"Regan, please? I'm your beloved sister..." Jayden pleaded, leaning across the gear shift of her brother's car to awkwardly place her head on his shoulder

"Jayden, you've really gotta do something about your extensive whining," Zac noted from his spot in the back seat.

Ignoring Zac, Jayden continued,"You're in charge of driving us, so you could easily just head south, drop us off in, I don't know, Florida maybe, and pick us up again in a week."

"And face the wrath of our dear mother and father? I'd rather not," Regan snorted, turning onto a long, narrow driveway that led up to the home of his Great Aunt Bertha.

"We're heeeeeee-eeeeeeeeere!" Regan announced, an overly cheerful grin spread across his face. The car lurched to a stop. Jayden made no attempt to get out, but rather made a final attempt at changing her fate.

"Sorry, sis, puppy-dog eyes don't have a chance against the pure joy I get from seeing you suffer," Regan said with a wink,"Now run along, you two."

Scowling, Jayden got out and retrieved her luggage, with Zac following suit. They paused at the bottom of a small set of stairs leading to the front door of the house. Glancing back, they saw Regan give one last wave before peeling off in a cloud of dust.

"Remind me again why I'm doing this?" Zac asked in a low voice.

"Because you adore me," Jayden quipped,"but be forewarned: Bertha tends to go overboard in the hugs & kisses department."

Zac shrugged,"So? I'm not a relative."

Knocking on the door, Jayden turned to Zac,"Believe me - that won't even factor in with this woman... I hope you like peach-colored lip prints."

"Would you look at the size of these?" Elaina marvelled, holding up a pail full of freshly-picked strawberries for Simon to see as he passed by the kitchen.

"Hey, cool. I didn't even know you had a garden out there," Simon said, plucking the stem and leaves off of a piece of the fruit before popping it in his mouth.

"Any good?"

"Mhmmph," Simon critiqued with a full mouth, giving a thumbs up. After swallowing, he spoke again,"Do you know where Taylor is?"

"Playing 'My Little Pony' with Elizabeth, I do believe," Elaina said, smiling,"I don't know which of the two having more fun. It's good to see that boy in a decent mood again."

"Thanks," Simon said, plucking a few more strawberries from the pail. Ducking his head into Elizabeth's room, he spoke tentatively.

"Anyone up for some fresh strawberries? Elaina just picked them."

Glancing up, Taylor quickly dropped a pale pink plastic pony, whose mane he had been combing.

"Hey, Simon. Thanks," he said, rising to his feet and taking two strawberries from Simon's cupped hands. He turned back to Elizabeth and handed her one, hoping any berry-juice drippings would blend into her pale red shirt. Taylor then returned his attention to Simon.

"She's a great kid," Taylor noted, motioning towards Elizabeth.

"Oh sure, Taylor. Be honest, you know you just love her toys," Simon joked, then instantly wished he hadn't, considering Taylor's negative demeanor of the past few days.

Taylor, however, didn't seem phased.

Swallowing the last of his strawberry, he spoke, "Do you like kids?"

"I can't really say," Simon replied, shrugging,"Being an only child, I haven't been around them much. "

"Well, that's the one good thing about having a big family," Taylor observed, his eyes now slightly downcast, "I'll have to introduce you to my brother Mackenzie someday - the little man can be quite the entertainer when he wants to."

Simon nodded & smiled,"Sounds like my kind of kid."

At that moment, Elizabeth toddled over to where the two boys stood. Holding up her small, now-sticky hands as proof, she commented,"Stwaberry gone."

"Why don't we go wash those hands of yours?" Taylor suggested, hoisting Elizabeth up onto his left hip and stepping out into the hallway,"Hey Simon, tell Elaina the strawberries were great."

Simon nodded,"Will do."

Making his way back to the kitchen in search of more strawberries, Simon noticed Clayton and Elaina standing together near the fax machine. Simon's first instinct, seeing Clayton so close to Elaina, was to run into the main room and maul Clayton with all his strength.

He, as well as Taylor, was in a constant defence mode whenever Clayton entered a room where Elaina was present. Crazy as it sounded, Simon felt almost a father-like protectiveness towards her. Or that's what he assumed he the feeling was - Simon didn't exactly have the best history of fatherly care to make a comparison on.

Opening the refrigerator, Simon bypassed the strawberries and reached for a yogurt cup instead. He then sat down at the kitchen table and pretended to be completely immersed in the plastic container of peach-flavored dairy goodness. Simon's attention, however, was focused on Clayton and Elaina, whom he had a clear view of from where he sat.

As another document was produced by the fax machine, Clayton reached in front of Elaina to grab it. As he did so, his arm brushed her hip. Even from 7 or 8 metres away, Simon could easily see how this physical touch caused Elaina to flinch nervously.

Simon could hardly believe that, given her situation, Elaina was able to function normally while under the same roof as, let alone a foot away from, Clayton. After the actual day of the incident, any talk of it between Elaina, Simon, and Taylor was absent. In fact, as Taylor had noted a few days later, if the two boys hadn't walked in on it, they most likely wouldn't have known it ever occured.

While Simon admired Elaina's strength, he often wondered if what she was doing was healthy. She never spoke of it - but rather chose to push it to the back of her mind.

Simon recalled several months before, when he had be waken by the sounds of a sobbing Amalia. In the early morning light, he watched her sink down on the opposite side of the park bench he inhabited. Over and over, Simon had tried to find the source of her pain. Over and over, Amalia had shook her head - refusing to speak.

For the next 11 days, Amalia remained in a trance of sorts. She rarely spoke, and declined any physical consolation from Simon - even timid attempts at hugs were met with harsh glares.

One morning, however, as Simon stood talking to Tom, he felt a small tapping on his shoulder. Turning around, he saw a desolate-looking Amalia.

Before he could ask, for about the one-hundredth time, what was wrong, Simon found Amalia stepping foreward and burying her face in his chest. Simon gently placed one hand on the small of her back, while stroking her hair with the other.

And it all poured out.

How she was waiting for Simon near the bar; the snarling man whose morals had slipped away with each drink he consumed earlier in the night.

How he had grasped Amalia's arm & ignored her tearful pleas to stop; the way he treated her as nothing more than his temporary prized possession.

How he had tossed a crumpled 10 dollar bill in her direction as he slipped through the alley & back to the sidewalk;

How Simon never came.

Guilt consumed Simon after he discovered the truth. He had found a marijuana deal too hot to pass up, and given no thought whatsoever to his 'date' with Amalia. It wasn't until Amalia finally told him to 'Shut the fuck up already!' that Simon no longer felt the need to apologize on a regular basis.

However, all of those guilt feelings had been brought up to the surface again shortly after Elaina was raped at the hands of Clayton. Simon found himself wishing that Amalia would suddenly appear, say 'Shut the fuck up already!' and seemingly 'make everything better' again...