Drama Darker Tides ~ A Soap Opera

IC: Kareen Gillis
Personal Residence

She groaned at the first ring, pulling one of her pillows out from under her and pressing it to her ear, hoping to drown out the sound until the answering machine picked up. No such luck; she could still hear the muffled second ring. With a frustrated frown, Kareen returned the pillow to its proper place, then reached over to grab the phone off the nightstand, checking the ID screen.

Mom and Dad.

Had it been anyone else, Kareen would have ignored it, but she always answered when her parents called, no matter the time. Sitting up, she pressed the ?talk? button and brought the phone to her ear. ?Hello,? she greeted.

TAG: spycoder

 

The Rusty Bucket


?Don?t worry chap,? the guy patted Chris on the back. ?This week?s been hell on everybody. My fiancé left me.?

He shook his head up and down. ?Yes sir re, she packed all her stuff and left the house.?

He sighed and rubbed his head. ?I cheated on her, oh yeah. With a married woman. I finally had to tell her.? The bartender shook his head.

?That must suck, man.? He then looked at Chris.

?It?s all over our local station. They said ?anonymous man?, but people have come in here and told me stuff. How?s the girl doing??


TAG: Han

---

[i][b]Kareen Gillis's Home[/b][/i]


?[b]Kareen[/b], thank God you answered.? [b]Hannah?s[/b] voice was filled with a twinge of worry. ?I thought something might?ve happened to you.?

?Just get on with the story, Hannah.? [b]Daniel Gillis?s[/b] gruff voice could be heard.

?Fine, fine.? Hannah was slightly amused. ?Your dad had a little accident at work.?

?A little?!?

?Well, he-?

?Don?t tell her!? Daniel interrupted again.

?Would you stop interrupting me!? Hannah couldn?t help but giggle a little. She started whispering. ?Your father tripped down the stairs. Broke his leg.?

?The steps are complicated!?

?Sure, sure. Anyway, we?ll be coming down a little sooner than expected. We?ll be there Thursday morning. So you?ll have us for a week and a half!?


[b]TAG: Anne[/b]

 

<...>

*So much anger, can only see flashes of colors.*

"I will strangle them, with my bare hands, I swear it! Even now, with all I have done, they are still causing pain. Pain to me. Pain to innocence. They would destroy it. Make it suffer, and disappear it as if it has never existed. Something so sweet and pure, and they would smash it, and bloody it...."

ARRRRRGGGHHH!!!!!

<What's the matter? Things not going like you planned?>

"SHUT UP!"

<*Smirk*..Yeah, right. Stop whining! So what will you do now?>

Kill them.

<Yeah. Right. Already tried that...>

No. Not yet. Not finished. There are others who will be hurt if I do not stop them. And you know who I mean.

<For once, I agree. But this time, get them all.>

...

"All? I.... I dont know.."

<Anything worth doing, is worth doing right. Finish it this time!>

*Laughter*

"Yes. Why not?"

<Just be careful.>

...
<...>

 

The Rusty Bucket


?That?s a mighty good thing.? The bartender scrubbed some of his glasses. ?That the woman is living, I mean. With all the death going on here, I just have to wonder: What has happened to Riverview? Don?t you wonder that to??

The bartender looked around the bar before leaning in.

?And I bet you a million bucks that damn Sylvester has something to do with all of this. I wouldn?t even be surprised if he drove that girl?s father nuts just to take the attention of the Natalie case.? He shook his head. ?But this town won?t forget about Natalie Crane. The touch she left on all of us. . .it?s something.?

?Somethin??? The other guy spoke up. ?She was a whore, plain and simple. Heard she sleeping around with some other man while dating this York kid. And then I heard she had some kid. And they don?t know who the hell?s it is.? He chuckled. ?You know, sometimes I glad I?m just a little lonely man and not one of these rich billionaires. Too much drama for me.?

He nudged Chris.

?Ain?t that right??


