October 21st 2168
"Please, stay with me."
Those four words echoed relentlessly through Amber's head as she sprinted up a flight of stairs on the city's upper level. Melody's offer had been persistent in the past weeks; sometimes she felt a short reprieve from their daily stress would be nice, but it was too short-sighted, however alluring it may be. We need out of this life, out of this god-forsaken city. A shuttle off this dying rock is what we both need, and I can't lose focus... Amber thought as she burst into a shopping center, hoping to lose her tail in the crowd. Maybe I should have taken Mel's offer today though. 'No hostiles' she said. 'Just a messenger job' she said. Screw Viola, I'm going to show her what it's like to be in someone else's sights one day...
She scrambled down a hall, weaving between shoppers and passers-by, making a beeline for another exit on that floor, a hundred or so metres away and closing. As she pushed through the doors, she noticed one of the women chasing her out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't difficult to notice; they wore a bright white, orange and black ensemble. Amber somersaulted to avoid the taller woman's reach, pushing off from a nearby barrier to spring herself forward back onto her feet and away from her pursuers. Her jaunts downtown and previous jobs had helped her conditioning, but she'd begun to tire; her target drop-off had been close for nearly a half an hour, but she hadn't a clue how to lose her tail without putting herself in a dangerous position. They have guns...if I go somewhere that's absolutely empty, they'll have all the time in the world to shoot me. What the hell should I do? Do I take that risk? Do I risk giving away the drop off?
Amber's decision was quickly made for her as a group of adults similar to her pursuers came running around the corner in front of her, forcing her into the building the drop was to be made in. Coincidence that they just happen to show up there? Hrm... , she thought as she sprinted exhaustedly up the stairwell. No time to wait for elevators. She could hear them fast behind her, barrelling up the stairs after her. At least four chasing me up here in this stairwell. I need to get to the eighth floor. Level by level, her pursuers began to lag after her. She could hear their tromping feet fall further behind as she blew through the eighth floor entrance. The apartment complex was fairly high end; she noticed paintings hung along the hall as she passed them. It's absolutely dead in here. What's going on? As she rounded the corner, she caught the drop-off location; Room 817's door was slightly ajar, allowing her to easily slip the datapad through the narrow slit. As soon as she slid it through, the door closed silently, leaving Amber unprotected in the hallway as the sounds of footsteps came closer. Amber reached into her pocket and grabbed her backup datapad as she ran quickly down the hall, continuing to the opposite stairwell.
Two bodies entering from the stairwell interrupted Amber's thoughts, and she slowed to a stop, watching as they cautiously walked forward. Behind her, she could hear a few sets of footsteps slowly approaching as well. She looked over her shoulder briefly. Three...so five in total. Well, shit. Amber held up the datapad. She'd decided if anything went awry, it would be best to have a form of seemingly legitimate information to barter her way out of trouble. Using some old communication data from the first mission, and editing some of the content, it was a legitimate looking piece of equipment aside from not being encrypted. Hope this decoy works...I didn't exactly plan to be chased by a bunch of adults or anything, so it'll have to do for now.
"I take it you're looking for this?" she asked, steadying her voice as much as she could. "You can have it. Not worth all this hassle."
A woman in front of her took a step forward, aiming a sort of gun at her. "I'm afraid it won't go over that easy." Amber kept herself from cringing. No harm will come to me, eh Viola? You're doing an awesome job of that.
"Oh come on, guys. I gave you a little morning exercise! Just helping you out so you stay in shape, and can catch your own kids when they're playing, or whatever you people do when you're not threatening fourteen year old homeless girls. It's not like you can exactly kill me here." Amber said, noticing her pursuers had stopped moving entirely and were aiming weapons at her. "Too messy, you don't look like the Reds, so I'm pretty sure you're not idiots. Why don't you just take..."
