• Chapter Four
    Layla’s POV


    Images flashed through my head. My family, my friends, my enemies, my school, my life, certain images. Forgotten childhood memories now resurfaced from the depths of my mind. Most of them I wished would just go away. Just like I wished before. This time it wouldn’t happen though. This time they were here to stay. My selective memory had failed me.

    My mother’s face filled my mind. Slowly blood covered the image until I could no longer see my mother’s face. It was just a pool of blood. In that pool of blood I saw my father. Blood covered him where he had been stabbed, and was on his head where his face had been smashed against something.

    Next I saw my brothers’ faces, filled with confusion, anger, fear and doubt as they saw the scene that lay in front of them. It was like watching a TV show, but they were now apart of it. The way they saw things would be changed forever because of this. Who could they trust? Who would love them?

    My brothers’ faces faded as they were replaced by the image of Akisame, Suki and Kaily. They were all happy, carefree. Except for Akisame, who seemed annoyed at Suki. Suki had her arms around Akisame’s shoulders, Akisame had her arms crossed in front of her and was glaring at Suki and Kaily was standing in front of both of them making a funny face. I almost smiled as I remembered taking the picture, but then remembered how I had ruined everything.

    His face popped into my mind and suddenly I was furious and filled with sorrow at the same time. Everything was over.

    “I wonder what happened to her.” Dylan’s voice cut through my thoughts and I was momentarily brought back to the real world just long enough to hear Kimaru’s reply.

    A new image filled my mind. It was Dylan. Both the one I just heard speak, and my baby brother. The were reaching out to one another, trying to grab each other’s hands. There was an invisible barrier making it impossible to actually touch each other. My brother put his hand against the barrier and the other Dylan copied it so their hands were in the same position. If the barrier wasn’t there, they’re hands would be touching.

    Suddenly a babies cry pierced the silent moment. They both vanished leaving me alone to my empty thoughts. He was gone. Again.

    Unaware that I had actually said a word I whispered “A baby’s cry, his final goodbye.”