Embers

Prologue

        "Adara where are we going?" Ana asks innocently. "Stop asking me. I told you it does not matter." I yank my little sister's hand and drag her through the weeds. "Adara, you're hurting me," Ana whines. "Shut up Ana! Stop whining for christ's sakes! Do you have no respect for your elder sister?" Ana's lip begins to quiver. "God Ana! Why do you need to act like this? Can you not just behave? Sometimes I wish you would just die." Ana is appalled by my crude remark. "How could you say that?" Ana cries. "I did not mean it that way Ana, just please be quiet, okay?" Ana looks at me with pure disgust but she obliges. We trek through the remaining brush, occasionally pricking our bare legs on thorn bushes. "Ouch!" Ana screams. "Shut up! We are almost there! Do not make this worse on us!" Ana mumbles something crude but I ignore her remark. Once we reach the end of the brush we reach a dense forest full of beautiful oaks. Ansel stands before us with all his wicked glory. "Hello Adara, I see you have made your decision," Ansel says with a smirk. "Yes, I have. However, I have a condition," I reply confidently. "A condition? We did not agree on a condition Adara, we don not have the time for this. It is all or nothing." I can hear the tone change from gentle to harsh. "Just hear me out --" "No Adara! I will not hear you out, when we made a deal I expected you to hold up your end of the bargain. Now are you going to go through with the deal or am I going to have to pull through for you?" Ansel asks unforgivably. "Ansel I --" "Do not ruin this for yourself Adara." I see Ansel reach in to the band of jeans. "Alright! Alright! I agree! No condition! Just please do not hurt us." The smirk returns to Ansel's lips. "That's the bad girl I love," Ansel says with a wink. "Now come here." I follow Ansel's command and walk towards him. Ansel reaches for my cheek and kisses it lightly, he whispers in to my ear, "I love you Adara Ross." I shiver at the intimate words as they caress my ear drum. Ansel reaches into his waistband and removes the pistol. He places it in to my hand. "You know what to do," Ansel reassures me. I wrap my fingers around the cool metal, gently rubbing the trigger. After a moment of collection I turn around and lift the gun towards my sister. "Adara what are you doing?!?! Are you mad? You would not seriously shoot me for this psychopath! Would you?" Ana screams. "I'm sorry Ana but my mind is made, you can not change my decision," I say coldly. "Please Adara, think rationally, I'm the only family you have left." "You are no family to me." "Adara wait!" I lock the gun and pull the trigger. Ana falls to the ground in a heap.