I was nine.

I was finally starting to adjust. Not to the orphanage, I still got picked on way too much for that.

To the idea that we were alone.

That all we had was each other.

I heard a light knock on my door.

I groaned and pulled the sheets over my head. Who'd want me at 12:30 in the morning?

Whoever it was knocked again. I turned over so I was facing the wall.

The door creaked open a bit.

"Longshot?" a voice whispered.

My eyes snapped open. I turned back over and sat up.

"Longshot, I had another bad dream," Bee whispered. There were tears streaming down her face, something I'd been seeing all too often lately. I didn't know what was making them so bad, she was usually so strong…

She quietly closed the door and walked over. I scooted over; she sat down next to me.

I put my arm around her shoulders. She put her head on mine.

I had no idea why she was so torn up. The anniversary had been a couple months ago. After I talked to her she'd seemed fine until about a week ago.

I tried to think of the reason. It was March. Fairly late March. What would–

And then I realized. Oh, Spirits, today was…

"Happy birthday," I whispered.

"Happy?" she said, not looking up. "What's so happy about it?"

"Every cloud has a silver lining," I said. I don't know why, it just came out.

She lifted her head off my shoulder and finally looked at me, eyes red and puffy. "And this one would be…?"

I shrugged. "We're still alive."

Her eyes widened. "What do you mean?"

I couldn't believe I'd just said that. How stupid could I get? "We weren't there. If you hadn't been sick, if I hadn't been at his house, if we were with them, we'd be gone." It's official. I'm a moron.

After a moment, she nodded, biting her lip. "You're right," she whispered.

She was about to cry again. I had to do something…

"I got you something," I whispered.

She looked at me again, surprised and confused.

"Hang on." I got up and rummaged through my nightstand. Where did I put it? Alright, I'll admit I didn't get it for her birthday, I'd bought it with what little I'd managed to scrape together from doing some odd jobs and was just gonna give it to her, but it might work.

I found it and had it behind my back before she could see it. Not easy, considering she was staring right at me.

(Turn around and close your eyes,) I "told" her with mine.

After a moment of looking at me like I was insane, she did.

I sat down behind her and slipped it around her neck. It was a black necklace with a silver S hanging from it.

The second the metal touched her skin, her eyes flew open. She gasped, turned around, and threw her arms around me.

"I love it!" she said. She pecked my cheek and leaned back against the headboard, toying with the necklace.

I turned bright red and my heart skipped a beat.

I watched her. For one of the first times since the accident, she looked like a kid again. The smile on her face made it almost seem like the crying, depressed girl that had to grow up way too fast was someone else entirely.

Then her smile wavered a bit. She looked uncertain. Not an expression I was used to seeing on her.

"Hey, um, Longshot?" she asked, staring at the charm in her now-still hand.

(Yeah?)

"D-do you mind if I stay here tonight?"

Alright, that kinda surprised me. Then I realized something. She'd never told me what the nightmares were about, but I figured it out.

They were about her being alone.

(Sure.)

She smiled a bit and burrowed under the covers. I smiled a bit, too. Around everyone else, she was a guarded little girl with a huge attitude. Around me, she let her guard down.

I slipped under the covers. She pressed her back against my chest. I wrapped an arm around her waist and held her against me.

My heart sped up.

Why? I wondered. I always feel so weird around her. But, I mean, she's like my little sister. Right?

She muttered something in her sleep, turned over, and snuggled against me.

I gulped. Sister? No way. I was in love, and there was nothing I could do about it.

It wasn't a bad feeling. It only stung when I realized she didn't feel the same way.

Then it burned.

Almost seven years later, that feeling was still there.

Only stonger.