Overwatch: Jinxed

Chapter 36: Death Isn't the Only Way to Go

Someone sat down next to her. She knew him. He was Father. He wasn't wearing what everyone else was wearing - they were all in their holiday clothes. But he was wearing a suit, as if going to an important meeting. He put his arm around her.

"Look at how happy they are."

She nodded.

"Your sister may not like you now, but she will need you in the future. She'll go through bad times and so will you, and you'll help each other through it."

"I don't think so," she found herself saying bitterly. "You and mum are the only ones I have who understand."

"Don't be like that," Father said with a gentle smile. He gave her shoulder a squeeze. "You'll find someone. You're friends with Jamie, aren't you?"

She found herself smiling. "Yeah. He's awesome. He taught me how to change my bike tire when it pops."

"See?" Father said. "You do have a friend. I think he likes you just as much as you like him."

"But we're only little kids," she sighed. "You said you lost all of your friends after you went to high school."

"Don't worry," he smiled. "I'll make sure Jamie goes to the same high school as you. You two are thick as thieves. He didn't teach you how to make that saltwater bomb, did he?"

She grinned sheepishly and he laughed. "That boy is such trouble, I swear to God!"

"But he's so nice to me," she told him. "He plays with me even when I'm sad."

"Does he cheer you up?"

"Yeah," she grinned. "That's it. He cheers me up."

She turned to look out on the ocean now. She recognized more people now - four more. One of them was him. The other big ones were his mum and dad. And that one was his little sister, Tay.

She started. A name. She remembered a name.

Tay. Her name was Tay. And she was his sister.

She turned to look back at her father.

But something had changed.

Behind him, the gum trees weren't waving in the breeze anymore. They were on fire, and a tangy - almost metallic - scent had filled the air. His clothes were torn and ripped, burnt in a lot of places. There was a long cut down one of his eyes and his mouth was hanging slightly open.

She turned to look back at the beach.

There was no beach.

Instead it was a burning building, barely ash and smoldering rock by now. The beach was gone, replaced with burning gum trees, sizzled sand turned to molten glass. The laughs of people by the ocean was replaced with people screaming.

"You promised me you'd find him," her father said gently, despite him burning and torn and broken. "Thank you for finding him."

She smiled at him happily. "Thank you, daddy."

"And then you saved him, too! That's my girl. How brave you are."

She grinned, twisting her foot in the burning sand. She giggled. "I am."

"But he misses you now," her father said, pulling a serious face. "And you have to go back to him."

"I tried," she sighed, flopping onto his lap. "But I don't know where he is."

"Come on," her dad said, raising a cut eyebrow. "You spent years looking for him. You can't give up now! You found him before." He gently took her chin in his fingers. "And you can find him again."