A bolt of electricity coursing through her body halted her attempt to talk her pursuers down, the pain from the taser forcing Amber to her knees. She knelt still for a moment as the feeling subsided, and tried standing, only to be met with another shock; this one slightly more powerful, locking up her body and forcing a pained grunt from her as she collapsed to the ground. Okay, no getting up...fuck that hurts.
Amber took a few deep breaths as she lay on the ground, trying to regain composure. She slid the datapad to the woman who had stepped forward initially. "There, you have the info." She coughed out. "At least I'll know now that if you hurt me again, you're just sick fucks." The woman slowly picked up the datapad and casually shot Amber with another bolt of electricity.
Ow! Just my luck... she thought, as the convulsions stopped. What the hell are they doing? They have the info, and if they know it's fake, they should just kill me or something. Amber looked up at the two individuals in front of her; her vision was blurred slightly, but she noticed a distinct shaking of the head before the larger male of the two approached her. Maybe they've decided enough is...
She felt the air burst out of her as a boot crashed against her chest, sending her rolling a foot or two down the hall. Her skin tingled as she gripped the floor for stability; her choking and coughing was keeping her off-balance, and she knew these people weren't likely to leave her alone. Best go out swinging. I'm sorry, Mel. As she started to rise, a hand clutched her by the neck and hurled her into a nearby wall, plaster breaking all around her as she dropped to the ground. The pain throbbed through her entire frame, but the pins and needles feeling allowed her to ignore it for the most part. She rose quickly this time and threw out a punch that landed against the man's torso, seemingly ineffective. Amber dodged a right hook aimed at her head but took a knee to the midsection for her efforts, sending her crumpling to the ground yet again.
Fuck this déjà vu crap. She thought, coughing out blood onto the hardwood floor. I'm going home early, I'm getting that money, and I'm going to see Mel. I feel like I'm on fire, but I'm not sure if the pain's from that or the fact that I've had the crap beaten out of me. She saw a boot swinging toward her body and rolled to the side, sending out a punch, but with it came a ripple of blue that violently threw the man back against the woman who she'd given the datapad to. Turning her head, she noticed the three others behind her had gone or left. Maybe they weren't all sick fucks.
Amber rose slowly, pain becoming more prominent as the tingling sensation faded. She limped her way over to the two fallen adults. The man lay unconscious on top of the woman, who was squirming underneath him, trying to get free. Amber raided his body, pulling out a credit chit, an omni-tool, and a large pistol. She stared at the handgun, feeling the weight of it. Well...I probably shouldn't let them chase me. I'm sure he'll be awake soon. Unlatching the safety, she carefully aimed and shot the man in the kneecap; both waking him up and sending him rolling off of the woman, howling in pain. Amber quickly shifted her aim to the woman sprawled out on the floor.
"I'm going to leave now. If you get up I'm going to shoot you. If you chase me I'm going to shoot you, probably. I'd just stay there for a bit. You got what you came for, just let it go." Amber said, as she backed up toward the exit into the stairwell. "And if I see any of you people around...well, you'd be better off staying away from me. Just a gut feeling, you know?" She reached behind her for the handle and pushed herself into the stairwell and stumbled down the stairs away from the scene. For a few moments, she feared the woman would chase after her, but there were no footsteps above her or beneath her.
When she reached the lobby, it had the odd normal person walking around or waiting for the elevator, but none in that specific get-up. Limping out to the skycar terminal, she received a few strange looks from passersby as she waited for her arranged ride, but she ignored them. She knew how bad she looked, and was too sore and hungry to care.
I just want to go home. I just want this to stop.
Melody stood on a crate, head arched up toward the open entrance, hungrily sucking in the chilly autumn breeze. It had been an uncharacteristically cold autumn, temperatures often dropping beneath the freezing mark at night. Melody generally enjoyed the warmer temperatures of summer and spring, but considered herself fortunate for the cooler weather. The air felt fresh in her lungs, clearing out the taste of her body's digestive fluids and her last attempted meal. She looked down at the floor to where the mess laid; normally she'd been good enough to at least get a bin, or even get outside, but today was a particularly bad one. I'm going to have to clean that up before Amber gets home...I hope she won't be able to smell it. How the heck...
