This is completely re-written than what I had previously had up. I wanted a little bit of background for Emma's life before tragedy strikes. The next chapter will be set almost a year after the accident.

Cheers!

xxx

She felt agitated. Emma Knight normally had no issue with doing what her parents requested – unless she had something pressing going on – but the habit of them springing a 'request' on her without a warning made the young woman feel increasingly irritable at being told that she had to take her siblings to school before she headed to the University.

Her mood dropped low into the proverbial sour bowl when she glanced at her watch.

They had to leave within the next ten minutes or else all three of them were going to be late. That was something that the eighteen-year-old did not want to deal with. Yep. As much as she loved her parents, it would've been nice to be told beforehand that this was something that would be happening.

Especially considering that she had two exams for both Anatomy and Physiology and Medical Terminology before lunch that day that she had to do – and one of them was in forty-five minutes.

She sighed again, getting impatient as she glanced down at her watch one more time and began muttering under her breath as she began trudging up the stairs, the wood creaking under her weight while she went up.

But she paid it no mind.

"Olivia!" Emma called, "Aiden!"

No answer.

Emma grumbled, quickly making her way through the small, narrow hallway down to the end and started banging on the door. A muffled – and annoyed – voice filtered through. Emma's bright blue eyes narrowed. She took the doorknob, twisted it, and swung the damn thing open.

"Are you serious right now?"

Her ten-year-old brother craned his neck upwards as he looked up at her from his position on the floor, still in his pajamas, playing with his Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards. "What?"

"Aiden! Why aren't you dressed yet?"

"I don't want to go to school."

"And I don't want to go to college, but here we are, come on. I have to go to school too." She went over to him, fighting back the urge to sigh as she held out her hand. Reluctantly the boy handed the binder and the stack of cards he was looking at in his hands to her. He pushed himself up off the floor, and for the first time in forever, went over to his closet to get dressed for the day without any issues.

"Thank you." She turned to leave, "Now to make sure our sister is up and ready to go."

She didn't care enough to hear what Aiden had to say as she closed the door behind her and went back towards the stairs, stopping to the last door on the right, located right before the stairs and knocked on that.

"Olivia?"

Olivia opened the door.

"What happened to your hair?"

This wasn't happening.

"I wanted to have my hair the same as yours, sis."

Emma had an inverted bob that just reached the top of her shoulders. Her light brown hair that day was straightened instead of the normal curly mess that it usually was.

Olivia's hair, poor girl, had chopped off her hair in such a way that it looked jagged, but thankfully, and with a bit of effort, Emma could pull it up into a ponytail with her bangs being pulled back with more than a dozen bobby-pins holding it in place.

Emma stepped back, her hands on her hips. "It's good for right now kiddo, but next time you want your hair like that, please ask mom and dad."

Olivia nodded.

"I'll meet you and Aiden downstairs." Another glance to the clock on the wall. "We had to get going like fifteen minutes ago."

With a soft acknowledgment from her younger sister, Emma exited the girl's brightly painted room and headed down the stairs to put on her shoes and sweater.

It was late in September, the colours of the trees were changing each day. The once green trees – excluding the Evergreens – were littered with various shades of orange, the leaves breaking off from the trees, even with the smallest of breezes would blow in the wind, swaying from side to side before softly landing onto everything.

Emma took a deep breath, leaning against the metal railing of the steps, eyes sweeping over in the peaceful neighbourhood that they lived in and smiled.

How lucky were they to have grown up in such a place?

Her thoughts were broken when the pounding of small footsteps came running down the stairs and out the front yard.

"About time! You two ready?"

"Yeah!"

"Good. Let's go!"

Emma watched as Aiden jumped from the landing down to the sidewalk, barely missing the older woman who, at the time, was just walking by. She sent him an ugly glare, muttering something under her breath as she avoided him just in time.

"Sorry." Aiden muttered, looking sheepish, shoving his hands into the pocket of his hoodie.

"You need to watch what you're doing, buddy."

"Sorry sis."

Emma only nodded as she fished through her scrub pants and pulled out her car keys, pressing a button to unlock the doors, she instructed the kids to get into the back and to buckle up.

She loved her 2007 Ford Focus, it was the best vehicle she had ever had since getting her license when she was sixteen, but...at times...it would cause more headaches then cheers.

Today was also going to be one of those days, she realized when she placed the key into the ignition and turned.

She was met with only a few tick, tick, ticks...

Yes. Today was definitely going to be one of those days.

***

"Wow, you're late." Came the teasing tone of Emma's friend, Macy Reemer as she came up to her at their lockers. Emma clamped her mouth shut, her nostrils flaring in annoyance. She was not in the mood to deal with anyone's crap now. Instead of answering Macy's question she merely kept quiet.