TAG: Han

---

[b]OOC:[/b] Talking with Anne over PM. [face_grin] And Ktala got up another creepy post from our killer. Isn't that just wonderful. . .[face_devil] So I'm waiting on tags to Bishomon and CPL, but they have sometime to get to them. CPL really just needs a flashback for the moment, and he can work on it for the whole episode. [face_happy] I really want to thank everyone sticking with me! I've had a bad week or so, with the baby, so it has been harder to update. And with me moving into a new house next week, it'll be a little harder. But I promise to try as [i]hard[/i] as I can to keep updating on time. I'm so pleased at how far we have come, and this is only the beginning!!!

 

IC: Rom De Luca
Sylvester's Inc

?She is such a good worker. Always gets what needs to be done.? Nigel?s smile seemed a little too wide. A little too big.

Rom watched Nigel warily. He said nothing, but nodded and looked down at Vanessa.

?So, I guess the two of you want to get home.? He looked to the elevator. ?It?s scary being out late, what with this killer lurking around town.? He looked all serious for a second, but then leaned back laughing. Vanessa laughed too, but hers was a nervous one.

Rom grinned and laughed. He really wasn't worried; he felt capable of taking on a simple small-town killer if the situation presented itself. But Vanessa. . .

?Just trying to scare you two.? Nigel looked at Rom. ?Where do you live??

Rom looked up. "I have an apartment over on the other side of town."

TAG: Spycoder

 

IC: Xander York
Riverview Medical Center

After his mom had been gone for the better part of an hour Xander started to go stir crazy, craving some sort of companionship since he was not allowed to do anything about anything. Normally he would have just turned on the television and watched it until he drifted off to sleep, but he knew that all of it would be about Natalie and the attacks. Plus he could not find a comfortable position to fall asleep in.

I wish I could see Natalie again. There are so many questions that I wanted to ask her that I couldn?t get out before she pushed me away. If only there was a way that could see her again.

Then an idea came to him. He pushed the nurses call button and within moments a 20-something, red haired female, wearing pink scrubs that seemed a little form-fitting, strolled in with two small cups. One of the cups contained water and the other had three small tablets. ?Here you go Xander, this should help you rest,? she said in a silky smooth voice.

He took the meds, downed them within seconds, and then settled back into his pillows. The nurse turned out the lights as she walked out of the room and closed the door. It was only a matter of a few blinks and Xander was off to dreamland.

---

Not quite three years ago, St. Charles University

What had started off as a last minute decision to get together after finals last year was now starting to become a tradition with the underclassmen of Xander?s dorm. This time there were some changes. For one it wasn?t the end of the school year, just the first semester, and most students were going home for the holidays.

Like last time they had all gathered out in a vacant field off campus and the entire dorm showed up. Once again Xander had way too much to drink, made out with Amelia Rockford at the party, and woke up the next morning naked in bed with her. The difference was that this time he was in her room and he knew what he had done.

At first he felt guilty kissing Amelia again, but then he just let happen what was going to happen. Natalie had not talked to him since she ran to mommy in New York and probably was never going to talk to him again. Amelia had been the one to suggest that they go to her room instead of his, because her roommate had already left for home. Now it was the next morning and he rolled over to find Amelia sitting on the sill next to an open window. There was a lit piece of incense smoldering in the middle of the room and a lit cigarette in her hand.

[image=http://healthybodygain.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/emma-stone-hot.jpg]

?Good morning sleepy head,? Amelia said from across the room, ?I thought you were going to sleep the weekend away.? She turned back around, took one final drag off her cigarette, and tossed it out the open window. ?So what did you have planned for today? Are you heading back to Riverview or what?? She got up from the window and walked over to her dresser. She pulled out a little bottle of mouth wash and started swishing it around.

Xander continued to lay in the bed staring at her. She was wearing a black silk, kimono-style, half robe that barely covered her rear-end. He honestly found her to be attractive, extremely attractive even. If he had not had the history that he had with Natalie, he probably would have pursued Amelia from day one. But as it stood right now he was not convinced that he was completely over Natalie.

?Naw, I?m staying here on campus. Mom?s got something going on with the Department that is going to keep her away for a month so I?m just going to hang here.? He stopped to get his thoughts straight as she walked out of the room for a moment. When she walked back in she closed and locked the door. He looked up at her and continued with what he was going to say before she walked out. ?Listen Aims,? he had stopped calling her Ami because that was his mom?s name, ?I don?t want to give you the wrong idea about us.?

