"Autumn, wait." I feel Mason grab my arm as I get ready to bring the last bag to my car. I see Ashley walk out of the room and close my eyes. I take a breath and then turn around. "I didn't mean to blow up and yell at you or make you cry. I was just frustrated that you won't let me protect you. You've already been hurt under my watch, yes it wasn't by the people that are after your Dad, but I think that makes it even worse. How am I going to protect you from people like that if I can't protect you from a crazy ex?" He states and I know he wants me to look up at him, but I can't. I continue to look past him at the mundane wall.

"I shouldn't have brought your Mom into it and I'm sorry I did." He says and I shake my head looking up at him.

"It's true. I tell myself that I should hate my Mom, but really I'm just trying to fight the truth. And the truth is...I've felt that I've been missing a part of me ever since she died. I feel that a part of me is dead and I thought that if I blocked it out it'd eventually it'd go away. You made me realize I'm the only one that can change this feeling." I say wiping a tear that began to fall down my cheek. 

"And I know that I couldn't have done anything more to help that boy, but no matter how many times I tell myself that, I still feel I should have done more. I feel that maybe if I continue to help people it could...I don't know..somehow make up for what happened." He sighs and now he's the one not making eye contact.

"We both need to let what happened happen. Yes, I lost my Mom, and you weren't able to save him, but we both need to move on. Learn from our mistakes and you need to know that you did everything you could have. You don't have any debts to pay." I say taking his hand.

"I guess we both did our homework." He says looking up at me.

"I can't have a random guy living with my family, especially one that I know can legally drink," I state pointing a finger at him.

"True, but I've never been drunk. Buzzed, yes, drunk, no. Don't like the thought of not being in control of my body and mind." He says and I nod understanding.

"Yeah, well I don't want to be drunk ever again," I say and he laughs. "So, if I told you I knew, what else did I tell you?" I ask and he shrugs.

"Can't seem to remember."

"Bullsh*t, if you can remember all that crap about me you can remember what I said when I was drunk," I say lightly pushing him away from me. He shrugs again and I shake my head. I throw him the bag and he laughs as he catches it.

We both walk out the door and head to my car. This car ride is more light and just feels good. I don't have to pretend not to know, he doesn't have to pretend, and there aren't any messed up lies or stories to keep straight. "Hey, when we first met. You said you wish your parents didn't do what they do, is that true?"

"Yes, almost everything I told you is true and the stuff I lied about I'm pretty sure you knew what it was." He glances over at me and I nod before watching the white roads become more white. The joy of snow.

We get to the house, quietly open and close the door and then we try to set all the bags down quietly. We make more noise shushing each other, but it's alright. I tell him to look upstairs and see if the kids are asleep on the couch.

He shakes his head, so I grab his hand and bring him down to the basement. I see Josephine on the air mattress and Mia on the couch. I take us down the hallway and into my Mom's old bedroom. It's the guest room, but my Mom went back living in it so many times that it's just what I call it. I tell Mason this and he closes the door behind him. I take a seat on the bed and smile as I remember giving her breakfast in bed.

I burnt her waffles and spilled some of the orange juice, but she still said it was the best thing she'd ever eaten. I look around the room. The walls are the same dark teal, the brown closet is still broken. One of the doors still leaning against the other. The carpet is that weird pinkish color, but is soft as fluff. There's still the cabinet with old china and decorations. A huge dresser that is always stuffed with anything and everything right next to it.

Then on the other side there's the old desk that should have broken by now sitting in the corner. The little dresser right next to it with a small box tv on top and a very old dvd player right next to that. I then look down at the bed and feel the comforter, it's a quilt my Grandmother made and I trace the lines all the way up to the pillowcases that she made. She loves knitting and anything that's like it.

I then feel Mason pull me down to his side and I don't fight him. We lean against the pillows, but we don't talk, just sit there thinking and enjoying the quiet.

"You should just tell your parents that you want to do something else in life, not be just like them," I whisper, but Mason shakes his head.

"No, they've raised me to be this way since I was born. I went through all the training, it'd all be for a nothing." He argues not even considering it, I turn towards him and he looks up at me.

"They should have let you decide what you wanted to do. Are they making Mathew be part of the...whatever they are called?" I ask hoping that they let the boy be a kid.

"No, they don't think he's right for it." He says and I look at him confused.

"But you were.?" I question, not undermining him, but how do they know what child is going to be good at what they do. He shrugs not seeming to have a care. "I think they just wanted their first born to be a replica of them, but I don't think they'd be mad if you told them that this wasn't what you wanted to do. They are your parents." I say and he looks down at me.

"I just don't want to hurt them. I've been doing this since I could walk. Training to become like them. What am I going to say? Hey, Mom, Dad, yeah everything you've taught me. I don't want to do it anymore, I want to be an engineer. No, that'd be horrible." He shakes his head another low sigh escaping his lips.

