The yard sell was canceled. For the rest of the day, Brittany stayed in her room crying. She feels terrible even though she knows it's not her fault.
Her sisters, the boys, and Dave are there comforting her.
She had told them everything the lady known as Patty had told her.
"This is why I didn't want that crazy lady to speak to you Brittany. The moment she told me who she was I wanted her to leave"
Dave said as he gently rubbed Brittany's shoulder.
Jeanette and Eleanor are surprised and are feeling bad for their sister.
"She doesn't know you were not the one who alerted the authorities. It was me. Neither you nor your sisters told me what her husband did. I had figured it out"
"But still Dave, I feel like I'm responsible for the boy being distraught. I feel it's because of me that he doesn't have a father"
Brittany said in tears.
Alvin sits next to her before gently rubbing her head.
"It is my fault"
"Brittany stop blaming yourself. That lady was a crazy bitch that-"
"Alvin language"
"Sorry Dave"
Dave nods.
"As I was saying, that lady had no right to come over here to complain about her son not having a father. It's unfortunate that the boy doesn't have a father figure but maybe he wasn't meant to have one. Maybe him not having father is a good thing"
Everybody looks at Alvin.
"Think about it. If his father was still alive, more girls would've became victims. So destiny had stepped in and prevented that from happening"
"I agree with Alvin. It sucks that the boy doesn't have someone to look up to but, him not having his father might've been a blessing"
Simon added with a frown on his face.
Brittany half smiles but in her mind she debates whether or not to tell everybody she's gonna go visit the boy.
She knows they will not agree so she decides not to tell them.
It is Sunday and the family is gonna have a barbecue. Dave is outside getting the grill ready, the boys are preparing the propane tank and charcoal, and the girls are preparing the food.
However one of them is about to head out.
Brittany makes sure she has her note in her pocket before heading out the door.
She holds the briefcase behind her back.
"Dave, I'm gonna go jogging"
"Okay Brittany. Don't jog too far from the house"
"Okay, later"
Brittany half smiled before walking away.
She hates that she lied to Dave but she knows he would stop her if he knew where she's going.
"Wait, let one of the boys go with... You"
Dave realizes she's already too far to hear him.
He hopes she'll be back soon. He isn't as protective as he used to be but he still worries for her.
It doesn't take Brittany long before she reaches a neighborhood where a lot of crime takes place.
As she's walking, she can see a homelss looking man arguing with himself while smoking what she thinks is weed, she can see another man taking a dump on somebody's yard, and she can see a topless lady dancing in the middle of the street.
Brittany sighs nervously. She realizes she isn't in a safe area.
I hope this isn't a fake address
She thought.
About a minute later she reaches a house that had boarded up windows, graffiti, and other things that made it look like it was abandoned.
Brittany takes a look at the piece of paper again.
Is this where they live?
She takes a few seconds to get the courage to walk up to the door.
With a shaking hand she knocks twice.
Seconds go by and nobody opens the door.
Brittany knocks again a little harder this time.
Seconds go by and still nobody opens the door.
Brittany sighs in dissapointment and as she's about to walk away, a noise catches her ear.
She gasps when she hears footsteps approaching the other side of the door.
"Who is it?"
"Erm... it's me"
"Who's me?"
"Brittany..."
There is a moment of silence before finally the door opens.
Miss Patty stands there with a cigarette in her mouth.
"What a surprise. I didn't think you'd showed up. Not that I thought you'd stay at home but I thought you'd be kidnapped or something on your way here"
"Oh I'm sure you would've loved if that had happened to me Miss patty"
"Hehe maybe..."
Miss Patty responded with a chuckle prior to noticing something she's holding.
"I see you brought the briefcase. Don't be thinking of giving it back to me because I don't want it"
"Don't worry I'm not"
The lady gives Brittany a suspicious look before stepping aside to let her in.
Brittany goes inside and checks her surroundings. She is not surprised by how messy and filthy the inside of the house is.