Amelia interrupted his train of thought with a little chuckle, ?Don?t wor

 

The Rusty Bucket


?Casper? Damn, you have a pair if you?re gonna go around town sayin? stuff like that.? The man beside him sighed. ?I mean, I work for the dude. He better not get himself involved in crap like that. Ruin a bunch of people?s jobs, he could find himself at the end of a gun.?

He sat there in thought. A lot of thought for a drunk man.

?So you think Casper did it. Who do you think did it?? He asked the bartender.

?I bet it was her boyfriend. Found out she was cheating on him. Killed her, had someone else kill the coroner, then had this accident to made himself seem depressed.?


TAG: Han

---

[b][i]Sylvester?s Inc.[/i][/b]


?Other side of town?? He propped against the doorway. ?Heard it was rough over there.?

?We can watch ourselves.? [b]Vanessa[/b] shook a little. ?Besides, Rom is such a strong guy.?

?I can?t believe I haven?t seen you around town.? [b]Sylvester[/b] butted in.

?How long have you been in town??


[b]TAG: Bish[/b]

[hr]

[b][i]Riverview Medical Center[/i][/b]


?The other day?? The girl smirked. ?Sweetie, that was just a couple of hours ago.?

?But yes, another girl was. . .seriously injured, shall I say.?

She seemed to think about whether or not she would tell him.

?[b]Cassie Rockford[/b]. That?s the girl?s name. Her father attacked her in the woods.?

She smiled.

?It looks like she?s gonna pull through.?


[b]TAG: CPL[/b]

 

Olivia Madders
Food Mart Supermarket


By the time Olivia Madders had left Little Ester?s it was dark out. She wrapped her shawl tightly around her shoulders, and made her way to the car. It didnt take but a few moments to make it to the supermarket. She drove with the window down, enjoying the breeze. Yeah, that was an awful lot to hear, this time of night.

At this time of the evening, the supermarket was preparing to close. Olivia knew what she wanted, so it would not take her long. No one was there except for an shady looking man who browsed the medicine section. Was that Devon? She left him alone..he didnt seem to be in a chatty mood. Besides, he always acted strangely, or so she thought. Let's see.. there was also an elderly woman and her granddaughter browsing the toys section. Ah...Anne. Anne Thompson. and several different people looking down different food aisles.

"Hey!" The chipper teenager yakking on a newfangled cellphone and popping gum. No manners. But at least she made the attempt to be pleasant. Olivia smiled and waved at the girl, as she grabbed a cart, and quickly began to move through the store.

Salt, a few herbs.. hmm lets see. It was kinda cold out. She grabbed some soups and makings for a fine stew. She did her best thinking, while she cooked. She grabbed some candles. A storm was coming, and the power would most likely go out. She was almost sure of it. A few firestarter logs then too. Yes, did no good to be blind in certain situations. A new hurricane lamp and some batteries. Yep, better grab some gas too, when she left. Folks didnt take to mention to things around them. Always expecting the folks in the tv to tell em what to think and eat. And then they wonder when they caught unaware. Was a crying shame. Oh well. She had her own storm to worry about. She grabbed a few other items as she moved along quickly, humming softly. Flares, and other things she felt that she might need in the upcoming days. of course, her favorite two items, bread and milk. Olivia turned her cart, and into the isle where Anne and the little girl were in.

Olivia smiled as she scooted past Anne. "Hello, Anne." Olivia greeted her warmly. "Spreading a little early cheer for the holidays?" she asked with a smile, as she scanned over the pair. "How are you?" she asked.

Sometimes, it was amazing what those 3 little words could generate.


TAG: Spycoder

 

The Bar


?Pulling the strings. Cool idea.? The bartender added in.

?But then again, the kid really did love the girl. I know his mom. She would not of raised him like that.?

The bartender snorted.

?Listen to us. Debating a murder investigation like trained detectives.? He sat down on a stool as he was finally finished with his grueling work.

?Well, men, here we are. Three very lonely men, drinking away in a bar.? The man beside Chris added. ?I might as well give you two my name. Dan. I work at Casper?s place.?

?Arthur?s my name. I just started working here a few weeks ago.?