Her focus was broken as her breathing seized, sending her into a coughing fit. She quickly reached up and gripped the sill of the window for balance as she choked and hacked violently, tiny droplets of blood spattering out onto the cement wall. Feeling the bile in her throat rise, she staggered off the crate and clumsily made her way to a nearby bucket, heaving out the rest of her food and drink; each pained cough expelling more of her attempt to stay nourished. Fudge... she thought, as her body slowly stopped struggling, as her wheezing calmed into the slightly laboured breathing that had become normal for her in recent days.
Melody slowly limped her way across the room to her hidden nook and retrieved the bag Viola had given her that night in the diner. There's not much left. She'd kept it secret, as bonus savings in case they fell on some bad luck. The initial credit chit the woman had gifted them was not a small deposit, but it wasn't long before she realized she'd need it to help pad her daily hauls. Melody had broken it down into a number of smaller ones weeks back, but only a few chits remained. She took two smaller ones, shoving them into her pocket, and hid the bag away. I'm gonna have to tell her soon, but...jeez, I don't know how. She made her way back toward the crate, wanting a place to rest her aching feet and to breathe fresh air again. I just really wanted a day in the park with her, but ...
Melody immediately became aware of the body descending onto the crate, and then onto the floor in front of her. The brunette wiped sweaty curls out of her eyes and looked Melody over, her eyes glimmering slightly in concern.
"Mel?"
"Are you alright?" The words found their way out of Amber's mouth, even though she knew the answer. She scanned the room and quickly saw evidence to confirm that whatever Melody was dealing with had escalated. Does she have the flu? I had it once...vomited a few times, felt awful and tired...
"It...I'm fine." Melody said, though her appearance told a different story. Small remains of vomit had found their way onto her sweater, she looked paler than usual, and sweat was forming around her hairline. Not to mention she's been losing weight lately. How much, I can't really tell...damn sweater. "The...paste was , uh, disgusting. A new flavour."
Amber knew it was a bit more than that, but decided to go along with it. She probably just doesn't want to burden me. "Yeah, can't blame your body for having good taste, I guess." She took a step forward and Melody's eyes darted away. "So, uh, you home early?"
"Yeah. I...took a day off." The nervous tension in the air was palpable; the redhead's body language only made it visible. They remained silent for a few moments, both not feeling too comfortable with where they knew the conversation would go.
"That's good. You...you looked like you needed it." Amber mumbled, scratching the back of her head. "I wish I could have been here." She'd been trying to get her sister to take a day off for weeks, hoping her sister could rest up and kick whatever bug she had. The only response she'd get were those four words that had been haunting her. 'Please, Stay with me'...Jeez, Mel, I really should have, today. I've never seen you like this.
Melody shot a dejected look at Amber and sighed. "You could have. I wanted to see the parks with you now that the leaves have changed colour." Amber recalled that evening from last autumn again. Her mind would often drift back to that day, yearning for that feeling of blind hope again. I want that again. But I haven't been able to give us a day like that. She felt a twinge of guilt as she thought about the sacrifices they had made and hardships they'd been through the past year. That guilt had words spilling out of her mouth before she could react.
"If you wanted to spend more time together, you wouldn't have taken away our time downtown." She felt the guilt build inside her as she finished the last syllable. She looks like hell, she doesn't deserve to be talked to like this. Especially not from me...I'm a pathetic big sister sometimes. Turning her gaze away from Melody's stunned face, she responded quickly, hoping to soothe her sister. "I'm sorry Mel. God, I'm sorry, I didn't like doing that, but I've been holding it against you for stupid reasons for too long. I...I just really missed our time together. I miss you."
"I'm sorry too. I've been bugging you a lot and I know you're the most stubborn bird in the world...I knew that asking you to take a day off would probably just egg you on, but I...I was desperate." Melody confessed, rubbing her left eye gently. "I'm your little sister, I've always been clingy. I just...I needed you to have some space sometimes...but I still needed you. I know it's my fault too though." Melody's voice was shaking, her eyes uncertain as tears trickled down her pallid cheeks.
