It's funny how a normal day can become a nightmare.
I sat at the table staring off into oblivion. Motes of dust swirled through the air around me. The smell of decay loomed in the still morning air.
This is how I started my days before my little sister woke up. I had these quiet moments to myself and only these.
I didn't want her to see me broken or lost, heaven knows she needs me to stay strong.
Strong enough for both of us
But sometimes when I couldn't sleep I dragged myself to the table and stared at the photo.
It was the only item in the room lacking dust. The only one that has followed me through many dusty rooms. The only item dear to me.
"I'm sorry," I whispered to the happy figures. Just as I closed my eyes to see joy one more time I heard her stir. I quickly turned away from the photo.
"Preston? What are you doing?" She murmured.
I perched on the side of her bed, smiling as best I could, "Didn't want to wake you up, sleepyhead." I tussled her hair.
This house was one of the better ones we had found. I could give her her own bed and it stayed dry in the rain. It was almost a shame we had to leave it.
She curled up next to me, her soft hair tickling my arm. Upon closer inspection, I saw tear stains on her cheeks. She tried to brush them away but her chocolate brown eyes stayed glassy.
"Are you having nightmares again?" I asked gently.
She shook her little head, her eyes flicking to the family in the photo.
Five figures stood together.
Two rowdy boys with tangled brown hair and wild blue eyes, the two adults seeming to be the only thing holding them in place. Back then it was hard to tell them apart.
One little girl stood in the middle. Unlike the boys, she was calm and collected in posture, but her face gleamed with a radiant smile. It was hard to tell that the girl curled in my lap was the same one. My little sister Bella.
Now two of the five were dead, and one other was as good as dead.
That was the sum of my family, of Bella's family.
Mother and Father were in their best clothes. Father wore his favourite navy blue suit and Mother wore a baby blue silky dress. But above all, Bella was the most spectacular. Her pink dress highlighted the colour of her delicate cheeks. She had combed her long blonde hair, pinkish flowers were braided through it.
"He gave me those flowers," Bella whispered, staring at the one that was as good as dead.
My twin brother Jadyn.
It was the last photo we'd ever gotten to take.
Jadyn who'd started quiet and sweet. Never the first to speak but always the first to help. He'd never failed to make Bella feel special and loved her more than anyone could.
I was jealous of that back then.
Then he'd changed...
My twin had turned into a demon.
My arm tightened around Bella. He still wanted her back. I wanted Bella to be happy, safe and free, but that wasn't an option. Not when we had nothing but abandoned houses to call our own.
"You can run! You can hide! But I will find you!"
Those words haunted me. They rang through my head as I combed Bella's hair back carefully just the way she liked it. She met my eyes with grim determination. It was time to restock our supplies and continue south away from the land of Jadyn.
Hopefully, we could make it outside his realm, somewhere he would never find us again.
Bella got out of bed, and quietly she recited our cover story, "My name is Melody, I'm a traveller from a quiet village north of here..."
We slipped on our jackets carefully. Bella had pinned any tears or rips. We would pick up new clothes soon, but right now money was tight since I couldn't pick up a job in the last village we passed through.
Bella offered to work too, but I insisted she didn't. She deserved to be a kid.
"Ready?" Bella said, forcing a small smile. I nodded and we set off.