Tide

Chapter 17

A/N: Credit to NeverCatchMe for drawing Ava :D

My heart dropped as my eyes trailed along the figure.

I identified his favourite blue swim guard, which was now torn up and wrinkled on his lifeless body. His once tanned skin was now milk-white, the colour drained from his face. He was covered in deep gashes and crusted blood, dark purple rings amongst his skin.

My little brother was barely recognizable.

It took me a while to process the fact that he was dead. I'm dreaming, I thought. This is all a dream. I'm going to wake up in the shelter again. This is all a dream.

I kept my gaze on the corpse of my five-year-old brother, unable to think. My mind felt numb. Was this real? It couldn't be real.

I brushed my fingers along the photograph. A sudden, deep pain struck me, but I didn't react immediately. 

"Ava?" Isaac said, concern rising in his voice. "Is it him?"

My eyes met his. I swallowed hard, my throat tightening as I forced myself to speak.

"...Yeah." Somehow I managed to restrain my tears. "That's Mason."

Isaac didn't say anything. Instead, he wrapped his arms around me. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. I needed my little brother. I needed to see his innocent brown eyes and his mischievous smile, and I needed to hug him, hold him tightly and tell him that I loved him - that I'd give anything to have him for just one more day.

I buried my face into Isaac's shoulder, and that was when I lost control. I opened my mouth to say something, but all that came out was a gut-wrenching sob, pain ripping through me, shredding me to pieces, tearing me apart. I wanted to scream, I wanted to curse at God, and I wanted Him to take me instead. My little brother had only been five. He was young and innocent and pure, and he deserved to live. He'd come to Thailand, and he'd seen the ocean for the first time ever. He'd been so joyful, so carefree. He didn't deserve this.

"He's gone!" I cried. "H-He's..."

"Shhh," Isaac whispered. "It's going to be okay."

But it wasn't true.

I tried telling myself things would get better, but I knew very well that my life was forever changed. I would no longer wake up in the morning and look forward to seeing Mason. I would no longer hear him running around the house or playing with his action figures. I would no longer say goodbye to him before he left for school. I would no longer hear his voice, nor see his face and witness his smile. He was gone. He was gone, and I would never see him again. My baby brother was gone forever.

A/N: NeverCatchMe please don't kill me... Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I know it was kinda short, I'm going to try working on making them longer. Feel free to comment requests, suggestions or feedback. Thanks for reading:)