Amber started toward her sister, wincing from the pain in her midsection. One of Viola's men had taken a look at her on the drive back and tested her for any breaks, fractures or sprains; her bill of health had been limited to bruising, but it didn't keep her body from feeling like it had been hit by a skycar. Melody noticed her sister's pain and curiously stepped back toward the wall.
"You're hurt?" she asked, her green eyes glimmering with anger and regret. "That lady...we shouldn't have...we shouldn't have taken her help! I..." Melody's anger was interrupted by a violent bout of coughs, sending her reeling against the wall, leaning onto another crate for balance.
Amber took a step forward, reaching out. "Mel...if you're sick..." Her sister animatedly waved her off, stopping her in her tracks. They both waited for the coughing fit to subside. Melody looked back to Amber, and the brunette stifled a gasp. It was clear her sister was exhausted, sweat dripping down her forehead, and a grimace of pain etched across her face. Oh Mel...
"It's... contagious. What I have. Don't come any closer." Her sentences were short, the words forming only after great effort. Amber took another step forward.
"I don't care, Mel." She said, trying to sound playful. "We can share the misery, at least we can spend time together, and..." Amber stopped talking, noticing her sister shambling towards her. Expecting a hug, she found herself knocked slightly off-balance by the open-handed slap across her face. What the shit? Amber stood shocked and stared confusedly at her sister. She's never actually hit me before. Not like this.
"You NEED to care, Amber! You need to, but you always do these things that put yourself in danger, like you're supposed to, like you think I need you to. I don't! I need you to stay away from doing things that might get you killed!" Melody's voice was hoarse from coughing, but she showed no signs of stopping. "I love you Amber, I love you, but sometimes you do things that make me feel like...like you don't care. You need to care about yourself! I can't be the only one!"
Amber rubbed her cheek and shook her head slightly, unsure what to say. "Mel, I care for you. I love you so, so much. I just...I care for you, you care for me...can't it be that simple? Isn't that enough?"
"No! I know how you are, Amber. You're always trying to prove you deserve what you have, that you're worthy of it, and you are...you are, and until you actually take a moment to care about yourself, actually care about yourself...you won't ever think you can do better." Melody's words were raw across Amber's ears. She knew her sister had a point. Still, for years I only cared about myself, right?
"Mel, I lived alone before I knew you. I'm pretty sure I cared about myself back then and I was kind of miserable." Melody shook her head vigorously and moved backward, her hand finding and gripping the wall.
"No, you just wanted to survive long enough to find someone to save. You don't need to save me, though. I'm not helpless. I don't want you killing yourself to give me some future that might not happen." Melody held up a hand, stalling Amber's response. "I don't want that if you're not there. You need to be there, Amber. And you'll need to be okay with having your own dreams and goals, and I'll need you to love yourself. If there's anything I want from you, it's that."
"I'll try, Mel. I promise. I just...I want you to see space and the colonies, and...I want to be there too, don't get me wrong, but I'm pretty simple. I can live on paste, I can sleep forever here. I just want you to be happy." Amber took a small step forward, hoping Melody wouldn't oppose it.
"I am happy! I'm happiest when we're together, and I don't need a colony to have that. The colonies can wait. Just...I want us both to be happy while we can! I know that's not possible with the whole colony thing floating around in your bird-brained head, but..."
Amber decided to interject, trying to get her perspective across. "Mel, the colonies were your idea at first, but I really want that too, and I'm happy when I think of the progress we're making. It's just that we'll have all the time in the world to do other stuff once we leave this place, and..."
"I'm not always going to be here!" The words were pained and desperate, stopping Amber's explanation in its tracks, her heart skipping a beat at the implication of the sentence. What? I...what?
