S e r e n d i p i t y (5sos Au)

Chapter 2: Temporary detectives

"Found out what, Jack? What is going on?" She asked, her face lined with confusion and fear. Little did she know that the next thing Jack would say was going to be what changed their lives for the next few months. Or, more accurately, permanently.

"It's... It's mom. I came to have lunch with her like we do every Saturday and... She was laying there... She was already gone, there was nothing I could do. And now dad's been taken as a suspect for her murder." he explained and shook his head.

Murdered. Elizabeth felt her heart drop to her stomach at the man's words. Liz Hemmings had been brutally murdered by God knows who and her husband had been taken into custody.

She took in a shaky breath before speaking.

"You need to tell the boys, they're outside waiting. I'll check up on Luke." Was all she could say. The older brother nodded his head and walked outside the house.

Elizabeth crossed the room and stopped walking once she reached the stairs, her best friend still sitting there with his eyes glued to the ground. "Luke." she tried to get his attention, but he didn't look up.

She took a seat beside him and placed her hand on his back as if to catch his attention. He lifted his head to look at the girl sitting next to him, a vacant expression covering his face. He looked emotionless and that scared her because he always wore his emotions on his sleeve, he never shied away from feeling.

"She's gone, Elle. Mom is dead. She's not coming back." he muttered in a broken tone that made her heart break a little.

Elizabeth, for the first time, was speechless. She had no idea what to say, and everything she thought of saying just sounded wrong in her mind. So, instead of speaking, she moved closer and pulled her best friend into the tightest hug she could produce. At first, he didn't respond, probably he since he was still in shock. But after a second, she felt his arms around her waist.

"She's gone." he said again and broke down then, not loosening his grip on her as he hid his face on her shoulder. "I lost her, I don't have a mom anymore." he cried out.

***

Their friendhship started a long time ago, it seemed like they'd always known each other, though.

Elizabeth's memory was vastly conformed by her mother, her father and her closest friends. Never had she been a quiet person, her big personality followed her everywhere she went. Not only did she like meeting new people and forming new relationships, people seemed to respond to that by finding her amiable. That is likely the reason why, at only five years of life, she was approached by the person who would become her best friend. Lucas Robert Hemmings.

The moment they first met was still engraved in her mind like one of those songs you know by heart and can never get out of your head. It had been her first day of school and she had never been more excited, she knew she would learn new things and make new friends, so it was the ultimate paradise for a toddler. She barely waved goodbye to her parents before she took off running towards what would be her first adventure, the first step into the process of spreading her wings. Kindergarten was just as amusing as she expected, if not more.

By the time recess rolled around, though, she found herself eating her lunch on her own, sitting on a small bench. That's when she was surprised by a blonde boy, with a strange accent and blue eyes resembling gemstones.

"Can I sit with you? Those kids threw my sandwich on the sand." the boy said, instantly sparking interest in little Elizabeth. The boy looked like he was about to cry, and in her books, it wasn't permissible to make someone else cry. So, she decided that she'd put a smile on his face instead.