The leaves were finally starting to earn their autumn hue, light filtering through the window and coloring Alex's quilt with the trees' reflections. The grass was still damp from the rainy night before, and a few thin droplets shimmered on the blades. Alex watched a bright red leaf spiraling into the blanket of other leaves under the maple. She was used to the pear tree at their old house, but she figured she could appreciate the extra colors that the maple gave them in November. Also far less pine needles in the yard than at the last house. She wondered how many leaves she would have to sweep out of the C-10's bed later.

Her phone buzzed somewhere nearby, and Alex wondered when she had knocked it onto the floor. She'd probably shoved a book into it. Rolling awkwardly off her own bed, she grabbed her phone and checked the screen. Sam's old senior photo was smiling back at her.

"Hey Sam. Don't you have a class right now?"
"In like ten minutes." Sam held the phone under his chin, and Alex had to laugh a little at the weird shadow his hair was casting.
"Why do you video call me ten minutes before your class?" Alex asked, rolling over again and leaning against the frame of her bed.
"I like to talk to you. And anyway I hate this class so help me."

"You're amazing and I love you and I know you're going to make at least a C," Alex said, smiling right in the camera and making Sam roll his eyes. "No, not even that. You're gonna make a B or higher because you're smart and I said so."

"Good enough for me. Is Mom there?"
"Mom and Dad both went out, I think she's helping Dad show that old house in the middle of nowhere. You can probably call them, they only left like ten minutes ago."

"Okay, I will. Professor Johnson is always late anyway."
"Don't you be late for class though."
"I'm never late. You're the one that's late."

"Hey now, only sometimes," Alex protested, but she grinned. "Talk later, Sammy. I wanna finish my lesson before I head to work." Alex glanced at the Spanish textbooks and notepads cluttering her bed.
"You should really get a degree in this stuff," Sam said, finally holding the phone so that Alex could see his whole face. "I can't even speak English right."
"Maybe next year. I think it'd be fun."

"Start applying for scholarships." Sam gave her one more smile. "Bye Al."
"Bye Sam." Alex's lock screen returned in Sam's place.

Alex sighed a little, tossing her phone back onto the bed. She watched a few more leaves drop among the tree roots and cuddled deeper into her sweater.

"Knowledge is calling, and I must go," Alex murmured a few moments later, tossing herself back onto her bed. Her phone promptly bounced off the edge.

___________________

A thin spray of water slung from the Trailblazer's tires, hissing as the car followed the old county road. Trees grew too thick on the left for Thomas to see anything beyond them, and the road dropped on the right to an expanse of marshy fields. Emily seemed lost in the peacefulness, watching absently out her window as they passed an old barn in one of the fields.

"I'm just about to go to Admin Law." Thomas propped his phone in one of the cupholders as Sam's voice filtered through the speaker. "I have my last test before finals today."
"We're praying for you, son," Emily responded, smiling at the pavement ahead of them. "You feel okay about it?"
"I think so. Got some studying done yesterday and Tuesday, so I'm pretty much ready for it. Still don't like it though." Thomas chuckled.

"Just a few more weeks and you'll be done with it," he said. He glanced briefly in the mirror. "You still planning on coming home next weekend?"
"Yes sir," Sam replied. "A lot of my professors have been giving me less homework. They'll probably pile it on week before finals to finish everything. Next week won't be too busy though."
"Alright, Sam. Good luck on your test," Thomas said, watching a car speed in the other direction.
"Thanks, Dad. Are you and Mom showing a house today?"
"Yeah, we're probably gonna get this one sold. The couple's already looked at it once before and really liked it."
"Okay, good luck to you too then."
"Thanks, Sam. See you soon." Sam hung up, leaving only the quiet road noise. Thomas checked the rearview again.

"I hope he doesn't worry too much about everything," Emily murmured, turning back to the field out her window. "The last thing he needs right now is a bunch of stress."
"He's doing just fine. He'll come out of this semester with good grades and he won't have anything to worry about."
"I know, but sometimes he worries anyway," Emily sighed, turning back to Thomas. "I was always like that."

"He'll be alright, he's a pretty level-headed kid," Thomas replied. The GPS inserted something about a right hand turn, and Thomas flipped on his signal. "Alex is the one that worries about grades that are already good." Emily smiled.
"I really think she should go get a degree somewhere," Emily mused. "I'm sure there's a school somewhere that offers linguistics as a major."
"She'll find it if there is," Thomas replied. The GPS interrupted again, and Thomas started to merge toward the new street.

The car going the other way turned too fast and swerved.

___________________

Sam got a call from "Lake Foundry PD" halfway through his test. He blinked, checked the caller ID again, and then got up and hurried from the classroom.

"Hello?" Sam's voice echoed down the empty hallway. He shook his head. "Uh, Sam McKay."
"Mr. McKay, this is the dispatcher at Lake Foundry Police Department," a woman's voice crackled through the phone. "Your sister was going to call you, but... Well, my name's Sharon." Sam felt something go wrong in his stomach.
"What can I do for you, ma'am?"
"Nothing, Sam." The use of his first name bothered him even more. "I was just calling to inform you. Your parents are Thomas and Emily McKay?"

"Yes. Are they--?"
"I'm very sorry, Sam. Both..." She sighed. "Both your parents passed away in a car accident earlier this morning."

Sam was vaguely aware of his professor coming out of the classroom behind him. He didn't hear the door open, and if Professor Johnson spoke, Sam didn't hear that either. He lowered his phone slowly, then put it back to his ear. "Th--what?"
"If it's any consolation, the other driver was going very fast, and neither of your parents felt a thing. We've got an excuse for you here at the office that you can give to your professors."

Sam hung up.

He found himself sitting against the wall a moment later with his forehead on his knees. He wasn't sure if he was crying or not. Professor Johnson didn't leave, and Sam didn't give himself the opportunity to decide what he thought of it.

200 miles away, Alex definitely knew she was crying. The dispatcher put the phone down carefully, then sat on the floor beside her. Alex thought for just a moment that she was sitting with Momma.

___________________

Thoughts? Problems? Typos? Chapter seems a bit short. Should I expand it, or leave it how it is and start chapter 2?