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�Figuring It Out� Chapter 6: So Scared The power whirred to a stop. All went quiet in the house. The darkness consumed me until I could no longer see Jenna who was inches from me. I could feel her shakiness. �Danny,� she whispered. �Jenna, it�s okay. The power just went out. Everything is all right,� I reassured her. �But, Danny, I�m scared of the dark,� she said dead seriously. And I knew she was serious. She was terrified of the dark. And since it was not only dark but cold as well, I knew she would be even more afraid. �Jen, don�t worry, I�m right here with you,� I said finding and holding her hand. �Okay,� she replied still shaking. �Let�s go downstairs and find the others,� I said as I led her to the door. She followed me slowly gripping tightly to my hand. We made our way downstairs in the dark and heard talking in the kitchen. Knowing my way around the house, I felt the wall for the door handle. �Mama?� I asked into the blackness. �Danny? Is that you? Is Jenna with you?� my mother asked. �Yes,� I replied. �So do we have any flashlights or something?� �Um, well, we can�t exactly find them right now. We tucked them away a few months ago and we don�t know where they are,� my mom replied. Jenna�s hand gripped mine. I pulled her closer to me. She was trembling as she tucked herself against my body. �Candles?� I asked hoping for some sort of light. �Nope, sorry,� my mother replied. �Okay,� I said slowly. �I�m going to take Jenna and find some blankets to keep us warm.� I led Jenna back up into my room and pulled the sheets and blankets off of my bed. I wrapped them around her giving her something to hold onto. She kissed my hand thankfully. We went back down the stairs and went into the living room. My father and Adam were sitting on the couch talking. Both had blankets and pillows with them. �Hey Adam and Dad,� I said helping Jenna to the couch. She sat down and pulled her knees against her chest. I sat next to her and put my arm around her. �Hey Dan,� Adam replied. �Jenna, are you okay?� �Yeah,� she said. �I�m good.� I didn�t believe the words she said. �Jen,� I whispered. �It�s okay. It really is.� I felt her head nod against my neck. �I know, I�m just scared.� �You don�t need to be,� I said. �Why don�t you try to sleep right now?� �Okay,� she said laying her head in my lap. Within minutes I could feel her steady breathing and knew she was asleep. It was still pitch black in the house. My mother had joined us in the living room. Everyone was pretty quiet. I sat back and relaxed trying not to wake up Jenna. Nobody spoke so I stayed silent. Something was going on, I could feel a huge announcement coming on. Adam knew, he had to know, or else he wouldn�t be so somber. This wasn�t my place to ask, not in the darkness. Soon enough the lights flickered back on and I was determined to find out what was wrong. I think they knew I was going to ask because no one moved. They sat in silence staring at me. Jenna still lay sleeping unknowingly missing one of the most important conversations in my lifetime. |