I sat quietly on the porch stairs of my parents' farm house, reminicing over the past four years and watching the sunset. I had done it: I finally graduated. After all those years I was actually out of school. It wasn't a dream, and that was finally sinking in. Still, I thought deeply. What would I do from now on? My plan for the future was to move to the city, but where would I go? I had never thought that far ahead. Besides, it had been years since I last left the countryside. Knowing be I'd probably get lost as soon as I got there. My dream was to become a famous journalist and I would never be able to do that from here. Jounalism was the only thing for me. I wanted to inform everyone of what was going on in the world through my writing. It would be about important things, not stupid stories that I sometimes found while searching the paper.

I heard the soft tapping of footsteps approaching me from behind me. I turned my head slowly to see who was comming. It was my younger sister, Jenny. She smiled sweetly at me and I smiled back. Jenny sat down beside me and her grin faded away.

" Hey, sis," She started while looking to the sky, " are you leaving?" I was shocked - there's no other way to say it. I had never told anyone about that, and yet she knew. She could tell. It's strange, but I felt as if she could read my mind. I didn't know what to say, or how to react. Jenny was the closest person to me. Even my boyfriend, Mark, was no match. I wanted to leave, but upsetting my little sister wasn't worth it. So instead, I lied.

" What brought that up? Don't worry so much, I'm staying right here. Besides, if I was leaving then where would I go? What made you ask that, anyways?" I questioned with a false smile. I had grown up with my parents telling me not to lie, but one wouldn't matter, right? It was just a small fib. And I didn't know if I'd be able to leave, anyways. I didn't want to have to say goodbye to any more of my family. Jenny hesitated to answer, which was unusual for her.

" Aaron left after he graduated, so I thought you would too." My eyes widened. I hadn't head the name in a long time. Aaron was our older brother. Like me, he too wanted to leave this hick town in search of a place that he could truly call home. Yes his family was here, but he wanted more. The first few months he would call or visit once a week, but now it was as if he never existed. Like he had abandond us. Unlike him I planned to stay in touch, but even mentioning that time made me have second thoughts.

I leaned in and embraced my sister tightly, gently stroaking her long auburn hair. She got her hair colour from our mother, while my chessnut hair was more like our father. I could feel warm tears dripping onto my shoulder, but pretended like they weren't there. She cried everytime we talked about Aaron, which is why I tried avoiding conversations involving him. I suppose it was because they were so close. Back when we were kids they were practically inseperable. You would always find them playing in the back fields, laughing and having fun. I put that thought to the back of my mind and focused on the future. I refused to be compared to my brother!

" Don't worry Jenny, I'm not going anywhere." I stated while grabbing her tighter. We broke the hug and she looked up at me with admiration. Jenny picked herself up off of the ground and ran to the door. Before she went inside, she took one last look at me with cheer.

" Thanks Beth!" she shouted before racing into the house. I couldn't help but laugh. She was so energetic! It wasn't hard to cheer her up, either. I took one last look at the dark sky. The sunset had ended, along with my day. I had pulled an all-nighter because of my after-party. It lasted until seven! ' I should probably get some sleep,' I thought while heading to my room. My head hit the pillow and I was out like a like. I dreamt of the old days. Back to a time when I never worried or thought of the future. For some reason I thought it'd stay like that forever, but it didn't.

I sat of the front porch, watching Aaron and Jenny play out in the fields. Summer break had just arrived and tomorrow we were going down to the creek for a swim. The day was comming to a close and I sat on the swinging bench on the front porch. I wasn't really in the mood to run around, but I still wanted to watch. Then I noticed Aaron stop and look my way. He grinned from ear to ear and race over to my with Jenny right behind him.

Morning arrived almost instantly, or so it seemed. My alarm rang loudly beside my bed. Five AM, time to wake up. Too bad, it felt like I had just fallen asleep. I whipped the sleep from my eyes and yawn with my hand over my mouth. Then I stretched and peered outside my balcony window. That's when I noticed the lightning flashing brilliantly in the grey sky. Bang! Thunder pounded loudly, shaking everything slightly, vibrating my innards. Still there was no rain. It was probably due to the current heat wave and lack of precipitation. This was my idea of a heat strom, even though a real heat storm is an extended heat wave. As a matter of fact, everyone in my family called it a heat storm. The weather had been really wierd, considering our summers were usually wet. In the past week four fires had broken out around town, and this wasn't going to help anything. Lightning could stirke at any given moment.

