***NEED WORK

Liana...

Thunder clapped loudly as the rain continued to pour down heavily in the dark night. Strong winds blew against the window; pelting heavy raindrops against the glass with a sharp plink.
Liana stood before the window, staring worriedly into the endless dark. She was standing in Celeste's bedroom, perfectly still as if she was a cold, stone statue. Something was very wrong; she could feel it.

Liana put a trembling hand over where her heart was. She did something horrible to the one person she cared for dearly. She focused hard, trying to hear it.

...There; there it was.
There was her heartbeat, beating in a strong steady rhythm.
Liana focused deeper, searching for what she was listening for.
And there, right beside her small heart was another beat, running in its own rhythm. Its beat overlapped Liana's, the two different pulsations intertwining into one soothing melody.

Liana sighed in relief.
So she really was still here...

What Celeste had told her wasn't a lie. She remembered what she had told her many days back when she first promised to always take care of her.

* * * * * * *
"But Cella!! How would you know if I'm okay when you are away?" she had whined tearfully.

Celeste smiled down at her fondly and sat down on the edge of her bed. She placed a warm hand over her heart, and the other hand to Liana's. She stayed still for a little while, not speaking a word. Then she opened her eyes, her smile growing brighter.
"There, Lia. What do you feel here?" she asked, lifting her hand from Liana's chest.
Liana giggled.
"My heart!! Everyone knows that, silly!!" she laughed.
Cella nodded.
"Yup!! That's right. Do you know what I hear here?" she asked, pointing to her own chest.
Liana shrugged.
"Your heart?" she answered, making it sound like a question. Cella nodded.
"That's right. But I'll tell you a little secret. When I concentrate hard enough, there's another little heartbeat, beating right next to mine. Guess whose it is," she said.

She laughed at Liana's thoughtfulness.

"Lia, it's yours!! That's how I know how you feel and if you're okay or not. So whenever you need me, your heart will tell mine, and then I will always know."
* * * * * * *

Ever since that day, Liana listened to her heart carefully and deeply for Celeste's. And there it was, Cella's heart singing its own melody right beside her own.
I'm here...I'm here...it reminded her, comforting her when she was away.

Liana sighed in relief.
She hadn't told her a lie. She hadn't tricked her. And she hadn't tried to hurt her. Liana was the one who hurt Cella.

Liana nervously looked out the window once again.
When Cella came back, she will tell her she was sorry, and give her a big hug. She will even let her borrow teddy for a little while.
I hope she says it's okay, she thought to herself.
Cella had to come home soon; it was already dark.
Lia will wait in her room, staying up until she came home.

The doorbell rang, the sound of chimes echoing in the halls.

Liana turned around, confused. Cella never rings the doorbell; she always has a key.
Maybe she forgot it when she was rushing out of the house. No, she wouldn't do that; that would only anger their mother.
Liana made her way towards the door of the room and opened it just a crack. Good, there was no one there. She snuck out and left the door open, afraid it would make a sound. She crept to the edge of the landing and peered down. She saw her mother sway and wobble to the door, with a beer bottle in her hand. There was the sound of the door opening, and the slashing of rain grew louder.
"What the--- oh. Do I know you?" Liana heard her mother slur.

So it wasn't Cella...

Liana pressed herself lower to the ground, trying to see who was at the door. She saw two sneakers and muddied jeans standing in the doorway.
"Mrs. Donohue?" a male voice said in confusion and disbelief.
Liana heard her mother grunt.
"Mrs. Donohue...yeah, that's me." she answered.
She laughed and hiccupped, swaying loosely on her feet.

"Oh, um, hi. I'm Bryce, Celeste's friend. I...well...Did Celeste come home yet?" the visitor asked.

Bryce!!
Liana remembered him; he was the one that helped her pick out Cella's birthday gift last year. She liked him, he was nice. Curiosity took over as Liana dared to take a few steps closer to the stairs. She inched forward, craning her neck to try and see his face.
Her mother laughed.
"Why don't you come in? It's raining out." She hiccupped and stumbled out the way.

