Zooey Greene's Story

It was a bright and clear morning at the Reed house. From the outside, the home looked quite peaceful. A place that one would want to visit. The house was located a bit farther out than many in the small town preferred to live. It was well known around Coon Falls that the Reeds son had moved back home almost a year before with his two children to be closer to his family. The reasoning behind his move had been kept a mystery at first but then the media had begun releasing news about the event that, in the locals minds, had led to the move. They had left the Reeds alone for the most part. There had been a few older women that had spoken with Judith Reed a few times, trying to find out what was going on. It had been no secret that Darrin, Judith's son, was famous and part of the rock group Unfinished Belief. Naturally, everyone wanted to know why the band had broken up. Judith had not said much except that her son had felt that a break was needed. Rumors were circulating around the town still, no answers were found.

When news began to spread that Judith was looking for a nanny to hire to help with her two grandchildren, all of the girls in town had applied. Even some girls from different states. Judith had not been sure how so many people had found out about the position. She'd not really advertised it except in Coon Falls. The task of finding someone who would truly care for the children and not care who their father was had been very hard. She'd interviewed at least two hundred girls and had thought that it was a lost cause until she'd met Zooey Greene. She'd liked the girl from the start. She spoke with Zooey several times before offering her the position, which the girl gladly had accepted.

---

It had only been a year since Hannah had left them, since she'd turned her back on her family. Darrin still could not believe that she had left them. He'd thought that they were happy, that she was happy with the life that he was giving her. He had been so very wrong. When Hannah had disappeared that awful day, Darrin had been worried sick. She had been supposed to pick the kids up from school and had just never shown up. Luckily, the kids teacher had called Darrin to let him know that she still had his kids. He'd picked them up, at first being quite angry that Hannah hadn't picked them up. He'd taken them home, fixed them something to eat, made sure that they finished their homework, and put them to bed...and still no Hannah. It was by then that he'd really started to worry. Darrin had begun calling her phone, calling her family. No answer and her family hadn't heard from her that day. Becoming frightened for his wife, he called the police. They wouldn't be able to do anything for forty eight hours.

Darrin had stayed up most of that night, worrying. In the morning, he had had to get his children ready for school and take them there. He'd called the drummer of his band, his best friend, to let him know what was going on. By around noon, he received a text message from Hannah. All that she said was that she no longer loved him, the kids. She needed a life of her own. Darrin felt his world collapsing around him. His entire being belonged to Hannah and she didn't love him. He didn't know how to react. Slowly, as the next few days passed by, Darrin found himself not being able to really take care of his children properly. He had called his mother, asking her to watch them until he decided what he was going to do. Judith had flown out to the family's large home in California. She'd spoken for a long time with Darrin. She could not believe what Hannah had done. She attempted to comfort her son, to no avail. He was too far brokenhearted. She took her grandchildren and flew back to Coon Falls, keeping them at her small home.

Darrin stayed in California for another two months before he'd completely stopped caring about his career. He tried to leave the band, though his bandmates wouldn't hear it. Darrin resorted to calling them extremely hateful names, saying hurtful things. The other men became very angry with Darrin and at the time had not cared that he was leaving them. Darrin flew to Virginia to be with his family. He told his mother that they would be living in his large home that was located on the outskirts of the town. At first everything seemed to be all right. Darrin had seemed to be holding up as well as could have been expected. Slowly, as Judith would come over to the house everyday, she would notice that Darrin was usually drunk or had been taking Oxycontin. He'd lost weight, didn't seem to care about his appearance, his eyes were usually bloodshot. His behavior had begun to change as well. Darrin had begun to have a bad temper, he'd lost any interest in singing or practicing his guitar, he was trying to push many people away from himself. Judith was beginning to worry about her son. No matter what Judith or her husband Mick said to Darrin, he just wouldn't listen to them. It had gotten to the point that Judith and Mick were staying at Darrin's home twenty-four-seven. They were afraid to leave the children alone with the messed up man.

Darrin was upstairs in his large bedroom, laying upon the large bed. He was felt no need to move. He recalled his mother telling him that someone was coming over that day. He wasn't sure if they were just visiting or actually going to be living with them. He couldn't really think clearly. He could hear his children, Zeke and Zaira, running around the large house. It must be the Saturday, he thought. He slowly sat up and reached to his bedside table to pour himself a drink. He'd forgotten what kind of alcohol was in the glass but he didn't care. He drank the strong liquid quickly and popped a couple of pills. That should do it. He stood up and made his way to his closet and quickly got dressed. He chose to wear jeans, black converse, a white t-shirt with a random band name on it, and his black hoodie. He pulled the hood up, covering most of his dyed bright red hair. He grabbed his lighter and a pack of cigarettes. He slowly made his way down the stairs and into the kitchen. He sat down at the table, not saying anything. He was beginning to feel the effects of his recent intake. He was feeling tired once again. Perhaps he shouldn't have taken the pills with the alcohol. Darrin watched his mother as she moved around the kitchen, fixing breakfast. "I wish you would stop taking whatever it is that has you so doped up all of the time." ,she said softly, not looking at her son. Darrin chose not to say anything. "I hope that you didn't forget that the nanny that I hired will be here today. Her name is Zooey Greene and I've asked her to stay here for a while. I didn't see any need in her having to drive out here every day." Darrin only stared at his mother. It was obvious to the older woman that her son wouldn't be too friendly that day. She could only hope that Zooey would be able to handle Darrin. Suddenly, Judith heard a knock on the door. She quickly walked to the door and opened the heavy thing. She was now face to face with a young woman. "I'm so glad that you're here! Come in! I'd like to introduce you to everyone!" ,Judith said, gently leading the woman into the home. "Head into the kitchen while I round up the kids." Judith quickly walked into a different area of the house finding the four year olds. "Come, there is someone I'd like you two to meet." she said to her grandchildren. She led the into the kitchen, to where she had asked the nanny to wait for them.