"Have a seat on the couch. I'm gonna go get my son"
"Ok... Thanks"
As Brittany waits, she can hear Miss Patty shouting her son's name.
"Owen, you have a visitor"
"Who is it mother?"
"It's your dead father's lover"
Brittany rolls her eyes.
"The enemy is here?"
"Yes Owen"
"I don't wanna see her"
Brittany frowns.
"I know... But still I think you should get over here"
"Why?"
"Because she might not want to leave until she speaks to you. She's the stubborn type"
There is a moment of silence.
"Okay. Please tell her I'll be downstairs shortly"
"Okay..."
Brittany sighs in relief.
Miss Patty appears.
"He's coming"
"Great, thank you"
Brittany forces a smile as she waits.
Miss Patty takes a seat across from her.
Brittany watches as she organizes some stuff on the table.
She is stunned to see a bunch of products that are illegal to own.
She does drugs... Around her son?
She thought.
Miss Patty notices Brittany staring.
"What? Are you thinking of reporting me for having these? Go ahead. By the time the cops get here all of this will be in my body"
"No relax. I'm not gonna do that"
Brittany responded honestly.
Brittany knows the lady is not bluffing. She is crazy enough to put her life at risk for her drugs.
Suddenly Brittany notices somebody's arrival.
"I'm here"
Standing there is Owen, the son of Edward.
Brittany stands up and slowly approaches him.
She can see him giving her a death glare. She bites her bottom lip nervously thinking of a good way to start off the conversation without upsetting him more than he already is.
"Hi Owen. My name is-"
"I know who you are Birdbrain. Now tell me what do you want with me?"
Brittany was caught off guard by his response.
Birdbrain?
She thought.
"I wanna talk to you about your dad and say I'm sorry"
"Apology rejected. Now if you'll excuse me ama go back to my room"
The boy starts walking away.
"Owen wait"
He stops.
"I know you hate that I'm here. But the reason I'm here is to try to fix things. I want us to be friends"
"US? Friends? Don't make laugh. I'll never be friends with scum like you"
He said said coldly.
"My mother told me the things you did to my father. You tricked, and manipulated him before getting him killed and now years later you show up at my house to apologize and expect to be forgiven"
He shoots a death glare at her.
"I'll never forgive you okay. I hope god will punish you for being a selfish, heartless person one day"
"Owen I..."
Brittany sighs in dissapointment as she watches Owen walking away.
Seeing how upset he was saddened her.
Miss Patty chuckles in amusement before placing a hand on Brittany's shoulder.
"I told you he wasn't gonna be happy to see you. You've made his life miserable"
Brittany looks at her before frowning.
"I'm not giving up. I'll try again tomorrow"
"Gosh you are sure stubborn but fine. Be here same time tomorrow"
Brittany nods before heading to the door but then stops.
"Say... Where was your husband buried?"
"Why Do you ask?"
"I'm gonna... Pay my respects"
Miss Patty raises an eyebrow.
"Okay. His grave is in Rockwell cemetery"
"Ah I see. Thank you"
With that said Brittany walks out the door.
Miss Patty chuckles before returning her attention back to her drugs.
"Stupid girl. When she wasn't looking I took some money out of her handbag. Now I can get more needles. Soon I'll feel relaxed again"
It takes her about ten minutes to arrive. She stares at the entrance to see the Rockwell cemetery sign. She swallows nervously before going in.
She is lucky that the gate isn't locked.
She looks at her surroundings to see rows of tombstones. She can see that some of them have cracks and moss. The writings are barely visible.
She figures that some of the tombstones are very old. She takes a look at one of them to see RIP Adrian Berwyk. Good father, good husband. Born 1501. Died 1553.
Brittany gasps in shock.
"Wow... All the way back to the 16 century"
Suddenly Brittany is startled by a screeching sound. She looks up to see a raven looking down at her from a tree.
