Morning light finally broke softly across the wide glass windows downstairs.
Clara stepped out of her bedroom carrying her leather handbag very tightly.
She walked toward the grand balcony that overlooked the front main entrance hall.
The maid was dusting the polished brass railing near the edge of the drop.
Clara: Good morning, Sarah, have you seen Julian anywhere down there?
Sarah: Mr. Julian went to the front gate to meet the lawyer, miss.
Clara nodded her head and walked closer toward the grand decorative railing.
She wanted to look down into the foyer to see if they were back.
As she placed her hand upon the wood railing, something felt terribly loose.
A sudden metallic click sounded right beneath the base of the wooden beam.
Clara: Oh no, the latch on this section is completely broken!
Before she could pull herself back, the heavy railing swayed dangerously forward.
Clara lost her balance instantly as her foot slipped off the slick floor edge.
She gasped loudly, grabbing desperately for anything solid nearby in the air.
The maid screamed hysterically as her eyes widened in complete terror and shock.
Sarah: Miss Clara, watch out, the whole section is falling away!
Clara let out a loud gasp as her body tipped over the open drop.
Her heart stopped as she felt nothing beneath her feet for one brief second.
Below in the foyer, heavy footsteps suddenly came sprinting across the floor fast.
Julian rushed out into the open room right beneath the massive crystal chandelier.
His dark eyes locked onto Clara as she lost her hold on the wood.
Julian: Clara! Hold on! I am coming right now!
He ran faster than he had ever run in his entire adult life.
His shoes slid across the slick marble as he threw his arms wide open.
Clara fell straight down through the open air of the grand foyer space.
The maid covered her face on the balcony above, sobbing out in panic.
Time seemed to freeze as Clara dropped toward the cold stone below.
Julian leaped forward, sliding across the hard marble floor on both knees.
He reached out with everything he had to save his beloved stepsister.
His arms locked around her body just before she hit the hard ground.
The sudden impact sent them sliding together across the slick polished stone floor.
They crashed against the bottom staircase step, completely breathless and shaking hard.