"For there is no friend like a sister In calm or stormy weather; To cheer one on the tedious way, To fetch one if one goes astray, To lift one if one totters down, To strengthen whilst one stands." ―Christina Rossetti, Goblin Market and Other Poems

-

I hear voices on the other side of my apartment unit's thin door. Muffled, but can piece together the words.

"Hold on a minute, miss. What is your concern for the resident in..." A rustle of papers. "Number 14?"

"I just want to check on her. She hasn't been answering her relay."

Sidney's voice cracks midway through, but she doesn't stop. I can only imagine how much I must have upset her by not going to the Ward, but I'll explain once she gets inside. I hope the sentry allowing her entrance does not come in as well. I don't want anyone to overhear me.

"I need an ID to confirm that you are, in fact, the sister of Ambrosia Blake Torrez."

By the sound of it, Sidney is digging through her pockets for her ID. Her disorganization gives me time to rise from my spot on my bed and face the door. I want Sid to see that I am okay when she walks in.

"Here is it," Sidney says, and there is another rustle of papers as the sentry fills in the records.

"All right. You can go on in, and tell me if you need any assistance."

I hear a slight beep as Sidney swipes the entry card through the slot, and a cachunk as the door cracks open.

My sister pushes it open slowly, as if afraid of what she will find.

She freezes when she sees me, eyes wide, mouth hanging open. The entry card drops to the floor.

I gently reach forward, take her arm, and lead her into my living space. The door clicks softly behind us, and I hear retreating footsteps as the sentry returns to her post by the entrance of the apartment unit.

I sit my sister down on the edge of my bed and pull up a chair to sit in front of her. I don't think she's blinked since she walked in here, and her mouth keeps opening and closing like a fish.

"Wha- how- Amby..."

"Shhh," I lay a reassuring hand on her arm. "I'm okay, honestly."

"B- b- but it's been a week and a half since you've had your Vitanox!" she cries. Her gaze flicks to my arms, searching for the black veins that aren't there. "How did you get more?"

"I didn't." If possible, her eyes get bigger. She takes my hand away from her arm and squeezes it tightly as if making sure I'm real.

"Then- how...?"

I take a deep breath. "I don't know, okay? I honestly don't know. I wanted to go to the Ward the day after I visited you all, but as soon as I got home I collapsed into bed and couldn't even move for three days."

Sidney takes a deep breath and opens her mouth to interject, but I ignore her.

"But then I woke up this morning and I felt... fine. No black veins, no bloodshot eyes. If anything, I felt even better. A little hungry and thirsty, but..." I laugh a little.

Sidney's brow furrows, and I realize how crazy I must be sounding.

"Look, Sid. I'm fine, okay? I'll make it to the end of this month, and then I'll be able to buy more medicine. Maybe NVI just takes a little longer to kill some people, you never know."

I expected Sidney to understand. To be happy for me. To be glad I'm not dead.

Instead, she says, "Amby, I told you to go to the Ward. And that's where you are going to go. Right now."

"Why?" I ask incredulously. "There's no need."

"Amby- Ambrosia. We had a deal. If you don't want me to tell mom about- about whatever this is, you have to go to the Ward."

"Fine," I snap, annoyed. "But they'll tell me I'm fine."

Sidney seems to sense my turning mood because she offers me a tense smile and softens her tone. "Then you can come back here and nothing bad will happen. If anything, just go to give your little sis peace of mind, okay?"

She pulls me in for a hug, then stands, picks up her entry card from the floor, and leaves. She just leaves. She couldn't even bring herself to look me in the eyes or whisper a simple goodbye. I don't know whether I'm glad she left before I got angrier, or annoyed that she left before I got to tell her everything.

I sigh and pick up my sweatshirt, tying it around my waist once more. I'd better head over to the Ward before Sidney decides to get sentries involved.

I grab my entry card from my nightstand before I head out. I'll need it upon my return.

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