Salvation

Prologue

There it is. The sound she's been dreading; the sound of boots on loose gravel, echoing all around her. She can tell, she doesn't know how, she just knows. This time, he's coming for her.

***

3 years earlier, to the day

"I can't believe you're getting married!" Darci exclaimed as they went into the store. "I'm finally getting the little sister I always wanted."

"Ha," her brother, Derrick, laughs, "I'm glad you approve, otherwise I would've had to marry her to spite you."

"Ha ha ha, very funny Derrick!" She replies, words dripping with sarcasm. "Anyways, what else are we suppose to do today? Unlike you, I enjoy being outside, so, of course, you had to pick the beautiful, sunny day to go shopping for a suit."

"Just be happy that it's not pouring again!" he joked, "We have nothing else to do, luckily Sharyn had everything planned out long before this weekend. She even organized it so that Marc is flying in early tomorrow to make the wedding."

"Ya, definitely lucky for you. Honestly, I think you'd be screwed without her. She matches you almost perfectly, you know, other than me." Darci laughs, "Are you almost done in there? I want to go enjoy this sun before it disappears behind the mountains again."

"Hold on," Derrick sighs, "there, what do you think?" Derrick steps out of the change room. As twins, they are very close, so they practically know what the other is thinking. So at this moment, Derrick could tell, this was the suit. And Darci could tell that he loved it; after all, it fit him well and was in his price range, and most importantly, it made him look incredible; his red hair neatly combed, blue-green eyes sparkling with excitement. In all their 22 years together, Darci didn't think she's ever seen him look this good.

"It's amazing," She whispers, almost inaudibly. She was so in awe of how well he cleaned up that she didn't even register the price when they went up to the till to pay for it.

As they left the store, Darci noticed that the sun was still high in the sky; a perfect time of day to go to the spring. "Derrick, I..."

Just as she was about to ask him something, he jumped in front of her. Before she could even react, Derrick had her in a huge bear hug. "Darci, I don't know how to thank you enough. I don't know what I'd do without you. Sharyn and I were talking last night, and we have decided that you should be standing up there with me. I know you're not my best man, or a man for that matter, but you are my sister, and I can't get married without you there beside me. So, will you stand with me?"

Darci couldn't see his face, but she could feel everything, every emotion. She knows that he wants her to say yes, more than almost everything else, and as much as she wants to share this experience with him, she wasn't sure if she could.

"Derrick, you know that I love you, more than anything in the world, but I don't know if I can do it. As much as I want to, I don't want to repeat what happened at Mom and Dad's funeral." As soon as these words left Darci's mouth, she immediately felt him sag down in disappointment. "But," she continues, "you are my only remaining family, and I would be honoured to stand next to you."

"Derrick pulled away from her, and she saw tears in the corner of his eyes. She's only ever seen him cry twice before this, the day they heard about their parent's accident, and the day that they buried their parents. "Hey" she whispers as she wipes the tears away, "you're going to be okay, I promise. Now, let's get you home before you have a meltdown."

"Really?" he asks with sarcasm.

"Ya, now let's go." Then walking side by side, they went down the street to the last house on the block.