Cemetery Prompt

She stood under the low hanging branches of the old willow tree that stood tall in the center of the old cemetery behind Saint Francis Parish. Her long blonde hair, which had blue and red highlights in it, was tied up in a pony tail, careful not to cause goosebumps when it brushed against her olive skin in the early morning breeze.

Her emerald green eyes, which were bright with tears, burned as she watched her brother stand before a headstone, just down the hill from where she stood. Her headstone, to be exact. His sandy brown hair was disheveled, and his shoulders were hunched against the crisp breeze. He was not himself.

She could tell that he had fallen off the wagon again, because of the nearly empty bottle he had in his hand. His hand was even shaking. She could not blame him for diving back into drinking again either. For almost a year, he had believed she was dead. It hurt her heart to see him like this, and she only had herself to blame for it.

If all was to go according to plan, it would have to stay that way. But she just could not stand to see her brother in such a state. Not after all the time she had spent, helping him get sober.All the months she had gone through, staying by his side as he went to rehab and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, just to get clean. After all, he had not done it for himself. He had done it all for her.

A crisp breeze blew through the cemetery, causing her to shiver as she stood watching from a distance, wondering whether or not she should confront him and say something. But a hand on her shoulder made her stop. "Don't." She recognized Killian's deep voice, almost immediately. "He needs to believe you're dead. It's the only way to protect him." She knew he was right, but this was absolutely killing her.

"Look at him, Killian. There has to be another way." Her voice shook, as she was close to crying at this point. There had to be something else that could be done. She had to talk to him. But when she took a step forward, Killian grabbed her arm. "Listen to me." He hissed. "If you do this, everything we have done to protect him, will have been for nothing."

He was right, of course. As always. But right now, she did not care. She knew she did not have long before her courage dissipated, and she would lose her chance to see him again. So, pulling away from Killian, she took a breath and stepped out from under the tree. It only took a few short steps for her to actually step out from under the low hanging branches of the tree to where her brother could see her.

With a shaky breath, she called out to him. "James!" His shoulders tightened, and he slowly turned in her direction. The look on his face was that of shock, and confusion. Genuine surprise in his eyes. He stepped closer, reaching out and touching her arm with his hand. "You're." He stammered. "You're alive?" She sighed, shoving her hands down into the pockets of her jacket.

It was time for her to explain exactly what had happened, and why she was here. Why she was confronting him now, after a year. Why had she waited so long? Why was she here? What had happened? What happens now? She felt absolutely terrible about doing this to him. But it had to be done. "We need to talk."