The Miracle Place

6.

THE NEXT THREE days had formed a routine. It started the first night; Jane had woken up with a start, thankfully not alarming Billy as she did so. She had hoped that being in a safer environment would calm her down and hopefully put an end to her nightmares, but unfortunately, that wasn't the case. In the mornings she would go downstairs for breakfast where she would have to choose between cereal, pancakes, or eggs. Jane, being her usual self, would always choose cereal because the other two options required work for Billy and Alice, and she figured that her being there was enough of a struggle for them.

After breakfast, Jane would go back to her room to mark up another page in her sketchbook. This particular factor of the routine was passed on from her days at the lab. Jane was a fan of routines. She had been using them to get by her whole life, and even though they weren't linked to the best memories, they brought a strange comfort.

Lunch was whatever they felt like that day. Billy usually made himself and Jane a sandwich with some kind of assorted meat, claiming he "liked to keep things simple in the kitchen" which always resulted in Alice arguing about his lack of effort to acknowledge his master chef skills. Jane liked his sandwiches.

Dinner was by far Jane's favourite time of day. It always had been, even on the streets. But it was especially enjoyable at the house. The food was prepared with the most amount of care, and Jane even got to use some of the skills she had learned from Rachael Ray to help out. Billy was in charge of cutting vegetables, and was often found with a rag slung over his shoulder. He said it was "for convenience" but Alice would pass by and whisper "it's what the wannabe professional chefs do" just loud enough for Billy to hear. Poking fun at him for it became part of the routine.

Jane's least favourite time was bedtime. Not even Teddy could fight off the bad dreams. Not even Peter. Billy tried coming to say goodnight and talk with her, giving her a question or something to think about as she fell asleep. Nothing worked, though, no matter how hard she tried or how plaguing the question was.

On the fourth day, Alice's husband, James, came to get her and Sam. James was an inch taller than Billy and had the most unruly hair Jane had ever seen. Somehow, the mess of curls looked neat. His eyes were the brightest blue and matched Sam's so perfectly, Jane wondered if when Sam grew up, he'd look exactly like James.

Billy greeted him with a firm hug, laughing with him about how long it had been since they saw each other last. Billy was smiling the whole time, and Jane thought his mouth would be permanently stitched to the tops of his cheeks. He stepped back, and Jane watched from around the corner as Alice approached him, holding out Sam for James to embrace.

"Sammy! My boy!" James exclaimed, tossing the kid in the air. "How've you been, buddy?" His voice was funny. The way he pronounced his words was different from Billy and Alice and Jane.

Sam just gurgled and pulled at Jame's hair. "Dada!" he shrieked. Jane had never heard that word before.

Billy saw her watching out of the corner of his eye, and craned his neck as she ducked slightly behind the wall. "Jane!" he called, still smiling. "Com'ere." Jane stepped around the corner, shuffling over to the front door. "James, this is Jane," Billy said, clapping a hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, yes! Jane. It's nice to meet you," said James, extending a hand. Jane just smiled and shook his hand silently. He talked as if he'd met her before, but Jane had never met this man in her life. "Are you guys all packed and ready to go?"

"You're in a hurry," said Billy.

"Been breathing in your ego too long," said James. "Worried it might rub off on me."