Brittany's eyes widen. She's heard that ravens symbolize death. She fears somebody she knows will die.
Brittany shakes her head.
No that's gotta be a myth
However she still worries.
Brittany sighs before continuing to check each tombstone.
About about fifteen minutes later she is finally at the last row.
It should be one of these
She thought.
Moments later she comes to a stop.
She stands there staring at one tombstone.
"I found it"
She cannot take her eyes off the name.
Edward Herman
Reading it takes her back. She remembers the first day he was her teacher. She remembers how kind he was to everybody especially to her... Too kind.
Brittany sighs before crouching down.
"I believe that this belongs to you"
She puts the briefcase on the ground.
She stares for a few seconds as she thinks back.
She will never forget how he looked at her and his obsession for her. Although he lived a bad life, part of Brittany wishes he was still alive so he could be there for his family.
Brittany sighs and stands up.
She's anticipating tomorrow to be a better day but uknown to her tomorrow something unexpected will happen.
She makes her way back.
"Good afternoon, how was school everybody?"
"Lame"
"Great"
"Nice"
"Super"
"Good"
"Fun"
Everybody but Alvin responded happily. The lead singer of the Seville has never liked school and isn't even a bit sad that school will soon end.
Soon he, his brothers and the girls will attend college, a whole new level in life.
"That's great guys. Dinner will be ready in an hour okay"
The guys and their counterparts nod prior to heading to their rooms.
Brittany however has something in mind that she wants to do.
She quickly puts her bag down before heading to the front door.
"Dave, I'll be right back. I'm going out for a jog"
"Already? Well alright. Don't stay out too long"
"Okay, later"
Brittany closes the door on her way out.
She starts making her way to the Herman residence with the boy on her mind. She's hoping he won't get mad like yesterday when he sees her.
Some time later Brittany is almost there but then suddenly she stops in her track.
Jesus Christ
She notices black smoke up ahead.
She places a hand to her chest as she gets a bad feeling.
Her eyes widen.
Brittany starts to run and soon she arrives to a horrifying scene.
"Oh my god..."
She feels as if she's witnessing hell in person. She's in complete shock.
The house is on fire.
Quickly She takes out her phone and dials 911.
"Hello? A house is on fire. Please send fire fighters. The adress is..."
Suddenly someone approaches from behind.
"Mother?"
Brittany turns around to see none other than Owen who looks as horrified as her.
Brittany sighs in relief.
"Thank goodness you're alright. For a moment I thought you were inside"
Owen however doesn't say anything.
Instead he drops his backpack and starts turning to the house.
"MOTHER I'M COMING"
"Owen no"
Luckily Brittany catches up to him and grabs him before he could go inside.
"Let me go"
"No Owen It's too dangerous"
Owen tries to break free but Brittany keeps a strong hold around him.
"No my mother must be inside. I'm gonna save her"
"I'm sorry but I won't let you go. I'm not gonna let you put your life in danger"
"But-"
"Fire fighters will be here any second. They will get your mom out"
Brittany cut him off.
Owen looks at her with tears running down his cheeks.
He sighs and nods.
The house continues to burn and seconds later they hear sirens.
They turn around to see a fire truck parking in on the road.
Quickly six men men jump out.
One of them approaches the two.
"Is anybody hurt?"
"No we're okay sir but, this boys mother might be inside the house"
"Please save my mother"
The man nods in agreement.
"We'll try son"
Brittany and Owen watch as the fire men hold the fire hose as one of them turns it on.
They begin to fight the fire that looks to have gotten bigger.
"Sir, the fire is too big. None of us can go inside to search for any people yet so we'll have to put it out first"
"Okay men, let's hurry"
Hearing them say that gives the Owen a bad feeling.
Brittany sees him crying so she gives him a comforting hug.
A couple of minutes go by and the fire has mostly disappeared.
The firefighters are working hard and quick.
"I hope my mother is okay"
Owen mumbeled worriedly.
Brittany rubs his shoulder to calm him down.
