" The Brace of Shadows"

Alex sat cross-legged on the living room floor, his sister Rain beside him, her small hand clasping his arm. Outside, the sun was setting, soft orange filtering through the windows as if trying to set a small, gentle blaze inside their house so it would warm to life from inside out. The comfort of the family's laughter felt alive with this all being one normal evening-one that Alex never could have imagined might be the last of its kind.

Rain, no bigger than Sixth, leaned her head upon his shoulder, and he could feel the thickness of her brown hair brush against his cheek. "Alex, will you read to me again?" she asked-so softly and hopefully asking-and with in those words, innocently spoken, a smile crossed his face.

"Ah," said Alex, looking around to where they'd left that book open on the coffeetable. It was one of her favorites, a story about dragons and far-off kingdoms, and despite his age, Alex had always humored her with her endless requests. He loves his sister so much, and he always tried to pamper her, even though he was the older one; he always tried to find time to spend with his little sister.

He opened the book to the marked page and started reading aloud in a steady, comforting voice.

The world outside was quiet, still, as if it didn't have any inkling that anything would ever change. They were together, safe, without a care in the world. For those few moments, Alex could pretend that everything was normal. That nothing would ever come to break them apart.

As he read, Rain shifted closer to him, her tiny hand slipping into his. He paused, peering down at her. Her big, trusting eyes met his.

Big bro! "You promise you'll always take care of me, right?" she asked in a small but sincere voice.

Smiling softly, Alex brushed the single stray of hair from her face. "I promise, Rai. Always."

It was a simple promise, but somehow, it felt important, as if it anchored them to something solid in a world that sometimes felt too big, too scary. Alex didn't realize the weight those words would carry until everything changed, until the world crumbled and the promise became the only thing left between them. He ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead, then went back to reading. Alex blinked, forcing himself to push the memories back. There was no time for daydreams, not anymore. The world outside this crumbling shelter brought up his resolve stronger than before to fight with this world and get back to his younger sister, to leave this place where simple promises and shared moments meant anything.