Choas

Breakfast for 10

The truck lights are coming towards me, I try to grab the wheel to turn it off the road and out of the way of the truck, it doesn't budge.

Everything is in slow motion, I start to scream and the tears run down my face.

And then blackness, I continue screaming as my bedroom light turns on. Beth wraps me in a warm hug and the tears keep coming. I hear the old hillux roll down the road, the sound of the boys motorbikes buzzing past drown out my screaming and the tears.

After the tears stop I lay in bed starring at the ceiling, until I can't keep my eyes open any more. I fall into a deep sleep.

The sound of a chainsaw wakes me, I look over at the alarm clock sitting on my bedside table.

6:30 am.

That would have to be the longest sleep in I've had since the accident. I walk down to kitchen to find Beth sipping tea and reading the paper.

'Where is everyone?' I ask sleepily.

'Oh, your up. They got up early to break a horse and cut some firewood.' she replies with a sad smile.

I can't stand her looking at me like that so I turn towards the kitchen and yell with my back to her.

'Have they had breakfast yet?'

'No, not yet, you can help me make it if you want?' Beth puts down her paper and starts to get up.

'No don't you get up, I'll make it,'

'Are you sure?' I nod my head. 'All the ingredients for French toast, pancakes and porridge are on the bench,' she says while opening her paper again.

'Okay. Cool,' I set to work mixing the pancake batter.

'Katie, if you need to talk, about anything, at all, I'm hear for you. I just thought I'd let you know. I'm not going to pressure you to tell me anything, but in your own time it will help to get it off your chest.'

'Okay, thank you Aunt Beth.'

As I finally flip the last pancake Dan comes though the door puffs out his chest and yells.

'Hey Nate are you huuunggggry?' In the most ridiculous voice.

Nates elbows his way past Dan, his reply makes me smile.

'Yes, dear god I'm starvin.'

I laugh as they load there plates high with food and head out to the veranda.

'Did you change you pancake recipe Beth?' Nate asks with a mouthful of pancake.

'No deary, I didn't cook breakfast. Katie cooked this morning,' Beth replies with a proud smile while she eyes off Katie's cooking.

'Good to see you've remember something I've taught you.' Dan says, pretending to be serious.

I give him a light punch on the arm as a walk past with my breakfast.

The rest of the boys file in filling their plates and all complementing me on my cooking.

'So when do you want your welcome home present?' Axel says looking at me with a cheeky smile.

'Naw, Axel I know I'm your favourite person in the world but you didn't have to get me anything,' I say sarcastically. He looks at me innocently and says,

'I don't get you anything. We all did,' when he finishes the sentence with a wink I know something is up.

I look around the room and they all smirk back at me with cheeky glints in their eyes. Owen walks out of the room and Beth starts to collect the breakfast dishes, I go to help her but she says.

'You'd better stay here,'

At this point I'm worried, I hate surprises so I fidget in my chair.