Random Somethings

Ross: Part 2

            

Daniel arrived at the Ross household in record time and the bad feeling strengthened ten fold as soon as he saw a police car parked at the front. Granted this wasn't the first time this happened, growing up with the city lunatics seeing police cars parked at the front wasn't unusual but this time it felt different than before. With trepidation, he walked up to the front door and was faced with a grim policeman.

"Are you Daniel Ross?" he nodded, the policeman walked with him to the living room where he saw two other police guys and his sister sitting on the couch, head bowed and eyes distant; another glaring sign that something was wrong. The man gave a polite cough that snapped his sister out of her daze. She looked... she looked happy to see him.

She stood up and engulfed him in a crushing hug. "I'm glad you're safe." She whispered in relief.

Daniel pulled out quickly, he may have seen and done some shit but this was too much. Danielle isn't... wasn't affectionate with him, never had and never will so either this isn't his sister or something fucked up just happened.

"This is weirding me out," Daniel began, eyes sharp and wary. Danielle backed off and sat down again looking troubled. "What and why Ellie. Why am I here?"

He reverted back to the her hated nickname in an attempt to the get the situation back to normal, but the customary glare wasn't there, she just sighed and looked at him sadly. She dragged him to sit beside her on the couch and fiddled with her hands for a little bit before looking at him, this time with an unreadable look on her face.

"Daniel, mom and dad are..."

He immediately wished he never asked.

Its been hours and police has left them alone, Daniel was still sitting on the couch trying to come to terms with the news while his sister was somewhere in the living room making arrangements and phone calls basically being her boring responsible self.

            

Daniel was having a hard time wrapping his head around the news.

His parents were dead.

His parents were dead.

They were dead and he killed them.

Because of that fucking werewolf illusion they died.

An accident in the main road, the police said, they just crossed the road without care and ended up getting crushed by truck.

It sounded so... them. It was just so characteristically Dave and Daphne, always chasing the supernatural without regard to personal safety. It shouldn't have been funny but it was.

God, I really am terrible person, he thought to himself with his elbows resting on his knees and his face cradled on his hands.

"Daniel?" she says softly after a while, Danielle kneels in front of him looking at him with concern on her eyes for the first time he could remember. She looked worried, like he might fall apart on her any second. "I know we haven't been the greatest siblings but we're all we have right now and we have to stick together now."

"That's bullshit and you know it," he murmured. Daniel couldn't risk looking at her face in case he lost it and started laughing like a maniac. "We've been taking care of ourselves from the start, just because they're dead doesn't mean anything's changed."

"Daniel..."

"Quit with the theatrics," he sneered. "Admit it, you're relived they're dead."

"Daniel!" she hissed. "How could you say that?"

"No shame in saying what's true."

"That doesn't make it any less disrespectful," she rebuked though he noticed that she didn't deny his words. "I know neither of us were particularly close with our parents but we should still respect the dead."

"Really? 'Cause they were dead to me since I was ten, them actually dying doesn't change anything at all."

He was expecting some sort of half-hearted protest but all he got was a sigh, as his sister seemed to deflate right in front of him. It was honestly disturbing for Daniel to see her so unkempt. The poor lighting emphasized the bags under her teal blue eyes, eyes that look absolutely drained. Danielle's usual proper bun was messy, and her face was thinner and paler than the last time the saw each other face to face.

"I know Daniel," she agreed tiredly. "But we're the only ones we've got now, we gotta at least work together on this."

Daniel couldn't bring himself to say anything more antagonistic, he wasn't a complete jackass after all. His sister looked like university life was eating her up and with their parents' death added on to it she'd likely be stressed beyond belief because of her perfectionist nature. If he pissed her off more it would not end well.

"Fine. What do you want me to do Ellie?"

There was twitch on her eye, which signified that they were going back to normal or as normal as both of them can get.

"Funeral plans and inheritance... I'd probably end up adopting you just so you won't get put into the system."

"How generous."

"Shush you or I'll change my mind."

And just like that, it was the good ol' days when they were young and less strained, the days where she wasn't so distant and cold.

One might say the siblings were unnaturally calm about the whole thing. They didn't shed a tear for their parents' death but then again they had already mourned them six years ago when they realized their parents' were unforgivable scumbags.

            

Dave and Daphne's death, accidental as it was on Daniel's part, was a weight lifted to the pair of them. They spent hours arranging the necessities, spending more time together than the past six years in total.

"You know," she began after a long while of silence. "I don't think we've spent this much time together since forever."

Daniel paused at research. "No we haven't."

"I'm sorry Daniel," she murmured sincerely. "I became someone I never wanted to be."

"Well..." he drawled, determinedly not looking at her, typing away with vigor on his laptop. "Don't we all."