Sadik stared at the girl next to him, waiting for her to answer his question.
"Remember the time when we went horseback riding and we found this beautiful cliff?"
Ana stared back at her older brother "…no…" Sadik sat there and just stared.
"Remember the time when we went to the pond, you were so happy…"
Why was she so cold towards him? Sadik looked at her warm colored yet cold eyes. "I don't remember anything…" Sadik could feel how much she was afraid of him, knowing that she would just simply not remember he got up and turned around. Damn that day he left her, leaving a defenseless girl for the Slavs to take and brainwash.
"I'm… going to my study." Ana watched her brother turn the corner and hear the door click shut, soon she felt that feeling that everyone deemed weak. The feeling was like her head was going to explode and…now her eyes were getting watery. Ana quickly wiped her eyes and went to her room, shutting the door behind her. She flopped on her bed and covered her face with her hands. 3 rooms down Sadik was scribbling in his notebook, England told him that it was a good way to relieve stress; he couldn't understand why his dear sister was afraid. Mistakes were in the past and he had forgiven Ana but why was she still scared of him, her brother. He ripped the page out and threw it in the trash.
Ana was trying to sleep to make this stupid feeling go away, the feeling of being sad and afraid. Sadik took the notebook and examined the inside for clues, he found that Ana was afraid that he would hurt her and make her cry only to stop the humane emotion, just like when he was under pressure and he would lash out at her… just then a voice, soft and angelic, said to Sadik
"You never apologized…"
Sadik suddenly felt bad for acting so immature and put his notebook back onto the small desk. Ana was on her bed, laying sideways and slowly dampening her pillow with fresh tears. She wiped the tears and soon a soft knock and ruffling was heard. Ana picked up the small note on the ground and examined it. The note was made from a ripped piece of paper and it had the scent of her brothers lavender perfume. Ana unfolded the paper to find two words written in Sadik's cursive.
"I'm Sorry…"
Sadik had tear filled eyes as he waited. Ana opened the door to find the tall man standing in front of her; she lowered her head then swallowed the lump in her throat. Sadik hugged his sister and continued to squeeze tighter until he felt her warm tears on his chest.
"Do you forgive me?"
Ana nodded into her brothers chest crying even more as she felt her brothers heartbeat turn from a sad thumping to a relieved flutter.
"I'm sorry for lashing out at you and leaving you…"
Ana lifted her head, still crying, and looked at him. He remembered? The day he left her…
Ana lowered her head again feeling her heart fill with anger and confusion. Sadik noticed the girl slowly pushing him away.
"I won't do anything like that ever again…Promise."
Ana could never be sure, that was what she learned from years of experience. Sadik felt anger welling inside him as he held the girl by her shoulders. Stupid Russia with his stupid brainwashing
"Big brother, you're hurting me."
Sadik let go of Ana and looked at what he had done. Her shoulders were red and she was hugging herself. He had screwed this up too many times to just give up now; he gently stroked the red skin and looked straight into the girls hazel eyes.
"I'm sorry for everything I did… I feel like a complete idiot for not looking after you for all these years."
Yes, he sounded like a lovesick puppy but it was the only way to make it up for the 92 years he hadn't been helping Ana go through being a teenaged nation. He knew it was hard, dealing with emotions and raging hormones, because he too had been a teenager. Those times were when he had lashed out at Ana, he thought it made him stronger, better but in the end it just made everyone, including his own sister, drift away and stay on end around him. He lowered his head and rested it on Ana's shoulder.
"I'm very sorry for what I did…some time ago…"
Ana loosened her arms around her waist and hugged her brother, her dear brother that wanted to keep their family alive.