Zooey had woken up much too early, but she hadn't really slept much either. At four in the morning she had slipping on a pair of grey sweatpants, already wearing one of the shirts she had stolen from her brother, and went jogging. He had never understood why she always stole his clothing, or why she preferred to wear the dress-like shirts instead of pants. Poor man, men, they would never understand people like her. Half the time she didn't even understand herself, so she really held no expectations of others being able too either. Of course she had tried to understand, at one time. The seemingly endless hours that she would stay awake, unable to even attempt to sleep, she would sit and try and figure herself out. Though she usually got distracted by something and never really got past the thoughts of her wishing that she could have been born a boy. It just seemed like life would be a lot easier for her, for everyone really.

She had grown up in a pretty normal house. Father- who she mostly called Daddy -Mother- who she mostly avoided having to talk to -and her brother, Jack. Jack was four years older, but they were always best friends. It was like he took her under his wing, since their parents fought an awful lot. Zoe remembered going to sleep most nights crying, curled up against her brothers side or with her fingers stuck in her ears. Finally, her father left them. Mother seemed to go into sleep mode after that, not talking or moving or anything. Zooey was about thirteen at the time, and at first didn't mind at it. It was pretty obvious that her and her Mother had a terrible relationship, Zoe would've run away a long time before then if it wasn't for Jack.

But after awhile longer, it started to seem like her old Mother was never going to return. It took a lot of Jack and her's effort to get her back again, but it was nice to get back into the swing of things. Wishing she could run away, playing pranks on Mother with Jack, being screamed at. That had been a first, she never thought that she would actually be glad to be yelled at. That was when she swore to herself that she would never had children, because she didn't want to be like her own Mother. If she ever knew her children hated her as much as she despised her own Mother, it would probably make her hate herself even more. Overall, she just didn't seem like a very motherly type. Not very clean, not too good at organizing things. That was probably why Jack was so surprised to hear about her new job.

Even she herself wasn't quite sure why she took the job. Basically, at least the only logical explanation she could think of, it was that she wanted out. At twenty years old she was still living in an apartment down the block from her Mom's house. It was getting boring, having to stay there. Not to mention that it had been her dream since she was a little kid to get out of there, and this was her chance. Darrin Reed wasn't too bad looking either, for a long time she had admired and adored the man. Especially his music, though she had never gotten a chance to go to one of his concerts. It confused her so much that Hannah left him, she must have been one crazy ass woman to do something like that. Especially with two children, maybe he was better off without her.

All of these thoughts went through her mind as she stood at the top of the steps leading to the house- if you could even call such a large structure that. It seemed like hours, but really only minutes passed before she got the courage to move up and knock on the door. It seemed like almost immediately it opened, revealing who was probably the woman that had hired her. Zoe put on the best smile she could, following the woman into the house and dragging her suitcase with her. The woman disappeared quickly, leaving her with instructions to find the kitchen. For a moment she stood frozen, wondering what to do with her bags. Finally she decided that just leaving them at the door would work for then, and she hurried towards the kitchen. A few minutes later the lady had returned, two four years olds in tow. She may not have liked children, but these two were absolutely adorable. Smiling softly, curtsied for the girl and offered her hand to the boy, going for the look-at-me-I'm-treating-you-like-adults-isn't-that-awesome? type of thing. "Hey you two. I'm Zoe, your new nanny."

The two small children eyed the woman in front of them with curious eyes. Their Grandmother had told them that they were going to have a new friend living with them. Zaira was the first to speak, smiling. "I'm Zaira!" Zeke pipped up as he shook Zooey's hand, as if the two were used to finishing each other's words. "And I'm Zeke!" The two were standing before Zooey, beaming. They were excited about having someone else in the house to play with. The two children had been lucky enough to resemble their father more than their mother. "Do you wanna play?" Zeke asked Zooey. Zaira was nodding furiously. Judith smiled gently at her grandchildren. "Why don't you two go and play so that Zooey can get settled in? You'll have plenty of time to play." she said. She watched as the two children briefly pouted before running off into the house. This left Zooey, Judith, and the silent Darrin in the kitchen together. Judith was surprised that Zooey didn't seem to have noticed the man. "Darrin? Have you lost your manners?" she asked the man that was sitting at the kitchen table. It was obvious to Judith that he'd taken something that morning. Darrin didn't even look at his mother but instead opted for removing himself from the kitchen. He stood up and walked out, heading back up the stairs. He entered his room and closed the door. Slowly, he made his way to his bed and lay back down. He just had no energy. He wanted only to drink and forget. He did not realize how rude he'd seemed to his mother, nor had he seen the hurt look on her face as he'd left without speaking to her. Darrin looked over to his bedside table. He slid up a bit, not quite sitting, and poured himself another drink. He quickly downed three more glasses. He slid back upon the bed, allowing his eyes to close. Slowly, he fell back asleep.

