All Your Little Things

Chapter 10- The Day The World Stopped Turning

September

Elizabeth

I woke up on the crisp fall morning of Spetember 10. I put on jeggings, black booties, and a cream blouse. Everything was changing quickly.

Ali was completely healed, and was back on her toes as a dancer. She had been using our own private studio in our home often, and she loved getting back into ballet.

School started next week, and we were both excited and nervous, but ready as ever to start university.

The boys were recording their next album, and the single was set to come out in a few weeks, with the album coming mid-November.

In a few days time, I would be traveling to Mullingar with Niall to meet his family and celebrate his birthday, but I was a nervous wreck. I was scared his family wouldn't like me, but he kept reassuring me that it would be fine.

That day however, I walked to the SYCO studio to visit the boys while they were recording. I had a lot of heavy news to tell them.

I walked into SYCO and waved to the secretary, Mia, and she buzzed me through the door. Liam, Harry, Zayn and Niall were sitting around on the couch. They all waved and smiled. Niall got up to give me a hug and kiss. Simon was at the soundboard. He turned around a gave me a nod.

"Lou's in the studio." Zayn told me, and I nodded.

"Is he almost done? I have to get to the post office before Ali gets home."

"He just finished." Liam said as Louis came out and sat down next to Zayn on a couch. "Sit down, Niall." I instructed. I pulled up a wheeled chair and sat down in front of all of them.

"Uh, I'm not too sure where to start. I've never had to explain this to anyone." I thought aloud.

"What's going on? Are you okay?" Lou asked.

"I'm alright. It's Ali."

"What?" Harry asked alarmed.

"I'm assuming...wait just tell me what you know about Ali's family."

Harry answered. "She's got Jacob, who's 29 and Mark, who's 24. She's super close with her aunt and two cousins."

"That's what I thought. She's never mentioned a mother, has she?"

"No, now come to think of it, she never has. Where's her mum?"

I sighed. "Ali was four. She was in a daycare that morning. Her brothers, 15 and 10, were obviously in school. They lived in Cleveland at the time, and her dad was working. Her mom was very close with her. She had just started taking her to dance classes, which she loved. Mr. Evans you could see so much of his wife in Ali. They had the same strong, beautiful personalities, and they both looked alike.

"Anyways, her mom worked, too. She was in New York on September 11, 2001. To be exact, her mom was in the South Tower." I paused, and all the boys put their faces in their hands.

I continued. "She left a few voicemails, and Ali has a few home videos, but otherwise, she knows barely anything about her mother."

"Why has she never mentioned it?" Liam asked.

"She doesn't like talking about it. She thinks about her mom a lot though. She didn't want to burden you with that sort of information. Only a small group of friends from school know, including me. Ali cries about it, a lot, though. At night, when she's alone, she cries, especially after important events, like graduation, starting high school at her mom's alma mater, graduating high school, prom, and most recently, Harry."