Chapter Eight

A/N: Thank you to TheDarkMistressBellatrix, Redejeka and Anonymous for reviewing the last chapter.

Over the next week, while Julia spent some time becoming accustomed to being a mother of two, rather than just of one, as she had been previously, both David and Maddy were extremely enjoying being siblings. Of course, David had had Carolyn while he was growing up, and Maddy had had Tauren to keep her company, but both of them were now far happier, having a true sibling of their own, and a mother to share between them.

Julia herself was also a great deal happier, having the security of knowing that no further arguments were likely to occur between her and David, and that Maddy was not going to go away again. Everything was almost ideal for the woman, and she would let nothing stand in the way of her having her perfect family. Unfortunately, fate did not wish to play by her rules.

It was a Thursday afternoon, at around three o'clock, and Maddy was due to come home from her school, alongside David, who also attended Collinsport Elementary, as he had done for three years. For the first time, she would return to Collinwood straight away, as she had been permitted to do so by Cairan and Kathy, now that she had become settled around her mother. Julia had been preparing for the evening ever since she had learnt of the plan the previous Monday, when her young daughter had informed her, bringing tears to her eyes, that the plan itself had been hers. Now, that the time had come, she felt that she had never been as excited in her life. She did not yet know that the feeling was not to last.

As she reached the school gates, her nerves were so terrible that she could hardly put one foot straight in front of the other without nearly tripping over her own feet. 'This is one of the happiest days I've had in years. How can I be so nervous about seeing my own daughter, when I've seen her every day for almost a fortnight? I'm just being ridiculous, that's all it is.' But little did she know that was not all that there was to the story.

As the doors of the school opened once again, another rush of over exited children escaping the building to join those few who had already left, Julia tried in vain to spot her young daughter among the crowd of pupils, teachers and parents. There were dozens of children within the group, running towards their families in a rush to get home, and, though a couple of them had red hair, none ran towards her.

"Mom!" came a sudden exclamation from behind her and Julia turned to face the source, hoping to see that it was her daughter. Instead, she was faced with her son, whose face was reddened by the evident running he had been doing over the past few minutes, in an attempt to locate his mother, though for what purpose, the woman did not yet know. Her blissful ignorance would not last for long.

"David? What's the matter?" she asked her young son, not yet aware of what was causing the boy's fear, and how important it truly was. The boy said nothing at first, merely stood in silence and shook with terror, prompting Julia to lean down and wrap her arms tightly around him, pulling his head to her shoulder as he began to cry. "Oh, David. What's wrong? Tell me."

It took the boy a few moments to calm even enough to breathe normally, let alone speak, but when he did, it was in a panicked tone. "I tried to stop him, but I didn't know how to. He wouldn't listen to me. I know that I was meant to protect her, and I tried, Mom, really, but she got away from me. When I turned around, she was just gone. I'm so sorry."

"What are you talking about, David?" the redhead questioned, bending right down on her knees to be closer to eye level with the dark haired boy, who was now more terrified than ever, each question she asked seeming to make him worse. Seeing this, the woman stroked his curls back away from his face, a gesture that had always calmed him before, and that she hoped would again. "Who were you meant to be protecting, and what happened to them to make you so upset? David?"

Now, her worry beginning to mount, Julia gently shook her son's shoulders, desperate to know what the boy was concealing from her, and the identity of the mysterious girl, another thing that was causing her a great deal of concern. David did not associate with girls, as none of the boys of his age did, meaning there was only one person he could have possible let down.

As realisation dawned on her, tears began to swim in the woman's eyes, spilling over onto her face as her mind finally decoded the cryptic messages that David had been speaking to her. Her heart raced and her skin became pale, and for just a moment, she was certain that her blood had run cold within her veins. 'This can't be happening.' she thought, breathing so heavily that she was amazed the voice inside her head was audible, even to her own ears. 'He can't mean what I think he does. I must be wrong. Please let me be wrong.'

"David, please. Please, I need to know." she told the boy, choking on her sobs as she spoke and trying, futilely, to blink back the rivers of tears that were marring her face. "David!"

"It was her." the boy revealed, still crying, though admittedly rather less than his mother was doing, out of both pity and guilt. Actually, it would not be easy to cry more than Julia was doing at present, as she was almost hysterical with the grief she felt. "It was Maddy."

A/N: Uh oh! What will happen next? Take a guess and review!