les' house worrying. What happened? Why can't Les tell me why she's here? I was her best friend, well Guy and I. What if she forgot everything we ever did together? What if she totally forgot about me? What if she hasn't missed me, like I missed her? All these thoughts swarmed my head all the way to The Averman's home. I knock on the door. I am nervous.

My stomach twists as Les opens the door. ''Hey Connie'' he yells excited and I don't even get to step inside before I am attacked in a hug. ''I missed you Con'' the attacker whispers in my ear and I recognize her voice immediately ''Lina'' I squeal I know that Les said she was back, but hearing it is one thing; hugging her is another ''I've missed you too'' we stand there and I can hear the guys laughing. We let go of each other just as someone knocks on the door. ''I got it'' Les says. When Lina sees who it is she attacks him in a hug too. Guy laughs at her as he lays his arms around her. They let go of each other and Guy comes over to me and hugs me.

''Hi Connie'' he says and we lace our fingers together.
Lina looks between us, leaning her head to the right ''are you two?'' she trails off, Guy and I look at each other before nodding and now it's Lina's turn to squeal. We all burst out laughing.

''There's cake in the living room'' Les' mom says and we all go to the living room. All the Ducks are here: Jesse, Charlie, Goldberg, Fulton, Guy and I, of course Averman, even Adam is here. ''I've missed you all so much'' Lina says pretty loud, putting a smile on everybody's faces ''Well except you Adam 'cause I didn't know you'' she puts on a big smile and we laugh a bit at her, but I can see there's something wrong, the smile is way too wide and it doesn't reach her eyes.

''Hey Lina how was Germany?'' Jesse asks Lina and I can see her eyes light up at the mentioning of Germany ''it was great'' she answers. ''Where did you live?'' another question this time from Goldberg ''a small Dorf neben Kiel'' I can tell Lina mixed German into the sentence because none of us understood it '

'English please'' Les says with a chuckle ''Oh right I lived in Ottendorf, a small village outside Kiel'' she explains ''it was amazing, I had a thicket as backyard and a field as neighbor. It was so beautiful. I lived in the middle of nowhere so to speak, but it was perfect. I loved it everything was so peaceful, there was this deer that would come into our garden some mornings. Dee and I had the world as our playground'' we all sit quiet for a few seconds, to let what she just said sink in. It sounded very peaceful.

I wonder why she's here.
Someone else decided to voice my thoughts ''not that we don't like the fact that you're here, but why and where is your mom?'' Fulton said chorused by a few mutters of ''yeah'' from the rest of the boys.
I can see a look of horror flashing in Lina's eyes and she quickly looks to Les for help. I don't know why, but I don't think she wants to tell us. Her and Les seem to be having a wordless conversation. Lina is obviously worried or scared of what she has to tell us.

********************************Malina Müller's POV************************************

I have been dreading that question ever since I arrived. I don't know why, I know I can trust them, even Adam whom I just met, but I don't want them to look at me with pity in their eyes. I don't want them to think that I am fragile. I don't want them to think less of me, I won't tell them. Not yet.
''I'm staying with Les for a while and my mom and sister are at home'' I say nothing more, nothing less. It's not a lie. They are at home.

I can see that they want me to explain a bit more, but I won't, I can't. I can't let them know, not yet. ''Why aren't they with you?'' Guy asks and I'm starting to think that I can't talk my way out of this without spilling the truth, but I have to try. ''They. Are. At. Home'' I say every word loud and clear, not wanting to go into details about this. With every word I say a pang of pain and guilt hits me in the chest. Pain because it forces me to remember. Guilt because I'm lying to them. My new friends, my new family. ''But what does your mom think about you being here alone?'' Connie asks and I know she's just worried, but I can't let them know, not now. I need to know them better everyone even Connie and Guy, everyone has changed. I have, Connie, Guy, Les, and Charlie, all of them. ''THEY. ARE. AT. HOME'' I raise my voice saying each word louder, slower so that they would understand. ''But-'' someone tries to say something ''THEY ARE AT HOME'' I yell as loud as I can and the others are shocked at my outburst.

Les takes my hand. ''Lina it's okay, no one is asking you to say more'' He whispers ''they're at home Les, they are'' I whisper back trying to convince myself more than anyone. I crumple in his arms, curling up in his embrace, seeking comfort from him, but my tears won't stop. ''Lina'' Les whispers ''you're going to be all right'' Les whispers ''you promise?'' I whisper, my voice raw and breaking through my tears. ''Yeah I do'' He whispers, bringing me a little bit of hope.

Aunt Hannah comes rushing into the living room. She takes me out of Les' arms and into her own ''Les take the others upstairs, I'll talk to Lina'' Les walked upstairs with the others I could her the footsteps going up the stairs until all I could her was the slight rain on the window. ''It isn't fair'' I whisper into my aunt's warm embrace ''they died and I didn't even get hurt'' I sobbed into my aunt soft embrace. The rain on the window is increasing in strength, the patter getting louder.

