My Sister's Keeper

One.

Tears mixed in with the rain that poured from the darkened skies as they all fell over the light pink coffin that had been buried into the ground.

He felt broken.

Lost.

Like he no longer had a purpose in the world.

His sister was gone. How could he ever move on from that?

Damien and Denise had been inseparable since they first arrived in their mother's womb. It was a rare occurrence that you'd see one without the other and an even rarer occurrence that it'd be because they were at odd ends.

Denise was Damien's rock, just as he had been hers.

But that bond had been broken the second the doorbell to the Bryant's home had been rung, and the door had been opened to reveal the grim face of a distraught police officer.

She had been missing for days and had been discovered in a sickly bed of tree leaves and mud by a police canine.

No longer were her features adorned by a smile that was too big for her face but still fit her perfectly. No longer were her eyes lit up as bright as the sun that had failed to be shown through the clouds that day.

No longer was there a nineteen-year-old Denise Bryant.

Damien glared up at the sky in hatred, completely uncaring of the rain that had continued to pour down. He was mad at the world.

He was mad at Denise.

She had been different before she left, he'd noticed it right away. Instead of telling her brother how she felt when he'd asked her about it, Denise had just shrugged him off and told him she was fine.

But Damien had known better than that.

And Denise had known it as well.

"I told you I'm fine!!" Denise huffed as she could hear her brother following behind her to her bedroom.

"No, you're not, Nise. I can see it in your eyes. Come on, just tell me! You know we don't keep secrets," Damien said as he stopped at the doorway.

A frown was on her lips as Denise sat down on her bed with folded arms. "If I tell you that there's nothing wrong with me, that means that there's nothing wrong!! Now, just leave me alone!!"

The hurt was like a physical push as Damien slightly stumbled back on his feet, and though she immediately felt regret over her words, Denise said nothing.

"This isn't like you, Nise...You and I both know that," Damien said. "So stop buggin' and tell me what's really wrong with you."

Denise rolled her eyes. "You're annoying."

Damien's eyebrows furrowed as he watched his sister stand to her feet to grab her bag and put on her shoes. "Where are you going?"

Denise clicked her tongue and said, "So now I have to tell you where I'm at 24/7? Get out my way, you ain't my daddy."

"Nise, come on-"

"Leave me alone, Damien!!"

His body froze in complete shock as she ran down the stairs and rushed out of the house.

Damien had wanted to go after her because he had known then that something was truly wrong with his sister...but both of them had been born with the same temper, and he knew that if he had kept pushing harder, he'd send her completely over the edge. So he let her go.