As I walk into the kitchen, the smell of steaming mashed potatoes and crispy chicken fill my nose.
“Ooooooh yummm!” I hear Ava say just as those exact words crossed my mind.
“Let’s eat!”
“How was everyone’s day?” Dad asked.
“Mine was great!” Exclaimed Ava. “I did a science experiment in science and we made a volcano explode and it hit Carl in the head and it was hilarious and then I had acting and we did some improv and in my scene I played a doctor and it was great and Ms. Maria said I did a great job and…
“Woah! Ava slow down, and let someone else have a turn to share. Emma, how was your day?” Asked Mom.
“It was great! I got my math test back, and I got a 96! And at my hockey game I scored 3 goals, and my coach said she would consider me for captain next year when I’m a senior!”
“That’s fantastic!” Exclaimed Dad. “I knew all of our hockey training would pay off!” “What did you do today J?”
J was my dad’s nickname for my mom. Her real name is Judy, but he’s been calling her J as long as I can remember.
“Today was a good day at the preschool! Not one kid threw his lunch on me or the floor, and all of the kids cooperated when playing group games. It was an unusually good day which makes me happy!”
“Wow it seems like we’ve all had great days today!” Dad remarked. “At work today I was in my office reviewing some code, and one of my marketing employees comes in. And he tells me that Facebook has agreed to our proposal, and they will start advertising our game, which is huge!”
“That’s awesome! Congratulations!” We cheered!
“It seems like today, January 19th, was a great day for the Allan family.”
“And, High School Musical 4 premieres on Disney tonight!” Ava shouted excitedly!
“Actually it starts right about now! Wanna go watch?” I asked.
“Let’s all go watch it after we do the dishes.” Mom said.
“Ughhhh okay.” Ava and I agreed.
So after washing our four plates, four glasses, four forks, and four knives. We cuddled up on the couch in the living room to watch the movie. I thought the movie was pretty good. They had found a new actress who was really talented! Her name was Kleo Mitrokostas, and I think she will be starring on a new Disney show! After that we all went to bed early because we all had many things to do the next day.

There was a crash, and a bang, and the sound of sirens. The world felt hot, I was burning up. There was a loud constant sound ringing through the whole house. I was out of bed running, and running, and running. I did not know where I was going, but wherever it was it was better than here.
I ran to the door and put my hand on it. It was felt similar to how the pavement feels on a hot summer day, burning. I could not get the door open; I was trapped. Was I going to die? I ran to the window and jumped out into the cold winter air. I landed in a snowbank, and the burning sensation turned to a freezing iceberg.
Then I heard someone sobbing. The person sounded small and innocent; it was Ava. I brushed off the snow and began to run toward the sound.
“Ava, Ava! Where are you?” I cried.
“Emma, oh Emma!” Ava sobbed.
“Are you alright? Are you hurt? What happened to you?”
“I’m fine, it’s not me. It’s Mom and Dad.”
We looked around, and our parents were nowhere to be seen. All we could see was the deathly glow of our house up in flames.

There was still hope. Maybe they had gotten out; maybe they were frantically looking fo us right now. But wouldn’t we have found each other by now? What if we never saw our parents again? What was the last thing I had said to them? This was the worst possible thing that could happen! But I couldn’t think like that right now; right now I had to focus on comforting Ava.
Ava and I huddled together in our pajamas. We were frozen in the freezing chill of winter in Wellrose, Massachusetts. Soon we saw an immense red blob moving toward us. It came closer and closer and then It stopped. Strange men in ginormous suits climbed out of the truck. They looked strong and powerful; they must be able to save Mom and Dad. They had to. Life without Mom and Dad would be indescribably painful.
The men ran toward the house with their life saving masks and hoses. Then, they disappeared into the house. They would find Mom and Dad. They had to.
About 10 minutes later all of the men sprinted out of the fiery house. Mom and Dad were still nowhere to be seen. Why were they stopping their search? There were still two extremely important people unaccounted for! They couldn’t stop now! They couldn’t give up now! Why were they stopping?
Then the house collapsed in flames.
“No!” I screamed. “No, no, no, no, no!” I was in shock.
Ava was crying almost as loud as the sirens blared.
This couldn’t be! Mom and Dad must have gotten out.
Suddenly a police officer was yelling at us to get into his car, so we could get away from the danger that used to be our cozy home.
“No!” I shouted. “We have to wait for our parents!”
“Honey, I’m afraid your parents did not make it.”
At that moment, my life fell apart.

