Chapter 7
Coping with a Loss
"Oh no…" Rowan whispered as Hikari sprinted towards the house.
"Mom! Dad! Murry! Princess! Pollie!" She yelled as she ran through the front door towards the kitchen where her cockatiels cage was, but the cage door was open and Pollie was no where to be found.
She let out a sigh of relief that her pet was safe, but it was short lived, as she turned around only to find, Murry, her dog, and Princess, her cat, lying in a puddle of blood. Her hand flew to her mouth.
"Oh my…" she gasped, as she ran upstairs toward her parents' room. "Mother! Father!"
"Hikari! Wait!" Rowan called, following her up the stairs. He ran into Hikari's parents' room and what he saw was terrifying.
Her parents' bodies lay in a heap on the bed, gashes all over their bodies and the bed and walls were covered in blood.
Hikari stood weakly in the doorway when Rowan ran up behind her. Her knees buckled and tears pooled on the woodfloor at her feet.
Rowan grabbed her shoulders and pulled her towards him, turning her away from the bloody mess. Only she didn't react the way he thought she would. She stiffened and swiftly pushed past him. Rowan was knocked against the opendoor, "This is definitely the work of the dynasty." He thought as he chased Hikari out the back door into the garden of red roses.
"Hikari…" he quietly called as he walked into the garden.
"I… I… c-can't… b-b-believe… they're gone…" she sobbed as she clutched a single rose close to her chest.
"Hikari…" he said walking up to the shivering girl. He took his jacket off and wrapped it around her shoulders. Hikari didn't move, she simply stared straight ahead and her mouth moved as if she was trying to say something, but the words never came. Tears no longer streamed down her face, but the sight tore Rowan apart, for he thought of this girl as a younger sister, even though he had just met her the previous day. He felt a strong bond, a need to protect her.