---

Judith watched as Darrin had left the room. "I'm sorry about Darrin. He's still taking everything quite hard. I can handle him not speaking to me but he's began pushing the children away. I know he's been drinking and taking something. I don't know what to do with him." she said, sadness hinting in her voice. She tried to force a smile for Zooey. "Come. I'll show you to your room." Judith led the way up the long, winding stairs. She indicated to Zooey that Darrin's room was the first on the left and that the children, who shared a room, were across from Darrin. Judith opened the door that was beside of Darrin's. "This will be your room, Dear. You are more than welcome to redecorate as you wish. Just let me know how much and we'll get it taken care of. I.."Judith hesitated for a second. "I didn't mention earlier but I won't be staying here tonight. It's been four months since I've seen my husband and I'm going to stay at home tonight. Mick refuses to come here with Darrin acting the way that he is. Now, I'll leave you to get settled in. Perhaps you can have the children show you around the house later after you've rested. They are very excited about you being here. Please, let me know if you need anything." The older woman slowly closed the bedroom door as she left. She headed downstairs and back into the kitchen to do housework.

Though it might not have seemed so to Judith, Zooey had certainly noticed the man sitting at the table. Who wouldn't notice him? Not only was he really attractive and pretty famous- at least in her opinion -, but also looked pretty drunk and probably high on something. It was just easier to try and do her best to ignore him, or she would end up making a mistake or accidentally let her thoughts slip. That was always something she was bad at, keeping her opinions to herself. If she was able to, she probably would have told him all about how drinking was bad, drugs were worse, and getting a nanny because you refused to take care of your own kids was just damn pathetic. Luckily the kids walked in the room then, and she was distracted from her earlier thoughts about telling him off. No matter how much she wanted to, he would certainly fire her. She was actually scared he would fire her if she even looked at him in the wrong way, he didn't look like a very happy drunk. "It's wonderful to meet both of you," she told the children, a real smile returning to her face at the sight of them.

The offer to play was awfully enticing, but it seemed that Grandma Reed wasn't going to let them right now. In a way she was thankful, it would be nice to be able to settle in first before taking on her duties. Honestly, she was just glad that the children were somewhat older. There was no way she would have been able to do this if they were babies. Four years old, well she at least had a shot. They could talk, tell her what they wanted or what was wrong, it would probably make things a lot more easier. And seeing as Darrin seemed to be in the same state her mother had been years ago, it wasn't like she was going to have problems with offending him. Hell, she doubted he even cared anymore. Again, she had to put her thoughts back in place. It wasn't her place to say or judge. Grabbing her suitcase, she followed Mrs. Reed up the steps towards what she assumed were the bedrooms. Apparently she was in the room next to Darrin's. She wasn't quite sure why that made her feel uncomfortable, but she was going to have to get used to it. At least the kids room was diagonal hers, quick to get to.

Nodding in response to everything Judith said, she said a quick thank you before turning to admire her room. And then she basically threw her things onto her bed and went out and towards the kids room. They played for hours, whatever games the children wanted to play or whatever they made up, she went right along with it. Though finally her curiosity got the better of her, and while Zeke was off at the bathroom she sneaked over to Zaira. There had been another staircase in the house, leading upwards. "Hey Zaira, do you know what's upstairs?"

Zaira was staring at Zooey for a moment. "Hey Zaira, do you know what's upstairs?" the woman had asked. The little girl thought for a moment, trying to decide if she should say anything. "It's the music room. Daddy used to hold his band.." she paused trying to think of the word. "practices in there. He won't let any of us in there now. He gets really mad if he catches us. We shouldn't go up there." she was standing nervously. She wondered if Zooey would want to go upstairs and if so what would happen if they were caught. "He won't even let Granny in there. Granny says that he's de..dep..depresseded. What does that mean Zooey?" The little girl was looking at the woman so trustingly. She wanted to know what was wrong with her Daddy and why he didn't seem to love them anymore.

---

Darrin's eyes opened slowly. He groggily looked around the room trying to figure out where he was. In Virginia. He sighed heavily. He'd been dreaming of being back in California with Hannah. That would never happen. She clearly cared nothing for any of them anymore. Darrin looked over to see what time it was. 5 o'clock. His mother would most likely be in the kitchen preparing their meal for the night. Not that Darrin ever came down to join them. She would always bring him something to eat but he'd really not felt much like eating lately. He was able to recall his mother telling him that he'd lost weight, not that he'd needed to. He no longer cared. The man moved to a sitting position upon his bed and pull out a cigarette. Lighting the item, he brought it to his lips and took a long, deep drag. He could feel the effects of the alcohol and pills wearing off. He'd need to take some more soon. Darrin noted at how quiet the house seemed to be. Unusual. The kids were normally up and down the hallways until seven or eight at night. Darrin pushed the thought from his mind, continuing to smoke.

Zeke returned from the bathroom to see his sister and the new nanny talking. They weren't speaking loud enough for him to hear though, which immediately hurt the child's feelings. Did they not want him to hear? Is that why they waited for him to go away? That couldn't be it though, he reasoned with himself. Maybe Zoe had just thought of something now, or she forgot how to speak loudly. That had to be it! There was no way they would keep words from him, especially not his sister. Even if he did pull her hair sometimes, it was just because it was funny! Bouncing over to the two, he offered them a big smile and grabbed onto Zoe's wrist before shaking it side to side. "Zooooe! What did you tell Zaira? I want to know!" It was about seven, which was only an hour or two before bedtime, but he was still hyper as ever.

Zooey was immediately interested in the room upstairs, but she had the feeling that Zaira wasn't going to want to go up there. The girl didn't really want to get the children in trouble either, perhaps she could convince Zeke to bring her up there, he looked like the type to get into trouble. Then again, she didn't know either of the children very well, she would just have to wait and see. It wasn't a good idea, but she had probably already done enough things that night that could have gotten her fired. Luckily, she just wasn't found, since the former rockstar was probably high in his room, and she wasn't quite sure where Mrs. Reed was. The woman had said she was planning on heading back home, but she wasn't sure if she'd meant then, or later. If it was then, that meant Zooey was going to have to make dinner. That'd be interesting, since that would mean she would have to go in the rockstars room.

