She was grateful her brother offered to take her to school. He was going to UCLA, but insisted in giving her sister a ride and walking her to the school. Each step seemed like a mile as they walked together towards the school main building. As they walked passed a group of students, they could feel they were talking about the shooting. As they walked past their literature teacher, they could see the apologetic smile on her face.

Everyone knew the Carlin family was broken. Incomplete.

They finally walked through the hallway, finding at the distance a memorial for those who got their lives taken away that day. Realizing his sister had spotted it, Glen tried to pull her towards a different direction, but she lets go of his hands and walks towards it, stopping right in front of it, her eyes soon finding the picture of her brother Clay, shining his beautiful smile. She stood there until she felt an arm wrapping her.

“Let’s go to class, Spence.” He said pulling her away from the memorial, but never taking his arm away from her.

As they walk into the classroom, they are oblivious of a small figure watches them from the distance. The brunette lets out a sigh and walks the other way to her classroom.

***

At the Carlin’s residence, Arthur carefully steps in his room. On the bed, Paula Carlin lies with her eyes wide open. He takes a seat next to her and brushes some hair off her face.

“Do you want me to call the hospital and say you’re not going today?” That became quite a ritual for Arthur. There were days that it was too hard for anyone to function. Today was the first day of classes and their two kids were out on their own for the first time in months. There was no other way though. This scar would always be part of the Carlin clan.

Paula stirred in bed and shook her head. “I can’t. If I spend the day here I’ll freeze every time the phone ring.” She swallowed her tears and sat up on bed, next to Arthur.

He wrapped an arm around his wife and pulled her closer, kissing her forehead. “Let’s go get you in the shower.” He stood up and helped Paula up and down the hallway to the bathroom.