2.
"What's that?" Collins asked, nodding towards a picture on Angel's dresser. He had never really noticed it before, considering that it was usually cluttered, but now Angel had actually bothered to clean up her knick-knacks. The picture was a bit wrinkled and worn and Collins was curious.
"Oh," Angel blinked a bit, "That was when I was a kid. That's my sister, Isa, and that right there, is me."
"I didn't know you had a sister," Collins wrapped an arm around her and waited for an answer.
"Yeah well, I don't really talk about it too much," Angel sighed, "She was basically my best friend. She was only twelve when I ran. Hard to believe that she would be about sixteen now."
Collins pulled Angel closer to him and planted a kiss upon her forehead, "Tell me about that night."
"Really?" Angel asked, "It's not sunshine and butterflies, honey."
"I don't care; it's your life and I want to know about it."
Angel sighed, knowing that Collins was just as stubborn as she was, "Fine. It was a few days after we found out that Isa was getting worse. She was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was ten. Well, she was getting worse. I had come home from school with blue nail polish on my fingers and my dad wasn't too pleased. He beat me up again, the fifth time ever. I couldn't take it anymore."
"Oh, Angel…"
"It's alright, I'm alright. I left and never looked back. All I left behind was a note for Isa. I don't think she ever forgave me for leaving, but I had to. She was only twelve and she was having to bandage me up. She'd cry herself to sleep, Collins. I knew that, if I were out of the picture, life would be calmer for her and for my parents. It was what I had to do."
"Have you always been so selfless?" Collins asked, his lips brushing her shoulder blade.
"Stop it," Angel rolled her eyes, "I did what I had to do – I do what I always have to do."
"But don't you miss her?"
Angel looked up at Collins, miniature waves of tears swelling within her eyes, "Of course, every day, every second. I think about her all the time. Hell, I don't even know if she is still alive or not."
"You haven't tried to contact her?"
"It'd make things complicated. Without me, my daddy is happy, my mother is at peace, and Isa can finally have a normal family."
"But she needs you."
"She doesn't need me," Angel shook her head, "I wasn't there for her when she needed me to be there. She needs someone who is there for her."
"You can be there for her now," Collins reminded her.
"I guess."
"Do you want to find her?"
Angel bit her lower lip, and thought it over for a bit before answering, "Yes. I would give anything to see her, to hold her again. Anything at all."
"Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow what?"
"Tomorrow we will start looking for Isa, okay?"
"You'd help me find her?" Angel asked, not quite believing what she was hearing.
"Of course. I'd do anything for you."