Looking down at Zaira, Zoe gave a sympathetic smile. "It means that your daddy is a little sad right now." She told her, trying to find the nicest way to say it. "He still loves you and Zeke and your grandma very much, I'm sure of that." At that point Zeke had come over and was hanging on her arm, and Zoe's smile changed to a happier one. "I was just telling your sister about how we're going to have to play hair stylist tomorrow!" Just like she'd expected, Zeke made a disgusted face and went on to say that that sort of stuff was for girls, and girls had cooties. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you guys make pictures for your daddy? I'm sure that would make him feel a lot better."

[ I'll have a Tempest reply up tomorrow, too late tonight. D: ]

Zaira was watching Zooey, awaiting the answer to her question. "It means that your daddy is a little sad right now." the woman said. Zaira frowned for a moment. "Is it because Mommy left us?" she asked, wanting to know so badly why her Daddy didn't seem to want to have anything to do with them anymore. Zooey began speaking again, effectively taking the little girl's attention away from her recent question. "Hey, I have an idea. Why don't you guys make pictures for your daddy? I'm sure that would make him feel a lot better." Zaira's eyes seemed to grow large, excitement taking over. "Yes! I bet that would make Daddy feel tons better, Zooey!" Zaira quickly made her way to the bookshelf and pulled out a bunch of plain paper for them to draw on. She then found their crayons and made her way to the small table that was sitting in the center of their room. The little girl sat down at the table and began on her picture. "Will you do one too, Zooey? I bet the more we do the better Daddy will feel!" Zaira said smiling brightly. The little girl worked very hard on her picture, just knowing that this would somehow help her Daddy.

---

Judith had spent all day cleaning up the house. It was beginning to get late so she headed upstairs to the children's bedroom. She entered to find them drawing. She smiled at everyone in the room. "I'm afraid that I've got to get going. My husband will be wondering where I am. There is plenty of food downstairs, Zooey. All that you'll need to do is see what the children want, Darrin usually won't come out of his room so you'll have to bring him something. If you could make sure that he eats something, I would be so grateful. I'm afraid that he's not been eating even though his plate is normally empty. I'll see you sometime tomorrow." the older woman said. She bid her grandchildren goodnight and quickly made her way to Darrin's room. She knocked softly before entering. She found him sitting upon his large bed, smoking. In Judith's opinion, this was better than she usually found him. "I'm heading out. If you need anything just let Zooey know. I'll be back tomorrow." she said. Darrin eyed his mother for a moment. "Ok." was all that he said. Judith frowned slightly. She hoped that he wouldn't give the nanny too much trouble. The older woman slowly left the bedroom and headed downstairs and out of the house. She made her way to her car and left.

---

Darrin didn't understand why his mother had told him to tell the nanny if he needed anything. He didn't need her help. He didn't even want to look at her. It hurt, for some reason. She would be like everyone else. Pitying him because his wife had left him to raise two children on his own. Darrin continued sitting upon his bed. He decided not to take anything else right now. He quickly pulled out a old sketchbook that he'd not opened in a long time. He then found his pencils. He began to draw, putting great care into the piece of art.



[That's ok! ^^]

Zooey was happy that she'd been able to take the little girls mind off of her mother, and even happier that she'd been able to think of something to occupy the children. It wasn't like she used to sit around her house all day and do nothing, but she definitely wasn't used to being pulled in two different directions and running around trying to entertain two children. Though, in a way, it was nice. To actually have something to do, and both of them were just so adorable. Her heart went out to the children, being not only abandoned by their mother, but also by their father. She felt no pity towards Darrin though. Perhaps she would if he was the one out here actually taking care of them, pushing through his pain so that he could help his children. But that wasn't the case. The only thing she felt towards him was anger, because he was being less mature than both his children. When it was him who should have been trying to make them feel better, the roles were reversed. She looked over at Zeke and Zaira, who both seemed to be working so hard on their pictures. Hopefully Darrin would at least have the sense to come out and thank them, something.

Her own drawing was of three roses, one of which was beginning to die. In her mind it was truly of Darrin and his children, showing that he was beginning to fade away and only had some time to save himself. The closeness of them symbolized that his children were still there, that his children weren't going to leave him like his wife did. Of course to everyone else it just looked like some roses and a few petals falling. That was probably the thing she hated most about art, she could draw and paint and sketch, but her idea was hardly ever the same as anothers. Unlike books and stories, actual words that described and told you what and how it was, art was usually up to interpretation. And her mind was always much more creative than her families, they hardly ever could figure out what her drawings were. That was the reason she had taken up writing, but even then they had hardly bothered reading any of it.

After Judith left- Zoe had promised her that she would find a way to get Darrin to eat something -she finished up her drawing and placed it in the middle of the table, where the other finished cards and drawings were. "Aren't you two hungry?" She had found it was easier to say that to a child, rather than asking them are you hungry?. It often left the idea in their mind that they were. "How about I go make us all something to eat, any requests?" Zeke shook his head, mumbling a short I'll eat anything. After waiting for Zaira's reply, whether it be that she wanted something specific or didn't care like her brother, she quickly left the room- hoping she wouldn't return to a huge mess. For a moment she stared at the door in front of her, should she even bother asking Darrin what he wanted? "Mr. Reed?", she called out softly after knocking on his door.