''Oh sweetie'' Hannah says to me ''I know it's not fair, but it's going to be alright'' she tries to comfort me ''how is going to be alright?'' I ask ''it hurts so much'' I curl more into her and hide in her warmth ''I know it hurts'' she says understanding what I mean ''and it always will, but someday something will happen and then it won't hurt as much'' I turn to look her in the eyes ''what?'' I ask hoping that I can make the pain less by myself. ''You might fall in love or something will make you so happy that it over shadows the pain'' she explains and it sounds as if it something that will take a while ''how do you know?'' I ask my aunt who I just realized is a wise woman ''while you lost a mother and a sister, I lost a sister and a niece'' and it hits me, of course I'm not the only one who loved my mom and Deidre. I hug my aunt ''I'm sorry'' I whisper and she strokes my back ''It's okay, I got you from it'' she says and I look at her questioning, not quite understanding what she means ''I'm not going to pretend I'm your mom, but I hope I can fill some parts of it'' I take in what she just said ''I was the thing that stopped it from hurting that much?'' I ask astonished, my aunt nods and I hug her ''I love you Tante'' I whisper and I feel her smile against the top of my head as she plants a kiss on my hair ''I love you too, Nichte''

We sit in the comfortable silence for a few minutes before we are interrupted.

**************************************Lester Averman's POV******************************

We are sitting in my room a sad silence filling the room. I think everyone is afraid of breaking it. Well not afraid of breaking the silence but afraid of which reactions there is going to be to whatever they are going to say. In the end Jesse is the first to break it.
''What happened man?'' he says and looks at me questioning ''I-I don't know'' I say, the words getting choked, I am truly confused.

''Are you okay?'' Guy asks and puts an arm around my shoulders. I am just about to nod, when I burst in tears. I guess it took harder on me than I thought. Seeing my cousin break down. It was scary. Especially when Lina crumbled in my arms, because she looks so though, with her dark hair and dark clothes and an attitude that tells you that she is never one to be messed with. Her mom, Erin, wrote letters to my mom about when Lina got bullied in school, but that she never complained and never told anyone, well except me, but she never asked for help.
I always thought she was invincible, unbreakable; so what happened down stairs was scary.

My tears stopped streaming and I wiped my eyes dry. I nodded to Guy.
''How about you? Are you guys okay?'' I ask. They must be shocked or sad or scared or something. All the guys nod in reply and we all turn to Connie.

She sniffles and dries her eyes with her sleeve ''I'm fine guys, just a bit shocked'' she answers our non-spoken question.

''Do you think it's safe to go back again?'' Guy asks rubbing his arm, as if he's cold, but I know he's just worried; about Lina and about Connie. He runs a hand through his curly hair, he's frustrated and I understand, his childhood best friend just came back after eight years, but no one will tell him why. I think he wants to go and check on Lina as much as Connie and I want to

''Nahh let's give them a few more minutes'' I say dismissively, my voice flat and my gaze focused on the floor. The others nod in agreement.

''Do you know why she's here Les?'' Connie asks me, her voice low and unsure, her eyes looking at me pleadingly, begging for me to tell and I don't know how I should answer, as much as I want to I can't tell her; it's not my choice to tell it.
I just nod, not looking Connie in the eyes ''I can't tell you'' I whisper and the look on Connie's face breaks my heart ''She'll tell you when she's ready'' I say and pray that she understands. Guy wraps an arm around Connie and she rests her head on his shoulder, I can see that Guy whispers something to her, but I don't know what. It's okay, the two of them needs to cope and at least they have each other.

A silence falls over the room again, each of us thinking about what happened downstairs with Lina.

''So when we go down stairs again what are we going to do?'' Fulton says. I don't know what we're going to do, I really didn't think about it ''you do realize it's almost dinnertime'' Jesse saves us. Wait dinnertime? It's really that late. ''Shit I have to get going, bye'' Jesse says and heads out. ''Me too'' the others all say and then we laugh.

We release every emotion into our laughs relaxing more and more the more we laugh.

''Bye Les'' Connie is the first to break our laugh attack. She gives me a hug and her and Guy both leaves. They are quickly followed be the rest; Fulton, Goldberg, Charlie and Adam.
When everyone has left I sit by myself. Thinking for a few minutes before I head downstairs to my mom and Lina.

I find them hugging and I can see Lina has been crying again, though they both seem to smile at the moment. ''Are you okay, Lina?'' I didn't want to interrupt, but I had to know. ''Yeah I'm okay, what about you?'' she says carefully and I nod as to say that I am okay too.
''How about we go out for dinner?'' my mom asks. So we do. We go out for dinner like a real family.