Chapter 4 - Gen 5 - Amber

"Stop playing with your food Cain, eat it or throw it away!!"

"Shut up Reece, you are starting to sound like Cory"

"You have sat there clanking your fork against that plate for half an hour and its getting on my nerves."

"I don't get it - I just don't get it!!"

"What?"

"Why give me my life back - he took Apricot, Kelly and Genie, why??"

"Mom gave you that seed didn't she?"

"Yeah she gave it me when I started school, the times I have looked at it and nearly thrown it out, good job I didn't - but can you explain what that was all about because it beats me!!??"

"She gave me one too but she never explained it, I think I have sort of fathomed it out for myself working at the science lab." 

"So... what was it and why did the Reaper want it bad enough to trade it for my life?"

"It is a death flower seed, I have heard rumours about the Reaper trading the flowers for life, but now I have seen it, maybe I should listen to some of the other rumours flying around the lab, you never know ..."

"Never know what?"

"Nothing, it doesn't matter!!"

"Why did Mom never explain it - if I had know - I could have given the kids one, they would still be here - why Reece, why didn't she tell us?"

"Think about it, would you have taken her seriously if she had told you."

"Probably not, ......... I am going to ask her!!"

"What?!"

"I am going to the graveyard she might know more, I want my wife and kids back."

"Cain that's not possible!!"

"If the Reaper can do it, it is possible."

"You are not thinking straight Cain, Apricot and the kids, they are dead, there is no way you can get them back"

"We'll see!!"

"Your mad!!"

"You are the one who wants to be a mad scientist one day - isn't this how you should be thinking - what exactly do you want to achieve with your science Reece?  I thought being a scientist you would be looking for the next big scientific breakthrough." 

Cain's words ringing in his head Reece started to do some research.

Cain with an unrealistic dream started stalking the graveyard at night waiting for his mothers ghost to appear.  It was not long before Lacey's ghost appeared.

"Mom we need to talk."

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I felt like I was never going to wash the smell of the smoke off my clothes or off my skin.  Every time I smelt it it just set me off crying again, losing one person is hard enough, but three, my mind was skipping from one to the other grieving for them all at the same time was just too much pain to handle.  Then there was my Mom, it brought back memories of when she died really not all that long ago, but I was younger and grief seemed so much easier to handle when you are young.

 

We did not go to school yesterday the day of the fire, or today, we didn't get into trouble for it either, Dad either didn't notice or he was too upset to care about us skipping a few days off school, or maybe he understood we needed a few days off, whichever it was, I for one was glad of it.

I was surprised, no shocked, when at what would have been dinnertime at school the doorbell rang and it was Bradey stood at the door.  Bradey Squash skipping school, I never thought I would see the day!!!!!  He was worried, they had heard about the fire but because none of us were at school they didn't know who had died.

I decided I needed to get out of the house for a bit so went home with Bradey for a while.  Of course I sat there reliving it all, because his family had lots of questions about the fire.  I really liked his parents and his sister I just hated his brother Brice.  They were a nice family I just don't know what happened to Brice!!!

Bradey I think is just like his Dad but with glasses and Brice looked just like their Mom.

I didn't stay long once I was out I just wanted to go home, I just wanted to cry and I didn't think it would be nice for Bradey and his family to watch me crying.

The first thing I saw when I got home was Genies ghost out in the kitchen acting just as though she was alive - I wander if she even realises she is dead??

Alex was as uspet as I was watching Genies ghost floating about the kitchen like everything was normal - but life was never going to be normal again!!!

It was hard for all of us, but it must have been a lot harder for Laney, she was the only one left from the first set of triplets and she had lost her mother, I knew exactly how that felt.

Reece was the one that cleaned the house up and removed all trace that there had ever been a fire here, none of us could bear to do it

 Dad was very quiet and withdrawn, he spent ages just staring into space, but he did start to spend all of his time with Dixie like she was the only thing keeping him going.

Dixie didn't have a clue why Dad kept breaking down in front of her, that's even if she is old enough to realise what he is doing, she just stared up at him wide eyed and said nothing.

He was sleeping in the nursery with Dixie instead of going to bed.

When he did managed to find his way upstairs he started to sleep with Reece.

But life had to go on and before we knew it prom night arrived.  I went to prom with Bradey and Laney decided she was not attending prom, so it was just the three of us that went, or so I thought.

When we got in after prom I was putting a tired Dixie to bed when I heard shouting coming from the kitchen, I could hear Alex yelling, and I could have sworn that was Kelly's voice I just heard!!  Thinking I was going mad, I went to investigate.

"How could you Alex!!!"

"KELLY!!! What is your problem?"

"She is my girlfriend."

"WAS your girlfriend, you are dead remember!!"

"I am not even cold yet and you make a move on my girlfriend."

"How the hell do you know anyway?"

"I followed you to prom."

"Then you would have seen, she came onto me, she started it!!"

"Adam, I want you to finish it with her."

"What difference does it make - Kelly you are dead, gone, if it's not me then it will just be somebody else."

"I don't care Alex - you had no right!!"

"Whatever but you can't stop me!!"

"What is going on?"

"Dad!!"

"Well?"

"Alex was kissing Ashley at prom."

I really don't know what Dad said to either of them, I was pretty shocked as I hadn't noticed Alex with Ashley and here was me thinking that Adam would be chasing after Ashley after Kelly died, I never expected her to end up with Alex.

Kelly's prom photo from our first prom, appeared in the hallway, I think maybe dad might have put it there.  The last thing I should imagine that Alex would want to be seeing all the time, as a reminder that he had moved in on his brothers girlfriend straight after he died.  It was Adam who I did think would end up with Ashley after Kelly died, but suddenly he seemed to lose all interest in Ashley, it makes me wander if he just wanted what Kelly had - which is quite a spiteful way to be and really unlike Adam.

With prom over - all us kids had a birthday coming up.  Dixie and Laney had theirs on the same day.  Trying to distract us from the fact that Genie and Kelly should too be having their birthdays, he decided we would have a family birthday party which was of course crashed by the paparazzi.

Dixie turned out to look just like Apricot.

Then it was Laney's turn, she was becoming a young adult.

She also looked spookily like Apricot.

Something I don't think that Dad was coping too well with.

He was very quiet while we were eating cake and chatting

Then to make matters worse Genie's ghost was out again - taking a dip in the hot tub.  Twice she had been out since they died, Kelly has been out once and nobody has seen Apricot at all yet.

But the day didn't turn out too badly, we all played out on the water slides till it was very late and even Dad joined in with the fun eventually.

In a few days time it is our birthday, mine, Alex and Adams and I am really looking forward to that!!

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Chapter 5

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