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Ch 26: Life-Changing

        "What are you talking about, witness protection? We don't need to be protected or relocated! We need to find Kelly!"

        "Ma'am, I understand your--"

        "Would you stop saying that?! Clearly you don't care about how me and my family feel. You're asking us to publically lie in order to save ourselves from my ex-husband. What if Kelly comes back here and we're not here? What then?"

        "Ma'am, please understand this is for the best. In order for what happened to Francine to not happen again, we need you to trust us and sign off on this story."

        "What happened to Francine was a mistake, TWELVE YEARS ago!"

        "I understand that, ma'am, but we must take every precaution. Especially with your husband in town and looking for Francine. He may already have found Kelly, but we aren't sure. We're looking as hard as we can, but since he knows he's wanted, he's hiding. We believe that if you and your family go into hiding, he may believe our story and stop looking for you. If he comes out of hiding to find Kelly, we can nab him and use him to find her."

        She sighed, shaking her head for a second, thinking it over. Finally, she agreed, "Fine. I see your point. We'll do it. Trace, Francine, are you okay with this?"

        "I'll do anything if it means we can find Kelly," Trace answered.

        "Same here," Francine agreed.

        Within a few days, the newspapers and news websites all said the same thing. The stories were published and the family, relocated, their names changed and their hair dyed, after haircuts were initiated.

There was a section in the obituaries:

        Young Francine Domonic, after finding out her daughter of twelve years had been kidnapped and raped, committed suicide late last night. She included in her note that she was sorry for any pain she caused to her family, but she couldn't live with the guilt any longer. Services to be held at the Westside Funeral Home this coming Saturday.

Then came the article about Trace:

        Travis Michael, or, Trace to his friends and family, a twenty six year old, young man has left his home, quit work, and gone out looking for a fresh start. He left yesterday morning after finding his younger sister, Francine (25), committed suicide upon finding out her daughter had been raped and is believed to be dead. He left no note or notice, but simply left his mother all on her own. It is believed he went searching for his young neice, hoping for a chance she may still be alive, but authorities believe it was an excuse for him to leave so suddenly.

Two days after Trace's article was published, Mrs. Domonic's was printed:

        Today, Mrs. Domonic, a woman of forty eight years of age, after her children abandoned her, leaving her with no family left in the states, has moved to France to live with her brother. It is believed her ex-husband, a Mr. Mark Scott, was an abusive husband and left her family in shambles. After a recent discovery that her ex-husband's brother had kidnapped her granddaughter, raping her, then selling her, her daughter, Francine(25), committed suicide, and her son, Travis Michael(26), left her all alone. With no family left, and nothing tying her to the States, she has moved, in hopes of finding a fresh start. Our prayers go out to this broken family in hopes they find peace in their wanderings.

        The family read the clippings from the papers, sighing at the lies the police had told about them, even if it was to keep them safe. They only hoped Kelly didn't see it, for it would ruin any hopes she may have left of returning home to a normal life.

        The small family now had to re-learn each other's names and memorize their backstories for their new life in upstate New York. They would miss their friends, jobs, and home, but they knew it was for the best. And so, they lived as Tyler, Maria, and Paula Banner, a small french family who moved to America for a better life.