The Long Journey Home (Completed)

Chapter 3 (Edited)

My heart is in anguish within me; the terrors

of death have fallen on me. Psalm 55:4

"Hello, Mia," Jason said smiling at her. His black hair fell into his gray eyes as he looked at me, with a small smile on his face.

"Hello, Jason," Mia said, smiling sadly. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, knowing how much my father had meant to the riding community. "I'm sorry for your lost. Please give my condolences to the rest of your family."

Jason nodded his head, sadly. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath. "I'll do that. Thank-"

"Excuse me?" someone asked, cutting off my brother.

I felt a small tug on my shirt, as if a kid or someone was trying to get my attention. I turned around to see the most beautiful little girl, I've ever seen. She had golden blonde hair and seemed to be wearing a tiara with the way her hair was braided. Her eyes seemed to change colors, as I looked at them, but they usually seemed to stay at brown mixed with a little bit of green. She stood about 4'3 and looked around to be 5 or 6.

"Yes?" I asked, kneeling down so that I was at her height. "What is it?"

"I-"

"Morgan!" a flustered woman's voice said.

I looked up to see a female coming over to us. Her eyes were filled with worry, as if she had been trying to find her daughter everywhere.

"Mama," the girl, Morgan, said looking back at her mother. "I found her. I found Ember Castille."

"Miss Castille," the mother said, as she came over to us. "She is your elder." She looked at me while I stood, standing at my 5'3 form. "I'm sorry, Miss Castille. I did not see Morgan leave me."

"You're my elder, Ma'am," I said, slightly amused at the way she had called me, Miss Castille. "Also, my mother is Mrs. Castille. I'm just Ember, or Em. I am Emmy to my brother."

"I'm Kristen, Kristen Reese, and this is my daughter, Morgan," she said, holding out her hand to shake.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Reese," I said, shaking her hand. "And it's nice to meet you too, Morgan." I grinned at the younger female, making her grin back at me.

"I'm Jason Castille, Emmy's older brother," Jason said, smiling at Mrs. Reese. "And, this lovely lady, is Emmy's archenemy, Mia Henson."

Mia and I slapped Jason on both arms. "We're not enemies," we said in unison.

Morgan grinned, as Jason pouted at her. "That hurt," he said. "And abuse."

Mrs. Reese shook her head and tried not to smile. "Children," she scowled.

"Pardon us, Mrs. Reese," I said. "My brother doesn't know when to stop teasing me."

"And my sister doesn't know when to-"

"Now, what is it that you would like?" I asked, cutting in on what my brother was going to say.

Morgan looked at her mother before she coughed a little in her arm. I studied her and saw that she was deathly pale, as if she hadn't been in the sun at all.

"Are you alright, Morgan?" her mother asked worriedly, as she knelt down besides her. "I told you that I didn't think you were up for this."

"I'm fine, Mama," Morgan said. "It was just a cough."

"A cough can turn into wheezing, and I don't have enough money to take you back to the hospital we were going to."

I felt a small bit of pity and closed my eyes a little. Lord, help- I stopped myself from finishing my prayer. I opened my eyes and glanced at Jason, to see that he was staring at me as if he knew that something was up. I smiled at him, before I looked back at Morgan and Mrs. Reese.