Cuddled in a wide wingbacked chair, Bevis stared out the window; the chill of the day outside was kept at bay by the fluffy, fleecy blanket tucked around her while her head rested on the wing of the vintage chair, her eyes taking in the wind in the trees, the river rolling by the mountains in the background and the flowers bobbing in their carpet of colour her mind stayed hazy ... unfocused ... numb.

Numb ... again.

The last time she had felt like this was when her parents ... were ... she couldn't say it ... didn't know how to acknowledge they were gone. All these years later, she felt beyond her reach even with their absence.

She was just beginning to feel she could move forward, but after the provoked outburst, she didn't know where to turn, look, go or ... anything. She felt .... nothing ... everything was numb. After the release of emotion earlier, Bevis felt bereft of direction, motivation, and energy ... is this what it felt like when you were lost?

A knock at her door went unanswered, and the turning of the handle and opening of the door didn't penetrate the hazy of her mind. A table was drawn up, and a tray with food and a Thermos was placed nearby. Her name was called, but she didn't answer or turn to see who it was. Bevis felt stuck... felt ... did she feel at all? No, that was the problem; her mind kept telling her she could feel, but there was nothing ... no pain, no anger, no despair ... absolutely nothing. Life felt devoid of all emotion.

Blinking slowly as a warm mug of delicious-smelling hot chocolate was pressed into her hands, looking down into the slowly swirling dark brown liquid, she sighed; words were spoken, but the fog around her mind refused their penetration. Large, gentle hands moved the blanket further up her body and only then did she follow the arms to the face, which held a soft smile, causing tears to gather again.

"Hey," Jason whispered, "it's going to be okay ..." he gently grazed the pad of his fingers over her fingers wrapped around her chocolate, "you haven't eaten since yesterday ..." he said, gently nudging the cup toward her lips, "drink some ... I brought some food for you to eat."

Nodding, she followed his directions sipping at the cup as he drew the plate of food close. The assembled finger foods looked as though some thought had gone into what would tempt her to eat.

"Are you ready to come out now?" Jason asked.

"I ..." her voice croaked and cracked as tears slid silently down her cheeks; clearing her throat, Bevis tried again, "I ... don't know what I am ... not anymore."

"I'm sorry about Angie yesterday," Jason whispered, "she really thought you knew ..." he sighed, "why didn't you say something?"

"About what?" Bevis asked.

"Your parents, what really happened, that the people at the hospital, their company and well ... your parents treated you like a child instead of a young adult, that you had no idea of what was going on," Jason said, "all of it."

Bevis swallowed hard, sipped her hot chocolate and shook her head, "How do you speak of something that has caused you the greatest pain in the world? How do you address a topic that causes the unhealing scar to leak into your soul and make you wish it would be easier to wade out of the numbness again?"

"Oh, Bev," Jason sighed, "has it been that hard?"

She nodded, remaining silent and swallowed the rising emotion as her eyes leaked down her cheeks.

"Dad's company were great in arranging everything, making sure I had meals, my apartment was cleaned, helping with storing all of their things until I felt I could face it, the selling of their home ... helping me getting on my feet with my business.... all of it but it wasn't until Chelsea arrived with her abrasive ways that I really began to feel or live again."

"How old were you when this happened?" Jason asked, keeping his voice low and slipping his hand around her icy one.

"Twenty," she whispered, "I never even got to say goodbye, and now Angie says they're alive and never told me ..." she cleared her throat, "I don't know which is worse ... their loss or the sudden understanding that I ..." she inhaled suddenly, "... wasn't worth the effort ..."

"I don't believe that," Jason said, "Jake and Chelsea are looking into a few things, but I believe they would have told you if it were possible ... and safe."

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Shrugging, Bevis sighed, "I don't know what to believe anymore, and I don't know how to process that they were okay with disappearing so totally from my life without a word."

"Maybe they did leave a sign or word, and you missed it," Jason said, "did you ever go to the storage unit?"

Bevis shook her head, "I could never bring myself to ..." she shuddered out a breath, "... decide what to give away."