Bryce looked taken aback by the whole sight and condition her mother was in, but stepped in unsurely.
"Um, thank you." he said.
He turned around as Liana's mother shut the front door close.
"Um...is Celeste---"
"Ugh, never mind that worthless trash. She'll be coming back begging soon enough." she said dismissively. "She always does. Every single time, running back with her tail between her legs...ah, pathetic."

She took a long drink from the beer bottle. She turned and took a shaky step towards Bryce. She stumbled, falling into him. She laughed.
"Bryce, was it? Want to dance?" she slurred.
Bryce looked uncomfortable, pulling away slightly. "Um...Mrs. Donohue...I---"
"Mrs.? Call me Eleanor," she purred, giggling.
Bryce scowled and pulled himself away from her grasp.
"Aww...party-pooper." Eleanor hiccupped.
"Mrs. Donohue, I think you had too much to drink." he said sternly.
"I saw Celeste, and I think she's in---"

"Whatever. She deserves what she got," she scoffed.
Bryce froze, his eyes turning hard. He looked shocked at the lack of concern she had for her own daughter.
"What the--- Mrs. Donahue!" he said incredulously.

Liana turned away, not wanting to see more. Of course she didn't care. She returned to Cella's room, leaving behind the edgy conversation between Bryce and her drunken mother.
Cella, where are you? she thought pleadingly. Come back!

Liana walked to the window where she was standing before. The glass was fogged up on the corners, making it hard to see through. She reached up with her tiny hand to wipe the moist surface clear.

"Lia...Liana...I'm sorry..." a cool, weak voice whispered, echoing in the dark.

Liana whipped around, startled. She knew that voice, and it sent a jolt of panic through her to hear it so weak.
"Cella," she said, scanning the dark room.
But no one was there, no familiar, comforting faces. Nothing but darkness.
"Cella?" Liana tried again, confusion written in her tone. "Are you mad at me?"

There was no answer.
Suddenly, the air in the room seemed...empty. As if something was missing, stolen from its place. Instinctively, Liana put her hand to her heart.
Cella? she asked her heart.
She focused deeper, listening for the comforting rhythm of Celeste's heart. She found it, but for once, it didn't ease her discomfort. Instead, she felt creeping dread.

Celeste's heart gave one weak throb, and a big jolting beat. Then, it faded, the warm light dimming into nothing.

A shock of cold crashed through Liana, not used to the vacant hole now sitting in place of Celeste's rhythm. It sat there in her chest, dark and hanging.
Liana froze; slow realization spinning in her head.

Celeste, Cella was gone.

Suddenly, Liana found herself standing out in the dark rain. She felt cold wind biting at her skin as the heavy raindrops pelted against her skin. She saw the silhouette of an old rusty slide and heard the creaks of the stiffened swing sets swinging back and forth against the wind. Then her eye sight shifted past it, deeper into the shadows. She saw a dark shadow standing before another shadow lying on the ground. Liana couldn't look away from the figure lying twisted and still in the mud. She took a closer look. There covered in mud and her own blood was Celeste, cold and still. Her piercing grey eyes stared back, vacant and lifeless. Then, the images started to fade, melting into blackness.

Liana didn't realize she was screaming her sister's name over and over again as the dark abyss in her chest took over, swallowing her whole.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Bryce...

I couldn't believe it.
This was...Celeste's mother?
She was not the same person as I remember her as.

"'Whatever'? That's it?" I said, my tone incredulous.

Who was she to Celeste? What was Celeste to her? All these new questions started to fill up my thinking space, that it was hard to take things calmly. What am I doing? I'm wasting time here. I had to get out and go look for Celeste. It was obvious that she hadn't come home yet.

Disgusted, I turned to leave the house, leaving Celeste's so-called mother behind, practically passed out on the staircase. I was pissed; I had to get out of there.
Just as I reached for the door, I froze.
Dammit, I couldn't just leave a drunken woman like that, no matter how sick and disgusting she was. I turned around to Mrs. Donohue, hating my conscience. She deserved the biggest hangover, but I was here helping her.
I don't know which disgusts me more; a carelessly drunk parent, or my overly kind and nagging conscience.

I walked back and kneeled next to Mrs. Donohue, who was sprawled across the bottom step. She was mumbling incoherently to herself, barely awake. I tilted her body so she was balanced on her side. Then I got up and looked for the kitchen. I walked through the first entrance, through the dining room, and into the kitchen.