Zaira had only told her nanny that she'd eat anything that the woman fixed. She was normally not too picky. She continued on with her brother, working on the picture that she was going to give her Daddy. She hoped that he liked it and that maybe he'd come out of his room and play with them after seeing the happy images. The little girl smiled at Zeke as if telling him that this could work. That they could help their Daddy get better. Zaira watched as Zooey left the room, leaving them alone. "I like her." she said to her brother, smiling.

---

Darrin looked up quickly as he heard the knock upon his door. "Mr. Reed?" a woman's voice called. At first, Darrin was confused as to who would be calling on him. It took him a moment to realize that perhaps it was the kids' nanny. His mother had said that she was leaving but that didn't explain why the woman would need to speak to him. He sighed softly. "Come in." he said, loud enough for the girl to hear him. He lit another cigarette and was holding the item in his left had as he drew. He turned his deep brown eyes to the door as he heard it opening. He took another drag from the cigarette.



[This one was a bit short. LOL! XD]

Zeke grinned, nodding quickly. "I like her too," he agreed. "Maybe she'll let us have ice cream after supper!" The thought made him even more excited, and his grip on the blue crayon tightened- he was holding it in his fist, not used to holding a regular pencil- until it split it two. His jaw dropped, mouth forming an O as he jumped up to go search for another blue crayon. His picture was of him and his daddy holding hands, and his sister was sitting on his dads shoulders- though it looked more like she was on his head- and he needed the blue to finish coloring his fathers shirt.

Zooey pushed the door open and- not daring to actually enter his room -she leaned against the doorframe with her arms crossed. "I'm about to make your children dinner." She put emphasis on the fact that she was the one taking care of his children, not really caring what he would think of it. "But since I figured you probably aren't too crazy about macaroni and cheese, I wanted to ask what you'd like to eat." The fact that he was smoking put a bitter note in her voice, and if she wasn't worried about those children ending up with a bad nanny, she would have said something about it.

Zaira smiled at Zeke. "Maybe! I hope she will! It's been forever since we've had ice cream!" she said. She watched as Zeke broke his Crayon. Zaira only shook her head, laughing at her brother. She was drawing a brightly colored picture of herself, Zeke, and their Daddy together, holdings hands and smiling. She wondered when supper would be done. She was starving. "I hope that Zooey gets supper done soon. Maybe Daddy will even come down!" she said brightly, trying to be optimistic. In her small innocent heart, Zaira knew that the likelihood of her father coming downstars was pretty much nonexistent. She tried not to let this bother her, continuing to make cute little pictures for her Daddy. "I hope these will help him feel better, Zeke." she said softly.

---

Darrin regarded Zooey as she stood against his doorframe. "I'm about to make your children dinner." Zooey said. "But since I figured you probably aren't too crazy about macaroni and cheese, I wanted to ask what you'd like to eat." Darrin just stared at her for a long moment. He couldn't believe the way that she'd just spoken to him. He had, by now, stopped everything that he was doing. "I'm not hungry." Darrin said softly. As he thought about what Zooey had just said to him, the angrier he felt. "Let me make one thing very clear right now. I didn't hire you, my mother did. I don't care about you nor do I even care to know you. Watch yourself or I'll have you fired. I don't appreciate your tone, at all." the man was almost staring at Zooey, angrily. Most likely a result of his previous drug intakes that were still slightly in his system. He turned his attention back to the book in front of him, as if assuming that their conversation was over and that the girl would just leave him alone. Darrin, had he not been drugged up, would never have said such things to anyone. He was known by everyone to be the most kind-hearted performer that the world had ever seen. Before his life had fallen apart, he'd loved his fans. He loved getting mail from them. He loved meeting and talking to them. He'd loved everything about his life.

The thought of ice cream made Zeke's mouth water. Grandma didn't let them have sweets very often, at least not him because he usually snuck so many candies during the day when no one was watching. It wasn't like there was anyone there to stop him, Daddy didn't come out of his room very often and Mommy was missing. He usually just had to wait until Grandma was distracted with Zaira, and he could sneak away and grab some. Actually, it had almost turned into a game for the little boy. Like he was being a spy or a ninja or something of the likes, though he never really worried about getting caught. Even if he was, he didn't think that Grandma would yell at him. No one really yelled at them anymore, it was like they were treating him and his sister like glass, as if they could break any moment. It was sort of scary, he actually missed the normal life he had used to have. Being scolded for eating dessert before dinner, or sneaking candy. Sighing, he took the blue crayon he had found and went back to where his sister was. "Maybe Daddy will," he said quietly, not wanting to make his sister sad. "Never know."

---

Zooey hardly flinched, taking each word in and letting him release whatever anger he felt he had to on her. They both had a right to be angry, him for the way she had talked to him, her for the way he had abandoned his children. It wasn't her place to say anything or to judge, yet she had, and she didn't really regret it. Darrin needed to remember that he was an adult, and he had two children that were still there and were still very much real that needed love and cared for. And that was his job, not hers or his mothers or even Hannah's, not that she was there. "I don't appreciate the way you've abandoned your children," she said softly, using his words. Beginning to turn, she knew there was one last thing she had to say. "Go ahead and fire me. Maybe that will make you realize that there are two little kids in there that need you very much, little kids that love and miss you." Closing the door behind her, she retreated to the kitchen quickly. From there she made the children's food- macaroni and cheese. She wasn't sure what the rules were in the house, but she figured for her first night there she should have them eat in the dining room. After placing out drinks and three dishes, she ran back upstairs. "Zaira, Zeke, foods ready!"