I sat and stared at the blank, desolate white wall of the police station. On that wall an imaginary movie flashed before my eyes. It displayed all of the happy memories I had of my parents. Sitting around the dinner table talking, getting cotton candy at the fair, Dad and I going to the movies, Mom, Ava, and I getting our nails done together, family movie nights, and them always being there to cheer me up. All gone with the smoke of our pile of wood that used to be home. Every possible thing had gone wrong.
Ava sat next to me cuddled up in my sweatshirt. She sobbed silently as I rubbed her back. She was my responsibility now. No matter what happened we would stick together. And that’s just what I told her.
Suddenly a cop emerged from his office. He was a tall, hunky man with long strides. He came toward us and bent down to be at eye level.
“Kids your Aunt Elena is coming to pick you up. I’m sorry! I know it’s been a long night.” He said.
“Ughhhh no! Why Aunt Elena?!” Exclaimed Ava.
“She's volunteered to take you two in, so you ought to be grateful.”
“Humph.” Ava sighed.
Then the officer got up and walked back to his office leaving us alone to mourn.
“Ava I know Aunt Elena isn’t the greatest, but she’s gracious enough to let us stay with her. So we have to play nice.” I told her. And at that very moment Aunt Elena’s red Honda pulled into the parking lot.

She ran toward us and hugged us. My lungs were suddenly filled with Auntie’s cheap drugstore perfume and my cheeks covered in her bright red, clumpy lipstick.
“Oh kids, I'm so sorry! So so sorry!” Exclaimed Auntie.
Somehow her scratchy clothes rubbing against my bare shoulders comforted me. Her warm-ish hug somehow made me forget about everything for just one second. One second of relief from all of this pain. She may not be the best person, but she would do.
“Come on let's get you girls home so you can sleep.”
Home. Such a simple word, but yet I don't know what it means anymore. I have no home, and it pains me every time I hear that stupid word.
The car ride to Auntie’s was silent until I heard Ava say in a soft, quiet, scared voice, “Emma? Is life ever going to be the same again?”
This question broke my heart. She was so innocent, and her world had suddenly come crashing down around her. And there was nothing I could do about it.
I hugged her, and said, “no matter what happens, we’re going to stick together. You and me, forever and always.”
She hugged me back and we stayed like that all the way until we got to Auntie's house.

When we arrived at Auntie’s house she tucked us each into a full size bed in a medium sized room with hideous purple flowered wallpaper. Ava slept like a rock, but I didn’t sleep a wink. I don't even think I blinked. My mind raced with thoughts about how my life would change. I became lost in thought, and I finally drifted off to sleep.

The next day was miserable. There was not one pleasant thought that ran through my head. I sat by the window watching the rain pour down. Ava sat curled up next to me, and we cried. Auntie would come over and comfort us. She gave us warm tea, and she did everything she could to comfort us. She gave us her love and shelter. Somehow being around her made me feel safe. Even though my heart was shattered into a million pieces, auntie was helping to put it back together.

Days went on like this for weeks on end, until one day when I was woken by Ava shaking me.
“What is it Ava?” I groaned.
“I can't find Auntie!” She exclaimed!
I rolled out of the warm bed that sheltered me from my disastrous life. As soon as my feet hit the cold floor everything came rushing back to me. The weight returned to my shoulders. One day at a time; I told myself.
Before I knew it, Ava was leading me first toward Auntie’s room, but she wasn't there. Then she led me to the kitchen, and she wasn't there either. Then I saw a note on the fridge. It read,
Dear kids,
I have gone out to take my hot yoga class. Will be back around 12:30. I am bringing salads, but there is fruit in the fridge if you are hungry.
Love, Aunt Elena
The time read 12:15.
Ava started to cry. I hugged her.
“Mom and Dad are dead, we’re stuck living with Aunt Elena, and all we can eat is fruit or salad. This sucks!”
“I know, I know.” I said as I kissed her head.
Then I released her from my arms, and I checked the pantry.
“I peeked my head out from behind the pantry door and said, “Would you prefer to have pancakes?!”
“Yessss!”
So I got out the pancake mix and cooked!
It was the first fun we had had since the incident. I poured, and Ava flipped! We made 4 plate fulls of pancakes. All different shapes and sizes! Blueberry, banana, chocolate chip! Syrup, no syrup! There were endless options!
But then Auntie walked through the door.
With salads in hand, she said, “Kids, what have you made?”
“Pancakes.” We said quietly in unison.
“Well.” She sighed. “What are you waiting for? They’re going to get cold! Let’s eat!”
With astonished looks on our faces, we cheered and said, “thank you auntie.”
And we weren’t just expressing our gratitude for the pancakes. We were thanking her for picking us up after the unthinkable death of our family. She was willing to change her life completely to help us, and for that I will be eternally grateful. Auntie helped me and Ava pick up our lives and begin again when we were at our worst. And I love her for that.
“You’re welcome.” She replied.