Alessia

Life's twisted. We had known this for, like, forever. But today bloody redefined this statement.

I squeezed Mum's hand again. Nothing but coldness seeped into my skin. So unlike the warmth I was so used to feeling. So unlike the love and care and reassurance her touch always provided. So unlike the security that I'd mistakenly taken for granted. She didn't caress my knuckles. She didn't squeeze my hand back. Her hand just laid there in mine. Lifeless.

I managed to tear my eyes away from the white tiles of the hospital room. And bile rose up my throat. Again.

I bit my lip and stood up from the edge of the bed, my whole body shaking. Bending down, I pressed my lips to her bandaged forehead. My hands reached up and brushed her black hair away from her pallid cheeks. I had kissed and hugged her on several occasions, but I wished I had done so every chance I had. Because this was the last time I could do this. And this once, her olive eyes won't light up the way they would whenever she gave us smoochies in return, finding our disgust amusing. I let out a watery chuckle at that.

Just as I pulled back, Sio dragged himself in. His shoulders slumped when his bloodshot eyes affixed on her.

My twin pushed past me and stood at my previous spot.

"Sio?"

He didn't reply.

My vision blurred at that. I can't. I fucking can't.

"I'm going out for a stroll." I blinked back my tears and walked out, trying my best not to look at my mother's bruised and bandaged body.

I stopped outside the adjacent room—that's where Dad was. I took a deep breath, willing myself to face the horrid sight once again. But before I could prepare to see his ashen face again, the door opened and the nurse, who had previously interacted with me, wheeled the stretcher out.

She paused when she saw me standing close by.

"Oh, Alessia! Would you like me to wait?" Nurse Whitings asked with a voice soft enough to be used in front of an upset kid and eyes glistening with sympathy.

I pursed my lips. Can I really bear seeing those gashes and bruises again?

A quick glance at the white sheet covering his face was all it took for me to know the answer. "I don"— I halted mid-sentence when a lump clogged my throat. She passed me a sad smile when I shook my head instead. I turned away and rushed toward the garden before she could say anything.

The fragrance of rain-drenched grass and the whistles of the breeze weaving through the trees that lined the place washed away all the emotions weighing me down. Not many people were around here because of how cold and dark it was, and I couldn't be more grateful for nothing but the chirp of crickets filling in this blissful sketch of silence. I breathed in the peace nature offered.

That moment was short-lived though, as if the Universe couldn't bear my calm. The sounds of a siren in the distance stung my ears. As if on cue, a patient sitting nearby screamed at the top of her lungs and collapsed. That scream...it somehow sounded like Mum's. Was that how she di—

The chilly air no longer entered my lungs. I couldn't breathe. My eyes snapped shut as I tried to calm myself down. It just made it worse. Mum and Dad's images that I'd just witnessed flashed before me again. A cacophony of all the words I wished were mere parts of a nightmare echoed in my mind. "I'm sorry."; "I'm sorry."; "Augustus and Adrianna Sinclair had lost too much blood."; "I'm sorry. We couldn't save them."; "Thomas SInclair died on impact."

My knees buckled, the lack of oxygen catching up to my body. Despite the low temperature, my insides flared up. I clutched my head, growing dizzier by the second.

"Les!" a familiar voice shouted over the racket. I felt Callan's arms around me, pulling me into his lap. The woodsy-citrusy scent of his cologne calmed my pounding heart almost immediately.

"I'm right here, Bubs," he whispered while stroking my back. "Cally's right here."

He rocked us on the cemented ground and murmured reassurances, as he let me cry into his chest.

Once my sobs subsided, I opened my eyes and gazed into my adopted brother's blue ones, which now resembled tempestuous oceans. So unlike the serene lakes they always were.

The ends of his lips curved up into a half-hearted smile. "You okay now, Les?"

I nodded, trying my best to return the gesture but failed miserably and just pressed my head to his shoulder.