Chapter 16

The group was stuck in the waiting room for some time as they cycled through the typical phases of waiting for news in a hospital. Everything from the pacing around to the grabbing a mini golf magazine and flicking through it idly hoping it would provide some sort of relief while Ali gave Sophie her belongings back. At that point, Ali had snapped at Joey to put the magazine down and told him he wasn't being funny. That in itself had been enough to get Joey laughing and he'd sent her into a near-murderous rampage when he told her she sounded cute when she was angry. That was when she'd reached into her backpack for her revolver before Sophie realised what she was doing and stopped her. Steph and Alex had quickly broken the ensuing violence up just as Sophie and Katie's parents had arrived.

After a lengthy catch-up session, they found out why the twins hadn't been able to contact them. Their dad had burned his phone to avoid being tracked, grabbed their mother from work and taken her into hiding. He was going to come to get them but then heard about the destruction of the apartment. He didn't dare go back there in case the attempt had been to flush him out and so they'd hunkered down in the place they were hiding and chosen to just bide their time. They hadn't wanted to try and make contact for risk of compromising the girls.

Then it was Sophie's turn to share her half of the story. She shared everything she could while they were in public, going from how Harry Prescott hijacked their dad's phone number and forced Katie to come to him and how she was taken when the house was raided right through to their escape attempt and how Katie's accident had happened. She didn't mention that it had been Steph's car that Katie had been thrown in front of when she introduced them, choosing instead to skip to the bit about Steph and Alex bringing them all to the hospital. Steph and Alex shook hands with Sophie and Katie's parents and both went through the traditional motions of 'It's a pleasure to meet you' and 'Thanks for all your help' as everyone got seated again. They knew what they were all really killing time for. Now they just had to wait to get it.

"Katie Phan?" Everyone snapped up to attention. They hadn't heard the nurse enter and they were instantly on their feet waiting for news. The nurse walked over to them and checked her clipboard, but one glance at Alex told Sophie that she seemed to be picking up on something the rest of them couldn't. Something that- judging from the look on her face- wasn't good at all. "It's been very touch and go, but we're unable to stop the bleeding." Sophie instantly felt her stomach drop. "Every time we close one hemorrhage, another opens. I'm sorry. If you want to go in and see her, I suggest you do it now." Sophie's mother burst into tears, flinging her arms around her husband for support. Sophie's dad, his face setting in stone to avoid breaking down and becoming no use to anyone, turned to Sophie.

"You go. I stay here with your mother. We can join you soon." Sophie nodded and followed the nurse from the room, not saying a word.

The trip through the halls of the hospital was mind-numbing. It was passing by in a blur and she could scarcely tell the difference between each of the identically-coloured corridors they journeyed down. She only knew she'd reached her destination when the nurse stopped outside a room with all the blinds pulled down. She opened the door and gently gestured for Sophie to enter. As soon as Sophie crossed the threshold, there was a sense of finality to it that made her want to run away screaming. But she couldn't. She was committed now. And nothing could have prepared her for the shock of seeing Katie in the state she was in. The bandage wrapped around her head was stained red at the back. Her face was pale, her eyes were shut and she was lying incredibly still. If it weren't for the monitors by the bed beeping rhythmically, she would have thought she was already too late. Walking over, she sat down in the chair by the bed, closed her eyes and took Katie's hand in hers.

When she opened her eyes again, the room was gone. She was surrounded in a sea of white light that rippled as she stepped through it. Looking up, she saw what looked like a night sky but with an impossibly large number of stars in no constellations she'd ever seen before. And in the middle of this serene mindscape stood her sister. She was flanked on her left by a glowing figure made of light. It had feminine proportions and was the same height as they were. Off to her own left, she could see another figure. This one looked to be male and was only just taller than them. Neither of the figures had distinguishable features other than their general body shapes, but that didn't make Katie any less excited to see them.

"Sophie! You made it!" She made her way over, the sea of light rippling around her feet as she walked over and took both of her sister's hands in hers.

"Where are we?" Sophie asked.

"Still in the hospital room." Katie shrugged as she turned and pointed to the sky. "See how those stars are getting dimmer?" As Sophie watched, she realised it was true. They were winking out one-by-one and it was getting faster, too. "Those are thoughts. Those are my thoughts. What's left in here is fading fast. But there's a way out of it. And with the four of us working together, I know we can do it."

"Four?" Sophie muttered, looking between the two figures. Her mind was putting it together and her thoughts were racing.