"Perhaps we need to get this sorted out then," Jason said, "its been years ... perhaps you need to face this last hurdle. Bev, you could have missed something they left for you to find that would have given you direction. Don't say no ... think about it ... okay?"

Bevis nodded and sipped at the chocolate, "Thank you for bringing me a tray," she whispered.

He smiled, squeezing her hand, "My pleasure. Will you eat?"

Nodding, Bevis' lips lifted in a tugging smile, "Sure."

"Good, I'm going to check on Jake and Chelsea ... I'll be back for the tray in a bit," he rose, releasing her hand reluctantly, pausing at the door to look back at her as she sat sipping her chocolate and left the room.

Closing the door, Jason sighed and gasped as Chelsea appeared suddenly before him.

"Is she okay? Did she drink the chocolate? Is she eating anything?" she sidled from side to side in barely contained anxiety.

"Chels, my heart," Jason said, placing his hand over his chest and inhaling, "to answer your questions ..." he paused, thinking, "... no ... yes ....yes and before you ask... I don't think seeing her will get her down from wherever the revelation that her parents are probably alive has taken her."

"I have to see her," Chelsea said, "I have to make sure she is okay ... I have to."

Jason frowned at Chelsea's agitation, "Chels, what is going on?"

"Um ..." she paced away before pacing back, "it's something my Dad said to me before he moved away, and it just came back to me now."

Jason folded his arms over his chest, waiting. Chelsea hopped from one foot to the next, "You're not getting in there until you talk."

Grimacing and letting out a low, frustrated moan Chelsea turned in a circle before facing Jason again, "Okay, "she said, inhaling, "my father said to me that one day Bevis will discover the truth, and on that day, she will need someone who understands her journey more than anyone else."

"Do you think she learnt the truth now?" Jason asked, confusion fluttering over his features, "she learnt her parents are probably still alive, but what would make her ..." he paused as Chelsea thrust her phone at him, pointing out a text she had opened; he read it in silence before looking at her in surprise, "that would be a game changer. Do you think Bevis has received this?"

"Jason, it's on the same group we both belong to," Chelsea said, "did she have her phone with her?"

"I think so, but I don't think she was looking at it," Jason said, "when did you get this?"

"While you were in there with her," Chelsea said, "please, I need to talk to her."

Standing aside, Jason let Chelsea enter the room; hearing her calling Bevis' name, she was back at the door frantically gesturing.

"Was she here, Jason?" Chelsea asked, pointing around the room, "The tray is here, some food is gone, and the chocolate is finished, but there is no Bevis."

"What are you talking about?" Jason frowned, striding into the room and looking around.

The blanket lay on the floor in front of Bevis's chair; a large napkin was missing from the tray, as was some food, and the thermos was missing as well. Carefully taking in the rest of the room, Jason narrowed his eyes on a drawer. Striding across the room, he used a finger to slide it open. Bevis' clothes should have been there, but it was empty except for a piece of paper.

"Chels, I think she acted on that information," Jason said, reading through the note, "and I think I know where she may be heading."

"Where?" Chelsea asked.

"Her parent's storage unit," Jason said, "going there may be a good thing, but alone ..." sighing, he shook his head, "... not a good thing."

"Why?" Chelsea asked before realisation dawned, "The Calderones ... they'll be watching it."

"As will the company her parents worked for," Jason said, "do you think Bevis knows what to do when the guns start blazing?"

"Oh boy," Chelsea sighed, "she is a little slow on that kind of self-preservation thing ..." Chelsea frowned, "we have an address."

"Yes, we do," Jason said, "we'll need to get there before she does."

"But stay out of sight until needed," Chelsea said, "boy, she really wasn't kidding when she said she was out of her depth most of her life."

"Why do you say that?" Jason asked.

"Her parents didn't prepare her for any of this," Chelsea said, "she has no clue how to defend herself or look out for weird things. She says she goes on instinct."

"That can get you far," Jason said, "but at some point, you'll be out of your depth," he looked at Chelsea, a silent communication happening before they started hurriedly toward the door, "...we'd better hurry up."

"Yeah, I'll get Jake," Chelsea said as they left the room, quickly hurrying toward the living area and the rest of the family.