Accepting

Chapter 1

No.

This can't be happening.

I dropped the phone and collapsed.

Tears. Streaming down my face.

My dad died...

Police called.

Dad.

Plane.

Exploded.

Bomb.

My dad...knew the risks of be a detective and accepted them.

He just had to accept that case.

I was April, your average fourteen year old teenage girl until I was called into the school office right after dismissal. Now, I'm April, the fatherless girl who is fading into despair. I picked up my bag and ran home, trying to escape the apologetic looks coming my way.

Police were scattered everywhere. Police cars. Sirens blaring. I ran into the house and saw my mom on the ground, on her knees, burring her face in her hands, crying. My older brother had his hand on her shoulder, whispering sweet, comforting words into her ear.

Me? Well..., I fell on my knees, sobbing. Looking up, I screamed until I passed out.

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Fluttering my eyes open, I saw my bedroom ceiling. As I slowly sat up, memories of yesterday came rushing back to me. A lone tear slowly slipped out of the corner of my eye. I got up and went downstairs, into the kitchen. I noticed a note on the dining table.

Dear April,

I'm going out to get some groceries.
See you later.

Your brother,
Tyler

The home phone rang, I headed toward the coffee table in the living room to pick it up.

"Hello? Who is this?" I asked the caller.

"It's the police. If I may ask, who is this?" The caller asked back.

"April Courto," I replied.

"...I'm very sorry to say this, but...your brother, Tyler Courto has died in a car accident."

I immediately hung up and fell onto my knees. My hands grabbed my shirt where my heart should be, trying to relieve it of the pain pounding within. I kept crying until there were no more tears left.

I passed out once again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I woke up to the sound of the news on the T.V., looking at it, I saw my father's and brother's face.

The reporter said," These are two males who were a part of the Courto family. The one on the left is Tyler Courto and the one on the right is Dave Courto."

A picture of a man in his mid-forties with short curly blond hair and tanned-ish skin showed up, the reporter continued, " This man, Kyle Sova, killed Tyler and Dave Courto. He died in a car accident that involved Tyler Courto."

I turned to my mom who was passed out on the couch in front of the television, tears welled in my eyes, not knowing what to do anymore. I walked up to the T.V and switched it off. Suddenly, without my control, I ran out of my house and into my special place in the forest behind this house.

My special place was a hideout in the treetops. There were many treehouses that were all physically connected. Swings, slides, it was an above-ground playground that was built by me and my dad.