When You Come Home

When You Come Home-Prologue

When You Come Home

Prologue

   Kyra walks out of her grade two class on the last day of school. As she heads down the hallway to the school's exit door, her older brother Dexter, runs out of his third grade class, whooping and hollering with hands pounding the air, like all the other students in the hallway. But Kyra doesn't utter a word much less scream. She walks quietly down the hallway with her head down and waits at the door for her brother quietly. She knows her brother is going to go around the school yelling and say good-bye to all his friends and teachers like he does every year. She could join him...but she won't. She has better things to do. Like think of a way to say good-bye to Jakie, her best friend.

   Jakie is in grade four, making him about two years older than her. But nonetheless, they became the best of friends when Kyra's family moved next door to Jakie's a couple of days before her first day in kindergarten. She was scared and her parents were in a rush to get to their new workplace, that they didn't have time to comfort her. Her brother had a different time schedule for his senior kindergarten class and had to stay with the babysitter, so he couldn't counsel her as she made her way to the front of the school.

   Left at the door of the school, after being lectured to stay on school property and not leave with or even talk to a stranger, her mother's car exited the parking lot and she was utterly alone. She saw all the mother's and father's at the school for their sons and daughters, but took no notice of her parents absence. At the time, she felt nothing but terror as she saw all the children. Kyra was never very social growing up and instead choose to stay inside with her story books. Having moved only a couple of days ago, she and her brother hadn't had a chance to make any friends in the neighbourhood. Making it even harder for her to make any friends. She was just about to start crying when she heard a voice next to her ear.

   "Don't be afraid. They won't bite."

   She turned to see a smiling boy a bit taller than her, with messy black hair and grey eyes that changed in the light. She was scared at first. But then she was just relieved that someone talked to her. Just as the thought passed through her four-year old mind, she was happy to find that she was smiling shyly back.

   "I hope not." She said, a little fearfully.

   "They won't, I promise. And if they do then I can talk to them if you want." He said with a determined glint in his eyes. The look scared Kyra, until she saw it wasn't directed to her but the children. She felt touched that he would do that for her. Even though she had no idea who he was...

   "I'm not allowed to talk to strangers." Kyra said.

   "Okay then. Hi, my name is Jake. What's yours?" He asks, putting his hand out for a shake.

   "Kyra." Smiling, she shakes his hand.

   "Nice name. Is it okay if I call you Kay though?"

   "Sure, but only if you let me call you Jakie."

   "Okay." Kyra was grinning so hard her cheeks hurt and from the looks of it, so was Jakie.

   Later she found out that they live next to each other and she introduced him to Dexter. The next thing you know, they're all the best of friends. They made sure to talk to with him almost every day.

   Until the summer.

   The summer after her first year of kindergarten was when she met Jakie's cousin, Ray. She lived in California and Jackie spent every summer there with her. Jakie told her about his trips there and said that she should come with him someday. She wish she could. If she had it her way she spent every minute she had with him. He was like family. Like a brother or the parent that always had the time for her.