7.

The night before the day that repeated itself, Ashley did go outside, and this is a fact that Gavin was sure to point out on that morning in question. It was very unlike her to do such a thing, go outside so late at night that is; all the same it was something she felt compelled to do. It had been dark, very dark, and late as afore mentioned. The compulsion to go outside took her back to that tree she loves so much. She climbed then just sat in that darkness and waited. She would soon hear exactly what it is that she had expected to hear, her dead fathers voice.

'Everything is alright my dear, do not worry for it will all work out in the end. Do not speak of this to anyone, not just yet. The time will come when I will need you to speak out, and that time will be relatively soon but until then I just need you to be you.'

That was it, nothing more would be or had been said but how could anything be said at all? She hadn't seen her dad on this occasion, it was just his voice she'd hear. Ashley understood, well she understood to a degree what it was that was happening, so silent she would remain, at least until such a time where things can become a little bit clearer. Patience is something which sits a lot more comfortably with Ashley than what it could ever do with Gavin especially with what might be at stake.

If things were not strange enough already, then they were about to get at least a fair bit stranger. Rita comes down the stairs of the family home feeling good about herself, feeling happy. These feelings are a rare thing with Rita still adapting to the loss of her husband despite the fact fourteen months have passed since his death. Such a loss is never so easy to move on from, though at this point in time, Rita did indeed feel good.

It is almost as if that repeated day has never happened or any other subsequent day after the first time the repeated day played out. There was no memory of it or of either of her children having been missing for any length at all; no memory that is until such point that Rita enters the family kitchen for indeed a previous moment was about to be repeated.

As Rita moved through the hallway heading toward the kitchen, she could hear commotion which could only be coming from the twins.

'Now, now you two, play nice' she says, and that realization does hit.

That day, the day the missing occurs, is happening yet again, it is repeating yet again and like before it is not just Rita who has that realization. Gavin thinks quick and on his feet.

'Right, we all know something is going on right here and mom, you seem to know what is happening or at least part of what is happening so please don't keep us in the dark.'

Outside Mike honks his car horn twice.

'I guess that'll be Mike' speaks Rita.

'Forget about Mike ... before we all end up going through this morning again.'

'Alright guys, what it is that each of us have is some kind of warning system. It is such a difficult thing to explain but something has gone wrong or is about to go wrong and in a roundabout way.'

'Roundabout way, what does that mean?' asks Gavin as Ashley sits quietly and continues eating her breakfast.

There is another honk on the car horns outside and Gavin's impatience grows as does Mike's apparently.

'Whatever this warning system is trying to warn us about, both of you need to get on that school bus. Right now, it is as good a place as any to begin getting answers. We or more like you two are being called upon.'

Gavin pauses for a moment and looks his mum in the eyes, then grabs his things and gives his mum a kiss on the cheek. 'Love you mom', Gavin heads outside and explains to Mike that he will see him again at some later time.'

Ashley grabs her things and moves towards her mum.

'I am your only daughter, right?'

'You are that my dear.'

The two hug and Ashley also gives her mum a kiss on the cheek. 'Love you.'

Ashley was already outside before Rita could speak the words 'love you too' to either of her children.

'Good morning, Joe' speaks Ashley just after the bus doors opened.

'Good morning, Miss Ashley, is the brother not joining ...' Joe sees Gavin right behind Ashley just before he could get to finish asking his question, '... Never mind, good see you, young lady.'

'Good to see you too Joe.'

That older boy Jake was not sitting in the seat he had been in on the previous two occasions, instead he was sitting alone at the back of the bus, and he was about to nod off. In the seat Jake had been in on the two previous occasions sat Ashley's father. He looks directly at Ashley and speaks.

'It is time to talk.'

Ashley turns to Gavin to see if he can see and or hear what she does, he didn't. When Ashley turns back, her father is gone. She sits where Jake, and her father, had previously sat then takes out her cell phone. Gavin looks at his sister and moves to sit beside her. He can feel it, for they both do know that it is indeed time. Both twins have been shown all they need to know.

The bus soon arrives to the school, and everyone gets off, everyone apart from Joe and Jake. Joe drives the bus back to the garage, then parks and gets up. He begins to make his way down the back of the bus to where Jake sits, still unconscious. He takes out his own cell phone and makes a call.

'New package, ready and waiting for delivery.'

As soon as the call ends, police sirens begin to sound and a shout for Joe to 'please exit the vehicle with your hands in the air' is called out once. Texts had been sent to mum telling her of an abduction which would soon be happening. She made an anonymous tip to police who due showed up with impeccable timing.

Joe is taken into custody. In the fifteen years he has been doing the school run a total of seven students from the school Ashley and Gavin attend, have gone missing. All of these seven students took the bus, the same bus to school.

Making the deal to ensure that he is not put on Death Row, Joe reveals he was blackmailed into doing what he has done despite the fact that he was compensated for his actions. All previous seven students had been sold for game and had become tortured victims. It is reckoned that Joe was never anything more than a delivery system, a recruiter of victims and that there are many more of these scattered through numerous counties, all apparently unknown to one another.

All seven students taken from Joe's bus, were among many to have lost their lives at an out of the way trailer park, a trailer park where two Alsatians chained to one trailer in particular ferociously barked away. They were the only living creatures to be found at the scene. So many people had been taken here to this trailer park to be chained at the ankle before being tortured and beaten to death. Some were released and hunted down, also ending in death.

The remains of many a lost soul was discovered in a large, refrigerated room within an old, abandoned meat house not so far away from that out of the way trailer park. Joe was the only one to be tried and convicted for any crime though leniency was shown due to the fact that blackmail had likely been involved. He never gave up details of those he worked for though it could be up for debate if he knew anything other than what he would be told via cell phone.

This repeated day would never repeat again though it had and would be felt that maybe Ashley and Gavin's father may have had something to do with trying to solve the 'missing' students' case before he died. This is why they both felt a connection with him, Ashley seeing and hearing him, Gavin having been drawn to visit dad's grave.

A few days and Ashley and Gavin once again sit up in that rather large tree of theirs, Ashley would catch sight of her father for a final time. He simply just smiled, waved, and vanished having been quite a bit further away than what he had been before. There is a sense of achievement in the here and now, and both knew that what was happening to them would take some getting used to. They both have a new special ability, an ability which may be call upon again in the not-too-distant future.

One more day passes, Gavin goes to the town cemetery to visit his father's grave. He crouches down and looks up towards the tombstone.

All of a sudden fear would grip Gavin as a bloodied hand comes down on his right shoulder. He moves quickly and ends up flat on his back. It's Ashley, though at this particular moment she is just having fun at her brother's expense. The blood is fake though her laughter is real.

And yeah, this whole adventure, if it can be called that, is the first of many that the twins would go on to have. In fact, the next adventure, yeah, if it can be considered an adventure, is about to start if it hasn't already. For anything and everything you do in life, there will be and has been a first time.

Gavin's friend Mike hasn't been seen in a while, in fact, Gavin was probably the last one to see him. Mike has not been home since that moment of a day that was. Where the hell is Mike? He is indeed missing ... it hits Gavin all of a sudden. How could he have forgot? With all that has been going on, he has been a bit preoccupied. The day that was ... on the first-time round, there was reason for Gavin not returning home till a following day had come and the memory of this has only just hit.