Reflection

Chapter One.

    Kyle had never really appreciated his parents. He had never really liked "family time" and he knew he took them for granted. Only, he didn't really care. It wasn't unnatural; most 18-year -old boys didn't spend much quality time with their families. True, Kyle barely spent any time with them at all, but that was just how he had always been. Every evening, after school, they would ask him how his day went and he would give them a shrug on his way up the stairs, to his room, where he would spend the rest of the night. It had been their routine for years and every night had always been the same — every night but this one.

Tonight, Kyle was alone and his house looked twice the size it had been the day before. There was nothing cooking in the oven for a meal he rarely ever ate. There were no plates set up on the table for a dinner he barely ever joined. There was no soft music playing on the radio in the kitchen, and his mother wasn't there, humming and singing along. There was no image coming from the television in the living room and no father sitting in his chair, watching the news on mute so he could secretly listen to his wife sing. There were no worried glances as Kyle walked through the door, and no greeting or "how was your day?" to shrug to tonight. Tonight all Kyle was greeted by was silence. Silence and later, a knock on the door.

Tonight, Kyle's parents were gone.

****

"Kyle Christopher Evans?" The man had said when he'd opened the door.

Kyle could only nod. His mind was elsewhere and he couldn't find it within him to formulate words, not even a simple "yes." His legs felt weak and he was afraid that if he tried to speak his knees might give out on him. He couldn't afford that, he had to know what this man had to say.

"I have a message for you. I cannot tell you who it is from, but here it is: If you are receiving this message right now, then it is because your parents are dead. However, there are things you need to know now, things you need to do. Go to your parent's room and look inside your mother's jewelry box. The bottom is fake — lift it. Something underneath awaits your discovery."  

A car horn outside made the man turn around and start to walk away. Kyle could only stare as he went, and only once the man got in the car did Kyle think to yell and tell him to wait. It was too late however, the car was already turning the corner and out of sight.

After what seemed an eternity of staring out the door, Kyle finally found the strength to move and think. He closed the door and locked it before bolting down the hall to his parent's bedroom. He couldn't even remember the last time he had been in there. The walls were bare, except for one painting above his parent's bed. It was a famous painting that Kyle recognized but could not give a name to. He didn't care to remember right now. He looked around frantically, stopping when he spotted the tiny jewelry box on the nightstand. Slowly, he walked up to it, hoping there was something in there that would explain his parent's disappearance. Maybe something that would tell him that this was all a big joke and that his parents were fine. Somehow, that seemed unrealistic.

He opened the box and soft music began to escape from within it. Inside were simple diamond earrings, a black beaded bracelet, and a ring. Kyle picked up the ring and rolled it between his fingers — it was gold with a small green gem in the middle. He wrapped his hand around it and shoved it deep into his pocket. Quickly, he felt around the edges of the jewelry box and sure enough, he managed to lift out the fake bottom. Inside was a photograph of two little babies side by side, both swaddled in blue blankets. Kyle flipped the photograph around and read the inscription on the back: "Ryan and Kyle." He peered into the jewelry box hoping for something more, but that was all there was.

Kyle trudged over to his parent's king-sized bed, photograph still in hand. He sat and stared at the picture - his only clue as to what had happened to his parents. What did it even mean? Was he supposed to figure out who this other baby was? How? Too many questions flooded his mind. Perhaps he was overreacting. Maybe his parents were simply gone out, like on a date night or something. Maybe the man at the door had just seen his parents leave and played a prank on him. Though, how would he know about the jewelry box?