Free Lake Yixa by Cameron Harper Page A

to cause you any trouble ," Jeremy said, letting
the other topic go.
          "Yeah. All I
ask is you put in your fair share of help."
          "You can
count on it," Jeremy said with a smile. "If you don't mind watching
the kids for a little while, I can go out and look for food and other
supplies."
          "Sure,"
Sarah replied before realizing what she just agreed to. She wasn't bad with
kids, but she hadn't really taken care of any. That wasn't even the worst of
it. What if Jeremy skips out on his kids and leaves her to take care of them?
Jeremy had already gotten up and walked over to the kids, leaving Sarah sitting
there. She thought about saying she would go instead, but would that be any
better, leaving him here in Liam's house? That idea she didn't like either , but it was too
late.
          "I will be
back as quickly as I can," Jeremy said, standing in the doorway.
          "Okay,"
was all Sarah could say. Jeremy closed the door behind him, leaving Sarah
sitting there looking at a closed door. Her eyes moved to look at the two kids
sitting on the couch.
          "Hi,"
Sarah said. The kids said nothing and just looked at her. She started to feel
uncomfortable by their never-ending staring. "So . . . what book do you
have there?" Sarah asked as she walked over. Time to make the best out of this , she thought. At least she knew
books. She had been able to read to herself for as long as she could remember.
Her grandmother was always working, and she didn't remember if her parents ever read to her .
          " The Cricket in Times Square ," Matt
said.
          "Oh, I don't
believe I have ever read it," she said and then it struck her. She hadn't
seen any books with them last night. "Where did you get it?"
          "Over
here," Zoe said, walking to a bookshelf. She bent down and pulled out a
few more books. She read the name of each one: James and the Giant Peach , Gentle
Ben , and A Wrinkle in Time . She
looked at the books. Each of them looked to be well read. She wonder ed if it was Liam
or his wife who read to their child.
          "Have you
guys ever read James and the Giant Peach ?"
she asked, picking it up.
          "No,"
Zoe said, pulling her arm down to look at the cover.
          "No,"
Matt added from the couch.
          "Would it be
okay if I read it to you?" she said, trying to remember last
time she read it.
          "Yeah!"
Zoe said with a shout and ran over to the couch. "Sit next to me."
Zoe's cheerful joy made Sarah smile. Matt, on the other hand, seemed a bit more
down. She wondered if it had to do with the whole “end of the world” or the
loss of his mother. Have they seen a zombie? Sarah wondered as she sat down. Matt got up and sat by the fire, playing with
his GI Joe.
          Tux came wandering
out of his hiding spot and sat down in Liam's chair. Zoe caught sight of him
and jumped to her feet, but before she knew it, Tux was gone again. Clearly he isn't a fan of kids , Sarah
thought.
          "Why don't
you leave Tux be. He still needs to get used to you guys."
          "Okay,"
Zoe said with sadness in her voice. She returned to her seat next to Sarah.
          " James and the Giant Peach ," Sarah
read before continuing on.
          Sarah sat there
reading to the kids, not realizing how much time had passed. Only when she felt
her stomach ache with hunger did she look over at the two kids. Both had fallen
asleep at some point. She wondered how long she had been reading to herself. Sarah
worked herself free from Zoe, trying her best not to wake either of them. She opened the
door and looked out. It was past noon. Jeremy
has been gone for a few hours now , she thought as she closed the door.
          She move d to the kitchen
and opened up a can of chili. She only ate a small amount, leaving the rest for
the kids. She sat at the table for a while, hoping Jeremy would walk in at any
moment, but seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned