-LAST TIME-

During his speech tears welled up in his eyes and fell down his cheeks but he refused to break his sister's gaze. She blinked at him and finally looked away taking her hand from his. The message was loud and clear. "I don't forgive you." he got up and left the room.

Selena looked back toward the door after he left. She had a lot of information to process and did not even understand all of it. But she was tired and in pain. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep

-NOW-

Over the next few months Brian spent all of his time at the hospital. He brought in all kinds of books for Selena. Many of them he read aloud to her. Others she flipped through and read herself. She was like a sponge soaking up any and all information she could get her hands on. Sometimes she would read two and three books all in one day.

She still didn't speak though. The doctors said that, that was a psychological problem and not a physical one. They told Brian that she most probably would not speak until she felt completely safe. The decision was hers alone to make. She was healing though and that was the most important thing right now in Brian's mind. She had already been moved out of the ICU and the doctors assured him that she would be ready for release within the next few weeks.

He thought now would be a good time to fill her in on his plan. That was why all his most recent books had been about Rome and these new ones were all about Transylvania. He was sure these would bring a spark back into her eyes. Or at least he hoped they would.

Even with all the reading she had been doing there was still no sign of life in her eyes. No spark of joy or interest in anything around her. She was still mostly unresponsive to the doctors. He had hoped with time that she would respond to him. Speak to him like she use to when she was younger. She used to laugh and cry and be so full of life. He remembered how bright her smile had been when she was kid. How a room would light up just because she walked in. How her laughter could bring joy even to the saddest of people.

He remembered whenever he was sad or depressed Selena would crawl into his lap and hug him. "Don't cry big brother" she would say. He would hold her tight and suddenly everything that was wrong would disappear from his mind and he would smile again.

She was his whole world. Nothing else mattered more to him than she did. He would do anything for her. He would even die for his sister. Or so he thought anyhow. When the abuse first started it was just little things at first. Small cuts and bruises and the occasional harsh word yelled here and there. Brian could fix those. He placed Band-Aids on her cuts, kissed her bruises, and erased the hurtful words with hugs and 'I love yous.' But as the abuse escalated he found he could do less and less to ease her pain. The cuts became too big, the bruises to numerous, and the words to hurtful.

The first time he spoke out against his parents. The first time he tried to protect his sister was a memory that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

~*~*FLASHBACK*~*~

He came home from after school soccer practice and he couldn't wait to tell Selena about all the goals he had made. It was only a practice game but still she would be so proud of him. So happy for him, she would smile at him and say "you're the best soccer player in the world big brother!"

He searched all over for her but couldn't find her anywhere. He checked under the beds, in the closets, even in his toy chest but she was gone. It was as though she had vanished into thin air. But then he heard a noise. It sounded like crying but it was muffled. As though the person was trying really hard to not be heard and it was coming from downstairs. Brian followed the noise all the way to the kitchen and down the stairs into the basement.

It was dark and he couldn't see as he stood at the bottom of the staircase. He wondered who was crying. It wouldn't be Selena would it? She was terrified of the dark. Then again she wasn't anywhere else in the house. Maybe she got stuck down here? That could be why she was crying.

"Selena?" He called out softly, not yet leaving the stairs. He heard noises like someone trying to hide over by the dryer. He stepped of the steps and into the middle of the room and reaching up he pulled on the cord to turn on the light. He saw her then, huddled into a small ball in the corner by the dryer. Her clothes were ripped and torn. Her small body was shivering whether from fear or cold he didn't know. She was bleeding from multiple cuts and gashes. Her hair was matted and tangled. One of her eyes was swollen shut and turning a sickly yellow and her lip was busted open. He also saw blood pooling on the ground around her and was sure she had more injuries than he could see.

He rushed over to her side wanting to grab her and comfort her but at the same time was afraid of hurting her more. "Selena! What did they do to you?" He yelled chocking on his own tears Selena looked him dead in the eyes. Her eyes were full of anger and hate. He never saw such a stare before coming from his sister. Especially not directed at him, she would never look at him in such a harsh way.

"I hate you!" she yelled "I hate you! It's all your fault! Your fault!" She began to cry while hitting him in the chest but she was weak and the soft blows didn't even hurt a little bit. "They did this because of you! I hate you! I hate you!" Selena broke down into sobs and began crying uncontrollably. She held Brian tightly to her as she cried her heart out, Brian just held her just a tight, mindful of her injuries. He whispered to her over and over again "I'm sorry."

After that Brian never spoke out against his parents again. Everything he did behind his parents back to try and help her always came back worse on her. When he snuck her food, they forced it back out of her. When he snuck her clothes and blankets, they tried to smother her with them. When he tended to her wounds, they beat her even more. Finally the day came when she could take no more. She looked up at him with dead empty eyes "Don't help me anymore" Those were the last words his sister ever spoke to him. Ever spoke at all. She had given up and he saw that. He collapsed in front of her and cried.

~*~*END FLASHBACK*~*~

'But that was then and this is now' Brian thought. His parents were gone now; there would be no one to undo what he's done. He could help, really help his sister and this time he wouldn't fail. He walked into the hospital room. "Guess where we're going to go" he said with a smile.

1277 words

Whoo! Finally a new chapter for this story is out! Celebration time!
I have several reason for why I have not been updating this story besides being a horrible procrastonater. The first being back in September of 2011 I had moved out of my home and into my sisters home. During the move I placed my old dinosaur of a computer into storage where it still remains so many months later. Secondly being no internet. No computer, so no need for internet. Then in December I move out of my sisters place and into my dads but still no computer, no internet. Only just recently have I gotten a new computer but still no internet. To get internet I have to go to a place that has public wifi as I don't have it at home and wont be having it at home for sometime. However now that I have a computer I will try to update more.

On the Brightside though, even though I haven't been having internet I have still been writing the story, now its only a matter of typing the chapters and posting them.

Review please! Reviews make me happy! And a happy writer writes more! ^_^
~Kagemori