Chapter 1.

Everything was so vivid. It was just like that day, a day she could never forget no matter how much she tried to bury it away in the deepest part of her mind. The hot rubble that stabbed her legs  as she ran. The dense air that burned her lungs as she tried to gasp for air, and the boy whose small hands clung to hers as they made their way out of the fiery building that threatened to collapse any moment and bury them within. She felt herself getting weaker and weaker and her legs began to feel as heavy as bricks.

She ignored the feeling and pressed on, not because she was desperate to live, but because of the young life that she dragged with her. She wanted him to survive no matter what, but that feeling was short lived as she felt her eyes getting heavier by the moment. She couldn’t keep her eyes open again and they fellshut involuntarily, clouding her vision in darkness.

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Melissa’s eyes shut open as her breathing became laboured. She turned to her side and fumbled for her bedside lamp. Once she found the switched, she flicked it on and her dark room became illuminated with light. Melissa sat up on her small bed and rubbed her eyes as she let out a sigh.

“Its the same dream again.” She muttered.

The reoccurring dreams that had plagued her like a pest in the past were back again. It was a dream of what had occurred in the past when she was much younger and every dream she had, felt like she was reliving the experience. The dreams were more of a nightmare to her when she was much younger, but now it only reminded her of why she needed to strive and be alive.

Melissa looked at her hand and closed it slowly. The warmth of his hand was still spread across her palm. She put her fist to her chest and sighed. It was a relief that she never let go of his hand. Melissa turned to her small digital clock on the beside table and peeked at the time. It was 2am in the morning, too early for her to be up, but Melissa knew it was going to be a task falling asleep  again.

Throwing her legs out of the bed, Melissa made her way to the small narrow bathroom in the corner of her room and stood in front of her sink. She turned it on and splashed water on her face. She looked in the mirror in front of her and brushed her golden brown hair away from her sweat stained face.

Melisa sighed and ran her fingers over the dark circles forming under her eyes. This wouldn’t do. She needed to get some sleep, but her heart was still pounding furiously from the dream she had. Gripping the sink tightly, Melissa exhaled to calm her unsteady heart. This was going to take the whole night.

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The alarm was noisy and it resonated within Melissa’s head. She groaned and lazily picked up her phone from the bedside table. Rubbing her eyes to clear her blurry vision, Melissa glanced at the time and a gasp escaped her lips. It was 8am. Too late for her to be asleep. She threw herself out of bed and breezed out of her room like she was being chased.

Melissa hurrily walked into the kitchen and saw her younger brother, Brandon, scavenging the freezer that looked completely desolated. Her footsteps seemed to alert him as he turned to the door.

“Brandon, I am so sorry. I slept in and forgot to make breakfast.” Melissa apologized as she rubbed her forehead.

Brandon stared at her blankly and shut the refrigerator. Feeling disheartened by his silence she decided to walk into the kitchen.

“I'll  make breakfast now. How much time do you have left? Will you be late for school? I’ll quickly whip so-“

“Don’t bother.” Brandon cut in.

He jabbed his finger over her shoulder as he signalled to the refrigerator. “Its empty.”

Melissa grimaced and let out a tired sigh. How could she have forgotten to go grocery shopping this week? She quickly tried to redeem herself.

“I'll quickly go to the grocery store and get something and then I’ll-“

“It's  fine. I know we’re low on cash and I’ll be late for school anyways.” He cut in coldly.

Melissa’s shoulder’s drooped. Brandon’s attitude towards her was nothing out of the ordinary and nothing new to her. His coldness and indifference was a daily occurrence. It made Melissa wonder where she had gone wrong in raising him. Since they were both orphans and grew up without parents, Melissa tried her best as the older one to stand in as a parental figure and give him all the love and care any child deserved. Where had it all gone wrong? Brandon, who used to cling to her and was very dependent on her had changed drastically. As he grew older, he slowly detached himself from her and became frigid. His behaviour tore Melissa’s heart into pieces. It made her ponder on whether she had failed as an older sister. Maybe she didn’t love him enough, the way he ought to be loved.

Brandon walked out of the kitchen and Melissa followed him, not sure why, but she felt like she needed to. She came to pause at the front door and watched him take his coat off the hanger and throw it on. She fiddled with her fingers as she racked her brain, looking for what to say to him.

“What time will you be back home? It’s been a while since we had dinner together.” Melissa finally said.

Brandon adjusted his coat and crouched down to fix up his shoe lace.

“I have extra lessons since it’s almost time for the college exams, so I’ll be back late.” He replied without as much as glancing up at her.

College. Melissa cursed in her mind as she bit her inner lip. It had slipped her mind that Brandon was finally a senior in high school and college expenses were knocking on the door. Now she had one more thing to worry about. The soft click of the door drew Melissa’s attention away from her thoughts and she looked up. The door way was empty. Brandon had gone without saying goodbye.