Prologue 1-Arrow

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It happened every night when she closed her eyes.
The barrel of the gun in front of her, staring her down like it was ready to take her life. Just enough space between her and it for a small person to fit. She'd tried to scream but it wouldn't release itself from her throat.
Why? She'd ask, never getting the answer she wanted....needed before the man pulled the trigger. The bullet's intended target her, if only that had been the case.
Two.....the only two people that were there for her, the only two people that cared for her, the only two....both covered in their own blood, shot dead.
"Arrow....." Her brother looks at her a small smile on his face. "...you're going to survive this and.." He coughs up blood and collapses before he could say anything else. She's so filled with fear, but that quickly turns to anger. For the second time in her short life, Arrow had become an orphan.
"Give them back!" She screams at the man.
He gives her a surprised look, but she isn't his priority, not the thing he's after, so he ignores her, which is a bad move on his part, but he knows that the police are coming, he must escape quickly. "Now, money in the bag." His voice cracks a bit.
"I...I have already phoned the police." The Lady warns, her voice steady but quiet.
"All the more reason to hurry up." He grins, putting on an act to cover his fear.
Arrow notices, she also knows that the Police will be here in seconds, maybe a few minutes at most. Despite her being young, she was always a clever one. The man had made a huge mistake not to kill her as well. She charges him, not thinking that possibly she could also get killed, but then she'd be with her family, right? She latched herself onto his leg and clawed at him with her bitten short nails.
The man jumps, startled at the attack. "I should've finished you off sooner." He growls.
He aims the gun at her. She stares at him, daring him to do it, but he is shaking.
She sees tears streaming down his face, where were those when he killed her mother and brother? Why was he crying before killing her? His hand is so close to her, she knows what the gun can do, she watched him use it on the innocent lives before, so why is he hesitating. She grabs his hand, he flinches, tightening his grip on the gun. Arrow pries his fingers off, it was too easy to do so. He drops the gun, she releases herself from him and dives for it, but he kicks it away.
"Whoa." Then they both go for it, wrestle over the gun, moving across the floor.
It goes off.
Bang.
The man and her stare wide eyed at each other and he coughs slightly, scarlet liquid drips from the edge of his lips before he crumples to the floor. Arrow stares at him as she pushes him away from her. She looks down at her hands, now stained with his blood. The sirens blar from outside but they seem farther away to her. She only hears the man. "I'm sorry,I failed you...... my daughter......"
Is that...was he?... Arrow throws the gun away. She.... she killed him. The world around her collapses, the realization of what happened, imprinting itself into her memory...... So, she'd never forget.

Then she snaps her eyes awake, tears streaming down her face, a cold sweat covers her body. She then throws off her blankets and gets out of bed. Arrow doesn't bother heading to the shared bathroom to clean up before she heads downstairs.
She just wants to forget about that night. She wants to forget the way the man looked at her and how his voice sounded. She wants to forget about the red colour that covered her hands and stained her clothes.
A head of pale blonde catches her attention as she heads to the kettle in the kitchen. Arrow puts the water on to boil. No need to worry. It's just her usual nightly company waiting for her arrival. She gets out a box of tea and a cup from the cupboard as she waits for the water to boil. Once the water has boiled, she pours it into the waiting cup. She takes a sip, the freshly boiled water slightly burning her tongue but it calms her. She looks at her company and he gives her a worried smile, but a silent understanding is reached that neither of them are going to talk about why they are up at 4 am, when they both have to be up and functioning in two hours.
She finishes her tea and him his cup of hot water. They set their cups in the sink and head of to their respected rooms never saying a word to each other.
Now, more calm than she was, she pulls out an empty notebook and writes down the dream. She'd never done so before, but she thought it might help her ease her guilty thoughts. She fears closing her eyes and sleeping, so anything to keep her occupied until the others wake up would be wonderful. She took a pen to the page and wrote down the memory which haunted her every waking hour.
Only she knew the truth of that night.
And suddenly it reminds her of how truly alone she is. That anything precious to her won't last long, so don't get attached. Forever alone, surrounded by friends that will one day become strangers, haunted by the memory.......
that she is a murderer.

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