Of course, this didn't go unnoticed by Macy as she uncrossed her arms and leaned against the locker next to Emma's, her eyes studying her friend, the humour and teasing atmosphere quickly turning serious and one filled with concern.

"Hey, you okay?"

Emma felt drained and it wasn't even nine yet.

"Just frustrated is all." Emma smiled at her, though she knew that the smile did not reach her eyes and that Macy was not an idiot.

"About?"

"Okay, so, mom and dad had a couple of appointments this morning and instead of telling me this last night, where I could've set my alarm for thirty minutes earlier, I was met, when I woke up, with a text from dad asking if I could take my brother and sister to school."

Macy had a look of pity on her face as she grimaced, "that's such a shitty buzz, Em."

"It's not like I don't mind, but it would've been nice, you know?"

"Well, yeah, that's understandable."

Silence enshrouded them, and it was that time that made Macy feel like there was something else that was troubling her friend, so she asks, "What else has you upset?"

"My car also didn't want to start this morning. I had to get under the front of my car and bang the underside of the starter to get it going."

Macy placed a hand on Emma's shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze, "Well, you still made it. And, you didn't miss much of anything too."

"I guess," Emma muttered, "but I still need to get home. I still need to pick up Olivia and Aiden."

"If it comes to it, Em, I can drive you home."

"You live almost an hour away from me."

"And your point would be?"

***

Fourteen Hours Later...

Something was wrong. That was the very first thing that kept entering her head whenever she would look at the clock on the stove as she made dinner that evening. She had this unshakeable, foreboding feeling.

She felt nervous. She felt worried.

It was only five-thirty in the evening, her parents wouldn't be getting home for another hour, at the most.

So why was she acting like this?

Maybe it was just because of how her day went. Yeah, that was it.

Olivia, as Emma was cutting the onions to toss into the stew, came running into the kitchen, skidding to a halt beside her.

"What is it, Liv?"

"There's someone at the door?"

She didn't hear a kno— Emma didn't get the chance to finish the statement when a loud knock came at the door, and Emma frowned, wondering who it could be. Wiping her hands on her apron and turning the stew down Emma went down the steps and onto the landing. Even through the warped design of the front door, she could make out the faint outline of a couple of police officers.

She almost stopped in her tracks.

She almost started crying right then and there.

And the unsettling feeling in the pit of her stomach redoubled back, this time, with more force than before.

Her hands were shaky as she reached for the door handle and with deep, slow and steady breaths, and Emma could hear the faint groan of the hinges as she pulled the door open.

One of the police officers regarded her with a nod. He was, at least, six foot with a bushy moustache and bright emerald eyes. His partner was at least a foot shorter than he, with dark brown eyes and a baby face.

"Are you Emma Knight?"

She swallowed, "Yes."

"Good evening, I'm Mike and this is my partner Corey, may we come in?"

Though she didn't feel comfortable with allowing strangers into the home – even though they were police officers – she stepped aside and allowed them to come in.

Once the door was closed and she was facing them again, she crossed her arms over her chest and asked the question that had been bothering her since she had gotten home that afternoon.

"May I ask why you're here?"

The one named Mike sighed, removing his cap and bringing it out in front of him a look of despair clearly plastered on his face. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by Olivia and Aiden who was curious as to what was going on.

"What's going on, sis?"

With one glance to the police officers Emma gave a small smile to them, asking for them to go up to their room for a bit so that she could speak to them.

Reluctantly, they agreed.

Once the sound of their footsteps receded and the closing of doors could be vaguely heard, Emma took a deep breath and returned her attention to their unexpected company. Staring at them expectantly.

"You may want to sit down."

Her heart thrummed painfully against her chest as she did as instructed, clasping her hands in front of her on the table, looking from one officer to the other.

With one last glance between the two, they began explaining to her what had happened.

With each second that had passed and with each word that was spoke, Emma could feel her world shattering little by little.

Her breathing was coming out in shaky gasps and tears blurred her vision.

She couldn't believe what was happening.

Emma tried to keep her sob in. She tried to keep her tears from falling. Unfortunately, the raw emotion of grief broke through and her composure fell. Everything seemed distant as she felt her mental state completely wither away as she let her head fall into her hands.

Sobs wracked her small frame, the voices of the officers sounded distant in her ears, their touch, as they placed a gentle hand upon her shoulder, trying to give her some sort of comfort after just blowing her out of the water with the horrifying news that she would soon have to share with her siblings.

After a while, and with much coaxing, she looked up, wiping the tears that was still streaming down her face off as she took the proffered card from Mike's outstretched hand.

"If you need anything, anything at all, don't fear giving us a shout." Came the voice of Corey. His voice was soothing and filled with sorrow as he spoke. "We are truly sorry for your loss."