Melody quickly covered her mouth with both hands and turned away from her sister, moving toward the other side of the room. Amber watched on, stunned as Melody's knees buckled after a few steps. Mel! The redhead's legs failed beneath her, her gaunt frame crashing hard against the floor.
"Mel!" Amber cried out, rushing over to her fallen sister. She gently rolled Melody over onto her back and checked her pulse to make sure she was still alive; the girl's breathing was still steady, if laboured. Amber slowly lifted her from the ground over to their bed, resting her down among the blankets and pillows. It's been a while since I've seen you this close up during the day, Mel, she thought to herself as she checked her sister for injuries. She cautiously began removing the redhead's sweater but reflexively dropped it as it rose just above the navel. Christ! What the fuck...oh my god oh my god. She took a moment to steel herself and gingerly began removing the sweater; it was a loose, bulky garment that had kept her sister warm, but it had also masked her form from the brunette.
Melody's body was pallid, thin and sickly, her ribs poking hard against her skin. What concerned Amber most were the small lumps were scattered all over her torso, and the slightly larger ones populating her arms. This isn't the flu... she thought, tears spilling freely from her eyes. Oh god Melody, what's happening? I... Amber hesitantly reached over and gently removed a single shoe, revealing even more of the painful looking lumps. Oh Christ, this is bad...
Amber heard the sheets shift slightly and soon felt a hand lightly grip her forearm. Melody offered Amber a warm, knowing smile, which helped soothe some of her anxiety.
"Can I have my sweater back? I'm cold." Melody asked, her voice a whisper. "Don't worry about the shoe. I...It doesn't make a difference." Amber quickly nodded and guided the sweater back over her sister.
"Mel..." Amber started, just finishing fitting Melody's left arm into its sleeve. "This is...you need to go to a hospital. You need a doctor." She tried to keep herself from sounding anxious, worried, or afraid, but she knew it was written all over her face.
"I did. I went there, and they...well, they told me what I had. I ran away as soon as I could and came back." Melody's voice was soft as she slowly sat up in bed and rested against her sister's shoulder.
Amber thought back to the past week. When did she got to the hospital? I didn't...Amber wondered for a moment before the answer became painfully clear. Oh...
"That day that you were gone..." Amber's voice trailed, thinking about how much she'd worried. Melody simply nodded as Amber combed a hand through her wavy red locks. "Why did you leave? They...what do you have? What can I do?"
"There was no point staying. What I have...it's bad. Not contagious though, I don't know why I said that, I... I just need you to stay with me." Melody clasped her hands over Amber's right. "I know you're upset, but please."
Amber felt a surge of guilt overwhelm her. That...this is why she wanted...I ...oh no. I screwed up so bad, I'm so fucking stupid! Amber glanced down at Melody's exposed foot and sobbed out a sigh. No way I get her to her favourite park like this...and...and...
"How long?" Amber's words were barely more audible than her breaths. Melody kept her gaze locked with her sister's.
"Not long. Days. Long enough to spend time together." She squeezed Amber's hand and nuzzled gently against her, but felt her older sister's body moving away.
"There has to be something I can do. Are you hungry? No...no...you just vomited a little while ago...water! You have to be thirsty, can I get you some? I think I have a flask in one of my bags..." Amber anxiously searched Melody's face for approval, for a sign that she could help her sister in some other way. Melody gave a pained smile and shook her head. Not even water?
"A pillow to prop me up would be nice, but really, I'm just tired. I know it's early, but...can you lay here until I fall asleep?" Amber paused for a moment before offering both pillows to Melody so she could breathe a little easier while resting. Her mind raced with all the questions she wanted to ask, all the worries she wanted to vent, but she knew there would be a time for that sooner rather than later. She helped get Melody into position and nestled up against her. This...she's all I have in the world. She mused to herself, her brain struggling to comprehend what was happening. I want more time...
Amber wrapped her arms around Melody, feeling as if the redhead was going to disappear if she closed her eyes.
Time was passing, and so was she.
