"Genesis"

Chapter 5

Those eyes...

So pale blue...

Like ice...

I shivered and squeezed Krystal's hand tighter. I felt those eyes run over the entire length of both mine and Krystal's bodies; taking in each detail. For some reason I felt sick to my stomach. This man oozed self assurance and it was obvious from his demeanor that he was used to getting exactly what he wanted. But just why was he here? Then a closed door in the rear of my mind opened and a memory came flooding back.

The funeral... the rain... the umbrella... This was the face that had been attached to the arm that held the umbrella to keep the rain off me at our parents' funeral. I stared once more just to be sure. I knew I had seen him somewhere before. He seemed a little older and had more hair than I remembered, but I was sure it was him. Now all I had to figure out was what the connection was between our lives and his.

Aunt Jenny was looking a little pale and I noticed that Uncle Howard was clutching a glass of whiskey that he drained rather quickly as we entered the room. I frowned slightly as I took in all this information. Krystal looked from one to the other and lastly at me. I shrugged my shoulders.

The silence was deafening.

Finally Uncle Howard spoke, his voice trembled a little as he formed the words that I didn't want to hear, knowing instinctively that our lives were once more about to change. A change that I was determined to resist.

"Jay, Krystal, this is Mr Gero," said Uncle Howard quietly.

The elderly man looked at Krystal and smiled, then turning his gaze to meet mine he nodded.

I continued to stare blankly ahead as Uncle Howard revealed the purpose of the man's visit.

"Mr Gero, as it turns out, is a distant cousin of your father's..." Uncle Howard swallowed then continued. "He has come to talk to you about going to live with him."

The words hit me like a truck. I felt my heart once more ripped from my chest before anger set in. I gulped back my tears and tearing my hand apart from Krystal's I formed them into fists.

"No."

All eyes turned and focused on me as I uttered that one syllable word.

"I'm afraid that we really need to discuss this, Jay," said Aunt Jenny with a crack in her voice.

"No."

"It's not that simple..." Uncle Howard began but I cut him off.

"Yes, it is that simple," I stated and then I looked at each of them in turn. "Krystal and I have a home. We don't need another one." I stared deep into Mr Gero's eyes daring him to challenge me.

"Legally we are your guardians. But Mr Gero, as a blood relative, has more rights than we do and that includes taking care of you both." Uncle Howard looked down, his eyes couldn't meet mine as his lips uttered those heart breaking words.

Something inside me snapped and I felt all the pent up anger and frustrations of the past years trying to break forth. Shaking, I tried to calm my raging temper and finally with a voice that I vaguely recall as being mine, I spoke. "Mr Gero here may be a blood relative but that does not give him the right to come along and just uproot us from everything we have become accustomed to. When our parents were killed Krystal and I were too young to understand a lot of things, but we are older now and with that age comes more knowledge. I don't care what the law says we can and cannot do. Where was this Mr Gero when our parents were first gone? Why didn't the authorities find him then? How come he didn't come forward to *claim* us at that time? Why? I will tell you why... because it didn't suit him at the time. But now it does." My voice began to raise as my anger seeped through the walls I had set to block it.

"I know I speak for Krystal as well when I say that we may only be ten years old, but we are happy here. You took us in and looked after us, fed us, clothed and loved us when no one else was there. You chased away the nightmares, held us and comforted us, never once though did you ever try to take the place of our parents. Always there to help, doing the same job as our parents should have been doing, but not once did you ever ask for anything in return. "

The tears began to prickle at the back of my eyes. "I don't care if this man is a relative, I don't want to leave here. I'm happy here." A sob caught in my throat and blindly I turned to run from the room, not wanting anyone to see my tears.

"Jay!"

I heard Krystal call my name and her hand brushed against my arm as she tried to grab me as I spun around. I moved past her and left the room.