Zaira finished her drawing and showed it to Zeke as he was talking. "Do you think he'll like mine?" she asked. Before the younger boy even had a chance to reply Zaira heard Zooey yelling upstairs to them. "Zaira, Zeke, foods ready!" Zaira smiled brightly. "Race you!" she yelled, taking off out the door. She bounded down the stairs as quick as her small body would allow her. She knew that she'd never beat Zeke. He was a bit faster than her. She was laughing happily as she entered the large dining room. Much to the little girl's disappointment, her Daddy was nowhere to be seen. She turned her brown eyes up to Zooey. "Is Daddy not coming down?" she asked softly, already knowing the answer. She was sad, wanting to see her father so badly. Yes, he'd been downstairs that morning but they'd not been allowed in the kitchen when he'd been there. Zaira took her seat and waited for Zeke to sit. She nodded at him, as if telling him that they needed to say their prayer. "God is great and God is Good, And we thank God for our food; By God's hand we must be fed, Give us Lord, our daily bread. Amen." she chanted. "Daddy always makes us say our prayers before we eat." she said happily. Zaira remembered before Mommy had left and how their Daddy had made sure that they'd say all of their daily prayers. She missed him coming in and saying the prayers with them. The little girl began eating and talking happily with her brother.

---

Darrin watched Zooey for her reaction to his words. She almost didn't seem to be bothered by what he'd just said. "I don't appreciate the way you've abandoned your children," Zooey said softly. The woman went to turn, but stopped for a moment to say one last thing. "Go ahead and fire me. Maybe that will make you realize that there are two little kids in there that need you very much, little kids that love and miss you." With that she was gone and Darrin's door closed once more. He didn't know how to react. Her words bothered him. More than they should have perhaps considering his current state. He dwelled on Zooey's words for a long time. He'd even gotten up and was pacing around his large room. He spotted a picture of Hannah that his mother had forgotten to get out of his room. He became quite angry. All of this was her fault. He, with great force, threw the picture frame against the wall. The wood and glass shattered from the force. He was sure that everyone had heard the commotion. He stood there for a moment, eyeing the glass and wood. He felt so angry. He could not understand it. He destroy a few more items, glass vases and a ornate lamp that had cost a small fortune. He grabbed his pack of smokes and lighter. He quickly made his way down the stairs and out the front door, all without saying anything to those in the dining room.

The large house was surrounded by forest. He knew the woods better than most. He took off at a fully run, trying to get away from his life. He didn't want to do anything else that he might eventually regret. He ran until he finally came to the waterfall that the town was named after. He'd not been here in a long time. He collapsed upon the grassy shore, staring up into the canopy above. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. He began smoking, feeling a bit better. He wasn't sure why Zooey's word had made him so mad. What did he care what she thought?

Zeke already knew that his father wasn't going to be downstairs with them. He wasn't going to say prayer with them. Or eat with them. What Zeke didn't know was why? he wasn't going to be there. Of course he knew some things, like his mother had left them and it made them all very sad and maybe even a bit angry. But he didn't know why his father had abandoned them too. Especially his sister, she always tried to be so happy and positive and, well she cared about everyone it seemed, always trying to make their father "better". That was what made him angry the most, that his sister was being punished for his mother and father's mistakes. That was why he let her win, pretending to get his sleeve stuck in the door so that Zaira would beat him to the table. "Aw, darn. G-guess you beat me." Ever since his mother left, he'd developed a stutter. It was most dominant when he thought about his parents, sometimes it wasn't even there at all.

Taking his seat at the table, he said prayer with his sister and began to eat. He was sure that all of them heard the crashes upstairs, and with each and every one, Zeke flinched. But he didn't say anything, didn't dare too. He knew when his father went downstairs and left the house, and he didn't say or do anything. His eyes moved over to his sister, and then to Zoe, looking slightly frightened. What was wrong with his daddy?

---

Zooey frowned at she heard the crashes upstairs. "Don't worry guys, your father probably just dropped something." And then came another crash, and another, making her flinch. Did he want to scar his children for life?

When they were all finished eating, she sent the kids back up to their rooms to get ready for bed. Though after cleaning all the dishes, she remembered her earlier promise of ice cream and went to the fridge to search for some. Luckily, she found some vanilla and chocolate syrup, which she used to make two bowls of ice cream. She brought them upstairs to the kids, handing one bowl to each of them. "Now, when you guys are done eating you need to get some rest. Alright?" Zoe sat with them for a while more, before promising to be back in a little to tuck them in. First, she went into her room and grabbed a pen and post-it notes. Then she ran back downstairs to the kitchen. After a bit of searching, she found a tupperware container that would be perfect for what she intended. She doubled what she put in the children's ice cream, four scoops of ice cream and a whole lot more chocolate syrup. After closing it up, she put it in the freezer.

Next came the post-it notes. She put one on the front door stating that Darrin, "Go look at the kitchen counter." At the counter, she posted one that instructed him to, "Look in the freezer, blue container on the left." And then she sent her own little prayer up, even if she was agnostic and wasn't quite sure she believed in it all, that Darrin would return and that she wouldn't be packing her bags to return back home tomorrow.

Like promised, she returned to the kids room to tuck them in and take their empty bowls. She returned to the kitchen- and realized that this job was going to include a lot of running up and down stairs -to clean the rest of her dishes.

Zaira hadn't known what was going on upstairs as the crashes had continued for a few seconds. She was scared. She'd never heard her Daddy cause such noises before. She was worried about her Daddy. He'd left during supper and hadn't come back yet. She did as she was told and followed Zeke back upstairs. "Now, when you guys are done eating you need to get some rest. Alright?" Zooey said. Zaira didn't want Zooey to leave them. She wondered briefly why the woman was going downstairs. The little girl ate she ice cream happily. It had been a while since they'd had ice cream. Zooey returned to the children some time after they'd finished their treat. She even tucked them in as she'd promised. Zaira made sure that she said a silent prayer. Laying down, she closed her eyes. She quickly fell asleep.

