A Secret Worth Revenge

Chapter 1

Tears ran down my cheeks, glistening in the fading light of the sun as I stared at my sister's grave, situated right in between those of both my parents.

Ember Quinn                                                                                                                  Beloved sister, friend and daughter                                                                  (1996-2016)

I was never really close to my parents but her? she was the best sister I could ever ask for. I can still remember her warm laugh and twinkling eyes, how she would always help me no matter what, how much she loved painting, her liberating smile, how she so courageously stepped up to handle the family business despite just having turned 18 and just having lost both her parents.

My older sister, Ember was my best friend. After my parents died, when I was just 13 and she 18, according to their will, she was to inherit all their properties and money. But then she was taken.

The police found her mangled body, two years later, destroyed beyond recognition. Burnt, cut, stabbed, slashed. There were signs of every possible torture that could've been.

"I miss you," I choked out between the sobs, "I miss you so much, Em. So so much." I broke down. My legs gave out and I fell to the ground in a heap crying and occasionally talking to my best friend, my only friend... to my sister.

After about an hour or two, I noticed that the once warm breeze had turned freezing cold and clouds began to gather in the sky. Looks like it's going to rain. I sighed. I hated this part. Saying goodbye.

****

I walked down the street, alone, thinking. It started to drizzle and soon turned into a full- blown downpour by the time I reached near my house. Wait, who is that? There was a person at my porch. As I got closer, I noticed it was a woman, hugging her arms, trying to keep the cold away. She had her face buried in her knees as she sat down, rocking gently. I ran up to her.

"Hey! Do you need any help" I practically shouted over the rain, as I ran over to the frail figure. Her head snapped up. I froze. WHAT! No that's no possible. I'm hallucinating. This can't be true.

There she was. Standing there. My dead sister. The one I just visited. My eyes took in her sunken, bloodshot eyes, her stringy tangled hair which gave her a ghostly look, the cuts and scrapes littering her body. Her painfully thin figure, stood up, hugging herself, "Hey A-bear." Her familiar, raspy voice shocked me back to reality.

"Em?" I said, my voice coming out lower than I intended. No, I have to be hallucinating. EMBER IS DEAD! She can't be standing here.

"Oh my god! I'm going crazy! You're obviously not real, this can't be true." I started pacing, in the cold hard rain, clutching my head. I felt fragile hands on my arms, "No, Alessia, listen to me you're not dreaming or hallucinating. You're not going mad, I'm real. I'm here." Even her voice sounded weak. My wide eyes focused on my arm where she kept her hand. She felt so real. This feel so real.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I nod. Of course, I didn't believe her, but currently she was in a bad shape and we both were soaking wet. I invited her in, gave her warm food and clothes and cleaned her cuts. The whole time, we didn't talk, she just watched me with her large chocolate brown eyes, observing my each and every movement. "You've grown up." I heard her voice again. It was scary how it was sounded just like Em's, just hoarser, but she can't be her. it's impossible.

It must've shown on my face that I didn't believe the strange girl with an uncanny resemblance to my sister in my living room, because her expression softened, " Hey, remember when we were small we used to imagine that we were riding unicorns. Mine was named Rainbow McRider and yours was-"

"Princess" I cut her off, chuckling slightly. I stared at her in shock once I realized what happened. "How do you know that! Only Ember knew that."

"I am Ember"

I shook my head furiously. She got up and cupped my face in her frail hands, "Look at me, Alessia. I was taken on 5th October 2014, the day when we were going to court to finalize mom and dad's will. Your birthday is on 26th July. My birthday is on 18th August. Your favorite color is turquoise blue. You go to or used to go to Ridgewood school. Our parents' names are Robert and Ava Quinn. You absolutely love basketb-"

"Oh my god!" It's really her!? I stared at her in shock, before throwing myself at her, hugging her so tight. I can't believe I got my sister back. She winced and slowly but surely wrapped her arms around me. I closed my eyes and enjoyed her comforting embrace once more, but not for long. The image of her huddled up on the porch, shivering, malnourished, bruised, cut and scarred flashed in my mind and my eyes blazed with fury. I roughly pulled away from her, instantly regretting it, when I saw her flinch.

"Who is it? The one who did this to you. I'm going to KILL that person." I roared, pacing. My temper getting the best of me. I don't care wherever that person is, who that person is, what he can do. I DON'T CARE! I'm going to make him pay for this. I'm going to make him pay for doing this to my sister. For breaking her.

I mean look at her. She doesn't look my sister at all. The sister I knew, had the confidence of a lion, an attitude that could put many to shame, a fire inside her, that was dimmed when mom and dad died and extinguished by whatever they did to her. She's broken.

More fuel was added to my blind rage when I saw her trembling and trying to shuffle away from me. She thinks I'm going to hurt her. My eyes soften, as the rage inside me grows. I need to push it down, for her.

"I'm sorry, Em. But please tell me who did this," My voice coming out gentler this time, as I tried moving towards her, slowly.

She shook her head furiously. "N-No I can't tell you that. I'm sorry I can't."

My eyes grow sad, "Please, Em. For me," I sigh when she shakes her head again.

"You know, after you were ki-kidnapped, I didn't sleep for months. I thought that if I went out and looked for you myself, I might find you. So that's what I did. I went out every day, from morning to evening. Every SINGLE day. But I could never find you. Uncle Ben took me under his wing. He helped me through the hardest time in my life. He forced me to eat, nurtured me back to health. I- I thought you were dead, Em. But now you're here and now you won't even tell me who did that to you." My voice broke in the end, as I gestured towards her cuts and bruises.

Em's dim blue eyes widened. She took a deep breath and gulped, as though preparing herself. She was going to tell me. But nothing could ever prepare me for when I actually heard her meek voice answer my question.

"Uncle Ben"