TAG: Han

---

[b][i]Food Mart[/i][/b]


?Oh my Olivia, how has everyone been these days?? The little girl pulled on her grandmother?s dress. Anne showed her a rack of dolls, which stopped the girl?s whining.

?Well, I?ve been stuck watching Ellie here.? She leaned in. ?Kathy, you know, my daughter? She ran away with a new boyfriend again.? She sighed and shook her head. ?I have told her and told her again that she is almost forty, and has a six year old kid. She needs to have some responsibility. But she hasn?t learned just yet.?

She looked at her granddaughter for a few seconds.

?I just think. . .what if Ellie was that poor dead girl. I mean, Susanna was my friend in school. Susanna is the girl?s mother, by the way. Anyway, Susanna was just like Kathy is. Wild, carefree. She left town, you know, and abandoned her daughter with the Caspers. And I want to raise her the best way I can, but sometimes. . .it?s a little rough, you know.?

?I love her though. I don?t know what I would do if I lost Ellie.? She shook her head. ?I don?t know how I would survive.?


[b]TAG: Ktala[/b]

 

IC: Rom De Luca


?I can?t believe I haven?t seen you around town.? Sylvester butted in.

?How long have you been in town??

Rom rubbed a palm on his jeans without noticing. "I moved into the area a few weeks ago."

"Before that, I lived in Cali." He lied.


TAG: Spycoder

 

OOC: Part of a combined post.

IC: Kareen Gillis
Personal Residence

For a second, when Hannah said the word ?accident,? Kareen swore her heart skipped a few beats as all manner of awful possibilities went through her head. As stressed out as she was, she didn?t need anything else on her plate?

?Your father tripped down the stairs. Broke his leg.?

?The steps are complicated!?

?Sure, sure. Anyway, we?ll be coming down a little sooner than expected. We?ll be there Thursday morning. So you?ll have us for a week and a half!?

So it wasn?t too serious?Kareen hoped Hannah didn?t hear her sigh of relief, but she recovered quickly, and even found herself smiling. Thursday morning?which meant she only had to make it through tomorrow before they arrived. ?Mom, that?s about the best thing I?ve heard all week.? Not that her dad busting his leg was a good thing, but their coming early would definitely lift her spirits.

?You should?ve heard the words that came out of your father?s mouth. Guess he gets it from his Yankee roots. I bet you have a mouth just like him.? Hannah laughed while her husband fired something back.

Kareen giggled. "If I did, I wouldn't admit it to you, Mom."

?Oh, I know.? She snickered. ?I?ll just ask your little police buddies when I get there! Hahaha!? Her laugh was almost evil, but in the good way.

Kareen rolled her eyes. "Robert swears a lot more than I do, thank you very much"--more so over the last few days than usual, it seemed--"so it's not like he can talk."

?Why did you bring up Robert so quickly?? Hannah was curious. ?I meant everyone, but you decided to bring up Robert.? She laughed. ?I can?t wait to meet this young man.?

"Mom, he's my partner, I spend more time around him at work than anyone else." Kareen suddenly frowned. "And before you go there, he's just a friend. He's a nice guy, but after Patrick..." she trailed off. She could have said more--particularly about Robert's own reputation, but she chose not to.

"Honey, lighten up a little. Did you take my advice?" Hannah asked about what she had said last time they had talked.

"You'll be pleased to know that yes, I did. I told Amy and Robert about the affair yesterday morning...and I talked to Katherine Casper. It went...surprisingly well."

"Just as I knew it would." Hannah's voice made it apparent she was smiling. "So you've tied up all the loose ends. Hopefully you can move on right?"

"Hopefully," Kareen agreed. She had thought that she had moved on, until Sunday night had brought Patrick back into her life.

"So what time do you think you and Dad will be here Thursday morning?"

?Well, we?re leaving late, late Wednesday night. But we?ll be there around. . .seven, I guess? Are you going to take off work??

"I'll talk to Amy tomorrow," Kareen replied. "Considering how hectic the last couple of days have been, I'm sure she won't mind." With the high-profile nature of the Natalie Crane case, she didn't think she'd be able to take off the entire time her parents were here, but she was sure that Amy would understand her wanting to at least spend Thursday with them. Plus there would be the holiday next week.