I staggard down the stairs which leg to the main floor, still half asleep and in my pajamas. I headed over to the kitchen and immediatly noticed something wasn't right. My family was nowhere to be seen. They were always eating at that time, so where were they. Even more so, there was no food for me.Then I heard it; faint voices off in the distance. They were comming from outside. Quickly I jolted over to the front door and peered out the window. Immediatly I spotted my mother and father, who looked like they were shouting. I swung open the door and headed over to my parents. It was my sister's name that they were shouting.

" What's going on?" They didn't anwer, and instead continued calling out for my sister. In a way it agitated me. " C'mon, where's Jenny? What's wrong mum?" I asked with content. She turned to me with sorrowful eyes. I didn't understand. I didn't want to. That was when I noticed dark gray smoke eminating from the forest across the street. It grew thicker and thicker and before long the sky was black. My eyes widened as orange, red, and yellow flames pierced through the trees. I knew immediatly what had happened. My heart beat faster than ever before as I felt my happiness slip away. The pain was tugging at my heartstrings. I didn't need to see a body to know what happened.

I ran rappidly through the fields and closer to the forest fire as my mother cried and father chased after me. After crossing the street I sped up and moved closer to the heart of the fire. It was disasterous. Trees were turning black and colapsing all around. Bushes were burnt to a crisp. I tried my best to ignore it and look ahead of me. That was when I saw it; the faint outline of a body. As I neared it I reconised her face and knew right away who it was. My sister, Jenny.

Her hair was burnt off, leaving her almost completely bald. Her skin had turned multiple shades of red and pink. It shone in the light of the flames. There was a putrid puss-like substance covering her, creating a peculiar gloss. Some parts were already crusty and descusting, and her flesh was no longer smooth. It was bumpy and grose. Jenny's eveys had almost melted completely shut and it looked like she had been ripped apart in multiple places. I couldn't help but cry. Here face was like ash - hard and black as charcoal. She was covered from head to toe with these burns and she looked pitiful. Tears streamed down my face so much you'f think my face was a foscet. Jenny's clothes even had holes caused by the fire. To top it all off, she was covered in dirt.

I couldn't bare ithe sight! It was too much! How was I suppose to help her is she was on the verge of death? I'm not sure when she lost conciousness. It could've been during the time when she was on fire, or after she rolled around on the ground. Either way it didn't matter; she was dying. I grabbed onto her back and shoulders, holding her close to me in the hopes that she would wake up. I heard a groan before her breathing went heavier.

" Beth, is that you?" she asked breaking the sentance into sections. She was even trembling. I cried even moreso than I already was. " I'm scared, sister. My eyes won't open. It hurts to move. It hurt to breathe. I don't want to die, Beth, I don't want to! Where you're holding me, it hurts even more. I'm going to die, but I don't want to! I want to live! Help me, Beth! Help me!" she had no idea how much I wanted to do just that, but couldn't. Still, even so, I didn't want to give up. Just as she didn't want me to leave, I wanted her to stay.

" What are you saying? You'll be fine. I won't let you die. I'll make sure you live, I will!" I stated as my grasp grew stronger and her's became weaker. She shook her head, smiling one final time. here pulse weakened. Her heart rate dropped. Jenny reached out her hand meakly.

" Thank you big sister." And with those final words, her arm fell to the ground. My little sister's life ended, while I was able to only singe the ends of my hair. How was that fair? Out of despaire I screamed my loudest several times. She was gone. I would never see her smile again, no matter how much I wanted to. Her lifeless corpse laid in my arms still, and I refused to let go. As if on cue, rain began falling from the heavens. Our heat wave had ended. Maybe the angels were weapping, too.

***

I watched as the body of my little sister hung above a giant hole. I couldn't handle it. My sister had been taken away from me. She slipped away, just like that. Within seconds my whole world had changed. My boyfriend, Mark, held me tightly in his arms. My tears hadn't started then, but they would. To everyone's surprize, Aaron showed up to her funeral. I hadn't seem him at all in the past two years, and here he was, saying goodbye to Jenny. Ever since the accident, things hadn't been the same at my house. I knew my life would never be the same. Never. I didn't understand. How could I go on living without Jenny? She was my sister for crying out loud! It's not like I could forget her. That would never happen.