"Well, I wouldn't say it like that," I reply giving him a look because he went in a funny voice describing what he'd tell his parents.

"I don't know. Maybe after all this I'll talk to them, but that might take a while. I don't know if you know, but they lost the group. They can't find where they vanished too." He says and I sit up not having heard anything.

"You mean they have no clue where they are?" I ask. He nods and I shiver. "Well peachy perfect. I'm loving this week." I state sarcastically. Mason pulls me back towards him.

"Don't worry, they always find them, just need to find them long enough to take them down." He says and I nod hoping they will.

"I'm assuming my Dad didn't tell you why they are after only me and how they only know of me.?" I I question, but more as a statement, he nods his head before explaining.

"I was given basics, your name, address, number, and told to find out as much as I could. Your Dad, after letting me struggle, helped me out a bit and then we came up with the story. I thought it was really good. I mean your Dad has some friends that have children and they are going on vacation, but don't want to bring their children. The parents don't want the children alone for that long so they have us live with another family." I roll my eyes, obviously it wasn't a good story.

"Yeah, I saw it from a mile away. I mean at first I was ready to fight against you, but I figured that'd be a lot more work, so try and befriend you. Guess it sort of worked out the way I thought it would." I smile with a small laugh. He smiles back and then looks past me. I turn and see he's looking at the box tv. I laugh and look back at him. "My Grandma's a little old school."

"Little? I didn't know anyone had those. Does it still work?" He asks and I shrug. He gets up and I watch as he turns it on. It has the grey lines and making that annoying noise. Mason mutes the tv and I point the dvd player.

I get up and walk over to him. He turns it on and I try to pull out the top drawer, but it needs a lot of work to get it open. Mason pulls on one side and then I do the other. Once it's open about six inches and I look in. I grab a shirt that's in there and open to see what's on it.

I stare at the grey shirt. It's got the weird knot on the front that makes the shirt fitted for a woman. It's very plain, yet it was my Mom's favorite shirt. I don't know what to do so I just stand there staring at it.

"Autumn?" I hear. I turn towards the bed and throw the shirt on it ignoring him. I look in the drawer to find that it's filled with my Mom's things. I dig to the bottom and see her old ring. I grab it and stare. The gold band with what looks like little leaves on it. I hold back my tears as I remember that she never went anywhere without it. It should have been buried with her. 

The ring meant so much to her, but I never asked why she always had it. She was just always wearing it. I hold it and feel Mason's hand on my back. This brings me back to reality and I feel wet tears streaming down my face. I quickly wipe them away and slowly slide the ring onto my right pointer finger. It fits and a small laugh escapes my mouth. "My Mom used to always wear this ring. It was like another limb." I say. I see him nod and then I feel him rub my back.

"Looks good on you." He whispers and I look down at my hand.

"I can't believe my Grandma kept all of her things," I say in awe still looking in the drawer.

"Maybe she was waiting for the right moment to go through it." He offers and I nod.

"There might be some movies under the desk," I change the subject and am glad to see him walk over and pulls out a little stack.

"Sound of Music, Wild Strawberries, Gone with the Wind, and Zero for Conduct." He says reading off the list.

"Sound of Music is about a woman that leaves where she's always lives and watches a man's children. His wife died and he's a Naval officer so he's really hard on the kids and her. It's kind of a romantic movie. Wild Strawberries I think is another romantic movie. Gone with the Wind is about a woman that gets with a blockade runner during the American Civil War. And Zero to Conduct is about four boy's that are sent to a strict boarding school and try to break the rules." I say trying to remember each of them.

"They're old movies." He says and I nod. "Which one do you like?"

"Sound of Music and Zero to Conduct are pretty good, but it doesn't matter to me."

"Well I was supposed to watch Sound of Music, my Mom wanted me to learn something from it, but I never got around to watching. Might as well try now." He says grabbing the DVD and putting it in the player. I grab my Mom's old shirt and hang it on the side of the open drawer.

I go back to the bed and go under the covers. Mason joins and begins to watch the movie over my head. I laugh and lay down so he doesn't have to be up so high.

"You were fine shortie." He says. I turn and slap his arm before looking back at the tv.

"Jerk." I mumble.

We both watch as the credits roll by, I feel tired, but yet I don't want to sleep. I know Mason's awake because he keeps moving.

"It was an alright movie." I hear him say. I turn over and we're face to face.

"I like it. That was the first movie I'd ever sat down and watch. My Mom said that'd normally I'd get bored and go play, but this one I sat and watched." I lazily say and he smiles a little.

"Well I have no idea what attracted your little mind, but that's kinda cool." He whispers with a small smile. We both continue to look at each other. Not moving, just looking at each other.

I don't know how long we stay like that, but the last thing I remember seeing is his deep green eyes staring back at me before the darkness pulls me in.