?Good. How is the Natalie case going? It?s all over the national news, you know."

Kareen groaned. Great? "Nowhere fast. We've gone from two bodies to eight--not all related, fortunately. A couple of druggies shot and robbed Mordecai Casper's financial advisor and his driver yesterday, then apparently killed each other over the money they stole. Then some nut goes and kills his wife, tries to kill his daughter, then stabs himself to death.

"To top things off, Heather Casper seems to have disappeared."

?Maybe that?s a good thing, sweetheart. Hold on a sec, I?ll turn up the TV so you can hear??

Another background voice comes on.

?And in other news, Riverview, Maine. A tranquil small town turned upside down. In a span of 3 days, the town has

 

Sylvester Incoporated


?California?? Nigel asked with a big grin on his face.

?My mother?s family was from there.?

He patted Rom on the arm.

?We have a lot in common.? He sized him up. ?You working anywhere??


TAG: Bish

---

[b][i]The Rusty Bucket[/i][/b]

?See ya around, man.?

Dan shouted at Chris as he stumbled out of the bar and into the parking lot.

Time to reflect. Only on Saturday, Chris had fallen asleep after the best night he had ever had with Naomi. As each night progressed, things got worse and worse. Now he was in a bar, drowning his sorrows.

Should he choose to chase the woman he fell in love with, or place his hope in the beautiful young college student?


[b]TAG: Han[/b]

[hr]

[b]OOC:[/b] I'm moving! [face_grin] Craziness, I tell you. Working on getting internet there, but they could be a few days of not being able to access it much. I promise to make sure this game continues at a steady pace.

 

OOC: Part 2

IC: Kareen Gillis
Personal Residence

Kareen listened to the broadcast, only commenting when it had ended, "We can only hope.

"Unfortunately, Heather disappearing may not be such a good thing. We have a possible suspect in Natalie's murder, but Heather's the only one who might actually know who it is. We think Carlos Sanchez might have known, also, but he was killed before we could get to him. No one has seen Heather since Sunday night, but the rest of her family doesn't seem to think anything's wrong."

?You?ll figure it out.? Hannah thought about it. ?Isn?t that Natalie Crane?s grandfather famous in that town? Some kind of rivalry thing there? Have any of you questioned anyone of those people in the companies??

"There's been something between the Caspers and the Sylvesters for years now," Kareen explained. "I don't know the whole story, but I think it started as a business rivalry of some kind, and it got more and more personal over time. Thus far, we haven't found anything to suggest that the Sylvesters or anyone from their company were involved"--except for that envelope, she suddenly remembered, but they didn't acutally know what the 'S' stood for. "As for the Caspers, as far as we can tell, they all adored Natalie--when we talked to them about Heather's disappearance tonight, Natalie's mother, Susanna, made the suggestion that Heather had something to do with it, and Patrick got all offended. Argued with Katherine." Kareen didn't say it, but as she thought about it, she wondered if there might have been something else, some undertone to their argument--something to do with her. "Plus with the...conversation...I had with Heather Sunday night, I don't see how any of them could have been involved. And again, we haven't found anything pointing to any of their employees, either.

"It's just a big, complicated mess."

?Well, I would just trust instinct, honey. Whoever you feel in your heart murdered that girl and the coroner, you chase them down. No one should do something like that and then get away with it.?

"No, they shouldn't," she agreed. She wondered if she should tell her mother that the killer had nearly gotten her as well, but decided against it. "And I know who I think did it, but until we find Heather, I don't have a name to go after."

?Who do you think did it, honey? I promise I won?t tell. My lips are sealed!? Hannah giggled.

Kareen laughed a little, too. "Like I said, we don't have a name. But it turns out Natalie had some kind of affair...the guy was blackmailing her. Could have been him."

"Okay, come on sweetie. That's what all the facts say. Who do you think killed this girl? You have a strong opinion like your father." Daniel snorted in the background. "You have to have a hunch."

Kareen frowned, "Mom, I happen to agree with the facts. I think that this guy is the one we're looking for. We have solid evidence that he made threats to Natalie's life, probably within the last 48 hours before she was killed."

