Gasoline- Sequel To It All Started That One Day

16

Peter's POV

I unbuckle Max from his car seat, and carry him to the other side of the car where Kaitlyn is straightening Maddie's hair. She must catch my eyes wandering around looking for my dad because she tilts her head to the side saying he's still in the passengers seat.

Setting Max down I side step the escort who brought us out here, and hop into his seat ignoring how he tells me I'm not permitted to sit in the driver's seat. I don't need to look right at my dad to see what's wrong, I knew as soon as we set foot on the plane to get here.

"We don't have to." His eyes never leave the dashboard that he's angrily glaring holes into, and I try not to stare to closely. "No no, we need to. We haven't come out Peter in five years, and even then it was just the two of us." Now I reach over and press the two metal balls he's spinning in his hand down into his palm grabbing his attention.

He only does this when he's ready to attack, or mournful, and right now I know it's both. He's not entirely sold on the idea on two of the president's guards escorting us out here for security. Even though Charles tried convincing him it was a way of apologizing and guaranteeing no one from our family is hurt this time.

Of course they came Kaitlyn said it would be rude to turn them down, and make no sense considering what's happened each time we've come here. Erik agreed, but that doesn't mean he trusts them.

"It's just been a long time, and I'm still not ready to face it. To stay in the house, to relive all those memories, for the kids to play where she did. It's almost terrifying." Now it makes sense, it's more than seeing their graves, he's almost scared going back is like a curse and history will repeat itself.

"Ten years may seem like a long time, but it really has flown by, and I don't think you ever mourned properly." He nods his free hand grasping at his chin as he takes a shuddering breath in. "Fair, it really has been one thing after the other these last ten years."

I'm about to say something else, but there's a scream from outside the car followed by Kaitlyn's sharp hiss of disapproval. "We should go help," he laughs lightly. "We still have to walk without getting noticed."

"Hard to do when you're not only the most famous family in the world, but also the most wanted." I get out of the car, quickly taking over for Kaitlyn so she can finish unknotting Maddie's hair without Max begging for attention.

"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," my dad comes around the car and Max fights out of my arms so he can go tackle his papa. "It's all right Erik-"

"We really need to get going, we've already wasted a lot of time." One of two guards pipes up gently pulling Kaitlyn along, and Maddie protectively pushes between them. I think it's safe to assume my dad prepared, and thoroughly warned her.

We wade through the deep forest, it's the best direct path that will hide us being here at all, and when the kids get tired all three of us take turns holding them up. "Papa why are we doing this again?" Maddie asks with a big yawn leaning on his side as she walks.

"Do you remember your Aunt Nina?" She nods, but Max looks over at me eyes big from where he's been lazily lounging on Kait's shoulder. "Well this is where she rests." Just as he says this we come up on the small cemetery, and the two gravestones that are placed closest to the forest so we could easily sneak by.

They're simple small gravestones that have molded with the environment as the years have passed. Mayra's says loving wife and mother, and Nina's says daughter but my dad carved sister into it the last time we came.

Kaitlyn sets Max down and suddenly, even though now he's very awake, everything on him stills even his eyes. He's young, but with the life we live he's seen stuff and everything got explained as soon as it could. He can't understand why or how, but he knows images, and these graves tell him they're gone.