Why?

Chapter 1: The Death

"See you tomorrow." I call to Indie as she turns onto her street. 
"Right, bright and early." she calls back.
I turn the corner onto my street and quickly speed walk down the lane.  Being alone on an empty street has always made me nervous.  Indie lives nearby so we usually walk home together but I stop have to make the last stretch by myself. 

Uggh, I'm such a scary cat.  How will I ever survive by myself at college? Good thing I don't have to think about that for another year.

My pace slows as I approach the familiar doorstep of my house.  A welcome mat, a wreath and Christmas lights are strung up everywhere even though it is still November.  Still it is a bright comfort amidst the dreeriness of the rest of the neighborhood.  I push open the gate and grab the old fashioned knocker giving it 3 sharp taps.  Then I wait, 10 seconds... 30 seconds... a minute. I knock again and step back.  2 minutes... 3 minutes...
  I have always been a patient person but it doesn't seem like anyone is coming.  They are probably watching TV or in the backyard and can not hear me.  I walk over to the flower bed and pick up a carnation pot to reveal the spare key hidden beneath it.  I slide the key into the lock and turn.
  The door creaks open.  A wave of silence rushes over me. I know instantly that something is wrong. 

There is no salty flavorful scent to the air of the dinner that should be cooking.  There is no hum of noises and babble that should be present in a house where six children live.  No yelling, no screaming, no chattering, no talking, no sobbing- only a faint, distant, whimpering. 
I rush up the stairs and burst into my parents room.  I am about to demand to know what's going on when I see the wetness on my moms cheek and the redness around my dad's eye.  When he sees me he instantly gets up and puts an arm around my shoulder.  Then he leads me to my room.  Without a word, he closes my door.  I can hear the rapid pace of his footprints heading back to his room. 

What is up? And where are my 5 younger siblings?  Surely they are not capable of being this quiet.

And my parents.  I have never seen them look this forlorn except for when-

My thoughts pause, not daring to jump to such a drastic conclusion.

Except for when Grandpa Larry died

Did someone die?  I bite back a sob, not Grandma Amelia.  Oh please not Grandpa Larry's sweet kind wife.  Now I am seriously worried.

Oh god, don't let it be Grandma Amelia.  Shes so kind and sweet, she doesn't deserve to die.

I flop down on my bed, miserable in my ignorance.  I need a distraction.  I grab my phone from my dresser and try to click on my favorite game app, but my finger accidently slides right and opens my newsfeed.  I am about to click out of it when my eye catches a strange headline.  Before my brain can stop me I click on the article and the full story loads on my phone.

As my eye snags on the top picture and reads the caption underneath my breath catches on my throat and I feel myself turning pale.  Then I scream.

As soon as the wretched sound leaves my throat my dad is already at my doorway.  He sees the open face of my phone sprawled on the ground where I threw it and his face goes white.  In a moment he is at my bedside clutching me, holding me as close as possible while horrible wails escape my throat.  My body tries to lurch back and forth but is stopped by his firm grip.  While I am unable to control my body, my mind still not wrapped around the reality that cannot possibly be reality.