[center]Chapter Three[/center]

"Did you know that one Hag-fish can produce enough mucus to fill a single bucket?", Adam uttered.

Edith gave a playful gasp. "No I didn't", She said. "That's fascinating".

"....and gross", Samantha grimaced with her eyes on her phone.

Claire hurried into the Kitchen and Hustled on some gloves, before moving to the oven and pulling out freshly baked turkey.

She set it on the table and turned to Samantha who was still concentrating on her phone.

"I called you to this kitchen for a reason", Claire seethed. "Didn't I?"

Samantha turned to face her mum, with a feigned look of confusion on her face. "Really?, I can't remember".

"Okay then", Claire said as she moved to the fridge an opened it. "Let me remind you".

Samantha saw a bowl of Carrots drop beside her.

"Start Chopping", Claire ordered.


Samantha's eyes widened. "Are you serious?".


Claire glared at the teenage girl.


"Oh Come on Mum". Samantha moaned. "There are like a thousand Carrots in here".


"Oh Darling, Over exaggeration isn't really your thing", Claire said while washing her hands in the sink. "now chop".


Samantha mumbled something under her breath as she dragged herself to the knife and reached for the Chopping board and placed them both on the Counter.


"Did you know that butterflies can taste with their feet?", Adam uttered with a Proud smile on his face.

"Nobody cares Adam!", Samantha yelled through gritted teeth.


The little boy's enthusiastic smile faded to one of confusion.

"I care honey", Claire said as she made her way beside Samantha with a bowl of washed spinach. "Go on".


Samantha scoffed.



The sharp ring of the doorbell suddenly cut through the house.


"I'll get it!", Adam yelled as he stood form the dining table and charged for door.


Claire waited for Adam to leave the Kitchen, before she started at Samantha. "You know, you should start showing your brother a little bit of respect".


"Yeah, well maybe I'll start when you start showing me some", Samantha hissed.


Claire dropped her knife and face her daughter. "You're seriously saying all this just because I told you to come help me in the Kitchen?"


Samantha turned and gave her mother a fake, passive-aggressive smile.


Claire suddenly turned to Edith who was quietly slicing some tomatoes at the corner.

"Edith?", Claire called. "How old were you when you started cooking?".

Edith looked up at the woman and her daughter. "Claire, please don't bring me into-"

"Twelve", Claire fired, cutting her mother-in-law off, as she faced her daughter. "Your grandmother was twelve years old when she started cooking".


Samantha coughed out a short laugh that immediately stopped as she dropped her knife and turned to face her mother, with her arms crossed on her chest.


"News flash Mum", Samantha hissed. "I am not grandma, and this, isn't Nineteen forty-five".


Claire's mouth dropped open as she glanced over at Edith who was trying very much to hold down a laugh.

She glanced back at the teenage girl in front of her.

"Chop!", She shouted so loud while pointing to the bowl of carrots, she startled Samantha and Edith.

Samantha narrowed her eyes at her mother as she picked the knife and slowly turned to face the carrots in front of her.


"Whoa" A woman uttered from the Kitchen door. "What is going on in here?"


Claire spun to face her, and the stern look on her face dissolved immediately.


"Susan!", Claire yelled.


"Claire!", The lady called.


The two women hurried over to each other, engulfing themselves in a warm hug with their voices screeching in excitement. They were like too teenage girls that had not seen each other since their high school graduation and had just bumped into each other at college.


They moved back and eyed each other.



"God", Susan uttered. "Look at you. What are you, Eighteen?".



Samantha rolled her eyes as Claire through her head back in laughter at the flattering remark.


"I should definitely say the same for you", Claire said as she eyed Susan. "You have got to give me your diet plan".



Susan Chuckled.



"Hey Doc", A man in Police Uniform called as he materialised from behind Susan.


Claire's face lit up again as she saw him.


"Brent", She called as she moved in for a hug. "Oh my god".


Brent moved away and began eyeing Claire. "Did Susan say Eighteen?, I think she meant Sixteen", the man said before he moved close again to kiss her cheek.


Everyone except Samantha burst out in Laughter.



"Oh my god", Claire said. "Y'all are gonna flatter me to death".


As Susan and her husband then moved past her to greet Edith and Samantha, Claire then glanced over and saw a young boy who was obviously in his teens. He had Curly black hair falling around his face, with his green eyes beaming at her.



"Hey Mrs. Hayes", The boy uttered.



"Hello", Claire uttered in Confusion, but then her eyes widened in realisation and she spun to face Susan.



"Wait", She uttered. "Is this-?".



Susan smiled at her. "Yep".



Claire turned back to the teenage boy whom she now realised, had his arms over Adams shoulders. His smiled was now a toothy grin.


