Chapter Forty

3rd Person's Point Of View

Christmas Eve put everyone in a good mood. Lyla even got out all of her family pictures, wanting to have them with her this holiday.

She was hoping that the boys wouldn't notice the one of the little boy and the older girl standing beside her in one of the photos. But that didn't happen

"Lyla?" Ben called over to her.

Lyla looked up from the book she was reading to Peter with Sammi listening from afar.

"Yeah?" Lyla frowned, seeing that Ben was hovering over something.

He turned around and pointed to the little boy in a picture. "Who is this?"

Lyla turned around again and stared at the floor, swallowing hard.

You knew this was going to happen at some point. Tell them. You've had this a secret long enough.

"Boys," Lyla shouted upstairs. Elisa and Jameson looked through the glass with wide eyes, thinking they were in trouble. "Can you come down here?" Lyla saw Nick's head poke out from the bay window. "You too Nick."

Nalla sensed that she was needed as well and left the cookie dough on the counter, washing her hands in the sink.

Once everyone was in a circle, Lyla showed everyone the picture Ben had found

"So, as all of you don't know, I wasn't always an only child." Lyla looked at the boys.

They widened their eyes slightly, wanting to hear more.

"I had an older sister and younger brother." Lyla smiled slightly. "But, something bad happened." Lyla paused, her smile vanishing.

The boys leaned forward, not wanting the tension to last forever.

"My younger brother, his name was Drew. When he was five and I was nine, we were getting ice cream one day. My parents thought I was responsible enough to go get some for ourselves." Lyla's voice cracked and the boys' hearts shattered. "One minute he is by my side. The next, he, he is gone." Lyla broke out in a sob.

Ben pulled Lyla into his embrace as Jameson hugs Lyla from the side, leaning against her. Ben whispered some soothing words as he stroked her hair slowly. Lyla wiped her eyes after a few moments and continued the nightmare.

"We searched for him forever. Five years later, the police found him." Lyla stared at the ground, refusing to look at any of the boys.

The boys relaxed, at ease knowing the story ended with a happy ending.

"His skeleton was found at the bottom of the lake, a bullet hole through his head." Lyla's voice was completely drained of emotion.

The boys were horrified.

This was no happy ending. This was real life. There are no fairy tales in real life.

"My older sister is dead too. She was so devastated, she left for the military. I tried to get her to take me with her, but she refused, saying I had to take care of mom. I failed at that too." Lyla paused to wipe her eyes. "Anna was killed in battle, saving a civilian, a little boy." Lyla's voice broke. She closed her eyes and regained her strength. "My mom died of cancer the next week. We had three funerals in two months, all family."

'So this is why Lyla is so depressed.' Peter thought. 'I would want to kill myself too.'