Hours and days lost their meaning as Amber took care of Melody; the redhead spent less and less time awake as time passed, each bout of consciousness mutely celebrated even as they became less active. She didn't mind helping her sister with anything; she'd paid attention to what the nurse did when her torso was on lock-down at the hospital, and just did her best to copy what care was necessary. Being able to sleep so often also helped rest her body from the damage it had taken during the last job from Viola. In a way, it was depressing; Amber knew she was healing, and knew Melody was deteriorating. Despite feeling better physically, every moment was mentally and emotionally draining.
Amber had woken in what seemed like the early afternoon, but she wasn't sure; she hadn't left their home outside of one time to stockpile supplies. Not that I needed them, though. Amber looked away from the window above her and back to her sleeping sister. I've been watching her starve for days now. All she does is vomit everything back up. Even the water too, but I think her body absorbs some of it. I don't think she'd still be alive if she didn't. Maybe...maybe that would be easier on her. She looked down at the tube in her hand, feeling guilty as her stomach rumbled with hunger. Damnit...I want this to just be a bad dream...I want to wake up...
The brunette moved across the room and sat on one of the crates, quickly slurping away at the paste. I just don't get it...how could something like this happen? Why Melody? Why not me? I don't...I don't want to be alone again. I can't pretend I'd be happy like that, like I was before. And... Amber's thoughts ran wild in her as she stared at the half-empty tube of paste in her hand. She angrily chucked it aside and dropped her face to her hands. ...And she doesn't even seem all that upset about it. She's still smiling, and trying to cheer me up, and...I mean,...GOD, she's DYING!
Hot tears streamed past her palms as her emotions raged, a maelstrom of remorse, grief, anger and fear overwhelmed her as her body was racked in sobs. It's just not fair! I...God, if you exist at all...can you please hurry and find Melody? Can you help her...some way, any way, I can't... I can't...
"Someone..." The whispered words broke Amber clear out of her mindset, pulling her focus to the newly awake redhead across the room. She scrambled off the crate to her sister's side and took her hand, worry reflected across her face.
"...someone told me once, 'if you need to let it all out, then I'll be here'." The withered looking girl spoke softly, her eyes only half open. "Can you believe it's only been a year since? Only a year and a half since we met?"
Amber tearfully shook her head, smiling at the memory. "It feels like a lifetime ago." She said, wiping her nose, sniffling. "I'm sorry for being so emotional, I...I just want you to be with me."
Melody opened her eyes fully, her viridian globes glistening with such joy that Amber's heart ached. "I AM with you. I'll always be with you, I promise." The words came quietly from the resting girl, her voice straining with each syllable. Her big sister took her pale, thin hand to her lips and held it there for a moment.
"Please, Mel...you know you can't promise that..." Amber whispered through her sister's hand and kissed it, cherishing the lingering warmth of her sister's life. "Just like I won't be able to keep mine...I didn't protect you, and I'm so sorry. I'm not gonna be able to get you out of here, Mel."
"Amber, trust me. I know it hurts, but trust me. You kept your promise. You couldn't have known about this, no one could have. You have nothing to be sorry for, Birdy. Just trust me. I promise to always be with you, like I promised that one day we'll get out to a colony and visit space." Melody squeezed Amber's hand lightly. Amber gave a restrained laugh and returned her sister's hand to the bedside. How absurd is it that I feel I should believe her? Am I that desperate?
"I'll hold you to that promise, Mel." Amber said, smiling nervously, trying to fill herself with the hope her sister seemed to be full of. She's like that last breath of autumn before winter rolls in...God, it's going to be a long winter without her. Can I even stay here? I'd be a wreck...I'll be alone again, won't I? Amber shook her head slightly. "I don't know if I'll survive this winter, Mel. It's going to be long. I..."
"You do. You will." Melody spoke, her soft words emanating a warmth reminiscent of that fall afternoon a year ago. She gingerly placed her hand on Amber's knee, but remained silent.
Amber leaned down and peered into her sister's eyes. They look just as alive as the first day I met her. "Mel?"
