Prose

Chapter Two: Isaac Dawns
18 years old

  I remember her... I remember what happened all those years ago. I remember that day as if it was yesterday. I was only 8 years old at the time. I was sitting outside in the dark watching the moon when I heard it. A small sniffling sound and the soft crunch of bare feet on leaves. At first I thought it was another wild animal; but there was no mistaking that shadow in the trees. That human shadow.

"Hello?" I called out to the shadow.

"Help me..." The shadow said in a soft voice. Then it collapsed to the ground.

  I instantly started panicking. I had to help this person.

'But how?' 

  I ran over to the person and picked them up. That was when my breath caught in my throat. Her pale face shone in the moonlight. Her wheat colored hair sparkled. She had been crying; around her eyes were red and slightly puffy.

  There was still a tear on her soft cheek...

  "Mom!" I cried out when I stepped into my home, not remembering that I no longer had a mother.

  My aunt came around the corner while rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "Isaac, I'm not your mother. I'm your au-" She gasped when she saw the girl in my arms. "Oh my..."

  She rushed over to me.

"I don't know what happened!" I said hurriedly, unconsciously tightening my grip around the girl when my aunt tried to take her from my arms. "She was in the trees and then she fell and she didn't wake up and I didn't know what to do! We have to help her!"

"I know, I know, Isaac." My aunt said while gently prying my arms away from the girl. "Go back to bed, baby. I'll help her."

  I couldn't go back to bed, I needed to be there for the girl, whoever she was. I've never felt this possessive over anything before. It was a weird feeling, but when I looked at her again it felt even more powerful than before.

"I don't want to go back to bed," I told my aunt.

"I know you want to stay here and look after your friend but you need to go to bed; now."

  I balled my hands into fists. "No."

  My aunt came over to me and put her hands on my shoulders; she looked into my eyes. "I promise I'll take care of her. You'll be able to see her in the morning. I promise, Isaac."

  I closed my eyes. "Okay..." I said softly, then walked to my room.

  I couldn't sleep. I couldn't get the girl out of my mind. I tossed and turned in my bed for hours until a restless sleep finally took me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  I woke up at the first sign of dawn. I instantly shot out of bed and ran down the hallway.

'Is she awake?'

  I burst into the front room expecting her to be on the couch, sleeping. I looked around the room. She wasn't there... I looked around again, maybe I missed her the first time. When I was sure she wasn't in there, I went down the hallway towards the spare bedroom. I quietly knocked on the door. There was no answer. I opened the door and looked in; she wasn't there either.

'Maybe aunt has her in her room...'

  I walked down to the end of the hallway to my aunts’ room. Her door was open. She never leaves her door open when she sleeps. I pushed open the door and walked in. Aunt wasn't there either...

"No...!" I whispered to the empty bedroom.

  I ran down the hallway to the front door and practically broke it down with the little strength I had from my restless sleep. I ran outside. Aunts’ car was gone...

"NO!" I yelled. But it was too late, she was gone...

  I didn't even know her name...