They watch as the fire disappears completely. Firefighters have successfully put it out.
Carefully they go inside of what's left of the house. The ceiling had collapsed, and the walls had been greatly damaged.
Owen waits nervously for his mom to come out any minute. He's expecting to see her coming out with a few bruises and maybe burn marks but still alive.
Minutes go by and she doesn't come out. Instead all of the firemen come out.
Owen breaks free from Brittany's grip before approaching the fire men.
"Where's my mother?"
The fire captain removes his helmet.
"I'm sorry son. But your mother didn't survive. We found her burned body in her bedroom. She must've been asleep when the fire was happening"
Brittany frowns.
She doesn't have to look at Owen to know that the news has devastated him.
"I'm really sorry your loss son"
After witnessing a horrific scene, she was interviewed by police before being allowed to return home.
It is now night time but everybody is still up. They are not even thinking of sleeping after hearing such traggic news.
Brittany sits in the living room with Owen at her side crying.
The Sevilles and her sisters are there with them hearing everything that happened.
"So this whole time you weren't actually jogging. You were visiting Owen?"
Brittany looks at Dave.
"I had to Dave. I needed to speak to him"
Dave nods understanding.
"Oh my what a horrible tragedy"
"Yes poor Owen"
Simon and Jeanette mumbled feeling bad for the boy.
Owen wipes his tears with his hands.
"I'm all alone now"
"No you're not Owen"
"Huh? I'm not?"
"That's right... We can start over but I first need to know something"
Owen stares at her.
"What is it?"
"Do you still hate me?"
Owen sighs and looks at his lap.
"I never hated you Brittany. I only pretended to hate you to satisfy my mother. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner"
Everybody looks at each other shocked.
Brittany gasps.
"What about your father?"
"I feel nothing for him. I can't grieve someone I never met. For years my mom told me he was a good man but I knew he really wasn't. I knew that in reality he wasn't what she said he was"
Owen admitted with half a smile.
Brittany looks at him confused.
"But your mom told me you were unhappy with not having a father"
"She was right but, I've slowly accepted that I wasn't mean't to have one. You see life is unfair and full obstacles that are tests. The obstacles help us grow and become stronger. They may not be easy to go through but in the end you realize they were necessary to experience in order to become humble and wise"
Owen responded with honesty.
Everybody is amazed by how he spoke. Owen is really mature for his age. He'll grow to be a great man one day.
Dave steps toward feeling proud of him.
"Owen... If you ever need anything or need fatherly advice, I'm here"
Owen looks at him surprised and before he could say anything the door bell rings.
"I'll get it"
Dave said before heading to the front door.
"Hi, I'm detective Johnson. Is Miss Brittany or Owen here?"
"Yes they're both here. Please come in"
"Thank you"
Suddenly a man in a suit shows up in the living room.
The man clears his throat.
Everybody including Owen gives the man their undivided attention.
"Hello, I'm detective Johnson, good to meet you all"
Everybody glances at each other.
"First I wanna say that child protective services will be here any minute to pick up Owen"
"What? Why?"
Brittany is shocked.
Owen has a horrified look on his face.
"Am I gonna be sent to an orphanage?"
"Most likely son"
Brittany hugs Owen protectively.
"No. He stays with me. I'll adopt him"
"But Brittany we'll be leaving for college soon"
Jeanette said to her eldest sister.
Brittany shakes her head.
"I'll adopt Owen, even if it means canceling my college plans"
"Now hold on. Brittany I can look after Owen while you're away"
Dave said with a smile.
Brittany looks at him surprised.
"Would you really do that Dave?"
"Of course. Owen is a good kid and he deserves a loving family. Also I'd love for him and I to spend time together like father and son"
A tear goes down Owens cheek. He has never had someone care about him this much. No one has showed him love not even his mother who only tried to fill his heart with hatred against Brittany.
The police officer gives Brittany a questioning look.
