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His tiny elbows dug into his sister’s thigh as he impatiently waited for her to finish her braid. His green eyes blinked slowly as he fought off sleep. He stared owlishly at her, hoping that he could make her braid faster using his mind.
“Be patient, little dove. I’m almost finished now.” His sister cooed, cutting through his mind games.
He huffed. “I’m tired and you're taking forever. Sing me my song so I can sleep, you dummy.”
She laughed softly at her younger brother’s antics as she tied off her hair. “There. All done, you impatient little brat.”
“Play my song! Play my song now!” He sprinted up and grabbed her guitar from its spot on the wall. He waddled back to her, thrusting the instrument into her hands.
She took her guitar from him and placed it in her lap. He laid back down at her side with his head placed on her leg. She ruffled his hair softly, pulling an aggravated huff from her brother, before she started to play. The guitar rang through the empty room and she cringed slightly, hoping it wouldn’t wake their foster parents sleeping just down the hall.
The boy’s head lulled to the side before he placed it on her thigh, using it as his pillow. He gazed up at his sister once more before his eyes fell shut, one line of the song humming through his head.
“What could I have said to raise you from the dead?”
He was no older than six when that memory took place.
He was 22 now and their spots were reversed. She was laid across his lap and instead of her gentle singing, it was her blood that covered them. Her ragged breath was the only indication she was still alive. The boy’s sobs cut through the nasty silence. He never noticed the other figure flee the room.
“Come on now! Stay awake for me, Sammie. We’ll get you help soon. Someone will be here to get you and then you’ll be ok. Stay awake Sammie, you promised me.”
“I’m so sorry, Will.” She whispered. A grunt of pain left her from the effort it took to whisper those words.
He sobbed as he curled over her. “Sammie, it wasn’t your fault. It was mine. I’m sorry. Please don’t leave me. Someone is on their way. You just have to stay awake until they get here. Please, I can’t tell everyone else I lost you. You can’t leave me.”
She raised a bloody hand to his cheek and whispered out her favorite line from his song, “Did you get enough love, my little dove?”
“Sammie, you can’t leave me. You promised you would never leave me when we were kids. You can’t break this promise. Just stay awake for a little longer. Please!” He begged through his tears, hoping that whoever was coming, if anyone was coming to their aid, hurried up. He didn’t know how much longer she had.
She tried to form another sentence but she was cut off by a harsh cough that had blood bubbling past her lips. The boy quickly shushed her, begging for her to save her breath.
“Sammie, Sammie, please! You don’t need to talk. All you need to do is keep your eyes open. You promised you wouldn’t leave me. Don’t break that promise please. I can’t be left on my own, Sammie, you know this. Stay awake.”
His sobs almost drowned out her final breath. She coughed once, blood dribbling past her lips, and fell still. He watched as the light left her eyes and someone’s name graced her lips. A scream was all he could manage before the sobs took his breath away.
Someone eventually showed up but it was too late. The girl was already dead and the boy would never be the same.
All her friends would be left with trinkets, things that remind them of her. They would get whatever of her assets she left them.
All he was left with was a bloody handprint sliding down his cheek and a whole new level of nightmares.