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CHAPTER 2
It had been over five hours since the death of her parents. But Scarlett had not moved an inch from where she knelt on the floor in front of the house, that once stood proud and beautiful.
Her eyes were puffy and red. Her bright emerald eyes that held life was now void of it.
She staring at the pile of burnt black bricks as if her parents would come out from wherever. But nothing changed. None of her parents came.
Meanwhile, Kayden, her elder brother had just finished speaking with the police officer as they had rounded up their work there.
He walked back to the kneeling figure. He took of his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
"It's getting cold now. It should keep you warm," he said.
Not receiving any response from her, he sighed befor he sat beside her. Instead of staring at the house, his eyes, like hers gazed up at the sky.
Unlike every other night, there were a few stars shining dimly in the sky. It was as if they knew of what had happened to them and decided to mourn as well.
"Scarlett... Things are going to be hard but... But you have me, okay? I don't expect you to be strong and get over this pain so quickly. I just want you to at least lean on your big brother and not to bottle up your pain and all other emotions," Kayden said in a soft voice almost like a whisper. But because of their proximity, Scarlett heard all he said.
More tears streamed down her cheeks. Though she knew he did not mean it in a bad way, his words was a strong reminder that they were alone.
She will now have no mother nor father to call her own. No one to receive hugs and kisses from when she returns home. There was not even a home to be welcomed into anymore.
"It hurts, Kay. It hurts here," Scarlett placed her right palm, balled into a fist in her chest, over her heart.
Kayden wrapped his arm around her shoulder and hugged her slender frame to himself. He tried as much as he could to transfer all his warmth to her. To let her know she still has him.
A few minutes went by until Scarlett's eyes ran out of tears. Her eyes were puffy and red. Even her cute little button nose was not spared from the redness.
"We should go now. It's not healthy to be out in the cold. It might even rain soon," Kaden spoke.
"But where are we going to go? Our house is ruined."
Standing up, Kaden wiped of the dust and dirt on his "Luckily, dad had another house. Although smaller, it's better than having no roof over our heads at all."
Scarlett took his hand and let him pull her up. Her legs gave away immediately as it became numb due to kneeling for long. Thankfully, Kaden was quick to support her.
He sighed and shook his head. Without any words, he bent a little, placed an arm under her knees and the other behind her shoulder. In a swift move, Scarlett found her legs off the ground.
He got them into the car and drove off after casting one last glance at their lost home.
Hours after, they were settled in a simple apartment. Kayden made do with what he could find in the refrigerator to prepare dinner.
After a silent meal, they laid quietly in the living room carpeted floor. Not long after, their bodies gave into exhaustion.
~An hour before midnight~
Scarlett's emerald eyes was clearly seen opened. The reflection of the moon's soft light that fell into the room through the opened curtains made it easy to see.
She gradually sat up and turned to see the peaceful sleeping face of her brother. She sighed and combed the fallen strands of her waist-length red wavy hair backwards.
Scarlett slowly stood up from the floor they were laying on. She took effortless quiet steps to the door after taking the car key from the centre table.
In an instant she was gone.
Scarlett drove down the not so quiet, unfamiliar street. For this time, it was kind of lively out here. Nevertheless, she was not bothered by it.
She drove for some time before she spotted a place near a river. She alighted from the car, still barefoot and stilled at the railings blocking anyone or thin from the river.
She climbed into it and balanced herself. Her head raised up to the sky as she let the sift pitter-oatter of the rain hit her delicate beautiful face.
If one were to see her now, they would think she was a goddess basking in the moonlight and welcoming the rain. But behind all that was a hopeless, pain-filled girl.
Thoughts of how twenty-two years of her life has been so peaceful and complete kept flowing into her mind. She thought back to all her birthday's and other fun family events.
The sweet melodious laughter of her parents and their warm voices. Their eyes that gazed at her with so much love and care.
All the happiness she felt without knowing what the future held flicked into her mind. And her tears flowed out like an open dam.
"Life can be so unfair but death is so much worse," she let words spill out from her lips.
"Why did you have to leave me, mum? What about the promise of together forever, dad? Why did you guys have to just leave like that?" She screamed out like they could here her from wherever they went.
"If you're both not here with me... then there is nothing more to live for. I'm not going on without both of you."
With those last words, she let herself fall into the river... Death must take her too.
As Scarlett sinks into the river, gradually loosing her consciousness. Just then, she saw a dark figure swimming toward her.
Is it coming to save her?
"Life has toyed with me and now my mind is playing games. I'll be far gone before I'm saved."
Everything went blank after as she slipped into darkness.