Ethan Corstolla-Klein “MADELEINE!” I fell to my knees, crying. She was gone. My little sister was gone. Grace, Leo and Alex ran over to me. Leo was confused. He didn't know. Alex was in her own world. She wouldn't stop crying. Grace was sitting next to me in the sand, watching the sun set. She had no emotion on her face. She wasn’t even crying. Leo broke the silence. “What? What happened?” “She’s gone.” Grace said. It was the first time she talked since she came over. “Who?” Leo’s face was growing concerned. “Madeleine.” Grace says, rubbing her fingertips. Blood was dripping off her hands. “Gone?” He didn't seem convinced. I stood up, angered that I had to explain this to him. “Gone! She’s gone Leo! Taken away.” Leo stared at me. All emotion drained from his face. The first tear I had seen him shed, rolled down his cheek. Alex jerked her head up. “She didn't even get to meet Madeleine.” Leo turned his attention onto his sister, “What?” “Summer,” Alex stared at nothing. “She’s dead. I watched her heart rip out of her chest. Her wonderful face…It’s gone. I never even got to ask her what she wanted for Christmas.” Leo’s face was flushed white. My gaze swept over his chest, it wasn't rising or falling. He wasn’t breathing. “Leo? Leo, you need to breathe.” No answer, no movement, not even one single blink. I grabbed his shoulders and shook him vigorously. “Leo! Leo, breathe!” He stared at me blankly. “LEO!” Grace got up and pulled me away. I pulled my arm away from her. “LEO! LEO, SAY SOMETHING! SAY ANYTHING!” I was crying now, but I didn't know why. “Ethan, let go of him!” Grace kept reaching for my arm, but I resisted. I couldn't lose any more people, especially someone who made Madeleine happy. “LEO, PLEASE!” Leo’s body went limp, and his weight fell onto me. I fell to my knees, holding him close, crying his name over and over again. Grace was dialing 911, her voice quavering as she told them what happened. In a few minutes the ambulance was at the beach, police swarmed everywhere, clean-up teams removed bodies and debris. Leo never moved once, he just lay on me motionless, all life drained from him. I gathered him closer, burying my face in his shirt. He smelled like sandalwood and Madeleine's new perfume. “Leo…I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t try harder.” The ambulance took him away, his limp body rested on a cot. His smell still lingered.
