One Shots

A Brother's Love

   "Come on let's go brother! Hurry up!" A chuckle escapes my lips at the excited little girl in front of me. Her brown hair identical to mine comes with the price of unruly, hair sticking up in different angles in the morning. Her light blue eyes are a soft pastel color just like father's. I got my mother's eyes, forest green with gold specks and dimples. Her pale skin stands out with the dark blue lace dress, roses sewed in with white vines matching black slip on shoes, soft curls curling down to her back.

   "Alright alright, I'm coming Izzy. Don't abandon me now squirt.' I pick her up and spin her around, her tinkling bell like laugh making a grin appear on my face. Setting her down, I squat as she gets on my back like a reflex, giggling as we go down the hill, her arms spread out like a bird. The joy overtook us as we spent time at the Halloween themed carnival, not realizing it would our last for joy to appear in our lives.

   "Let her go now! Hurt me, not her." A brown leather belt hits my back with a hard slap echoing in the room, Izzy just looks up at me with wide eyes as I give her a hug and kiss. Whispering comforting things into her ear as the belt hits my back several more times. A tear catches my eye as I wipe it away, getting up with a wince as our father leaves in a drunken, raged manner to his room upstairs. "Come on Izzy, let's get you ready for your playdate tomorrow." She takes my hand softly, squeezing it as I ignore the feeling of blood going down my back. How did this happen? Mother let on her own accord, it's not our fault yet he blames us. I watch my sister play with Mark's younger brother, Phil. The two brothers have black hair tied in ponytails and silver eyes with green specks. Mark is one of my only friends that has been there when times are tough. Especially now.

   "Damn. He did a number on you Jack." I wince as he touches my back with his finger, whistling lowly. I sigh, exasperated, "Touching it won't make it better Mark. I bandaged up this morning." A humorless chuckle escapes my lips as I relax my stance when he stops touching me. "He's taking it harder than us that mother left. After all these years, why now? There has to be a reason."

   "You'll find it if you're determined enough, but it may not be an answer you want to hear. Enjoy today before heading back home to do work. You'll need it." I just nod as our conversation is cut short when the two younger siblings bound up to us to play hide and seek. The afternoon passes by with laughter and giggling siblings as we say our goodbyes. Taking hold of Izzy's hand, I mess up her hair with my free own as she glares at me, swatting it away.

   "I am going to take you to work with me alright? There's a lot of amazing people that are excited to meet you. Trust me." A simple nod and dazzling smile makes my eyes soften as I stop and hug her close. "I'm sorry about what happened earlier, I will protect you with my life. Even if it's the last I do."

   "We made a deal! I don't give a shit if our mother left because you were cheating on her! You don't ever take it out on Izzy." My voice rises above the angry hugs from my father's mouth shaped in a sneer. It's been over ten years since mother left and Izzy is now seventeen, aware of what our father does. I hiss at the sudden pain in my cheek as it throbs painfully when I hit the floor with a thud. Fuck, he cannot do this anymore. Hurry up police. I wince as I get up carefully, not missing the sobbing in the distance from my little sister Izzy. I grit my teeth as I stand tall, swinging a bruised hand to his face in a flash. "It was never our fault she left. You wouldn't let her take us without killing her first!"

   "You are my children. My offspring! I will control you until you submit to me and that little bitch of a sister of yours too." Time freezes as I am suddenly on top of my father and punching him repeatedly. It's only when the door slams open and I'm dragged away that the police take him away as he screams. "You will never escape me! You hear me?!" A gunshot is heard as my eyes widen, my father wrestled free of the men with a maniacal grin on his face. "I should have killed you that night along with your sister. You're both useless."

   "J-jack! A-are you okay?" I give a soft smile to my sister as I hit the floor as soft as possible, watching only her as Mark quickly heads over with unshed tears in his eyes. It's a good thing he's our neighbor or else Izzy would be in the same place as me.

   "T-thank you Mark. You are my brother from another mother. I'll miss you dearly. Take care of my sister okay? Make sure to scare away all the girls and boys interested in her like I would." I wipe away Izzy's tears as the blood drains slowly, depleting my energy. "I'm always going to watch over you Izzy. I love you so much. You've grown so beautifully, I can't wait to see your wedding day when someone survives Mark questioning."

   "Jack. Don't. You will live. Don't do this to us. We need you." I give Mark a weak hug, careful to not get blood on him. I hold my sister's hand, her light blues eyes swimming with tears on her face and pooling over.

   "He shot close enough, there won't be time to save me. Promise me you'll protect and take care of her, Mark."

   "I-I promise Jack. I swear on my life."

   "You'll be in good hands Izzy. I'll watch over you two forever. Be your guardian angel." Black spots blur my vision as I fight off the eternal darkness, smiling at the two most important people in my life. "I love you guys. Don't forget me and I'll be in your hearts and soul forever. Don't forget to visit me often. I'll see you later. I love you both. I promised to protect you with my life and I will always fulfill that promise. Even in death." The light fades away as I hear the crying of my sister fade away, sirens blasting as my body is being lifted onto a gurney, a smile on my face with a single tear drop.