---

Darrin didn't arrive back at his home around ten o'clock. The kids should be in bed by then. He'd had plenty of time for all of the drugs in his system to work their way out. He was feeling like he needed to take some more pills but he'd wait until he got back into his room. Before he opened the door, he saw a post it note hanging. "Go look at the kitchen counter." it said. Brow furrowed, Darrin took the note down and walked into the kitchen. He made his way to the counter and saw another note. This one said, "Look in the freezer, blue container on the left." Darrin took both notes and tossed them into the trash. He did as they said, though. He opened the freezer to find a container of ice cream and chocolate syrup. Now he felt horrible about how he'd acted towards Zooey. He wondered if she was still up. He took the container out of the freezer and sat down at the dining room table and began eating the ice cream slowly. If she came to talk to him, he'd make sure and apologize.

Zeke enjoyed every bit of his ice cream, eating it so quickly that he got multiple brain freezes. Somehow, it had been able to take his mind off of everything. His mother, his father, the fact that his life would probably never be like it used to be. And he was able to enjoy the time that he got to sit with his sister and just eat some vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup, vanilla being his favorite flavor and chocolate syrup being, well, amazing. Though he kept to his usual habits, only eating a few bites and then pretending to be a chef, mixing the ice cream in with the syrup until it mixed all together and was almost like soft serve ice cream. It was his favorite like this, and even though basically the same as before, he still enjoyed it a lot more. He was glad to have Zoe around. When she came back upstairs to take their bowls and tuck them in, he said a silent prayer before wishing his sister a goodnight and drifting off to sleep.

---

Zooey heard Darrin come home. She wasn't sure if she wanted to go down or not, of course she was curious though. Would he ignore her notes? Maybe he wouldn't even see them, it was dark outside now. After another few minutes of fighting with herself, she put down her book and went towards her door. First she grabbed the drawings that she'd put on her desk though, hoping that Darrin would be less-crazy and more-Darrin, so she could give him the pictures her and the kids had drawn.

She found him in the dining room, sitting at the table with the blue container full of ice cream. This made her smile, glad that he was eating something. The rockstar looked awfully thin, even compared to her. "Mr. Reed?" He was nine years older than her, and her boss, she felt required to call him that. Silently, she moved over to the table and sat down near him before placing the drawings in front of her. She had made sure to sign the name of which child had drawn what picture, so he could distinguish between them. The only one not signed was hers, but she doubted he would mistake it as anyone elses.

Darrin looked up as he heard a voice. "Mr. Reed?" He watched as Zooey sat down near him. He didn't say anything to the woman for a long moment. He was trying to figure out what to say to her. He watched as Zooey laid a few drawings down upon the table. His curiosity got the better of him. He gently moved the pictures around so that he could look at each one as they lay upon the glossy wood. He seemed to be studying the papers. The two that were signed, he could have easily been able to tell that they were done by his children. It brought a small smile to his face. The other one, though, obviously had to of been drawn by Zooey. He was impressed with how good that it was. He studied it for a long moment. "I'm sorry for earlier." he said softly, still staring at the drawings. "You're good." he said, referring to her drawing. "Interesting as well. You obviously intended for the roses to represent the kids and me. Am I right?" He turned his brown eyes to Zooey. "You know, before I joined my band I wanted to be an artist. I was never able to make it though. I wasn't good enough, or so they said." He fell silent once more, taking a few small bites of the ice cream.

Darrin regarded the woman closely. "So, tell me why my mother decided that you were better than everyone else that applied." he said, smiling lightly. He wondered what the woman would say. He knew that it was a strange question and yet felt the need to ask it. He was almost playing with her. Darrin couldn't understand why he was though. Thinking back to the pictures, Darrin saw that he'd been neglecting his children. He felt awful. Perhaps..he could try to do better. Darrin knew that it would take some work but he'd have to do it. He began making plans in his head for the next day. He knew that his mother would be over early the following day and he could easily get up before anyone. He smiled to himself, as if he had a secret. Darrin knew that he was becoming addicted to the pills. He wondered if he'd be able to shake the feeling of needing to take them. He would need to find something to distract himself from them.

Zooey occupied herself with staring at the table for a long time, only shifting slightly when she heard the pages in front of her move. They were both quiet, which resulted in a somewhat awkward silence, but it was needed. It seemed neither one of them wanted to apologize for the conversation earlier, and she wasn't sure if he felt like he even needed to, but she did. That was always a problem of hers, being incredibly over-opinionated and blunt. She didn't really think before she spoke and didn't care what people thought, no matter how much it got her into trouble. It was definitely something she had gotten from her father, since her mother was probably the quietest little lady ever. Actually, the only thing she had gotten from her mom at all was her size. Which she was actually happy about, she didn't want to be super tall or anything, being short was nice. And whenever her brother teased her about it- he had obviously taken after her father, being at least six foot -she simply told him that smaller people live longer. Shut him up pretty quickly, actually.

He was the first to speak, surprising her. "No need to apologize, I was just as bad as you were." She was grateful for the quick shift in subject, though she wasn't sure how to take his compliment. Though as he asked about the drawing, and the meaning behind it, she grew slightly wide eyed. He'd gotten it almost spot on, exactly spot on. She highly doubted anyone could have guessed that, they would just see three roses- no, probably just three flowers, who cared what kind they were? "That's right," she said quietly, still confused. "I'm sure you could have been an artist, if you wanted. I mean, they said the same thing to me, and I'm still drawing." Zoe shrugged lightly, thinking about how she had not only been turned down for her sketches, but her music too.

