1. The Sky That Shined Brighter Than the Heat Inside

A small hand reached up towards the milky blue void. Soft, billowy clouds sprinkled the sky and the little hand yearned desperately to grasp them.

Will it hurt? 

She gazed up. Not so much searching for answers as simply asking whatever came to mind. She traced the edges of the clouds as the sun rained its grand beams down right into her tiny body. 

She was warm. Very warm. 

Perhaps randomly, her hand finally came to her attention. And the pale skin was covered in thick, red, blood. She closed her hand, attempting to catch the clouds. She heard the shouts of men. Her father's guards, probably. 

She turned her head gazing at the face of her little sister. She was lying there in the grass, a calm breeze gently kissing her hair. She was so cute. So adorable. Her eyes were closed. 

She must be tired. I have to let her sleep. 

She got her homework done. I'm so proud of her. 

The men reached her sister and turned her around. She wanted to talk. She wanted to tell them to stop and let her sister sleep. She was a good girl. She did her homework its okay for her to nap. But she couldn't speak. Something had filled her lungs and the only thing that came out was a suppressed and painful gasp. 

She heard her father's voice "...ya" He was angry, filled with the type of anguish she'd never seen in her father. "Who did this! Who did this to my babies! You find them, now!" 

"Yes, sir," one of his attendants answered. 

Her father scooped her up into his firm arms, but she didn't want to lose sight of the beautiful clouds. That's what her and her sister were there for. They loved to snack and watch the clouds. Now they were cutting their bonding time short. 

And that hurt more than anything. 

"It's okay baby, Daddy's here. You're safe, I've got, no matter what it takes, I'll always protect you," Her father tried to comfort her. But she felt safe just staring at the clouds.

She caught the last glimpse of one that looked like a sheep with a fluffy belly and a long unicorn horn. Her sister would love that one. If only she awoke before it disappeared. But she couldn't call out to her. She held onto the memory of that cloud because it seemed special.

If she would have known that was the last time she'd stare at the sky. She might have tried to speak a little harder.