Starting Over

Chapter 2

Samuel felt every eyes on him as it went silent, him looking at the faces of the people who had seen his brother and niece last... His family that he would never see again and neither would they. He wondered how the good bye went and for a moment he could see them give wishes of good luck and advice before the two would go off, not knowing that would be the last time they would see them alive. He snapped out of his trance as he heard the worried mumbles an he realized tears were coming down his face and he knew he had to say it.

"I... I can't help... I...." Samuel's voice kept breaking and his whole body shook, vision blurring of the scene of the people in front of him and he turned his head away to not look as he felt like if he said it, it would come to life as he hadn't voiced it fully. He didn't know what to say and he didn't know if he could ever and--

"What's up with this guy? It can't not good news, Tristan would have warned us so what prank is this?" At the man's, Robert's, words, everyone started to calm and chuckle or giggle as they thought it had to be a prank with Samuel standing there shaking. He had to tell them now or else he never would and this would be worse for them than anything. He looked up to the crowd, tears still in his eyes as he started to speak shakily.

"He... He didn't come to tell you.... They didn't come to tell you because they can't and... And they never will..." Everyone stopped once more, looking at him in the eyes to see what he meant and he could see the realization or denial in all their eyes. "They... They aren't coming back...."

Everyone looked at each other before immediate chatter started as they spoke, words of moving, leaving, and even abandoning rang out only for a Gothic man, Damian Bloodmarch ringing in his head, to stand up and the dreaded words come out from him.

"What do you mean by that?" Samuel's felt his knees go weaker than anything, gripping the mike with a white iron grip, tears once again going down his face as he held in his sobs.

"I... I mean... I mean they aren't going to come back... No more barbecues... No more fishing trip or cryptid hunting or trivia nights or games or jokes or sleepovers or advice..." Samuel's voice was breaking with sobs, his eyes closing as he grit his teeth with pain from his heart. "Tristan won't ever help with any problem we have again... Amanda won't finger gun her way out of a conversation... She won't take anymore pictures... He won't give you any dad advice... He won't... She won't... And.... They are dead..."

Samuel couldn't hold himself up anymore, falling to his knees and dropping the mike with his face in his hands. He sobbed and  his words shook with a deep pain that hurt everyone around him with half running forward in either worry, shock, or pain. They tried comforting him, asking him to explain and he took deep breaths with the knowing they needed to know but not in front of the kid which Hugo and Joseph seemed to figure and they got some entertainer named Quinn to bring the children inside before talking.

"They... They.... They got into a car wreck on the way to the Niagra Falls so she.... Amanda, could take pictures... The other car was an older man and paid woman, both on drugs and... they hit each other.... Tristan and Amanda dying on impact from the head on collision, the other two having died only two days later..." Samuel tears had stopped at this point, his body numb yet his heart still aching with something that felt worse than dying. There was yelling around him, mostly by Robert, and crying from others with only Joseph and Mat trying to calm things down an Hugo by his side.

"SHUT UP!" The loud yell from Brian got everyone to stop and Samuel looked up as Joseph nodded appreciatively to the large man before looking to everyone, feeling weak and very woozy.

"I know this is hard for us, but we can't just go panic. We have to help the kids through this and especially Samuel. While we lost two close friends, he just lost what from Tristan has told us before this, the last of his family only two months after his house has burned down. We have to be there for each other, the kids, and Samuel and even if it seems like everything has fallen, we can't give up... Now we should-- Samuel?!" Samuel heard his name just as he passed out, the whole thing taking a toll on him as he slumped in Hugo's arms.