Living For Loved Lives

prologue

I looked at the moon, half of which was hidden behind the grey clouds that seemed to share my gloom. Tears were welled up in my eyes and rolling down my cheeks as I kept turning the locket around my neck over and over in my hand.

The door of my room creaked loudly as someone entered.

"Keith"

I made no sound hoping my sister would go away, but another part of me wanted her to find me up here on the cold harsh roof and talk to me, to assure me and allay my fears. And she did.

First her head popped out of the window, and once her eyes found mine, she climbed through and walked carefully to come and sit next to me.

She was wearing sweatpants and dad's hoodie, her usual attire. We sat there in silence, staring at the moon like we had done a million times before, until I finally decided to speak out my thoughts.

"I know it's just school, but I'm afraid you won't come back once you leave." I muttered in a very low voice.

My eyes were still on the satellite, light years away from us. But I could imagine her looking at me with wide eyes in surprise.

"What makes you think I won't?", she asked, a hint of indignance in her voice.

"Well dad said the same thing before he left. He didn't come back, did he?" I asked, anger and hurt seeping into my voice.

She was quiet for a few minutes. I knew she was trying to find an appropriate response for an eight year old kid. But I knew much more than they think I did.

I knew that she lost her mother. I knew that that the same person killed our father. And I also knew that it was not just a little school fight when Jade came home, bloodied up and beaten blue and black, a month ago.

" Sweety, I have to go. You know how important this is. I know you do. We can't afford other schools. Or else, we won't be able to survive. It's a great School and Gerard was really kind to get me a seat there. I gotta take this opportunity. And anyway, I'll always be careful. It's not like people will try to do anything to me in the middle of a school full of teenagers. We won't be able to pay for everything if I don't get good education and a proper job. I have to go" she pleaded, rambling like she rarely does. The last words were barely a whisper and it sounded like she was trying to reason with herself.

We welcomed the silence again, not knowing what to say. This was hard when we had already lost so much.

"I miss dad."

"Me too" she whispered.

I looked at her with admiration in my eyes. She was the best and strongest girl I had ever met.

I wish I was like her. I wish I could fight like her. I wish I had natural talents like her. I wish I could control my emotions like her.... I wish I could not miss dad so much, like her.