Chapter One:357Please respect copyright.PENANAoamjXDcuuM
357Please respect copyright.PENANAgs40LiAMuo
“There’s nothing weird about wanting to go to Wendy’s!”
“Yeah, when you don’t have millions of dollars that you could spend!”
Michelle Lowry sighed at her two debating children. “Kids, come on now! You seriously can’t decide on somewhere to eat for lunch?”
Marie, the youngest child, turned to her and replied, “I made a decision! But Mister I’m-too-good-to-eat-fast-food over here,” her older brother just rolled his eyes, “doesn’t think that it’s good enough!”
“Well then why don’t you just eat at Carrabba’s?”
John, the older child (and wasn’t afraid to use it), chimed in as Marie opened her mouth to speak again, “Fantastic! Now, let’s go before mom’s head explodes from too much stress,” as he began pushing his sister towards the door.
She groaned as he pushed her out the door and into the garage.
“Behave you two!” Their mom yelled out to them.
“Will do!” Marie yelled.
“No promises!” John grinned. This time, it was Marie’s turn to roll her eyes.
Michelle watched as her two children walked out to John’s black Mustang, almost immediately bickering again.
“Hey, whoa whoa whoa! You can’t sit in the front seat!” John said as Marie opened the door.
“There’s no back seat, smart one!”
“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure you have to be eighteen to sit up front.”
“You do not! You have to be twelve, and I’m already three years past that!”
“Pretty sure you have to be eighteen.”
“Pretty sure you don’t!”
Michelle sighed again, a smiled crossing her face as she turned around and closed the door.
357Please respect copyright.PENANAykKP1ZYrG3
“If you touch my radio one more time, I’m kicking you out of this car!”
“Oh please! You couldn’t even if you tried!”
“Wanna bet?”
“What are we listening to anyways? Brad Paisley?”
“Hey, I happen to like country!” John said sarcastically, knowing full well that his sister hated country.
His sister rolled her eyes for about the second time that car ride.
She turned to look out the window once again. She watched as they passed Carrabba’s, her mind taking a second to process what just happened. At first, she opened her mouth to tell him that they had gone past it, but she knew that it was no mistake. He knew exactly where Carrabba’s was, and he knew that he had passed it.
“Where are we going?” she asked as she turned towards him in confusion.
“Not to Carrabba’s,” he replied, giving that signature grin. John always had a way of twisting things to something different or unexpected.
“Then where are we going?”
He lifted the index finger of the only hand on the steering wheel and pointed out the windshield. “There.”
Marie followed his finger out to their supposed destination. She gaped at it for a minute before turning back to him.
“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me,” she said.
“Nope.” His smile never faltered.
“Oh no, no no no no.”
“What?”
“You can’t just act all indignant about going to Wendy’s, and then take us even lower down the food chain to Hardee’s!”
“Hey, Hardee’s’ burgers are on point!”
“You can’t be serious.”
“I just wanna see if the commercials are true.”
“What are you talking about?”
He pulled into a parking space, proving to Marie that that was seriously where they were eating.
“I wanna see if I can spot…” he put the car in park, “a hot swimsuit model eating a burger.”
His sister just stared at him in disbelief. “You’re joking.”
He stared back at her, his grin still plastered on his face. “No, no I am not.”
She took a second before replying, “You do realize that there is no way on Earth that swimsuit models would eat fat juicy burgers, right?”
“No, I think they eat those every day,” he said with his usual sarcasm.
“Ok then, smart guy,” she said as they got out of the car, “why are we here, then?”
“For lunch; duh.”
She thought for a moment as they walked up to the door. “You came to hit on waitresses, didn’t you?”
He opened the door and looked over his shoulder at her. “Maybe.”
Marie couldn’t help but smile as she sighed with disbelief. Eye roll count: 3.
357Please respect copyright.PENANArF9AMFFZbh
Marie watched in pure amazement as her brother starting wolfing down his double bacon cheeseburger. “You’re lucky you work out as much as you do, ‘cause otherwise you’d be like a human marshmallow.”
He finished his huge bite before replying, “Ah, but I do work out. So instead of being a marshmallow, I’m a stud muffin.”
Eye roll count: 4. Marie couldn’t believe how cocky her brother was sometimes. “Y’know, I’m sure those waitresses are gonna love seeing you pig out over here.”
“Psh, they won’t mind.”
“Why not?”
“Because they’ll be too busy admiring the gun show.”
Eye roll count: 5.
“Hey, stop rolling your eyes at me! You’re turning into Mom faster and faster.”
