The Faithful Night

When you spent most of your life planning to live a happy life with your brother, it feels strange planning the rest of your life with your sister. 

A sister who has avoided Scarlet for months. 

She could not sleep, sorrow building in her stomach. Her mind flurried around with all the things to do, but it wasn't the real reason. No, it was something else all right. Waking up, pain building in her stomach, she weakly got her notebook. Glancing at the first page, sorrow building up once again. 

Sophia running around, screaming like she had never had before. Sophia getting a 2 for her grade.

She rolled around, mumbling to herself.

It had been 3 months since that day: the day Sophia found out that she got a 2 for her grade. 

Scarlet couldn't sleep since.

She felt Ginger tossing at the foot of her bunk bed, keeping her awake all night long waiting for Ginger to finally stop tossing at the foot of her bunk bed. Scarlet sighed, feeling sorry for her, and tried to focus on the present. Slowly, the stress inside her easing little by little. She was always better when she was helping someone else, even when it was falling asleep to spare her only pet, Ginger...If only she could tell someone one little secret, Scarlet thought. Telling that secret would be the bravest thing she done to help Sophia.

Click

Her heart stopped.

The door.

She listened closely, hearing Ginger soft mews and the sound of the latch opening.

Scarlet pretended to sleep as her hand inched forward, probing for the flashlight that was always on the left side of her bunk bed.She had kept the flashlight there ever since she had moved to New York City. She had to-Sophia every so often needed to use the flashlight so might as well put it there for a good reason. Even if sometimes Sophia used her own, it was handy to have an extra one....

Now the door to her room was opening.

No one was allowed on her bunk at this hour. No one was allowed in her room.

Moonlight spilled onto her back through the cracked open door. Her breaths swallowed as she heard footsteps muffled against the wood floor. A shadow crept onto the ladder, stretching onto her clothes.

Scarlet gripped the flashlight harder.

Slowly a thunk sinked onto the mattress behind her.

Hold, she told herself.

The thunk grew heavier. Closer. Heavier.

Hold.

She now could hear its breath.

Hold.

The shadow reached for her shoulder-

Now.

With a gasp, Scarlet moved, turning on the flashlight for the invader before she clutched her sister and pinned her to the bed.

Scarlet panted with terror as she and the invader stared into each other's eyes.

In the dark, it was all she could see of Sophia, but now she felt the water soaked hair and smelled her fresh minty scent. Bit by bit, she let her pry off the flashlight before Sophia dropped into the blanket besides her. It happened so fast, so softly, that Ginger never stirred.

She waited for Sophia to speak or pull her into a hug. She stroked her smooth black hair, rinsing the tears from her face with her hands and let her stay there in her blanket.

She had never seen her sister like this. Not like this, so upset and defeated about getting a two.

But as Scarlet held her sister, her heaving breaths settled, her body surrendering to her touch, and she glanced up at her with tears….

Then Sophia was gone.

Someone was watching them. A tall, merry boy looming in the room right next to Scarlet´s, teeth gnashed at both of them. 

And just like that, Sophia was gone as quick as she came. 

Splinters of June sun streamed through the window onto the top bunk, light blurring into Scarlet's eyes.  

Blinking groggily, she could see Sophia softly snoring on the bottom bunk, covered in a blanket. 

She hugged her soft pillow to her chest. It still smelled like Sophia. Ginger moved up from the foot of the bed, sniffing at the pillow, poised to sat on it, before Scarlet shot her a glance. Her cat trudged back to the foot of the bed. She is improving at least, Scarlet thought; the first night on the bunk bed, she shredded one of Scarlet´s old pillows to shreds. 

Voices echoed in her bedroom. She wouldn't be alone much longer.  

Scarlet sat up in her cat nightgown, peering at her room. It was two times the size of her old home in California, with a bunk bed, a big space to fit clothes, a nice multi color lantern, turquoise painted walls, and a desk to fit two persons at once. Hugging her pillow to her chest like a stuffed animal, she soaked in the quiet noise coming from other rooms and the bamboo being knocked against the wind. The room was like everything at a hotel: bunk beds, a big space to fit clothes, a nice multi color lantern, turquoise painted walls, and a desk to fit two persons at once. This applied to her too--she was living in a deluxe place even though she did not deserve to live in such a nice place. 

The 8th grade promotion ceremony still months away. 

A promotion ceremony that was making her uneasier each day. 

Once upon a time, Scarlet had imagined she had lived a happy life with Matthew in Santa Cruz. The two of them would be proud owners of a cottage in Los Gatos, where they had tea and toast, then jaunt off to Ms. Elizabeth´s Storybook Shop, now the S & M Bookshop, since she and her brother would take it over once the old woman passed away. After work, she had picked berries, flowers and herbs that Matthew would use to make their special juice, before they visited Ms. Brown in Santa Cruz Mtn for dinners of curries and cookies. How ordinary their life would be together. How calming and enjoyable. Love was all they needed. 

Scarlet squeezed the pillow harder. How things change. 

Now her only sister, Sophia, was getting ready to go to Harvard University in Massachusetts, and Scarlet was going to go to to high school in New York.  

No one was more excited then Matthew, who sent letter after letter from his house saying that he wanted his sister to archive something greater than he would. Pictures were sent from California to New York.

Scarlet could see those letters piling up on the desk, coated with scents of things her brother knew she would like. Everyday she told herself that she would answer them, but she never did. And the worst part was she didn´t know why. 

Footsteps grew closier, heavier. 

She grew more anxious about Sophia. 

It had been this way for 3 months. She felt more and more alone while Sophia, well, felt more depressed each day. Last night was the closest that they ever went to hanging out with each other from the day that Sophia found out that she got a two for a grade. She knew that Sophia was...sad….embarrassed….disappointed...devastated...But she couldn't help her. 

More footsteps emerged. More voices now. 

Mouth dry, Scarlet snatched the pillow and the glass of water from her night table. Empty. So was the pitcher that was always there. 

Ginger slid off the ladder, prowling towards her mom´s bedroom. 

She needed time with Sop----Maybe she could help her sister. Help that then they could be themselves again. Still, a thought grew inside Scarlet´s head. 

The door was beginning to open. She had no time to waste. Quickly thinking, she messed around between ideas before the door would open. 

Wait a sec. What if I told her a secret that only my brother knows?, Scarlet thought. Let's give it a try, Scarlet thought. Slowly going down the latter, Scarlet softly mouthed, ¨Sophia¨ Sophia stirred around in her blanket at the bottom bunk. Scarlet sighed a relief. Quickly getting Sophia to wake up, Scarlet and Sophia were sitting on the top bunk embracing each other. Remembering why Scarlet was there, she and Sophia started being sisters again instead of being in their own world. Not wanting to waste any time, Scarlet said, ¨You know, I have a secret¨ That got Sophia´s attention. ¨You know what it was?¨ Sophia shook her head. Scarlet continued talking. 

¨On one of my tests, a long time ago, I got a 2 but I never told our parents. I told our brother though, and he was thinking for a while. He told me that if we kept on being sad, we will keep that burden. So, the only way to get past the sadness is to be happy again. That was the secret I kept so long only telling you and our brother¨ Sophia tears slowed down. ¨And that would be the perfect way to fix this problem¨ Scarlet finished.