Vow of the Willows

Chapter Two

Immediately, I began to panic. This was bad, this was very bad. Alone there I stood, debating whether to break my father's rules and leave the house to save my sister, or hope that she was just heading out for fresh air and was coming home soon. A hard choice, it certainly was.

Finally making my decision, I leapt out the window. The cold air hitting my face felt unusual, it was something I hadn't experienced for a long while. I quickly began to run into the forest, praying that I somehow wouldn't run into my monster of a father.

As I got further and further in, I spotted my sister's bleach blonde hair near the lake. The moment was perfectly picturesque. She had on her pink nightgown, which was blowing in the wind along with her hair. Her hands were crossed behind her back as she stared at the frozen-over lake. The snow around her was thick, but not too thick.

"Tara!" I shouted to her. I watched as her head whipped around to face me. Her green eyes were filled with surprise. She gave me a small smile and a wave before she stepped onto the ice. It wasn't frozen enough for a human to stand on it, even her!

I was about to run towards her, to grab her, but then I heard a crack. And another, and another. Before I knew it, Tara had plunged into the frozen lake. The freezing water had overtaken her, and I couldn't ever get her back.

"TARA!" I screamed. I ran as fast as I could towards the lake and plunged my hands into the hole she had made. The cold water bothered me to some extent, but I couldn't just leave my sister there. I felt around, going deeper, but there was no sign of my older sister anywhere. She wasn't coming up, she wasn't even trying.

Tears ran down my face as I felt around once more. Nothing.

As I cried, I didn't hear the familiar clanking of boots coming nearer and nearer towards me. A loud sob echoed from my mouth before I was yanked up by my collar.

"What're you doin' our 'ere, boy!?" my father's burly voice pulled me out of my trance. I attempted to look up at him, but I felt so ashamed of myself.

"Ta-tara, she fe-" before I could even finish my sentence, I was quickly dropped to the ground. For a while, I just laid there, keeping my eight year old body completely still. My father's quiet sobs could be heard, if you listened hard enough. 

The night sky was holding no light, no stars. It was a clean slate, as if it was waiting for something to light it up, as if it were helpless. Just like me.

My hair pooled around my pale face as I drifted off into a state of sleep, yet my eyes weren't closed. I just, laid there, asleep, yet not. We were there for a while, days it seemed. It was cold, dark, and dreary, but that wasn't the thing that bothered me.

I had lost the one single thing on this earth that even thought about caring for me. Father would never forgive me.

And he never did.

-

Oh lookie, another chapter! 

I had no idea what I was writing when I wrote the last four (little) "paragraphs". It kind of just happened. It doesn't really make sense unless you really dig deep XD.

Anyways, I hope you like this chapter!

~ Ava