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CHAPTER TWO: Shattered Memories

The autumn petals fell from a nearby cherry blossom tree as the young girl walked through the empty park. She found a nice spot against the tree, and sat down. She waited a few minutes. Then a deep male voice caught her attention. "Hey!"

She looked over to her right, the opposite direction in which she came from earlier. A young man was coming her way.

"How long have you been here? I hope I didn't make you wait too long."

"Uh, no, not long at all. I just got here a little while ago, just before you arrived. So you didn't make me wait long." She smiled up at him.

"But still…I'm sorry for making you wait even for a short amount of time." He said smiling back at her.

"Daiven, you're here now, that's all that matter." She told him. She reached over and gave him a hug as he sat down next to her.

"So…how are you? How's the family been since the last time I visited?"

"I'm good. They're good. Same old. Same old." She said sarcastically and a little bored. She watched as the wind blew more petals everywhere giving the effect of pink snow.

"I'll be graduating soon in three weeks. I'll be coming to see you then." he looked at her with an evil grin. She laughed as he tickled and poked her to make her smile.

"Sorry our time together this time was so short. We'll be able to be together longer next time. I promise. Remember… whenever you need me…I'll be there for you no matter what." He hugged her tight, kissed her forehead, and left.

3 weeks later -

It was a very dark day as the rain came down hard on his windshield. He left an hour earlier than he planned because his little sister called and asked him to come. He'd do anything for her. He loved her and cared for her a lot and she needed him, so he'd be there for here, even if it was the last thing he did.

- Earlier that day –

"Reyna, what's wrong?" he said over the phone. He could hear something going on in the background.

"Daiven, you're supposed to come today, right? Can you come now?"

"Why now? Is something the matter? What's wrong? Is it something you can't tell me?" He asked concerned.

"Uh… If you leave now…" she said not answering the questions he bombarded her with.

"Fine, if you need me there…I'll be there in a little while. Promise." He said interrupting her.

"See ya soon." They said simultaneously and hung up.

"Mom, dad…he'll be here soon. Hope the decorations are coming along good. He'll have the best party ever." She smiled knowing how much her brother would love it.

In the car along the way –

"Don't worry Reyna, whatever it is you need to tell me, I'll listen. I'm your big brother; it's my job to be there when ya need me. I hope you know how much I love you." He said to himself as he drove down the road in the pouring rain. He came upon a four-way stop sign and stopped. When it came his turn he saw no one coming so he went along his way until all of a sudden a drunk driver came driving by really fast, ran the stop sign and hit him head on.