• It was dark outside when I stepped out of an abandoned building downtown. My father and brother had gotten into another fight, to the point where the yelling was unbearable; I had to leave. I couldn’t stand it when my older sibling would be yelled at for the smallest things. It never use to be like that.

    When I was ten, before my mother had died in a terrible car accident, the family was always happy. There was never any yelling. I had been at a friend’s house the night of the crash. My brother Devon had been in the car with my mom, coming home from soccer practice. A drunk driver had hit the car straight on causing it to flip. Where as Devon had been buckled up, my mother was not and died on impact, her body lurching out of her seat then slamming through the windshield.

    Devon was only thirteen when he saw our mother die.

    Ever since then though, I believe my father has blamed him for the accident. Always claiming that if he had just stayed until practice was over instead of making our mom come pick him up because he wasn’t feeling well, that this would have never happened. The emotional abuse from our father that he had been getting for the last four years because of what happened, never helped with his own guilt no matter how many times I told him that it wasn’t his fault. But there is just so much a fourteen year old can do.

    I ran a hand through my long brown hair, vaguely wondering what time it was before I felt cold water splash onto my face. A few rumbles of thunder were heard as I picked up the pace towards home. I just wanted to get out of the on coming storm, so I decided to take the back roads home for once to cut some time.

    Because I was so bent on getting home quickly, I hadn’t noticed when a large man started to follow me. When I started to feel nervous, a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach, I looked behind me. I took off sprinting, running through various alleys and cut corners fast.

    A few blocks away from my house I felt an arm grab me roughly around the waist, my back soon against a brick wall.

    I wanted to call out for help, but a cold metal object against my neck soon stopped that thought. From the way the man’s breath smelled he was drunk, and the fumes were making me dizzy. I barely understood the words, ‘Don’t scream.’ that came out of his mouth.

    I thought about what to do, deciding on a low blow. With a quick jab to the man’s stone cold eyes, I then kicked him as hard as I could in the shin, taking off.

    The roar of thunder was loud behind me, and so were the fast steps of the man. I continued to look ahead of me, my street now only two blocks away. Then I tripped.

    I skidded hard across the pavement, feeling my right shoulder and palms get rubbed raw from the loose gravel. I looked up to see the man closing in behind me when I heard it.

    “Haley!”

    Before I could get a chance to see who had called my name I saw the man lunge at me, knife first. I put an arm up instinctively, closing my eyes while waiting for the metal to connect with my fair skin.

    But there was no contact.

    No pain.

    Nothing but the sound of the rain around me.

    I opened my eyes to a horrid site. Devon was looking at me, a knife shoved into his ribs to the hilt.

    I got to my knees, catching my older brother as he fell, barely aware of the man’s retreating footsteps.

    “Devon…” I said softly, looking at his calm features. It was clear he was loosing too much blood from the site of his shirt, and from the crimson liquid that was dripping onto me.

    “Haley…I had to make sure you were alright…I know you don’t like it when Dad and I fight.” He replied to me, coughing a few times.

    I looked at his blood stained lips for a moment, placing a finger over them. “Don’t…I’ll go get Dad now…you’ll be ok…just hang in there for me, alright?” I said trying not to panic.

    “Don’t. You and I both know that by the time you get there, it’ll be too late...” he replied weakly.

    I grasped one of his hands, laying him on the ground, his head on my lap. His skin felt cold and was of a pale tone. By now the rain had stopped and the moon was shining on us. I couldn’t help but feel a bit awed, by the site of him. The way ivory mixed with crimson was just so beautiful, yet cruel; the look of a fallen angel. Except he couldn’t be a fallen angel. He saved me. Therefore making him my guardian angel.

    “Please Devon…don’t talk like that.” I pleaded. “You can’t leave me…”

    “You’ll be fine without me…less yelling in the house, with more peace and quiet.” he laughed as if it were some kind of joke between the two of us.

    Tears came to my eyes as pain etched its way across his face. “I’ve already lost Mom…I can’t lose you too.” I cried.

    “Don’t worry…I know you’ll be fine…and I’ll always be watching over you, like Mom does.” he said gently, placing a hand on my cheek, wiping the fallen tears away. “I’ll finally get to see her after all these years…just promise me you will not blame yourself for my death as I did with Mom’s…I couldn’t stand it if you did such...”

    I looked deeply into his paling eyes as his hand fell. I opened my mouth to say something as pain crossed those hazel eyes once more, then no emotion showed, his last shaky breath having been taken.

    “I promise…”