"But who do you think this guy is?"

"He has an 'S' initial. I know I said we hadn't found anything pointing to the Sylvesters, but with that rivalry they've got with the Caspers...I wouldn't be surprised if Nigel Sylvester had something to do with it..."

"If they really did do it, I'm going to be very mad! Make this big mess only for the most obvious person being the killer! And ain't that guy in his fifties? You'd think that Natalie girl would've been smarter."

"Well, I can't say that she had the best role models growing up. Mordecai has had seven children with four different women. I don't know what the age gap is between him and Heather, but I know there's a considerable difference there. If I understood the story right, he had a grown son who died before he even married Heather."

Kareen couldn't really say too much on the subject of dating an older man--Patrick was several years older than she was.

?You know, I?m really looking forward to meeting a

 

Olivia Madders
Food Mart Supermarket

Olivia smiled as she scooted past Anne. "Hello, Anne." Olivia greeted her warmly. "Spreading a little early cheer for the holidays?" she asked with a smile, as she scanned over the pair. "How are you?" she asked.

"Oh my Olivia, how has everyone been these days?" Anne asked her. Olivia watched as the little girl pulled on her grandmother?s dress. Anne showed her a rack of dolls, which stopped the girl?s whining. "Ah..I cant complain." Olivia answered with a smile.

"Well, I?ve been stuck watching Ellie here."[/i] She leaned in. "Kathy, you know, my daughter? She ran away with a new boyfriend again." She sighed and shook her head. Olivia nodded her head in sympathy. Was the way of the new generation these days, it seemed. Anne continued. "I have told her and told her again that she is almost forty, and has a six year old kid. She needs to have some responsibility. But she hasn?t learned just yet." It was a hard call, Olivia knew. To deny the girl, might been she would loose contact with her granddaughter. And who wants that? Instead, she was now stuck being the perpetual babysitter.

Anne looked at her granddaughter for a few seconds.

"I just think. . .what if Ellie was that poor dead girl. I mean, Susanna was my friend in school. Susanna is the girl?s mother, by the way. Anyway, Susanna was just like Kathy is. Wild, carefree. She left town, you know, and abandoned her daughter with the Caspers. And I want to raise her the best way I can, but sometimes. . .it?s a little rough, you know." Olivia gave her friend a look of sympathy as she nodded her head once more.

"I love her though. I don?t know what I would do if I lost Ellie." She shook her head. "I don?t know how I would survive." Olivia scrunched up her eyes for a moment, and then she relaxed.

"Ah, dont go worrying about such things. You would hike up them garters, and take care of your lovely granddaughter." She said with a smile. "You grew up like I did. You would manage cause you had to. And you certainly wouldnt abandon nobody." Olivia reached over, and gave her friend a gentle pat on the shoulder. "Have to kinda feel sorry for Susanna in a way. All that money, and they still have more problems than us folks every would have. Folks always trying to run away from a past. They never seem to realize, that the more they run, the faster it catches up with em." Olivia stated with a small chuckle. "I think yer girl will find that out soon enough. Then she will settle down." Olivia looked at the pair, and gave a satisfied nod. Now, you know you can come to me, if you ever has any problems. And no more doom and gloom talk, ok?" She then bent over and pulled down a doll, the little girl had been looking at, and handed it to her with a small. "You have to listen to yer grandma now, alrighty?"

She then looked up at Anne. "Dont worry about the doll. You guys will need to get home soon. Them winds are really picking up. Gonna be a heck of a storm brewing. Should be something in a few days. She paused for a moment, as she carefully asked her next question. "You still talk to your friend Susanna, since she came back into town? I bet she be really wanting to talk to a friend after all of this foolishness." Olivia asked her. She did wonder why the woman had left her child behind. Most likely, it was not something she wanted to do. She had heard lots of things about old Mordecai. Ever since the other family Sylvester had moved there, they had managed to polarize the small town.

Yeah, them storm clouds were gathering up and picking up speed. Something was about to let loose. And soon.


TAG: Spycoder

 

IC: Rom De Luca

?California?? Nigel asked with a big grin on his face.

?My mother?s family was from there.?