"Tell me about that colony we're gonna live on...Drasta, I think. Tell me about space, what it's like." Her words were kind, but firm.
She's serious? Amber thought, again, offering a nervous laugh. "Mel, you know I don't have an imagination." Her sister just nodded her head slowly and smiled up at her.
"That's why I'm asking, Amber." Melody radiated certainty, which unnerved and froze Amber. It took the curly haired brunette a few moments to realize the importance of the request, but also the purpose of it. She's dying, and she wants me to tell her about the future I wanted for us. I don't know if I can...
"Mel, please, don't..." she looked at her little sister, breathing slowly but erratically, gazing back at her with love. I can't deny her anything...jeez... "Alright. Where do you want me to start?"
"The colony, please." Melody squeaked with as much excitement as she could muster. Amber smiled and shook her head.
"Hah, no, sorry. You need to get into space to get to Drasta, so I'm starting there." She said as playfully as she could, sticking out her tongue. "So we're on this amazing shuttle, huge windows...I've got a window seat because we rock-paper-scissors'ed for it, but you're leaning over me, looking out as we start to exit the Earth's atmosphere. We're blasting through clouds really fast and soon you can't even see Ottawa, just green and blue, and the sky around us. And then, even the sky disappears and it's like it's night-time, but it's so much better. You can see all the stars around us..." Amber was thinking the details up as fast as she could, trying to envision what it would be like.
"How bright are they? Can we see the big dipper?" her little sister asked, her eyes aglow with curiosity. Amber shook her head slightly.
"No, I can't, but you catch a glimpse of it. The stars are just so bright, and we can see them all, so much more than we can here. There are millions of them, and you want to visit them all, of course, but the shuttle finds its way into a small frigate. As we leave it and go into the big ship, Lieutenant Anderson is there to greet us and gives you a big hug. He brings us up to the cockpit and lets us watch as the ship starts to zoom through space, like...really quickly." Amber couldn't recall what kind of speed spaceships traveled at, and hoped she was doing a good job. Her sister noticed the uncertainty and squeezed her big sister's leg in support.
"And when it starts, space looks like an ocean, but made of stars. Waves of stars and planets fly by as we head to Drasta. All the people of the Alliance are happy and glad we're along for the ride, and they feed us a decent meal." She continued, taking some pleasure in knowing her sister was enjoying it.
"Like, corn on the cob and fish and ice cream?" Melody's words were a whisper, but the joy she emanated was invigorating.
"Of course, they only feed their people the best food." Amber said, grinning, allowing what she once hoped would be their future to pour out of her. "And we'd arrive on Drasta and meet our foster family. They'd be regular people and they're really nice. We still skip out on the farm-work a little to play around in the nearby stream or meadow, but they don't mind that much. And our neighbours are space elephants..."
"Elcor!" Melody exclaimed, wheezing slightly afterward from the effort.
"And they would be outraged and frustrated that I'd occasionally call them that, and you'd be fast friends with them and learn all about them. Heck, I'd even warm up to them, too. And there would be a hanar nearby that would help you with your writing, even though Joel would message us from time to time and give you help too, and you'd finish your first story. The first of many stories. I'd be so proud of you, Mel. And when we got to be eighteen, we'd get a place of our own and we'd have a place to call home. We'd...we'll be so happy." Amber wiped a stray tear from her cheek and smiled down at her sister.
"I am happy. I am home, with you." Melody said, offering the curly-haired brunette her trademark toothy smile; a rare sight recently that immediately burnt into Amber's memory. "But, what will you do when you grow up?"
"I...I'm not sure of that yet." Amber frowned, thinking hard about what she wanted from the future. I guess I really haven't thought that much about it. Last time was at the hospital, and I still don't know what I want to do.
Melody reached into her pocket and took out a small acorn, offering it to her big sister. Amber cocked her head in confusion.
"I want to be there when you find out." The words came softly from her little sister, but she still remained confused as ever.
"I don't get it. What's that for?" she said, unsure what her sister was wanting from her.
