Chapter 14: IT WAS MY LITTLE SISTER'S BODY

**Zedd Evans**


I was at the point of delivery but my little sister, Ellen was nowhere to be found at the moment.

Fear gripped me as a realization that I may have exposed my sister to more greater danger washed over me.

Really? Where was Ellen? Had the rogues taken her away, with them?

Fear made my throat and chest to constrict as I thought of the worse case scenarios.

Rape? Assault? Prisoner? Sex slave?

My imagination ran wild for as long as I let it for I quickly regained my composure and collected myself. There was no use of me panicking. It would solve nothing. For at this point in time, all that i needed to do was to find my little sister.

I walked forward, around the vicinity, hoping to find some sort of clue that they had indeed been there. Maybe a foot print, or a sign as they had promised?

That was when I saw it,a piece of a blue dress that was tied firmly to a branch of green leafy vegetation. I immediately recognized it as the materials of the current clothes that I had last sent to my sister in the imperial prison.

I sent clothes to her everyday so she was never dirty or cold.

I hurried towards the green vegetation and quickly untied the clothes, my heart easing from its previous racing.

The few was gone and in its place a joy that left me giddy.

I felt this feeling because of the fact that my sister must have survived the jail break I had staged and left the imperial prison unscathed.

As of now, she, a branded traitor, she was indeed a free woman.

I continued my search around the area, thinking that Ellen had probably hidden herself around or was finding a way to contact me.

I searched around for a while, looking for her in conspicuous and even unsuspecting places for hiding.

But, I did not see her.

I wondered where she had gone.

At the moment where I had lost all hope, simply about to be resigned to my fate, our fate, a rabbit scurried out of a path in the bush, holding on to the same type of that blue material that the rogues had toed to the green leafy vegetation in its mouth.

It was a part of Ellen's clothes.

The rabbit must have bitten it off her. I scrambled for the bush just as the rabbit ran back the way it had come, obviously fearful. I did not pay attention to the little animal although i was grateful to it for the little clue it had brought to me.

The bush was thick with lots of green vegetation and I had to make a way for myself by using my hands to demarcate the protruding branches, clearing them away from my path.

I noticed the unusual shape of the next patch ahead which happened to be sleeping Landis.

It was a very strong sedative.

If the thorn happened to strike ones skin or if one was fed the leaf of the plant, one would instantly go to sleep.

I reminded myself to be careful around it and avoid the offending plant like a plague.

I managed to make my way through it without getting struck by its thorn. I had almost made my way past every one of it when my feet hit something that nearly made me stumble.

It was a tangled mass of blue material and black curly hair.

It was a body.

It was my little sister's body.

It was Ellen.

The fear that had successfully left me returned, gripping me more ruthlessly, nearly taking off my throat with the intensity of it all.

"Ellen!" I called her name but nothing happened.

It was only the breeze which blew.

I felt the rush of the onslaught of fright and panic as I immediately went on my knees at her side and tried to rouse her.

I shook her still body violently as I called her name repeatedly.

But, there was no response.

She did not move.

I panicked beyond control nearly going into a fit as tears stung my eyes.

Was my sister dead?

Had I brought her out to be killed?

Was it my fault?

I cuddled her close to my body as i let the storm which had gathered behind my eyes fall freely in grieve.

Was this the end?

Would it have been better if I had left her there, in the imperial prison?

Would she have been spared?

Would her trial have perhaps gone so good tomorrow?

Now I would never know for I had took things into my hands and played with fate. Maybe everything had been meant to happen just like this. Maybe this now was a punishment for me for messing with the sequence of things.

I should never have done so.

I would never have betrayed my integrity if I had known that it meant that it would cost me the life of my sister.

I was doomed.

I swiped away the tears that was still flowing from my eyes and cuddled her body in my hands.

She was still warm.

It had not been so long since she had transitioned to glory.

Maybe I had been too late.

Maybe she had waited for me.

Now I will never know.

It was all over.

I wiped away some more tears and thought of how we had grown up together, the life that both of us had shared flashing before my eyes.

I had not protected my little sister well enough.

I was a bad brother.

Mayhap I deserved this for concealing the truth of the matter even when I knew it.

I felt bad that Ellen had been wronged and punished.

I felt bad that she had had to die a traitor, her name not cleared from all the allegations that had been leveled against her.

I felt as if my heart would stop when I looked at her peaceful resting face.

Tears ran down my cheeks again, chasing one another, playing tag on my face.

I would miss her, my little sister.

I embraced her tightly to myself and mourned my loss, my father's loss and my other sister's loss.

I was mourning now for all three of us.

Snore.

Snoreee.

Snoreeee.

Snorreeeeeee.

I heard a soft sound like someone was snoring and looked around, alert.

Was I not alone?

Did I have company?

Had Elena brought company?

Then I discovered that the sound was coming from the supposedly dead person in my arms.

My little sister was not dead.

My little sister was snoring.

Ellen was alive.

I felt happy beyond words.

Everything was not over yet.

It was just the beginning after all.