"

" C'mon Beth! It's not as fun if you're not playing." he stated happily. I looked at my two siblings cluelessly as they each grabbed onto one of my arms.

" Hey, wait! Stop. C'mon guys. Cut it out!" I ordered, although my efforts were futile. After awhile I couldn't help but smile. They practically dragged me onto the grass just to play tag with them. I guess it was because they didn't want to leave me out. We laughed together allot that day, and I'll always remember it.

Oh God, by whose compassion the souls of the faithful rest in peace, graciously bless this grave, and make the souls of those who shall be buried here partakers of everlasting joy, and of the company of thine elect, through Christ our Lord. Amen." After the priest said those words, the body began lowering into the ground. A song was played, and that's when it truely sunk in. She was dead. There was no comming back for her. Before I knew what death meant, but it never hit me like it did now. I know the reason why goodbies are hard now, and why people are sad when their friends and family members pass away. It's because they'll never talk to each other. I burst into tears in Mark's arms. There was no way I could've held back ay longer. In turn everyone started to cry also. I suppose they were doing the same thing I was, holding back.

I looked around at all of the other graves. Before that day, I had always thought that cemitaries were creepy and evil, but that day I realized that it was sad, not scary. I mean think, how many families had been hurt by the death of a family member? What about friends? I wondered, did they all feel this way? Thats when I thought about the lie I had told. You know, about not leaving. Now she would never know. Another chance to tell her would never appear before me now that she had passed away. I would live with that guilt for the rest of my life. Even then I couldn't stand it.

How could a girl so energetic die so easily? She was so full of life the night before her death, and yet a fire killed her. I held onto Mark's shirt with extream effort. He embraced me softly in return. Even he was crying. How did God expect me to cope with such a loss? And now what was I supposed to do, seeing as Jenny had died? My mother was taking anti-deppressant to deal with the situation and my father had said only a few words since then. Staying in such a house would kill me, but I didn't want to leave the place where Jenny once resided. What was I to do? As I continued to hold Mark, my eyes scrolled over to Aaron. He was even more torn up about it than I, at least that's how it seemed. His eyes were blood red from all of his crying. It was the same for me.

After the funeral we all went back home. Mark offered to let me stay at his place but I refused. As soon as I opened the bedroom door I went to sleep. I didn't want to do anything other than that. But, strangely enough, I awoke to a bright, white light eminating from an area next to my bed. Thinking nothing of it, I went back to sleep instead of looking. It didn't matter...right? Something gently touched my cheek moments later. I opened my eyes and picked it up. A feather; it was a glowing, pure white feather. Curiouse, I turned to the open side of my bed. My eyes went wide and I was in complete shock. There, standing right at my side, was Jenny. She glew magnificently with white wings comming from her back. Her burns were gone and her hair was the same as before. Still, her smile was the same.

I was speechless. I didn't no how to react, or what to say.

" Beth, follow your heart. Choose the path that you want to take, not the one you think is right. Be yourself and reach for your dreams, okay? I know you can do it." With that, she vanished just as quickly as she arrived. My dreams, huh? It sounded like something she'd say. I knew what to do now. My deceased sister showed me the way with only four sentances.

***

I grabbed the rest of my luggage and threw it in the truck. It was time for me to leave for Toranto. As I prepared to drive away, I took one last look at my house. 3714 Maple Street. This was the address of my now former house. It would be a long drive and would be hard to handle, but it was worth it. Leaving my family behind hurt, but there was no future for me here. It was a beautiful place, with golden fields all around. The sun reflected brightly off of the windows and a smile passed through my lips. Yes, my childhood memories were here. And yes, this was where Jenny's body was. But I couldn't just go through the motions. This is what I wanted. I needed this. Maybe I would be able to start my life from scratch in Toranto. Two months had passed since Jenny passed away, and yet it wasn't until she died that I realized what I wanted to do with my life. It was up to me to create a future for myself. My time to shine was here. My dream of becomming a famouse journalist wasn't going to come true if I did nothing like I had been. It was up to me, and I wouldn't let Jenny down. I entered the car through the passenger's side door and drove off into the distance, exhaust being blown out behind us. It was meant to be. Besides, my sister was in a better place. Rest in peace, Jenny. I'll live for the both of us so that you don't have to. I promise.