“Yeah, well you’re turning into Dad faster and faster too!”
“How so?”
“Oh, come on! Even Mom has noticed it, Mister ‘gun show’!”
He laughed. “Hey, ya gotta admit; I’m pretty ripped.”
Marie almost rolled her eyes again, but remembered what John had said and decided against it. She just shook her head, a small smile on her face. John always talked about hitting on girls and how muscular he was, but he never seemed to show it off when girls were actually around him. Marie had seen how many girls admired him, cooed over him; but he didn’t have a girlfriend. As a matter of fact, he had never had a girlfriend. It was something that Marie just couldn’t understand. A hot son of millionaires, who had ladies lined up just to see him, had never once been with a woman. It wasn’t like no one wanted to be with him. He was the equivalent to Taylor Lautner, looks, physique, haircut and all; he just had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes.
A few minutes later, a waitress came by and put down the tab. She gave John a quick up-down look and smiled at him before leaving.
“See, see!” John said.
Marie laughed. “Then why don’t you ask her out, bachelor?”
John didn’t say anything to that. Marie always teased him about not having a girlfriend, but he didn’t care. He just smiled, eating his last French fry as he pulled out a credit card.
357Please respect copyright.PENANAOfHzGcNgHh
The two siblings stayed at their booth a little longer as Marie finished her cookies and cream milkshake. The two had been silent for a while as they watched the cars go by. Marie decided to break the silence after taking another sip. “So, am I gonna have to walk home?”
John just stared at her in confusion, laughing slightly. “What?”
“You’re gonna pick up that waitress after her shift ends, right?”
John smiled, looking back out the window again. “I was just joking about that.”
Marie smiled back, taking another sip of her milkshake. Why was it a joke? She wondered.
The usual background noise of the restaurant was broken by the suddenly buzzing TV screens.
“This just in; reports are saying that a large house fire has emerged on the south side of Granbury. Sources say that there are two people trapped inside, but no word if they are alive or not.”
John and Marie both looked up at the screens, their attention locked onto the urgent news report. Marie pulled the shake away from her mouth, slowly setting it on the table. John’s face quickly turned to stone. Marie looked at her older brother.
“What’s wrong?”
John didn’t answer. He looked down at the ground, his head swimming with thoughts. That can’t be…
Everyone had gotten up from their seats to look out the windows to the south side of the city, gasps of horror and murmurs going around. John and Marie both stood up to look out towards the giant plume of smoke that was continually merging with the clouds.
Marie’s expression was filled with pure fear as she mumbled, “But… But that’s where…”
“…Our house is…” John finished. He didn’t hesitate as he grabbed Marie and ran with her out the door. They rushed into the car, barely getting their seat belts on before John was speeding down the road. There were knots in each of their stomachs as they got closer and closer to the source of all the sudden mayhem. Marie was saying silent prayers as John just gripped the steering wheel to the point of making his knuckles white.
When they rounded the final corner, all doubts and hopes were crushed. John stopped the car, unable to get closer. Everyone in the area had gathered to watch firefighters try to contain the mansion’s blaze. The Lowry siblings slowly made their way out of the car, not once looking away from the rising flames. Marie started walking closer, scanning the crowd.
“Where are they…?” she asked. John started looking too. The news report had said that two people-
No… John thought with horror, no… It can’t be…
Marie spotted the maid that had been working in their house when they left. She too was gazing at the red and orange glow, gripping her silver cross necklace with both of her hands.
“June!” she yelled. The maid turned and looked at her.
“Miss Marie!”
“Where are Mom and Dad?!” she asked frantically. The maid’s eyes turned to sorrow, the tears flowing down her face like rivers.
“I-I’m so sorry, Miss… They… They couldn’t…”
Marie’s eyes pleaded with her, begging her to tell her it was all a lie, that this was all just some horrible nightmare. But it wasn’t. If she pinched herself, she wouldn’t wake up; that much she knew. John stood behind her, looking down in shock. How could this have happened…? How…?
Tears started running down his sister’s face as she started sobbing. She started shaking with shock, unable to process what was going on. Her parents were burning alive… In a split second, she took off towards the house, not even thinking about the fire.
“MARIE!” John was quick to catch up with her, grabbing her before she got too close. He pulled her into a hug as she started crying harder into his chest. His eyes burned as he too felt tears fall out of his eyes, unable to escape the glooming reality. In just a few short hours, John and Marie Lowry had become orphans.357Please respect copyright.PENANAbiYMDxHWkw