Prologue

“Just shut the hell up, Mum!” screamed Michael Brooks angrily. His twin sister Alana felt tears slide down her cheeks as she watched her mother and her brother argue in front of her. “Look, Alana should do what she wants!”

“She’s too young to know what she wants and so do you, Michael! Don’t you even dare talk to me that way!” Mrs. Brooks replied hotly. “Alana will not be joining that competition. She’ll be going to Harvard or Yale and become a law student.”

More tears slid down Alana’s cheeks. She rushed past her mother and went straight outside. She wrapped her arms around her body, sobs escaping her lips every now and then. After awhile she felt another pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind.

“Are you okay, Lana?” whispered Michael softly. Alana shook her head and leaned her head against his chest. Michael hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go. “I’m sorry you had to see that, Alana. I know you didn’t want to see it.”

“I know I didn’t,” said Alana softly, and they hugged. He kissed the top of her forehead in a brotherly way. “I love you, Michael.”

“I love you too, Alana.”

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

“Michael?” Alana’s voice echoed throughout the empty house. “Mike? Are you there?”

Sobs echoed throughout the house. Alana rushed upstairs to where the sobs where and saw her mother and her father weeping in each other’s arms. “Alana!” sobbed her mother. She rushed to her daughter and embraced her tightly. “I’m sorry, Alana, I’m terribly sorry!”

“S-sorry for what?” stuttered Alana quietly. “Mum, what happened?”

“I’m sorry, Alana… He’s gone… We couldn’t save him.”

Alana’s heart stopped. She looked up at her mother, her hazel green eyes slowly brimming with tears. “What happened?”

“Michael was driving towards your school to pick you up. The traffic lights were going all wrong and people were warned that it was best to walk and get some energy. He didn’t hear it. Unfortunately, a drunk driver didn’t hear it either. Before you knew it, they crashed,” said her father grimly. Alana tried getting all this digested.

“So… so he’s… dead?” she whispered. Her parents nodded. That’s when Alana Brooks’ world slowly came tumbling down like an earthquake.

-,-,-,-,-,-,-,-

Alana laid down a bouquet of dark red roses on the tombstone, icy tears sliding down her cheeks. She saw the inscription on the tombstone:

Michael Daniel Brooks

1988-2003

Greatest Son

Sweetest Friend

The Best Brother

Alana wiped away her tears quickly and looked up at the sky. “God, why’d you have to leave, Michael?” she asked in anguish. “I HATE YOU!”

Her body racked with sobs as she fell on her knees, burying her face in her hands. “I hate you…”

And then Alana Michelle Brooks was never the same again.

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