"I told you a while ago that I kinda believe in reincarnation. A lot of people do, I think the frog-like people, the Salarians..." Amber anxiously interrupted her sister's seemingly out of the blue explanation.
"Mel, why are you telling me this?" Amber pleaded, closing her sister's hand around the acorn and holding it between hers.
"I've known about this for a while and...I read something a few weeks back by a poet Joel showed me. He wrote that 'The world was never made. It will change, but it will not fade. So let the wind rage, for even and morn ever will be, through eternity. Nothing was born, nothing will die, all things will change.' I..." Melody took a moment to collect herself, to find her words. "I know it won't be the same, but I promised to go with you. I'm keeping my promises."
Amber let go of Melody's hand and looked off to the side. "I don't get it." She said, shaking her head slightly as her eyes teared up.
"I want...I want you to plant this over me. It's a red oak acorn. Find a nice place, a park, and put this over me. I know it's hard, but...get that stupid woman to help you, or Anderson. I don't know. I just know that red oaks grow fast and that way, it'll probably have acorns of its own that you can take to Drasta relatively soon, and I read that it could grow there. I...I want to be around for a long time. I want to be somewhere you can visit me when you leave the nest. So you can fly back and see me when you want. I..." Melody's breaths were becoming ragged as she explained.
Amber knew her sister was completely exhausted. This is the most she's talked in a long time, and I know she's tired and hurting. God, I just want more time. I want more time! Her vision was blurry as hot streams coursed over her cheeks, each droplet marking off their time left like a clock.
"Mel, please...stay with me. Just...stay." Amber dropped and laid herself beside Melody, stroking her sister's face. "Stay?"
Melody closed her eyes and gave a tired sigh, her tears streaking down her face, catching on her chin and nose. "I'm trying...I..."
Amber leaned forward and rested her forehead against Melody's, wiping her little sister's tears with her sleeve. "Please?" Amber couldn't will more than a single syllable out. She knew her sister was close.
"I love you."
I love you too, Amber desperately wanted to reply, but all she could manage were sobs as she held her sister. As her sister's breathing slowed, her body shook harder. As her sister's heartbeats became more spread out, she gripped her tighter.
When her sister was still, her emotions broke through her restraint. She wet her sister's neck with her tears, she filled their home with her screams, she filled the air with her anguish, and as hurt filled the emptiness that now resided in her, she knew she needed to hold onto it. She needed to find out who was responsible.
For now, though, she would mourn.
A/N: Words cannot express how difficult it was to write this chapter. I will say I'm down a half box of Kleenex, if that counts for anything. I hope this chapter reads well. I know it's long, and that the gods of writing tend to prefer quicker death scenes, because drawn out anguish like this can lose its effect quickly, but this is how it's always been in my mind, and I honestly don't care too much about how it reads, outside of sentence structure and grammar, of course. I know it might be a bit cheesy, but I thought it fit Melody's character well. She sees the good in things, and tries to be as positive as possible. Her views on death reflect that with her belief in reincarnation. I took some influence from The Fountain, which actually came about subconsciously I guess, because it had been a while since I had seen the movie when I wrote the vague outline for all this, for Melody. Must have just struck a chord with how I envisioned Mel as a character.
Anywho, this chapter...it's something I've both been anticipating and dreading. I've wanted to get this over with for a month now, and I'm incredibly relieved that it won't be weighing me down anymore. It's sad, because I loved writing Melody. And it'll be strange not writing her in the following chapters, but I'll have to manage it.
So, uh, yeah! I hope you enjoyed the chapter, even if it was a real big downer. It hurt to write as much as it hurt to read, so I don't blame you if you chalk this up as disappointing or whatnot. Things will get better...eventually, I guess.
My eternal gratitude goes out to all the followers of my story and everyone who have left feedback :) You are all very helpful in both keeping me motivated and giving me insight as to what is/isn't working. And hopefully, you'll let me know what did/didn't work in this chapter.
Have a good weekend everyone!