Rom cursed inwardly. He hoped Nigel wouldn't start asking too many questions about California; he could only keep up the lie for so long.

Nigel patted Rom on the arm.

?We have a lot in common.? He sized him up. ?You working anywhere??

Rom shook his head. "No, I'm still looking. Thought I'd get a job as a security guard somewhere."

TAG: Spycoder

 

OOC: JUST got internet at my new house! It?s been almost all week since I have been able to post! So I?m devoting myself to getting up a new update hopefully tonight. If not tonight, then tomorrow night for sure. I?m very sorry, and tried to post about being gone, but it wouldn?t let me. Working on it now!

 

OOC: Part 3

And Merry Christmas to everyone!

IC: Kareen Gillis
Kareen's House

What the heck was Robert doing here?

"Mom, I'm gonna have to let you go, all right? I'll call you tomorrow and let you know about Thursday."

?Oh, okay. Can?t wait to hear from you- oh wait. Oh my Lord.? Her mother was in shock. ?Did this just happen? Ten minutes ago? That's so many people.?

Kareen was confused. "What, Mom?"

?A plane coming from Japan to. . .where exactly, Daniel? Here?! A plane just crashed with like two hundred and something people onboard. No survivors.?

Kareen winced, biting her tongue to hold back the curse that jumped into her throat. The whole world seemed to be falling apart. "That's awful...where'd it go down?"

Unwilling to make Robert stand on the front porch in the cold any longer, she pulled her robe closer around her before unlocking the deadbolt, unfastening the door chain and opening the door, beckoning for Robert to come inside. Covering the phone's mouthpiece with her hand, she whispered, "What are you doing here?"

?I. . .I. . .? Robert?s eyes were red and filled with tears. He was shaking as he walked inside. ?The. . .I need to. . .?

The phone was making noises. ?Kareen! Kareen, who in the world are you talking to? It crash landed in the ocean, if you can hear me.?

Something was wrong. She led Robert over to the couch and sat him down, holding up a finger in a silent request for him to wait a second. "Mom, Robert just showed up here. I'll talk to you tomorrow. Love you. 'Bye."

Once she was sure her mother had hung up, she returned her attention to Robert, sitting down next to him on the sofa. "Robert, what's wrong?"

?My niece. . .the only part of my family left. . .she?s. . .? he burst into tears. He simply grabbed the remote and turned the TV on to the local news channel. It was blasting about the horrific plane crash in which everyone had died. No survivors. Coming from Japan. Exactly as her mother had said.

Realization dawned on her: Robert?s neice must have been on that plane. The footage on the news was horrible to watch, and now that she understood what was wrong, Kareen quickly turned the TV off again, knowing it would only torture Robert more. She couldn't even stand to watch it. "Oh, Robert..." she placed a comforting hand on his back. "Robert, I'm so sorry..."

?I mean. . .she was all I had.? Robert rubbed his tired eyes. ?My parents died years ago. . .my sister abandoned my niece. She was like a sister.? Robert looked at Kareen. ?It was my fault she was coming. I asked her. . .Thanksgiving. . .she sounded so excited on the phone.?

Kareen was already shaking her head at him. "It's not your fault, Robert. They probably don't even know why the plane--" she paused a moment, then pressed on. "Why it went down."

"I. . .I don't have anyone now." Robert couldn't hold back the flood of tears. "I'm alone."

To Be Continued...

 

Sylvester Incorporated


?Just so happens we need a security guard.? Nigel grinned.

?And I bet you would love to work with your girlfriend to protect her.? He looked him up and down. ?A mighty fine man, you seem to be.?

He looked down at his watch.

?Maybe I could squeeze in an appointment tomorrow around lunchtime. Wanna stop by??

His phone began to ring. He fiddled with it, eventually turning it off.

?My oldest son.? He waved his hand to shrug it off. ?He might be there too. So, an appointment??


TAG: Bish

---

[i]Food Mart Supermarket[/i]


?Susanna is back in town??

Anne was obviously shocked.

?I may have to see her.? She smiled as she watched her granddaughter cuddle the doll Olivia had handed to her.

