Look After Me

Prologue

I waited. Silently watching the waves caress the shore. More in a violent way, than loving like I had always believed. Like the elements were in battle, and I, just here to witness the abuse. The sun had set and stars freckled the deep sky, and I waited, hair and dress whipping my wind bitten skin. My mind was blank. As if there was nothing happening in the world but what I could see directly in front of me. 

"Hanna."

I turned around, my heart sinking, like my toes in the sand. 

"Hanna we need to get out of here. We need to go."

I just stared at him, not processing his face, or what he had said. I felt the waves pulling at me, as the tide reached my ankles, as if to say "Come with me"

But I couldn't move. I couldn't go anywhere. My feet were like concrete slabs and I felt as if I was drowning in the humid summer air, breath catching on every other inhalation.

"Hanna, listen to me,"

He had closed the gap between us and put his hands on my shoulders.  I didn't look up at him. I just stared at his bare chest. I knew his face mirrored mine. Blank stare, unbelieving. Somewhere inside, it felt like I should hold him. Somewhere deep inside, I wanted to take away his pain.

"It's over. There's nothing we can do. He's gone."

The last two words struck every nerve in my body, as I let them crash over me, like the waves on the shore. I gasped at the pain, both physical and emotional, literally collapsing under the density of those two syllables.

He's gone.

Noah's gone.

 You're brother is gone.