𝐒𝐀𝐊𝐔𝐑𝐀 𝐃𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐒 | HAN LUE

𝟐

1989

It had only been a week since the accident. 

There was a lot to figure out. 

They were lucky as children that they had a father who had his life in order. He had a will and insurance, so they would be taken care of for a while until it was time for them to grow up and make a living on their own. They were able to pay off any debt they had by using the money they got from insurance, so that was a weight lifted off their shoulders. 

It still didn't make it right that their father was gone.

Frankie had to watch as her siblings fell apart. 

She watched them cry and scream. 

Mia was going through it. She hadn't left her bedroom all week and the funeral didn't make things any better for her either. She just cried her eyes out.

When you're nine you don't understand these things, but Frankie did. She was the only one who had stopped crying since they watched their father perish. To her, crying was pointless and something her father told her wouldn't get her through life. 

She needed to be strong and hold her chin up high. Her father would've told her to. 

It was the only way she would get through life while she was going through hell. 

And she was getting through it, doing things that she didn't need to be doing because she was only a child and it wasn't her job to take care of her older siblings. The little girl was cooking and cleaning, just trying to make the house seem like they had an adult figure around. Jakob and Dom were old enough to take care of their sisters without having to go through lawyers and the legalities of it all. 

They would still need help.

James Gomez was their uncle. 

Not their real uncle. 

One of their father's closest friends who had been away for a while. 

He had been going through a lot since coming out of rehab. He was finally clean and finally ready to get on with his life now that he didn't need to use drugs as an escape from his life and any other problems he might have. He was just there to watch over them. To make sure they stayed out of trouble. People grieve differently, he knew that the four siblings would all be dealing with this in their own ways.

Mia was confined to her bedroom, not saying or doing much. She would normally sleep the whole day or just lay there, thinking deep thoughts. There was nothing that anyone could say or do that would get her out of that bed. 

Not even Frankie's attempts at making her pancakes or bringing her ice cream. 

The young girl just wanted to be alone right now. Eating and talking were the last things she wanted to do after burying what was left of their father. 

It had been one hell of a week. 

James was just sitting and observing.

The little girl was seated on her brother's lap as he brushed her hair and put it up into a ponytail. She had her teddy bear in her hand, something to comfort her since she was struggling right now.