The Final Footsteps

~Prologue~

"Dad? Where is mom?" a young girl asked, looking around at a young mother bouncing a child upon her knee.

"You know where mom is, Ella. She is on vacation in a wonderful place, with your sister and brother." replied a man, the father of the girl, bouncing her upon his knee.

"Why are they on vacation so long? When are they going to come home?" she asked, looking into her fathers eyes deeply with worry and sadness.

"They aren't coming home, baby. But one day we will go on vacation too and see them again." he said, looking out across the ocean, watching the waves that approached the two and recessed back into the large gulf upon hitting their feet.

"How do you know?" she asked, again looking into her fathers eyes.

"I just know, El."

"I just know."

~Chapter One~

The sun was beating down and there was no wind whatsoever. The trees, with their leaves knitted together by sticks, sat unmoving. The grass was splattered with green and yellow, and the flowers were withered. The only sound heard was the sound of the oceans crashing waves nearby. No animals were in sight. The only moving thing visible to her sight was a single fly buzzing endlessly in circles around her head. She stared blanklessly at the field, that was now empty. She longed for things to be the way that they had been, but they would never be. For this was it. This was life now. And there was no way of changing it.

~Ella's Point Of View~

"Ella?" His soft voice echoed across the rocks I had wedged my way through.

"Over here." I said, continuing to stare across the field.

He followed my voice to where I was and took a seat next to me, looking out at the same landscape I had my eyes glued to for hours in a day.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He asked, looking at me.

"Yeah." I whispered.

We sat there silently for a short while before I looked at him.

"I wish life was the way it used to be." I said, looking down at his hand and running my fingers across the scrapes and scars he had acquired over time.

He looked down to his hand and then back up to me.

"We all do, El, but that can't happen. You know that."

"I know." I said, continuing to look down.

He took his hand and lifted my chin, looking at me.

"You know that if I could, I would change everything for you." He smiled, planting a kiss on my lips before continuing.

"It's time for dinner. C'mon. You have to eat."

He got up and stretched out his hand for me to grab. I put my hand in his before he pulled me up, causing me to lose my balance. He caught my hip and we laughed as we began to make our way back through the path of rock walls and hills to our campground. The sun set on our walk back, and before we were back, it was dark. But the darkness helped us to the campfire that dimly showed through the night.

"Here are our two love birds" laughed Auntie Anne.

We both laughed before he pulled me in for a kiss, causing all of the children to groan and moan in annoyance.

"Shouldn't you guys be in bed? It's past sundown!" He said, looking into the eyes of all of the children sitting on logs around the dim light of the fire. They all laughed before scurrying towards the cave which led to housing.

"I'll make sure they're in bed." I said, before running after the kids, who screamed and ran to their rooms as I followed, laughing.

"Goodnight Nate and Thomas." I said, before blowing out the candles placed evenly across the room.

"Goodnight Ella!" They both laughed. I looked back at them, with a jokingly strict face on, making them giggle.

I continued down the hallway, making sure all of the kids were in bed and the candles were out. As I neared the end of the hallway, I heard a small voice call me.

"Ella?" They said.

I followed the sound of their voice to Sadie and Michelle's room. Sadie was sprawled across her bed asleep, but Michelle sat up with knees to her chest. I went over and sat next to her, pulling her into my embrace.

"What's wrong Michelle?" I whispered.

"Where are my mommy and daddy?" She said, staring blankly at the wall across the room.

"You know where your mommy and daddy are." I said, stroking her hair softly.

"But why aren't they here?"

"Because they love you so much that they sent you here to keep you safe."

"But why didn't they come with me? If they loved me they would have stayed." She said abruptly with harshness and anger in her voice.

"They just wanted to keep you safe." I said calmly.

Michelle wedged her way out of my grasp and laid back down on her bed, facing away from me. I sat there for a few moments, before getting up.

As I stood in the door, I looked back and whispered, "they left you for the same reason my family left me."

And I continued back to the campfire.