The warming spring air casted a safe coating to Cambrie`s arms, as she awaited her brother`s presence. His class was always the last to be dismissed after the bell rang. Cambrie waited in annoyance, as she observed mothers, fathers, and siblings greeting each other. Arms growing tired, Cambrie set down her pre-algebra textbook and a copy of A Wrinkle in Time on the floor of the 5th grade wing. She and her younger brother were exactly two year and a month apart, but through their different behaviors, some would guess they were three times the difference.
At last, Mr. Oswile’s class was set free and Cambrie watched every student rush out of the classroom, as well as her nine-year-old brother, Cale. Without speaking a word to each other, they exited the school’s main entrance and began their ten minute walk home. Cambrie always walked faster than Cale, sometimes leaving him minutes behind her. He never had any reason to rush home, but Cambrie held the need to be home right after the bell rang. Cale loved being outdoors, and many a times would be the very first one outside for recess, even throng the harsh winters. Though their weekend was now just beginning and Cambrie had two days to do her math homework and read forty pages of her book, she rushed home, hurrying Cale to keep up.
"But my backpack is so heavy!" Cale complained. Cambrie stopped walking to turn around and wait for her younger brother to catch up. Then without speaking, she untangled the backpack from her brother’s arms and threw it over her shoulder.
"Thanks, Cammie".
Seven minutes until the children arrived home, a forest-green sedan raced past them, and around the corner of their neighborhood. In shock, the children stood still, glancing at each other before continuing their walk home.
"I wonder what that was all about," Cale thought aloud, trailing behind his older sister.
"Probably someone rushing to get home," Cambrie replied.
"Like you," Cale added.
"Like me," Cambrie agreed. In the distance, the children heard sirens. Powerful, ringing sirens, what sounded to be miles away from them. Cale quickly caught up to Cambrie, trying to hide his terrified expression. Cambrie continued to walk, aware there was an accident near. The sirens grew angrier, heavy, and then completely silent.
"Must be an accident somewhere," Cambrie looked to her brother, who held a blank stare.
"I think, it’s maybe, out of town," Cale replied in three parts.
Four minutes before the children arrived home, they could heard voices mumbling in the distance. They walked around a corner, where there home was down the street. Cambrie stopped walking suddenly, viewing her home in a three minute distance.
"Are they at our house?" Cale whispered, holding Cambrie’s hand.
"I-I don’t know," Cambrie replies, aware that the trucks and cars were at the end of the street. She thought of the worst in that moment, and then thought of the least it could be. The children continued walking home.
The moment Cale spotted police cars in his driveway, he began to run. Cambrie did not bother calling for Cale to come back, because she stood in frozen shock. An ambulance was parked in the gutter right before the house and there were two police cars in the driveway. Neighbors had gathered around the children’s home.
As Cambrie was able to unfreeze, she walked to one of the police officers who was on his knee, quietly talking to Cale. The words Cambrie was able to make out were, "parents", "attack", and "dead". Cale started to cry a whimpering cry, a plea for help. Cambrie held her brother’s hand, while their parents were being carried on tables into the ambulance. The children had come home.