Standing before the man she once called her friend, Ariella could do nothing but wonder where it all went wrong.
Somehow, she felt it was her fault.
Consumed with her own grief, loathing, and white-hot rage, she had been blinded. She could have prevented this.
Behind her, soft cries echoed out, a sharp reminder of the danger before her.
"Please," Ariella felt panic well in her throat, choking her as she begged. "Please don't hurt her."
Her eyes, usually so warm and light with laughter, were flung wide in watery desperation. His eyes, were dark and cold. Her lower lip trembled as she spoke again, her voice low and pleading.
"Please. For me. Don't hurt her."
His stony facade cracked. Hope soared within her chest, then, with a flick of his wand, her hope shattered and her knees buckled beneath her.
Her life, quite literally, flashed before her eyes. Memories drained from her head, allowing her to witness them one last time before they left her. She saw it all, forced to observe her life from this new, all-knowing perspective.
A baby boy and a baby girl curled together, a mobile looping lazily around their heads.
A young boy and a young girl chasing one another, identical curls whipping about in the breeze and identical grins adorning their round faces.
A scarlet train. A looming castle. Red. Green. Smiles and sunshine eventually morphing into something darker and sinister. Peace and war. Friendship and animosity.
Memories danced before her, taunting her as one last feeling registered in her mind before it, too, was snatched away. Regret.
In the beginning, there was a brother and a sister. And that, is where it all went wrong.