"Miss Brittany are you really willing to take care of him?"
"Of course detective. Owen has gone through enough and the last thing he needs is to be alone and unloved"
Brittany smiles at the boy.
The detective nods in agreement.
"You have a heart of gold Miss Brittany"
"Thank you"
"You're welcome"
He smiles.
"Anyway the boys mother, Miss Patty didn't die in the fire. She died before it"
"Holy smokes"
"Say what?"
"Are you serious?"
"No way"
"Then how'd she die?"
The Sevilles and their counterparts are shocked after hearing that.
Owen is also having the same reaction as them.
The detective sighs.
"Miss Patty was doing things she would've been locked up for. She was doing drugs that has killed many people. An autopsy was done and it revealed that she was doing cocaine, heroin, fentanyl, and other deadly substances. Her body couldn't handle much more so she went into cardiac arrest before dying"
Everybody glances at each other.
They really aren't suprised that she was into those illegal things.
The detective looks at Owen.
"Son, did you know of you're mother having those dangerous substances"
"Yes sir but I didn't know that they can kill. Every time I asked her about them she would tell me they're safe and that they were her medicines that help her deal with her stress and depression. I didn't even know they were illegal to have"
The detective nods in understanding.
"Ah I see. Did ever you ever touch any of them?"
"No sir. I may have not known much about them but I could tell that they were bad because every time my mother took one she would act weird"
Owen responded truthfully.
Brittany smiles at him proud that he isn't following his mom's footsteps.
The detective nods.
"I see. I'm glad you avoided them"
"Hey detective what about the fire? What caused it?"
"Ah yes I was getting to that part"
The man chuckles.
"Anyway, before Miss Patty died she was cooking soup in the kitchen. Two bowls that had melted during the fire were found next to the stove. My guess is she was preparing dinner for Owen and herself"
He glances at the boy.
"While she was cooking we're sure she had been doing drugs at the same because she became unconscious before going into cardiac arrest. Meanwhile in the kitchen the stove must've gotten hot as a radiator that it made the food catch on fire and unfortunately there was a bottle of vodka in the counter"
He shakes his head.
"Vodka is 90 percent alcohol therefore it can easily catch on fire. In minutes the whole house was in flames. No offence Owen but your mother wasn't only a drug addict but also an alcoholic"
Owen nods and takes no offence.
The detective stands up.
"Anyway I gotta get going. Goodnight everybody"
"Goodnight detective and thanks for the information"
The Sevilles and their counterparts responded.
The detective smiles before walking out the front door.
Brittany looks at Owen to see him letting out a yawn.
"I think someone needs to go to bed now"
"But I wanna stay up a little longer"
"Sorry Owen but you need to rest. Here I'll take you to my room"
"Aww fine okay"
Owen agrees before taking her hand.
"Hey Brittany here"
"Oh? What's this?"
"Pajamas. The ones I used to wear when I was a kid"
Alvin hands her the clothing.
Brittany smiles and appreciates his kindness.
"Aww you're so sweet Alvin"
She kisses him on the cheek.
"I'm looking forward to the prom"
"Me to, it's gonna be great"
Brittany nods and winks at him before walking to her room.
She hands Owen the pajamas before putting an extra pillow on her bed.
While she looks for extra blankets Owen changes into the pajamas.
"Hey Brittany?"
"Yes Owen?"
"Do you prefer for me to call you mom or sister?"
Brittany let's out a chuckle.
"You don't have to call me either of em You can just call me Brittany"
"I know but... I'd feel closer to you by calling you either sister or mom"
Owen responded with a smile.
Brittany helps him get on the bed before climbing on as well.
"Well... Which do you prefer calling me?"
"Hmm I never had a sister so, I'll call you sister"
Brittany smiles.
"Okay, then I'll call you little Owen"
"Awesome, thanks"
Owen cheered happily before laying down.
"Anyway goodnight sister"
"Good little Owen. Sweet dreams"
The end