Claire's Promise

Prologue

Tears streamed down Colby's face again, he hid his face in his hands and it made me mad that mom could get away with what she had done.

"I can't believe she did that!" He sobbed.

I ran up behind him and grabbed his arm; I pulled him into a hug from behind and squeezed him.  He fought to break free but my strength doubled as he tried to escape my love.  He finally let me comfort him, he silently sobbed as I rubbed his arm.

Mom had yelled at him in public over something stupid again.  All he did was not hear her when she called him, and then she started screaming at him.  I grit my teeth so that I didn't blow up in front of Colby, but I was so mad at our parents.

"Claire..." Colby whispered.

"Yes?" I replied.

"I'm scared of them hurting me..." he muttered.

I rubbed his arms faster and pulled him into my lap, he was big for a ten year old but I was two years older so this wasn't a problem.

After about thirty minutes passed Colby looked at me with his completely black eyes, I felt my heart melt as I saw the fear in them. His tear stained face choked me up and made me want to cry; it physically hurt to see him this way.

"Claire..." he asked.

"Yes?" I replied.

"Do you promise to always protect me?" He asked.

I didn't immediately reply; I knew promises were a big deal.  My hesitation must have come off wrong to him though, because he broke into hard, heavy sobbing.  He put his head in the fold of my shoulder and whimpered as he cried. Through sniffs and coughs he tried to beg:

"Don't leave me! Please... don't leave me... I don't want to be alone! Don't leave me... promise you won't leave me..."

Sympathy ripped through me and destroyed my insides like a tornado through a small town. My skin was cold and soaked by his tears, like a physical representation of my emotional pain.

I opened my mouth half way, I paused for a fraction of a second but then something else took over as I answered "I promise... I will never leave you."