"Luke?", Claire called out in disbelief and opened her arms to receive the boy in a warm hug.


She pushed him back and eyed him. "Oh my god, look at you. You're practically a man".


The boy gave a shy chuckle.



"How old are you?", Claire couldn't keep the question down.


"Eighteen", Luke uttered.


"..and preparing for college too", Susan added. "He graduated high school two months ago".


Hearing that, Claire suddenly pulled the boy in for another hug. "Oh that's beautiful. I'm so proud of you".


She then turned and faced her daughter who was fully concentrating on the carrots she was cutting, being very careful not to cut her finger. "Sam?".


The blonde girl suddenly looked up and saw her mother with her arms over a boy's shoulder.


"You remember Luke", Claire uttered. "Don't you?".


Samantha shifted a narrow gaze to the boy standing beside her mother.

As much as she hated to admit it, She did remember Luke. She remembered when she came to town for her dad's burial five years ago. Luke was the only one who had spoken to her and her brother right from the beginning of the occasion. Everyone concentrated on her mother. Nobody really cared how Samantha and her then five year old brother felt, because, well, they all thought they were just kids and that they were too young understand the grief of losing a loved one.


"Nope", Samantha uttered, feigning Confusion.


Claire's pleasant smile suddenly disappeared and then she pursed her lips at her daughter, giving her a deadpan look. "Really?".


Samantha shook her head, stole a glance at Luke who furrowed his brows at her before she faced the carrots again.


"I hope you all are staying for dinner", Edith uttered.


"Oh definitely", Susan said.


"Well, not me", Brent said. "I gotta get back to the station".


"So early?", Edith asked.


"Apparently", Brent began as he picked a piece of Tomato from the Edith's bowl. "Our little town has been heating up these past few days, and I ain't talking about the summer sun".


"Is it about farmer wilson's sheep?", Edith said and then she placed her palm on her chest and dropped her shoulders. "The poor man".


Claire Shook her head with a wry smile on her face. "It's terrible".



"That", Brent uttered. "...and the fact that three kids from a college in Denver have gone missing after camping over at West point last week".


Everyone in the kitchen froze in shock. Even Samantha stopped chopping and shot her head up to look at the policeman.


Brent had everyone's attention now.



"What?", Susan uttered.


Brent nodded his head with a wry smile. "Johnson and Wales University officials called us three days ago and told us that after an Ecology trip, three of the students who camped at West point never came back. No phone calls, no messages, nothing".



"Oh my god", Claire uttered as she raised her palm to her mouth. She glanced over at Edith, her palms were on her chest again, her mouth open.


"How come it wasn't on the news?", Susan uttered in Confusion. Then her Confusion dissolved into a stern look. "...and how come you didn't tell me?"


"Because the authorities don't want anyone to know", Brent said.


"Why?", Claire asked.


"Donno, to prevent Panic I guess", Brent shrugged.


"Oh that's Bullshit," Samantha fired ,and then raised her hand to her mouth and mellowed down when she realised what she had just said.


Everyone turned and gave her a stern look.


"So-Sorry", The blonde teen stuttered as her cheeks turned red when she saw Luke Chuckle from the side of her eye.


"That reminds me", Adam started as he turned and looked up at Luke. "I've got a special Scientific fact for you Luke".


"Sure", The boy said. "Let's hear it".



"Did you know my sister, Samantha Hayes, talks in her Sleep, like all the time?", Adam uttered innocently.


Luke shot his head up in Samantha's direction and met her wide eyes filled with rage, rising from the carrot bowl before her. Her grip tightening on the knife in her right hand.


"Uh...dude?", Luke turned back to the boy beside him and whispered.


Adam raised his face to Luke in Confusion. It was as if the little boy didn't feel like he had said anything bad. "Huh?"


"Run", Luke whispered.


"I'm gonna Kill you!!!", Samantha Screamed as she charged at her little brother with the knife in her hand.


Adam's eyes widened as he left Luke and shot himself away towards the stares. screaming at the top of his lungs.


"Mum!", The boy Screamed. "Help!".


Everyone, including Luke, was laughing as the two siblings raced out of the kitchen, into the hall way, and up the stares.


"Samantha Hayes!", Claire yelled. "You better not lay a finger on that boy!".


"Gotta run", Brent uttered as he hurried over, kissed the Claire and Edith on their cheeks and Susan on her lips, then hurried to the door, Rubbing Luke's hair as he passed. "Bye son".



"Bye Dad".


"Those poor kids," Edith moaned. Claire could tell that was what Edith had been thinking of ever since Brent gave the news. The Missing College Students. "I hope they find them".


"Yeah", Claire said. "I hope so too".