The Bride in Red.
Her beautiful, short blonde hair, pinned back with a white clip; her dazzling, bright blue eyes- accompanied by a pair of thick long lashes; her petite, fragile little body and long, floor length, white laced dress that fitted around her curves perfectly. And her smile: her sweet, cheeky grin and her cute little giggle to go with it. Everything about my sister is perfect- so pure. I'd do anything to protect her, to keep her safe. Even if it meant that I dye my hands red to do so.
I got into trouble a lot when I was little, and was often sent to my room without food, sometimes for days. I did something real bad one time: We were 8, and I was cuddling our cat, Sebastian. I remember him being really soft… His fur was mostly black, but he had a small patch of white on his chest, his right eye was white, too, and his left eye was missing from when I stabbed it with a stick a couple of years before.
Sebastian leapt out of my arms and onto the cold wooden floor. I got angry at him, and started yelling. If you're showing someone love and kindness, why would you run? Why would you turn it down? So I picked him up again, and squeezed him so hard that he couldn't breathe.
He died in my arms. I knew what I was doing. I understood why I was doing it. I continued hugging the cat afterwards, it was nice- he didn't run away this time, and he could never run away from me again.
Our mother and father soon came home and found me with him. They screamed into my face. They called me a disgrace, a murderer.
Mother was a little more sympathetic. "I'm sure he didn't mean to, dear. It was an accident."
Father didn't listen. I was sent to my room with no supper that evening.
I didn't care.
That thing deserved what it got- he denied me, and paid the price.
The next day, there was a delicate knock on the bedroom door. I opened it slowly, peeking around the corner. "Rinnie…" I smiled. She took my hand, and glanced around the corridor.
"Come on, let's sneak out." She whispered. I stared at her with disbelief. Rinslet always does as she's told... It seemed strange to know she wanted to do something that'd risk her getting into trouble.
"It'll only be for a little while" She continued. "We can go to the lake"
She held my hand tightly in hers, caressing my crummy fingers with her soft, delicate little thumb. I nodded at her with approval. How could I possibly resist? She grinned at me cheerfully, and tugged me out of the bedroom, gently closing the door behind her.
We tiptoed down the stairs, through the halls and out of the kitchen, then darted down the garden to the back gate. The gate was always locked, but we were thin enough to squeeze through the gaps.
We leaped through the trees and bushes, tripped in the dirt, and scraped our knees on thorns and brambles- but somehow, we reached the opening: a huge pool of dark green water stood before us- and in it were beautiful gold fish, and lily pads floating around on top. Some of the reeds from the trees were dipping into the water, and dragging as the current swept them away. The sun's rays were bouncing off the surface of the water, reflecting into Rinlet's stunning electric blue eyes.
We stayed there all morning, watching the water, sitting in the trees, talking and laughing, rolling around on the grass.
I'll always remember that day. It was when my sister was my sister. She didn't belong to anyone else, only me. She cuddled me, kissed me, made me laugh, and picked me up when I was feeling down. When I did something wrong, she never shouted at me or called me a murderer, she just held me close in her arms and told me everything was going to be alright, and that when we were old enough we could run away and go anywhere we wanted to go. That it didn't matter where we went as long as we were together.
But it was all just make-believe, a dream- a fantasy. Because my, so called 'loving, trusting sister' was getting married. She told me on an autumn morning, 2 months before our 18th birthday, that she was marrying an older man.
"He really is wonderful!" She beamed, "You'll love him."
Love him? Love him? How can I possibly breathe the same air as the man who's ripping away my only ray of happiness? The only crack of sunlight I see through the Storm clouds is her, and the thought of her giving her body and heart to another man hurts.
The wedding bells echoed around the church, or as I prefer to call them: funeral bells.
I take my beloved sister by the hand, and lead her away from the crowd. I tell her I just want to spend a few minutes with her on her own before she leaves. Of course, as kind hearted as she is, she grants me this wish.
I take her to the lake, as it's only a 3 minute walk away from the church.
We stand there, transfixed on the water's rays once more.
"Everything's going to change, now..." She whispers, holding my hand tightly.
"It is." I smirk. Taking the kitchen knife from my pocket, I turn to face her. She glances back at me with wonder.
I'm sorry, Rinnie.
Her beautiful, short blonde hair, now dyed red, pinned back with a white clip; her dazzling, bright blue eyes; her thick long lashes; her petite, fragile little body and long, blood-stained laced dress that fitted around her curves perfectly, now slowly and peacefully drifted across the Lake...