"Let him go," said Mr Gero. "The boy has had quite a shock and it's natural that he should be confused and upset. I will leave you to explain all the necessary details to them both. In the meantime I will contact the authorities and make the appropriate arrangements, then I will be in touch once I have the details and advise you as to what will be happening and when I will come for them both." Mr Gero stood and nodding, turned on his heel and left the house.

I had run from the kitchen and out into the garden. I wanted to keep on running, to get as far away from this man as possible, but I couldn't leave Krystal. Besides, it wasn't fair to Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard either so I stopped my headlong flight and found myself drawn back to the house to stand by the kitchen window and catch the last shreds of the conversation.

Hearing Gero get up I quickly hid myself in the bushes and waited until he had left before letting out a breath I hadn't been aware of holding. I moved away and silently headed back inside and up to my room. Sprawling out upon the covers I allowed my brain to run the events through, playing back like some slow motion horror movie. The rational side telling me that there wasn't a damn thing I could do about our current situation. That the law was the law and regardless of how I felt the law would suceed. I was still a minor and too young to make my own decisions. Sadly I looked around. The law didn't take into account the fact that both Krystal and myself were finally happy and settled here... No, they only thought about relatives and the relatives' rights and screw the fact that we were human beings too and might have an opinion.

There was a gentle knock at the door followed by Krystal's hesitant voice seeking permission to enter.

She came in and sat on the edge of the bed. I felt the mattress dip at her slight weight. She sighed and turned towards me, the tears glistening in her eyes. "What are we going to do, Jay?"

I shook my head. "I have no idea, Krystal," I replied honestly. "It seems that we are never destined to enjoy happiness."

The tears broke forth and I held my sister close, stroking her hair and comforting her as best I could, trying hard not to let my own tears join hers. "Why us?" she asked.

Good question, I thought... why us indeed. "I don't know. I wish I did, but I don't," I replied.

"Im sorry, Krystal. I should be able to protect us from all this, but I can't. I don't know what to do any more. It seems that the grown ups have won. I don't want to leave here any more than you do, but Im afraid we have no choice in the matter. It's out of our hands now." I held her trembling body close to mine and tried my best to soothe her as I fought my own internal battle.

Finally the tears stopped and Krystal once more regarded me through eyes red and swollen from her crying. "I feel as if I'm on a never ending roller coaster," she whispered. "Oh Jay, I don't want to move again. I love it here with Aunt Jenny and Uncle Howard. This man... Mr Gero... I don't like him." She shuddered as she spoke.

"I don't like him either, Krystal and I don't want to live with him, but I'm afraid we have no choice. It seems as if the grown up world has decided for us again. The thing I want to know is why has he waited until now to come forward?" This thought crossed my mind again and the more I thought about it the fishier things seemed to get.

Uncle Howard had obviously been wondering the same thing.

That night at dinner, Uncle Howard revealed to us both that he and Aunt Jenny wern't going to give us up without a fight. They had called their lawyer and were going to go to court to fight Gero so that we could stay with them. Suddenly hope appeared again upon the horizon.

#

The days passed and each waking moment was spent working on setting up a strong case for Krystal and myself to stay where we were. The court case filled every available second of our lives until finally the day was here.

The day itself was warm with a few puffy clouds floating lazily across an endless sea of blue.

Pouring rain would have suited me better.

We arrived at the courthouse and were greeted by Uncle Howard and Aunt Jenny's lawyer who ushered us all inside. We sat down at the long bench inside a very dark and stuffy room. Curiously I gazed around at my surroundings. It reminded me of something off an old movie... along the lines of A Few Good Men but not as bright. Idly I wondered just how many lives had hung in the balance in this room? How much joy and sorrow had passed between these four walls? The quiet was broken as Mr Gero and his entourage entered and took up their position at the other bench. I glanced across and met his cold eyes. I glared at him before turning to the door ahead of us that had suddenly opened.

"All Rise..."

The judge entered and proceeded to the big leather chair where she sat down, then shuffling some papers she nodded to the clerk to begin...

tbc...