His final question made her think, why had she been picked? There certainly must have been dozens of people who wanted to work for him, just to be close to the star, so why had they picked her? "I think... Probably because I'm the only one that didn't want to work here just to try and become the next Mrs. Reed." Zoe glanced up at him, eyebrows raised. "And, if you hadn't noticed, I'm sort of a... not the ditzy-blonde type that laughs at whatever you say, no matter how insulting or rude or stupid it is."

"I think... Probably because I'm the only one that didn't want to work here just to try and become the next Mrs. Reed." Zooey said, her eyebrows raised at Darrin. "And, if you hadn't noticed, I'm sort of a... not the ditzy-blonde type that laughs at whatever you say, no matter how insulting or rude or stupid it is." Darrin laughed lightly at Zooey's answer. "It is refreshing having someone around that isn't falling all over me." he said, smiling. The man was eyeing Zooey again. She was so different than most girls that he'd ever met before. He quickly pushed this thought from his mind. He didn't need to be thinking of such things. She was his children's nanny, after all. Darrin began speaking again. "I hope that they were good for you on your first day. Zeke and Zaira generally like to get into trouble most of the time. I'm afraid that they take after me." He was thinking about his children. It was true. He remembered as the kids had begun walking, Hannah would always tell him of how they were always into stuff, even after she would scold them. They would always keep doing things that they knew they shouldn't.

Darrin finished the ice cream and looked at the large clock that hung upon the dining room wall. It was beginning to get late. "Well, I'd better let you get to bed. They'll be up bright and early. Goodnight, Ms. Greene." he said and took the bowl into the kitchen,placing it into the sink. He began to make his way up the stairs but paused halfway up. He looked over his shoulder, back down towards the floor. "Oh, and you can call me Darrin. Mr. Reed just makes me sound old." he said and made the way up the stairs and into his room. He shut the door and went to the bathroom. He quickly changed into something to sleep in. He flopped down onto the bed. He saw the pill bottle just sitting upon the nightstand. He wanted to take them. So badly he felt the pull. He gave in, only taking two with no alcohol this time. He quickly passed out, falling into a dreamless sleep.

---

Darrin woke up around five the next morning. He listened closely, not hearing anyone up yet. He quickly got up and dressed. As he looked at himself in the mirror, Darrin realized how thin he'd gotten. His once brightly dyed hair looked as if it needed a touch up. He grabbed his keys, phone, cigarettes, and lighter. He quickly and quietly made his way down the stairs. He left no note telling anyone where he was going.

---

Judith arrived at the home of her son at seven that morning. The first thing that she noticed was that Darrin's car was gone. That couldn't be good. She quickly made her way into the home. "Zooey! Zooey!" she yelled. She wanted to know what was going on. Once the woman appeared, Judith said frantically, "Where is Darrin? His car isn't outside and it's not like him to just leave this early."

Zooey smiled, pleasantly surprised by the conversation. Who knew she could actually get along with such a man? Not to mention a rich and famous rockstar that she used to idolize. It probably surprised both of them, especially because of earlier. When he mentioned the children, she couldn't help but laugh a little. "They're so wonderful, all Zaira wants is for you to be happy." The thought of the kids taking after him also was amusing to her, since she couldn't imagine him doing some of the things they did when he was younger. "Well, as long as I don't catch you with your hand in the cookie jar, I think we'll be alright." There was at least three times today when she had found Zeke trying to steal candy, and every time she still ended up giving him a piece, but it got funnier each time. The little boy would always try a new "ackic", as he called it. A few times she had corrected him, saying that it was pronounced tactic, and then he would correct her and say that it was ackic. Eventually she had given up, mostly just because it was adorable.

The man was halfway up the stairs when he paused, making her wonder what else he wanted. What he did say though, caused her to grin. "Well you are old, Mister Almost-Thirty." Her last words were something similar to his, saying that he could just call her Zoe. After hanging the pictures on the fridge, she went upstairs and returned to her bed. Though she didn't sleep for a long time, she was able to rest easier, knowing that she wasn't going to be fired the next day and that Darrin might actually try for his kids. That was all she really wanted from him, right?

---

She awoke to someone yelling her name. Quickly jumping up, she pulled on a pair of jeans and ran downstairs, happy that her hair was straight and easy to brush down with her fingers. Judith was the one who'd been calling her, which she should have assumed, and now she was asking about Darrin. Zoe blinked, trying to wake up and take everything in at the same time. Though when everything finally clicked, she actually smiled, looking completely happy. The lady probably thought she was crazy. "Last night," she began, trying to put her thoughts together. "Last night Darrin and I talked. I-I showed him the pictures the kids made. He was almost, well, he seemed like him again. M-Maybe he's just- I don't know. This has to be a good thing, I promise. If he isn't back in a few hours I'll go look for him myself."

---

Upstairs, Zeke was just waking up. Though as soon as his eyes opened, he was awake and ready to run around again. He took a moment to jump onto his sisters bed, not caring if she was up or not, either way she would be in a moment. "Zaira! Grandma is here!" The little boy raced downstairs in his Lightning McQueen Cars pajamas, running immediately over to Zoe and his Grandma. Though he stopped at the sight of his picture on the fridge, jaw dropping. "Zaira! Zoe! Look! It's our pictures! Do you think Daddy saw them?"