Chapter 3 - The Promise
The kitchen was filled with the comforting smell of melted cheese.
Drew and Lily ate their dinner in quiet, hungry bites.
Peter sat across from them, nursing a mug of black coffee.
He watched how Drew instinctively pushed extra hot dogs onto his sister's plate.
The eight-year-old was carrying far too much weight on his small shoulders.
"Eat up, Drew," Peter said softly, sliding the bowl closer to him.
"There is plenty more in the pot if you want it."
Drew nodded slowly, his tired eyes drooping with exhaustion.
Once their plates were completely clean, Peter went upstairs to run a warm bath.
He dug into his dresser and found two of his oldest, softest t-shirts for them to sleep in.
While the children washed up, Peter stepped out onto the back deck.
He pulled his cell phone from his jeans pocket.
The bright screen glowed harshly against the dark evening sky.
He scrolled down his contacts until he found his sister's name.
His thumb hovered over the green call button for a long, tense moment.
He wanted to scream at her, to demand to know what she was thinking.
He wanted to know how she could lock her own children in a dark basement.
But a furious confrontation tonight would not help Drew or Lily.
He needed solid legal advice, not a pointless screaming match.
Instead, he opened a text message to his close friend, Mark, who was a family lawyer.
"I have an emergency regarding my niece and nephew," Peter typed.
"I need to file for emergency custody first thing in the morning."
He hit send and shoved the phone back into his pocket with a heavy sigh.
When he walked back inside, the kids were standing nervously in the hallway.
They looked incredibly small, swallowed up in his large, gray t-shirts.
Lily was rubbing her eyes with tiny fists, practically sleepwalking.
"Alright, you two," Peter said gently, keeping his voice light and calm.
"Let's get you tucked into the guest bedroom."
He led them down the hall into a cozy room with a large, soft bed.
Drew climbed in first, pulling the thick blue quilt back for his little sister.
Lily crawled in beside him, immediately curling into a small, tight ball.
Peter pulled the blankets up, tucking them securely around their shoulders.
He reached over to the nightstand and turned on a small, warm bedside lamp.
"Uncle Peter?" Drew whispered from the pillows.
"Yeah, buddy, I'm right here," Peter answered, pausing at the edge of the bed.
"Are you going to make us go back to her tomorrow?"
The raw fear in the boy's voice shattered Peter's heart all over again.
Peter sat gently on the edge of the mattress, making the springs creak slightly.
He looked directly into Drew's anxious, wide hazel eyes.
"I promise you, Drew," Peter said with absolute, unwavering certainty.
"You are never going back to that basement."
"I am going to fix this, and you are staying right here with me."
Drew stared at him for a second, searching Peter's face for the truth.
The boy let out a long, shaky breath, and the tension slowly left his small body.
"Okay," Drew whispered, closing his eyes.
Within minutes, the soft, rhythmic sound of deep sleep filled the quiet room.
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Peter stayed sitting there in the dim light for a very long time.
He watched them breathe, standing guard to keep the nightmares away.
