Nicholas had barely noticed the jacket being lain over him until he cracked one eye open just as Mattie was moving away again. The smell that the burning body of his mother was omitting was almost unbearable; it made him scrunch his nose in disgust. Then Mattie spoke, and the sound of her voice was almost melodically soothing to him, and he couldn't quite put his finger on why. Even with the nonchalant, almost apathetic tone she had, it comforted him to know that she was...there.

"Yeah," he replied, voice just above a whisper. The store became darker as the sun drifted lower. His eyes didn't close again, and instead he stared up into the darkness that hid the ceiling.

"Do you think we'll survive this?" he asked suddenly, knowing good and well that Mattie couldn't answer. Knowing that, even if they survived, his sister wouldn't. Couldn't. "Do you think that this will all blow over sometime and things will go back to how they were eventually?"

He sighed. The flames were getting smaller now, and light was almost gone. The smell was also fading, and for that he was glad. He rolled onto his side, facing both Mattie and Alissa. His sister was folded into the fetal position, but her tembling had halted.