Dead So Young

What if one day you had someone you loved and by the next day they were gone? What would you do?

"Catch me if you can!" I yelled to my little brother, Cameron. 

"Whatever, Hope. You know I can't catch you." Cameron answered.  

We were running around the grassy fields playing tag. I was about ten years old and he was seven. We were at my mom and stepfather's house. My parents have been divorced for the longest time. My brother was here to visit my mom. He lives with my dad and I live with my mom. I barely see Cameron, since he lives a whole state away. 

I slowed down so he could catch me. "Come on! I'm going slower now." I screamed behind me. 

"No you're not. Go slower." Cameron begged. 

I slowed down to a steady jog so he could manage to catch up. Finally, I slowed to a walk as I approached the main road. Behind me, Cameron said, "Hope, time out. I'm tired." 

"Okay." I stopped and sat down on the fluffy, green grass. 

He came up behind me and sat down. He poked me in the shoulder and said, gasping for air, "You're it." I laughed and layed down to look at the sky. It was a beautiful Saturday morning. The sun was out with a few puffy clouds. I stared at them and saw things in the clouds. It made me wonder if there was a whole different world out there. That those shapes in the clouds were actual things, but we didn't know. 

I sat up and looked down the street. A black car was coming, a car I've never seen before. A window rolled down and a rifle was pointed out the passenger side. I couldn't process things fast enough. All I heard was the gun being shot and someone screaming nearby. I looked to my side at Cameron and he had blood streaming down his shirt from a hole in his chest. He fell to the ground and I burst into shrill screams. I went to his face and kissed his cheek. I picked him up and ran into the house. "Mom! Mom! I don't know what to do!" 

She came running in and saw Cameron limp in my arms. "Honey! Get in here! Cameron's hurt." She took Cameron from my arms and my stepfather started touching his chest. My mom stared at me shocked and finally said, "Dear, what happened?" 

"It happened too fast, Mommy. I couldn't save him. It's all my fault. Is Cameron going to be okay?" 

"Honey, it's not your fault. Cameron is okay right now, but your daddy called the hospital. They have to take him." 

"Okay, Mommy" 

Soon after Cameron was taken to the hospital, granny came and took me to her house. She told me to go to her room and find a t-shirt to wear to bed. She then came into the room and went to bed with me. That was almost two years ago.

I wake up screaming. My mom runs into my room and turns my light on. "What is it? Oh, not another one of you're nightmares, again." 

"Mom, it was about Cameron." 

"Hope, thats the fourth one this week, what's going on?" 

"Mom, it's almost two years since he died. This happened last year to." 

"Not this bad. I told your dad you should've gone to counseling." 

"I don't need counseling, I need my life back." 

"You will if you go. I'm taking you tomorrow. Now go back to sleep." 

I lay back down as she turns the lights off. I stare at the wall and finally fall into an abyss of darkness.

I wake up the next morning to the sound of my alarm clock. I get up and turn the annoying beeping sound off. I get dressed and comb my pale blonde hair. I put make-up on my face and around my ice blue eyes. I run downstairs and wait for the bus. My parents are always at work so I was pretty quiet, besides my occasional cursing to myself.