"Yes, sister." Katie nodded. Our ability- it was never two minds linked together. Not two, but four. Our other sister was filling me in. We were supposed to be quads. In the initial cell division, two of the siblings were absorbed. Those two would have been our brother and our other sister. We got one each. It's through them that we've shared this psychic link. But now we can be complete again. Sophie- we can be made whole."

"You mean I can absorb the pair of you into my own head and it'll be like you're living on inside me?" Sophie wondered. "But what's going to happen? Four minds in one body?"

"I don't know." Katie admitted. "I guess we'll just have to have faith. Just like you need to have faith in yourself. And while we're on that note, a word to the not-so-wise: I'm your sister. I know when you're crushing on someone. You did a shit job of hiding it. For the love of god, tell her. Make the most of life. I'm pretty sure she'll return your affections." Sophie grinned in spite of herself, pulling Katie into a proper embrace.

"Hypothetically, if that person were in the room right now..."

"Then I know your feelings would be returned." Katie replied, a bright light enveloping her and Sophie. Sophie could already feel Katie's consciousness nudging against hers, asking for permission to link up with hers like they always did. And for the final time, she accepted.

"Thank you for trusting me with this." She held Katie close, treasuring every single sensation as she embraced her sister. She knew that this would be the last time she ever felt it and wanted to make the most of it. She wanted to never forget it. To live on in the hearts of others was to achieve immortality. No one deserved that more than her sister. "You've always been there my whole life. Hell, you pretty much were my whole life. When you- When you're gone..."

"I won't be gone." Katie said, her image beginning to fade. "I'll be part of you."

"Good." Sophie replied as the entire mindscape began to fade. "I'm glad." When she opened her eyes again, Katie was gone. She was back in the hospital room with the real Katie in the bed. And one of the monitors next to her- the one monitoring her brain activity- was flatlining. She bent down and placed a gentle kiss on her sister's forehead before standing up to leave as a doctor and two nurses raced into the room.

She walked out, her head pounding as she felt the presence of Katie and the other two siblings in her head. She knew there was about to be a serious neural backlash and she needed somewhere secluded for when it hit. Fortunately she was able to spot a sign for the women's toilets nearby and headed towards it. She didn't have time to check the other stalls. As far as she knew, she was alone when she walked in and that was all that mattered. She sat down in one, locked it and braced herself. She wasn't disappointed. Blood poured from her nose as she let loose a scream that could could make the skies weep one final time. But to anyone else hearing her, she was just another person who'd just lost someone. No one hearing the scream would have any idea what else was going on. And that was just the way she wanted it.

It took nearly an hour before she was able to stand on her own two feet. She staggered over to the basins and washed her face thoroughly, checking herself in the mirror to make sure she'd got it all before leaving the room. Finding her way back was easier than she'd thought on account of the signs everywhere. All she needed to do was 'as she was told'. Looking back, she and Katie were never very good at doing that.

"No, we really weren't." Katie said, her voice resonating in Sophie's mind in a way it never had before. As much as it brought her comfort, she also knew it would take a hell of a lot of getting used to.

When she finally reached the waiting room, it was to a sight of utter despair. Her mother seemed to be having a mental breakdown and her dad had given up all pretence that he was anything close to okay. Ali had buried her face in her hands and was sobbing uncontrollably while Joey had Lola's head in his lap and his forehead resting against hers. The doctor that was standing by them turned to her as she entered and made his way over.

"You're Sophie Phan, right?" he asked. Sophie only nodded in response. "I thought so. I wanted to let you know that your sister's condition has det-"

"I was there." Sophie cut him off. "And I'm fairly certain I know what you're going to say next. You want to turn the machines off, don't you?"

"Well, nobody wants that, but it seems like the only option at this point." He let out a heavy sigh and rubbed his temples. "Your parents want to do what's best for her, but also wanted to wait until you got back before making their final decision. If you have any questions, just ask." Sophie nodded, walking over to where Ali and Joey were sitting.

"I don't see Steph or Alex." She gently rested a hand on Ali's shoulder, causing her to jolt in her seat. "Where are they?"

"They left." Joey said, his voice sounding completely hollow and unreadable. "Alex was getting a headache so Steph took her outside for some air. She left her number with Ali to let her know what was happening." Sophie nodded and wrapped her arms around Ali, the blonde girl clinging to her and holding on, her sobs completely stopping even though her body continued shaking. She waited for Ali to settle down a bit, holding her the entire time until she judged her friend might be capable of speech.

"Ali, do you still have Katie's half of the pendant?" Ali nodded and reached into her backpack, pulling it out. Sophie put it on and tucked it into her top with the other one before turning to the doctor with a heavy heart. "There is something we're going to need from you, doc: a witness."