?Thank you Olivia. You are one of the only people remaining in town who have a heart.? She shook her head. ?Over time, everyone has changed. Heartless, I guess.? She gave Olivia a hug. ?We?re the last of a dying generation. Well. . .? She smirked. ?I never really knew how old you were. You still look like you?re thirty.?


[b]TAG: Ktala[/b]

[hr]

[i]Nichols Household[/i]


Christopher finally drug himself home.

Naomi neglected to return his call for the moment.

His phone had a couple of missed calls on it.

One happened to be from his sister.


[b]TAG: Han[/b]

[hr]

[b]OOC:[/b] A little late, but glad I got it up. Within the next few updates, this day will end. Also, Han, you have the liberty to make up your own conversation with your sister and such for the time being. Until I can wrap other people up in their stories. [face_grin]

 

OOC: Last part

IC: Kareen Gillis
Kareen?s House

Kareen didn't know what to say. She felt terrible for him. After several moments passed, she finally broke the silence. "You're not, Robert. You've still got your friends.

"Is there anything I can do?"

?She was so. . .beautiful.? He whimpered. ?So was Natalie. Two beautiful women struck down without even a chance to say anything.? He took the remote. ?Turn it back on.?

A news reporter had his hand to his ear.

?A new report is coming in. Here is the live video of the wreckage. And by golly, it?s true.? Bodies littered the water. Out of them, about ten or so were moving and trying to swim. ?Some people have survived. It?s a miracle. We will work as hard as we can to find out who the survivors are.?

?Survivors?? Robert?s heart soared. And yet, there were 200 people onboard that plane. Ten or so had survived.

Kareen watched the report with an obvious expression of surprise on her face. There were actually survivors? But there were so few... Her hand moved to Robert's shoulder. "Robert, I don't like to be a killjoy, but until you actually hear something...don't get your hopes up." If his niece wasn't among the survivors, it would only hurt him that much more if he started thinking she was.

?She?s all I have, Kareen. She?s all I have.? His eyes had a vacant, far away look.

Kareen was at a complete loss for words--she had already attempted once to remind him that he still had his friends, but she knew that it wasn't the same as family.

After several long moments, she finally had to break the tense silence. "Robert, do you want to stay here tonight? You can sleep in the guest room..." As soon as the words left her mouth, she found herself wondering where in the world they came from. But at the same time, she knew she couldn't send Robert home by himself when he was in such a state--had the situation been reversed, she would not want to be alone with such feelings as what Robert must be experiencing.

"Um. . ." he paused for a second. He tried to fight the tears. "Thank you." He attempted a smile, but his heart was shattered into pieces. He could barely breathe it hurt so bad.

She was slightly surprised when he accepted her offer, but she didn't show it. She had only one last necessary question. "Do you think you're going to be able to work tomorrow? I can call Amy, if you want. I'm sure she'll understand if you don't want to go in." As she said it, she felt a sharp stab of guilt--they had not gone to see Amy or Xander today, as they had intended to. And they had been right there at the hospital when they had questioned Chris Nichols, too.

"Dammit." Robert rubbed his head. "We didn't go see Xander.

"I'll go into work tomorrow. To take my mind off of my problems. I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation on the phone."

Kareen shook her head again. Privately, she marveled at Robert?s willingness to still work considering the circumstances. "Don't worry about it, it was just my mother, and it wasn't anything particularly important."

"Your mother. . .Hannah's her name, isn't it? I'm sorry I broke up the conversation." Robert frowned for a second, but tried to block it out. "Is she coming? For Thanksgiving, I mean?"

Kareen nodded. "She and Dad will be here Thursday morning, and they'll stay until the weekend after the holiday. They weren't supposed to get here until Saturday, but Dad broke his leg at work." There was a tinge of exasperation in her voice--she knew exactly which stairs Daniel had tripped on, and he had been stumbling over those same steps since even before Kareen's birth. Kareen and Hannah had both cautioned him many times, and by some miracle, he had never seriously injured himself before now. "I guess Mom took a couple of extra days off to look after him, so they just decided to come early."

"I'm glad you'll get to see them. You talk about them a lot." He smiled. No emotion was in his voice. "Maybe. . ."He stopped himself. His face was covered in tears. "I think I should lay dow