Broken - Isadora Quagmire

Chapter Two- The Night Before

Later that night, around 11:30pm, I was lying in bed beside Duncan. I tried to get to sleep, alas I couldn't. I felt Duncan get out of the bed and heard him walk across the room and out of the door. I got up and looked into the passageway, Duncan was walking downstairs, I followed him. When I caught up to him, he was sitting on the porch, looking out into the sea with a blanket wrapped around him.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Goodness Isadora! Never do that again"

"I can't make any promises" I laughed. He chuckled. "Why are you out here?" I asked

We stayed there for a while, how long exactly? I don't know. Though I could do nothing but sit beside my brother, cross-legged on the porch and stare at the calm, beautiful landscape in front of me. The water was gentle. The sky was dark. Everything was silent. Until, of course, it wasn't and Aunt Agnes found us.

"Quagmires? What are you two doing out here at this time in the morning?"

"Are you two triplets okay?" asked Aunt Vivian.

"We just miss Quigley and our parents"

"We completely understand" said Aunt Vivian.

"You do?"

"Yes. We both lost our parents too..." said Aunt Agnes

"At a very young age. I was only 11 when my parents died"

"I was 16"

"I'm sorry" me and my brother said.

"You two didn't set the fires"

"Fires?" I jerked up

"They died in a fire too?"

"Who wants hot cocoa?"

"Aunt Agnes, you're avoiding my question"

"Come on inside children"

"Aunt Vivian..."

"You can tell us, we won't tell anyone" I said

Aunt Vivian then knelt down to me and Duncan's level "After the funeral tomorrow, if you're feeling ready, we promise that all six of us will sit down and we'll tell you everything"

"Everything?" I asked.

"Everything that your parents were going to tell you"

"Hot cocoa?" Aunt Agnes asked again.

Duncan and I nodded our heads. Aunt Vivian and Aunt Agnes then helped us up and we all walked through the house and into the kitchen, where they made four cups of hot chocolate. We then walked through the dining room and into the living room, beside the stairs.

"When Liam and Valerie couldn't sleep, we would always make them a cup of hot chocolate" said Aunt Agnes.

"Why didn't they sleep?" I asked.

"You children sure do ask a lot of questions"

"Sorry Aunt Vivian" I said

"Oh no, it's fine, you actually remind me of your mother when she was younger. Always asking questions" said Aunt Vivian.

"And their father..." laughed Aunt Agnes "they look so much like him.

"Mom?" a voice called from the stairs. I turned around, it was Liam, in his pyjamas, looking upset.

"Liam, what's wrong?" both of my Aunts asked.

"It's the Lyons... and Emily..." he paused and briefly looked at me and Duncan.

"Oh..." said Aunt Agnes.

"Why don't you follow us into the kitchen, we'll make you a cup of cocoa" said Aunt Vivian. They walked out of the room.

"That was weird, right?" Duncan said.

"So weird" I laughed.

Around five minutes later, Liam walked back in with his mother's.

"Quagmires?" said Aunt Agnes.

"Yes" I said.

"Me and Vivian going to talk to Liam upstairs in his room, do you want to stay down here or..."

"No, it's fine" said Duncan

"We can go upstairs"

"We'll walk you up then" smiled Aunt Vivian.

"Liam, are you okay?" I asked , walking up the stairs beside him.

"Oh, I'm fine, it's just my... I'm fine". We reached the top of the stairs, "goodnight Quagmires" said Liam.

"Night Liam" I said.

"Night Aunties" called Duncan.

"Goodnight" Vivian, Agnes and Liam called from down the hall before they started murmuring between themselves again.

I fell asleep around fifteen minutes later, with my brother sleeping soundly beside me. Worrying about the next day. Though honestly, I should have been worrying more...