Chapter 3
It was the middle of the night before the race, and Alex had woken up screaming again. He sat on the edge of the bed trembling as a figure entered his room through the door he'd left open, having forgotten to shut it. Seeing the figure, he stifled a Yelp as he jumped, startled. "No…" he muttered. "God!"
The figure stepped closer. "Shhh…" she whispered. "Shhh…". She sat next to him and cocked her head.
"Pandora…?"
She nodded. "I heard you screaming," she said softly. "What happened?" She had planned on giving him a sound tongue-lashing, but frankly, he looked like a frightened child… and after having read that interview, seeing him like that broke her heart.
"Just a nasty dream," he muttered. "I'll get over it."
Pandora sat next to him and sighed. "I… I read that interview. You… your heart hurts,I know."
"Yeah… My… my dad wasn't very friendly, to put it very mildly. I still get nightmares… flashbacks. It'll be okay. At least I'll get to race tomorrow."
Pandora hung her head. "I… I shouldn't have told you to…"
"Eh, it's fine," Alex replied. "I tried cutting myself already." He chuckled. "It's not worth it."
"Neither is what you're doing now. You're… you're letting it ball up inside you and… and that's not healthy."
"It's not my business," Alex replied, "but hating your sister and being rude isn't either."
Pandora nodded. "She's just so… sunny though, and condescending! It's annoying!"
Alex sighed. "I know," he said, "but what if she's trying to be supportive?"
"She's always been the favorite," she muttered.
"Penny loves you," said Alex, "she wants you to know you're not just the unloved younger daughter."
"I guess she… she got all the attention. I get so jealous I could scream."
Alex smiled. "Seems we both have problems."
"Yeah…"
Alex smiled. "I'm here if you need me…". He held her close and gently. "Come here.
Pandora smiled as she cuddled into him. "You…" she said softly, "you are nice."