*Recap*

"LAINEYYY!" Yep, this is how I am once again woken up.

I wonder what happened now. I think, as I drag myself out of bed and towards where the noise came from.

Could this day get any worse?

Incase you are wondering, I never should've asked that because it apparently can.

__________________

I quickly drag my sleepy body down the stairs and to the living room where I think the shout came from.

"Wyatt? What in the world are you doing up this early?" I ask incredulously, as I look at him standing up and staring outside at something.

Not two seconds after I ask that, a frazzled looking Nate comes running out to once again help in whatever danger has my siblings screaming their heads off. Wyatt doesn't say anything but slowly turns so I can see his frightened face looking out the window. Without a word, he points a shaky finger towards Nate's driveway. Wondering what's going on, I walk over to him, but am suddenly stopped by what I'm seeing.

Outside is my car. Normally that wouldn't be weird, considering I had asked Hal to drop it off the night before. The bad part was that the headlights were smashed out, there were key slashes on the side, and in big red letters was the word

MURDERER

I'm not really sure what happened next. All I know is I saw black spots and began to fall, as I heard Nathan and Wyatt scream my name.

_______________________

*Flashback*

Checking my phone, I saw it read 1:27 a.m.

Whenever I babysat, I always waited for mom and dad to get home before I went to bed. I don't really know why, I guess I just couldn't sleep until our whole family was home safe. I blame it on my parents' constant reminder of how 'family is the most important thing.' Either way, that's the only reason I have been sitting on the couch for the last four hours waiting for them to arrive.

Before they left, they said they would be here at 9:30 and no later.

What is keeping them so long? They're probably just partying extra hard. Maybe even doing the nasty in the car.

EWW! That is sooo not an image I needed put in my head.

After trying to call them three more times, I decide to just head on up to bed. Right as I'm about to walk upstairs, I hear the doorbell ring.

Well finally.

Figuring my parents just forgot their house key, I go to open the door but am stopped when I see a man in a blue cop's uniform instead of my parents.

"Ma'am. Are you Adelaine Scott? Oldest daughter of Kelly and John Scott?" The officer asks me with a wary look.

"Umm yes sir, I am. May I ask what the problem is? My parents aren't home right now but they will be shortly." I reply back, using the polite tone my parents always taught me to have.

At the mention of my parents, the man gives me a look full of sorrow. What the heck is going on? Before I could voice my question, the man starts again.

"My name is Officer Jenkins and this is my partner Officer Anderson, may we come in? I'm sorry it's so late, but I was sent here to talk to you kids. Could you please get your siblings?" He asks hesitantly.

I invite them in and watch as the two officers pace into the living room. Quickly, I go and wake up the three kids and drag their sleepy forms downstairs. Upon seeing the cops, Wyatt, who is carrying a half asleep Dylan, becomes fully alert and looks at me in confusion.

"Hi kids, like I told your sister, my name is Officer Jenkins and this is Officer Anderson. You guys might want to take a seat before we start talking." He says to us, in a voice one would use on a scared child.

Wyatt and I set Dylan and Katie in between us and then we both sit down on the couch. Seeing the looks of the officers, I begin to get really worried.

"Look, I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but there's been an accident. You're parents..." Officer Jenkins begins but gets a bit choked up so his partner finishes.

"Kids, your parents' car flipped on road 99. I'm sorry, but they had passed before we arrived." Officer Anderson finishes.

I just stare at them in disbelief. I look over at my siblings and can see Dylan and Katie crying, understanding what the word 'passed' meant. Wyatt is sitting stoically straight, not moving and I think he's in shock. Not quite processing yet what the officers had said, my mind quickly works to come up with an explanation.

"No, that can't be. They were leaving a dinner. They wouldn't have taken road 99, they always come home on road 86." I say confidently, standing to face the officers.

"I'm sorry sweetie, but they were on that road. The civilian who found them recovered a phone. It seemed your mom was trying to type a message to you before the crash." Jenkins said, talking like I was a hurt animal.

"No, no, no. I didn't get a message. What did it say?" I frantically ask, still not understanding everything that's going on.

"I really don't think we should..." Anderson starts but I quickly interrupt him.

"Please! You have to have the wrong people, if you tell me what the message said, I can tell you if it was my mother or not." I plead with them. They both share a look before Anderson speaks up again.

"The message said:

And then there was no more text. I'm sorry." Anderson finishes, giving me a look full of guilt and pity.

NO! This can't be real. They were on that road because of me? They're lying. They have to be.

"You're wrong. My parents are never late getting home. It couldn't have been them." I say to the officers who are now exchanging another look between themselves.

"I'm really sorry. We ran DNA, it was a match for John and Kelly Scott." Jenkins slowly says to me.

"No, no, no, no. NO!!! Please, you have to tell me it's a joke. Please!." I plead with the two officers. Before they reply I hear a small whisper coming from Wyatt. I ask him what he said and when he looks up, I'm shocked to see a look of pure rage coming from him.

"DIDN'T YOU HEAR THEM! THEY'RE DEAD ADELAINE! DEAD! AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT. THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE BEEN ON THAT ROAD, BUT YOU JUST HAD TO BE A SPOILED BRAT AND MAKE THEM FEEL BAD FOR YOU. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT." Wyatt screams, tears running down his face.

I just stand there motionless. I can feel the tears running down my own as I watch Wyatt's face go from angry to horrified, his words sinking in as he covers his mouth with his hand.

"Lainey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean that." He says, trying to come over to me.

I hold up a hand to stop him and move to walk up to my room. Somehow, I make it upstairs and close the door. The second I hear the click of the door shutting , my mind turns back on. Everything that was just said finally clicks and every emotion comes washing over me.

My parents are dead. The sweet, loving, romantic people who loved me more than anything are never going to walk through that door again.

Wyatt was right, it's all my fault.

Knowing I deserve it, I just sit and let every ounce of pain and sorrow wash over me as I cry harder than I ever have. I don't think about the officers or my siblings still downstairs. I don't care that my throat was becoming raw. I can't feel anything other than complete and total pain. The only thing that keeps going through my head is

It's all my fault.

*End Flashback*

__________________________

I hear a few muffled voices, and can start to barely make out what they are saying as the remanences of my flashback slowly fades. The voices fade in and out as I try to clear my head, but I can't open my eyes. I can't move. It's like I'm stuck in another time, a time where the darkness of what I've gone through is so strong, I don't think I will come out of it.

That is until I hear one strong voice that makes me move further towards consciousness.

"Angel, baby. Please open your eyes."