<div style="text-align: justify;">Marianne smiled to Danielle and peeked over her shoulder, waving to Jared. She was one of those people who liked knowing of everyone's business, but tried to get the information she wanted in a kind way.<br/><br/>"Oh, poor thing. Is he sick?", she asked with her usual kindness. "I can make some chicken broth if you want", the woman offered. Once again, that kind of thing was common in Crossroads, and the Warrenders sort of considered Danielle and her son as part of the family. As they had a lot of free time, it wasn't uncommon that they offered all kinds of practical help. <br/><br/>At the garage, Mrs. Warrender sighed in relief when Ethan said her car was already done. She had to admit that the boy - for Mrs. Warrender, everyone under the age of forty was considered a boy or a girl - always did indeed come through for her. She trusted Ethan with her eyes closed when it came to her car, and always made sure to add in a generous tip to every service she required. It was her way of helping, since she couldn't really offer too much help with those children of his - they didn't really seem to like anyone else, so nothing she could do. Correcting herself mentally, she shook her head. They liked Mrs. Elena, the school teacher. Maybe they should get married, she mused. They were both free, and the kids wouldn't be a problem.<br/><br/>Coming back to reality, the woman smiled brightly. "You are a life saver, dear", she responded to Ethan's comment while walking to the office space with him. "How much do I owe you this time, darling?", she asked, fishing her checkbook and a pen out of her purse.<br/><br/>At school, Miss Jones sighed when Alan asked that question. She should have known that the boy would start misbehaving the second Elena turned her back and couldn't see his behavior.<br/><br/>Despite his rudeness, she decided it was for the best to just answer the question and get the matter over with. "She has gone to church, dear", the 'dear' was not heartfelt at all, and it could be heard in her voice. "It is the anniversary of her husband's passing, and she felt like taking some time for herself. Now, let us start our lessons. I'm sure Mrs. Ellie will be very pleased if everything runs smoothly today".<br/><br/>At this exact moment, Elena was leaving the church, after promising to come back for Sunday Mass, as usual. Through all she had seen and lived, religion had always mattered a lot for Elena. She could even say it had been her only constant support system in life, specially after her parents passed away. And Father Daniels was much more than a priest, he was an old and dear friend she considered a paternal figure on her life.<br/><br/>With these thoughts in mind, she stepped back on to the street and had to hold her skirt, as a sudden gust of wind threatened to lift it up. Shortly after, she collected herself and started walking, as she hoped to get home before the storm started.<br/><br/>Neither her, nor Thomas, nor Mrs. Warrender would be that lucky, though. While they were all still out, a heavy thunder would shake the small town.<br/><br/>The sky would go dark for a few seconds, before being lit up by a lightning bolt. Not even two seconds later a massive shower would be pouring, not even giving time for anyone to look for cover.</div>