Safe and Sound (Watty Awards 2012).

Chapter Twenty Eight.

Chapter Twenty Eight. 

Kyle's Point of View.

Since the evening that Madeline had broken down, she had begun to deal with things surprisingly well. I hoped that meant that she was beginning to heal, but I wouldn't have bet on it.

We were back at school after out Christmas break, and it was currently Wednesday morning, which meant that there was just two days until the dreaded trial. There in the courtroom to support Madeline would be me, my father and Madeline's dad, Jason. Sophie would be at school seeing as my parents had refused to allow her to have a day off, and my mother would stay at home to look after William as he would only be returning to nursery the following week.

Madeline and William were still staying with my family as Madeline didn't want either of them to become used to living with their father just in case he was unable to win custody of them.

I knew that Madeline was pinning all of her hopes on going to live with Jason. She didn't want to have to go into foster care until she was eighteen, and she didn't want to risk being separated from William if they were put into care.

I could understand her fears. She was extremely close to her brother; no wonder when she had been looking after him since the day that Cora had brought him home from the hospital.

My eyes flickered over to the other side of my double bed, where the sheets were crinkled and slightly dented from where Madeline had slept. She had left the room fifteen minutes before to go and have a shower and get dressed for school. I had showered the night before, so I kicked off the covers and made my way to my wardrobe. I pulled on a fresh pair of boxer briefs and followed them with a clean pair of smart trousers. Shrugging on a crisp white shirt, I did up the buttons before rifling around for a tie. Finding a grey one, I wound it around my neck and tied it neatly before I grabbed my blazer.

Now that I was dressed, I loosened my tie slightly and rolled up the sleeves of my blazer before making sure that my shirt was untucked. This lent a more casual appearance to my otherwise smart school clothes. Slipping on a pair of shoes, I picked up my already prepared school bag and made my way down the stairs, dropping my bag by the front door before continuing on my way to the kitchen.

"Hey, honey. How did you guys sleep?"

I smiled at my mother as I quickly kissed her on the cheek.

"Good, thanks. Madeline just went to have a shower. Has dad left already?"

Mum nodded her head.

"Yes. He wanted to get in early as he's scheduled to speak to Steven a little later on."

I made a small face at the mention of the lawyer's name.

I quickly made myself a mug of strong coffee and poured in a thin trickle of semi-skimmed milk as mum pushed two toasts into the toaster for me. I sat down at the island in the middle of the kitchen, my fingers wrapping around my mug as I lifted it to my lips to blow at the steam that was wafting from it. I took a cautious sip, and on finding that my coffee was the perfect temperature, I then took several large gulps. Mum slid a plate with the two toasts on it in front of me, and I held my mug in one had rather that two so that I could pick up one of the buttered slices.

"How's Madeline feeling about school?"

My gaze flickered over to my mother, who had lifted herself up to sit on the marble top of the island. I shrugged my shoulders, ripping off a chuck of toast with my teeth. I considered her question as I proceeded to wolf down half of the slice.

"I think she's looking forward to it. It'll be something to take her mind off things."

Mum watched as I finished the rest of the first slice. She sighed softly, swinging her legs back and forth like a child would have done had they been sitting on a table top.