Dying leaves circling Jessica's legs as she stood upon a set of wooden stairs, the object of her fear looming over here. Her old foster home seemed exactly as she left it all those years ago, its dark form towered over the girl making her feel small and helpless. She tried to push the feelings of fear aside, but found it just rose up with greater strength than ever before. Guilt swam laps in her stomach as years of memories began to unfold in her mind once again. She recalled the first day Penny and herself arrived at the foster home from the orphanage. She was only four years old back then and Penny merely three. She had thought this place would be their salvation back then and now she wished she had run away instead of opening those doors to hell. If only she didn't need to rely on others, if only she could have taken her sister in her hand and freed her from the nightmares that would be ahead. But she did not have the strength back then and now she had to face the consequences for fleeing in the end. She rubbed at her head as memories of that last night spun about in her mind, she tried to take Penny with her, but the girl refused to go. She should have stayed herself, yet she could not face that place again. She ran for blocks that day just ran until her lungs hurt and her legs threatened to buckle from underneath herself. Once she had considered turning around, even glanced back to see if her sister was still waiting for her to return. The dark shadow of that house loomed in the distance, taunting her escape. If she turned back then she would never escape the madness so she decided right then and there that she would return someday to rescue Penny, rescue them all. Her eyes drifted over the house until they fell upon the corner bedroom, their dark curtains still blocked out all forms of light, locking away the dark secrets of this house from any prying eyes. A shudder filled her body as she remembered the tortures she suffered within the walls of that room, the acts she was force to do to her own little sister. A ball of disgust boiled up amongst the guilt and she dropped to her knees upon the hard wood patio. She really did plan to return, she did, and now that she had her chance she still felt weak against the overwhelming feeling the building stirred in her already fragile heart. She clenched at her chest as an unspeakable pain began to grow deep within her soul, and memories taunted her very existence. "Why'd I have to come back here?" She asked the passing wind, "Why?" Hot tears brimmed at the edge of her eyes as she tried to rationalize with what brought her back to this place, the very place responsible for destroying her dreams of ever having a normal life. She clenched at her stomach in an attempt to keep it from tossing the remains of her food upon the patio floor and set her head upon the cold wooden boards. The mere presence of the house was making her ill and she could feel a hundred hands run over her flesh sending cold shivers through her spine. "I'm sorry..." She sobbed as she hit her head on the patio floor, "I'm soooo.. sorry..." She punched her fist upon the boards in frustration. Tears streaking down her cheek, "WHY!!!" She demanded pounding hard enough to split the wood floor and lodge a few splinters of wood in the flesh of her hand, "Why do I have to suffer over and over again? Why?!?" She slammed her fist against the ground repeatedly, ignoring the pain that surged through her arm and the blood that dropped onto her overalls, "IT ISN'T FAIR!!!" She screamed into the night, her voice drifting off into the darkness that surrounded the house. "I just want to be free of this place." She sobbed to no one, now cradling her wounded hand in her lap and glaring up at the house, "I don't want to face it all again." She abruptly stood to her feet and pointed at the building with her blood soaked hand, "I'm over you!" She cried out, "You understand?!? I am through with you and your nightmares." She knew in her own heart that was a lie, but it felt good yelling it out. She considered turning around and leaving the building for good. It was not her fault Kima came to this place and it was not her job to bring her back either. She began to leave when her eyes fell upon the dim light of a small window with the silhouette of a small child sitting upon the sill. Something about this sight was familiar to her, "A... amber..." She muttered as she moved around the building to get a better look at the window. She suddenly recalled a young girl with curly orange hair who used to sit in a window just as this child was at that moment and warmth filled her heart at the memory of that girl. She recalled Amber's soft touch as the girl gently stroked Jessica's hair when the nightmares invaded her mind and the way the girl would sooth her mind during the darkest hours. All of a sudden she needed to see the girl again, needed to just set her eyes upon that girl one last time. She glanced around herself in search of someway to get the girl's attention, and then found a small pebble at the base of a tree. It was cliché, but maybe it would work, if only the girl heard her calls. ***** To be Continued . . .
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