13

I followed my dad upstairs to the second floor apartment, opening the door to find Uncle Mike and Aunt Sue waiting for us. They both smiled when they saw us enter the apartment, welcoming us warmly as we walked inside.

"Welcome home!" Uncle Mike cheered, reaching forward to wrap me in a big hug as I entered the room.

Uncle Mike was tall with short light brown hair and bright blue eyes. His wife, Aunt Sue, was shorter than him and had medium length black hair.

"It's so nice to have you back!" Uncle Mike exclaimed with a large grin on his face.

"Me too! I can't wait to see everybody! Especially Mom!" I laughed, grabbing onto my brother's arm as I walked past him towards the stairs that led up to my room, pulling him along with me.

I heard Dad laugh as we walked into the hallway, walking over to the kitchen counter to set our bags down. I glanced back at him momentarily, noticing the slight sadness that seemed to linger in his hazel eyes, as he stared at a spot on the wall behind me, his shoulders slumped slightly and his grip on the bag handles tighter than before. I stopped mid stride and turned around to face him, confused.

"What's wrong, Dad? Why are you upset? Are you missing Uncle Ben?" I questioned, looking up at my dad.

'I know you miss your mom too. But I'm sure Uncle Ben misses you too! You're his favourite niece anyway, not mine!' The voice in my head chimed in.

'I'm sorry… I'm being silly. I guess I just don't like how quiet this place is without Mom." My father sighed as he turned towards me, giving me a weak smile.

'You're not being silly! This place is boring without Mom. Besides, you know what the worst part is? No one's gonna remember to bring snacks if you stay here!' The voice teased. 'Or we could always go shopping again! Maybe Mom will buy us stuff!'

'Mom wouldn't buy me stuff…' I pouted, looking down at the ground as I tried to fight the tears that wanted to spill out of my eyes.

'Aw, Kara! Don't be sad! You'll see, everything will be fine!'