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‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘Because you’re only twelve.’
A breath in–
‘I can help you. I’ll give you whatever you need. I’ll be your
keeper, like in that movie. I can save you, Elaine. I can save you.’
And then I saw my big sister, the person I had looked up to for
my entire life, completely unravel before my eyes. Elaine let out a
strangled sob, her hand flying to her mouth as she attempted to
hold herself together. Her frail body trembled with the force of her
muffled, broken cries. I could hear the blood rushing through my
ears as I knelt next to her and gathered what little was left of her
into my arms and rocked her back and forth.
She cried harder, her body shuddering as air refused to enter her
lungs. Our tears fell together in a shower of grief as I clutched her
closer to me, trying to hold on to the one thing that was destined to
leave me.
‘You can’t save me,’ she whimpered, ‘it’s too late.’
A breath out
.
’
‘Grace! Get off me!’
A sweaty hand settled on my face as I was shoved off my sisters
bed, landing on the floor with a dull thud. Elaine looked down at
me with a murderous expression.
‘It’s like one-hundred degrees. You can’t sleep in my bed tonight,
it’s too hot.’
‘But I can’t sleep on my own,’ I whined ‘you’re the one who made
me watch that stupid horror movie.’
‘Not my fault you’re a wuss.’ I glared at Elaine’s smug face before
getting up and trudging slowly towards the door. Chills creeped up
my spine as I stared out into the eerily dark corridor. The fear of
what was out there started to clutch at my throat: monsters,
murderers, creepy one-eyed dolls who carried out their vengeance
at night.
A disgruntled sigh echoed behind me.
‘Ugh Grace, fine,’ I spun around, sending my sister a grateful
look. She rolled her eyes, edging closer to the end of the bed and
patting the empty space beside her.
’
Miscellany
11