I stopped short, shocked at the scene. The kitchen was a mess. There were big clutters of beer bottles; on the counters, in the sink, and on the floor.
Did she drink all this?! I thought. I stepped through the mess, trying to get to the sink without falling.

Crunch.

Something made a loud grinding noise under my foot, scraping against the tiled floor. I lifted my feet up to see what I had stepped on. Broken glass glittered the floor, some of them powdered into fine grains where I had stepped on some shards. I went to step over the mess, when something caught the edge of my eye. I looked back down, and carefully pushed some of the shards aside. Something dark and red was crusted and smeared in between the tiles, standing out on the white surface. My eyes wandered across the floor and I spotted another spot of red.

Wait, glass... A cold, sick feeling gathered in my stomach. Celeste had glass in her hair, and she was bleeding...

Oh God.

All the bruises and the busy schedule. All of it was suppose to be the dance practices. And the clumsiness from the resulting fatigue. I shook my head, angry with myself. I knew that something was up; I always knew. There was something about Celeste that bugged me, that was a bit to cautious; too careful. If only I had been more careful.
It had been in front of me all this time. It had to be her mother, it just had to. Her whole drunken attitude gave it away.

Suddenly, a scream rang through the room, shaking the walls of the house. I jumped, startled. I knew that voice.

"Liana..."

I ran out the kitchen, bounded through the dining room. I leaped over the unconscious form of Mrs. Donahue and skipped up the stairs. As I came close, I heard what she was screaming.

"Cella!! No, CELLA!!" she screamed.

I swung the door open and saw Liana limp on the floor. I rushed to her side, and turned her over in my arms, worried to pick her up. Liana's face was ghostly white, her light color eyes wide. Her expression was lifeless and blank, and her whole body was shaking.
"Lia!! Hey, are you okay?" I blurted out. "Lia!!"

Liana coughed and slowly turned her eyes to me. She gazed up at me blankly, and opened her mouth. A weak croak slipped from her bluish lips, barely audible. I had to bend lower to make out what she was saying.
"...Cold...rain...dark..." she rasped out. "...swings...Cella..."

My heart jumped, hearing Cella's name being mentioned in the cloud of mixed words.
Swings? The playground?
Suddenly, Liana gasped out, and started to shake more violently. She pulled her arms and legs in and curled herself up into a tiny ball.
"Lia!! Hey!!" I held her tight, scared and not knowing what to do.

I heard someone running up the stairs and a shadow from the doorway fell on the two of us.
"Is she alright?" a female voice rung out, coming towards me in alarm.

I turned my head around and saw a young woman I didn't recognize.
How did she get in?

"I don’t know!! She was mumbling and shaking, and suddenly, things just got worse!!" I spilled out panicked.

The woman glided over and sank straight down to the floor, her movements smooth and confident. She took Liana from me and held her up as she leaned her ear towards her chest.
"She's not breathing right. Call the ambulance." she commanded, completely taking over.

I nodded, and shaking hands pulled out my cell phone from my jacket pocket.
"Give me it," she said, and snatched the phone from me. "I got this. Take care of Mrs. Donahue down stairs."

I backed up, giving them room. I couldn't stay; I had something important to do.
"I'm Bryce LaVerie, I was looking for Celeste, Liana's older sister. I met her outside about half an hour ago---"
"Celeste? She hasn't come home yet?" the lady demanded, again in an alarmed tone.
She looked back at me, and her dark eyes burned into mine.
For some reason I felt a sharp jolt at her steady gaze. But I shook my head.
"That's what I--I came to check. I was...worried about her..." I stammered out.
The woman looked back at Liana and then back at me. Her expression was suddenly very dark and on edge.
"It's not like Celeste, to leave her sister at home like this..." she murmured thoughtfully.

She turned back to me and nodded.
"Alright. Go find Celeste; at least she would like to go to the hospital with her sister. I got everything here." she said, taking control.

I muttered thanks to her and bolted out of the room and down the stairs. I already knew where I should go looking first. The old playground we used to play at when we were younger.

As I ran against the rain, I couldn't help this weird cold feeling that came over me...

Something was deathly wrong.