-Tobias' POV-

The bright lights remained still as the bustling of the building continued.
Shadows looming back and forth, coming and going abruptly.

Tobias watch Erica, laying asleep on the hospital bed, as if he was expecting a spontaneous movement in the ever so near future.

Cecilia and Adele sit opposite of Tobias, while Michael sit to the left of him. Anneka and Adair look worried, standing at the foot of the bed. Anneka, probably the most affected, eventually sat down carefully on the edge, right by where Erica lay. Michael offers her his chair, but she kindly refuses, looking back at her daughter with saddened eyes.

Tobias still watched and collected his thoughts. His eyes, unmoving from her. Worry filled his head, like it was a top priority.

Suddenly, Erica slightly winced in pain and slowly opened her eyes. They looked like shining glass, sparkling in the overwhelming light that filled the room. She looked around for a moment. Starting from her right and then over to the other side.

"S-Sorry. I...I..." She pauses, closing her eyes tranquilly, "I got you into this. At least you didn't get hurt...because of something stupid." Erica finishes saying, still not opening her eyes.

"Are you f-feeling okay?" Tobias asks in return, sheepishly and very unsure of himself.

"Fine...fine." She then sighs tiredly, soon drifting off again.

Soon, a man walks in. Dressed in a white coat. Stethoscope around his neck....someone just stereotypical and added no lightheartedness to the dull room.

"Well, she seems to be asleep, I can always come back later..." He remarked, almost turning to leave the room.

"Oh, no. That's not necessary! She's been awake....she just fell back asleep, is all." Anneka said, almost immediately.

"May I speak to you both privately for a moment?"

"We don't mind at all." Adair broke into the conversation and unsettling silence.

They both stood up and the three of them walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Minutes passed, with very little movement to the room, until Adele spoke, somewhat wearily, but still had that sense of power in her voice, "What do you think requires that much 'talking privately'? Well, if that damn doctor takes all bloody day, I'll
go and order some food then." She sighs, waiting for any response she can get.

"That sounds like a plan. I suspect Erica will be discharged today. I mean, she's been here two days already. Maybe that's what they're discussing? Discharging her?"

Cecilia rid anyone of the chance to speak.
"That's very possible; but why would that take so damn long to talk about? You can still see all three of their silhouettes and they haven't moved from there. It's concerning, at best...but I'm sure Mother and Father will tell us all."

"I sure hope so." Adele answered back.
"What's Erica's favourite thing to eat?! I'll go to the store and get ingredients for it, and I'll make it!"

The room was strangely silent for a moment.

A faint smile appeared on Tobias' face.

"Spaghetti alla Puttanesca."

Michael quickly swung his head around.

"Huh?!"

"She said it reminded her of before you all moved. How it was odd seeing the same house in a different environment. She said that after we took Weiss back. Spaghetti alla Puttanesca. That's her favourite." He responds, looking down at his dark coloured jeans.

"What?! She told you?! Sh-She broke her promise! This is your fault! YOU MADE HER TELL, DIDN'T YOU?!"

"If you're trying to hide something from me, DON'T! I know about Noah. And, I didn't force her. She told me on her own accord."

"Erica isn't that damn stupid!"

"And, I'm not stupid either!"

"Michael, cut it out!" Cecilia yelled, before even more arguing ensued. "She said not to tell?"

"Yes...she asked that I not tell anyone outside the family."

"There, Michael. What the hell is up with you? "

"It's nothing!"

Eventually, an hour has passed. Adele left already. Cecilia and Michael still fuming; and Tobias staring at the ceiling. Yet, somehow, Erica still lay asleep, oblivious of all the yelling that had happened.

Finally, Anneka and Adair walked back into the room.

Anneka broke the tense silence in the room, "Cecilia. Gently wake Erica, please? Take the clothes you brought for her into the bathroom down the hall and help her, would you? They're releasing her. She had to stay a couple days longer than usual just to see how she's fairing."

Cecilia got up, and did as asked. Erica, notably agitated from being woken up. A nurse then walked in and carefully removed the IV from her arm. Then, she and Cecilia helped Erica up.

Anneka then invited the two out of the room, who were followed by Anneka and Adair themselves.

Adair walked up to the desk and began to sign the release form. Soon, Erica and Cecilia came back.

Erica groggy and disoriented, slowly walked towards Michael and Tobias.

One side of her shirt was slightly crooked and so the sleeve on that arm went a bit passed her hand. Accompanied with the cooked long sleeved black shirt, she wore simple black jeans and low cut sneakers.

"Cecilia.....get some.....vanilla ice cream?" Erica said, still clearly fatigued.

Cecilia, screaming from the door, replied that she would.

Erica tried to reach the desk where Adair was, but she tripped on her own shoe, and was sent toppling down to the ground.

"Erica?! Are you alright?" Anneka quietly said to her

"I tripped."

"We see that, dear. Come on. You wanted somewhere?"

"Desk...The desk."

"W-Why?"

She points to his suit pocket. There, visible only to the observant, was a slip of paper.

Anneka then guides Erica to the desk who then takes the piece of paper and then goes and sits down with Anneka. Tobias looks out the door to see a boy standing at the door, who looked around his age. He has jet black hair and soft, amber eyes. His red and black shirt slightly wrinkled, accompanied with simple black jeans and low cut sneakers.

He looks like....

"Alright, everyone! We're all set to leave." Adair said to them, upon turning around.

When Tobias turned his head back to the door, the boy was gone. Why was he standing there? Yet, he looked so damn familiar."

The long ride home seemed like an eternity.

Finally, the sleek black SUV stopped at the Rodanbaugh's residence.

Upon everyone going in, the smell of garlic and tomatoes filled the room.

The heat wafting out into the open floor, Tobias helped Erica sit on one of the bar stools. He then sat beside her, while Adair and Anneka went and sat on the couch with Michael, which was behind them and to the right.

Erica just sat in silence- not moving, not speaking, not doing anything. Just looking at Adele and Cecilia, both moving behind the counter.

Adele then called everyone to eat. Everyone moved and went to the dining table, which was in a separate room, that was behind the kitchen.

Adele took the liberty of moving all of the food, while Cecilia went upstairs.

Cecilia hurriedly came back and handed something to Erica.

Everyone sat down and served themselves

Erica did eat, but she was mostly just muttering.

"Q-u-e-t-i-a-p-i-n-e. Q-u-e-t-i-a-p-i-n-e. Q-u-e-t-i-a-p-i-n-e."

Over and over, and over.

-A few weeks later-

The hellish school day had ended and Tobias and Erica were walking out of the doors, along with Michael, Adair, and Anneka.

Already, the day was not done with them as the whole surrounding area heard a shrieking, blood-curdling scream coming from the right of the sidewalk.

People ran straight towards it. What the hell was going through their heads?

Adair, Anneka, Michael, Erica, and Tobias went.

Very clearly they could see a crowd of people huddled around one area.

In the middle of the crowd, there lay a body, already decomposing.

Erica managed to make her way to the front.

"Well, well, well. Someone's got some damn guts to leave a body in this obvious of a place. She's probably been dead for, oh, maybe 24 hours? What happened to you, pretty one? What happened?"

To be continued...

Updated character a/n, as I realized a made a few small miscalculations.