[Zain's POV]

Today was also another failure.

No matter what we do, she always does her best to keep her distance. 

As we grow older, we become aware of how she consistently maintains a barrier between us. 

When we were younger, we misinterpreted her indifference as that of a heartless person.

It was only with time that we began to understand her suffering.

Her pain was too much for us to comprehend.

Vivian was bullied in kindergarten, and we were afraid to let our parents know about it.

One day, she arrived to take us home from school, and she protected Vivi from the bullies. That changed everything. The bullies never disturbed us.

We were curious and eager to know what she did, but we were still afraid that asking questions might get us in trouble.

But when we learned she had kept it a secret, we wanted to thank her.

Just like every day, she went to sleep as soon as she returned home, and we quietly snuck into her room.

Mom always warned us not to go to her room when she was sleeping.

We were so excited and afraid that we fell asleep unexpectedly.

Urgh...

I woke up because of a sudden noise. So I searched for my pillow to block my ears, but there was no pillow.

Cough…

I opened my eyes abruptly. Without hesitation, I reached out to shake Vivi because I thought she was having a nightmare.

“What happened? Why are you shaking me?” Vivi questioned me annoyingly.

"You seemed to be having nightmares; that's why.” 

I am still worried about her.

“No, I'm not. And why are you in my room?”

I am getting pissed at the way she is talking. 

I was worried about her, but she is just getting angry.

“What do you mean? You are…”

Urgh...

A sudden sound broke the silence. It sent a jolt of fear through us and made us realize that we were in her room.

We turned around in alarm, half-expecting to find her awake and watching. 

But her eyes remained closed, so we began to escape with cautious steps.

Before leaving the room, I wanted to see once more if she was alright. We couldn't see her face properly before because we were sitting on the floor.

Her moaning sounded like she was in pain. As I turned back, I stood stiff.

Her voice sounded strained because she was holding her throat.

I became paralyzed when I saw her like that.

I wanted to call out to her, but my voice wouldn't come out. Tears were piling up in my eyes.

Ugh...

Her groaning broke the silence and made me come to my senses. I rushed toward her without hesitation while calling her.

“S...sis, wake up.”

Vivi almost opened the door to go outside until the sound of my voice abruptly halted her.

"Are you stupid? What if sis wakes… Sis?”

Vivi's eyes widened in shock as she saw Sis and Froze there.

I continued to shake Sis.

"Sis, wake up. Please, please, please wake up.”

Despite my efforts, she remained unresponsive. I couldn't release her hands that were locked around her throat.

I turned to Vivi and wanted to implore her to call Mom for help. However, Vivi's gaze remained fixed on Sis with dread.

I became frustrated and raised my voice, "Don't just stand there, call Mom.”

Gasp...

I turned around to see if Sis was having any other problems. But I saw her eyes fluttering open, and her breaths were still ragged and heavy.

"Sis, are you okay?" I asked her.

I felt a sense of relief when her breathing steadied.

"Please wait, I'll call Mom."

But she grasped my hand firmly before I could get up.

"No, no. Please don't call Mom. Please, don't call her. Please, please," she pleaded.

Her eyes filled with fear.

Seeing her in distress, I couldn't hold back my tears.

"I... I won't call her, so please don't say it like that.”

Overwhelmed by this, Vivi also began to weep. In a moment, she realized the situation and became flustered.

She reached out her hand and embraced me. She also beckoned Vivi to join us.

Our sister, who is typically reserved, embraced us with warm affection.

I don't even remember the last time she hugged us like this.

Even when we stopped crying, she still comforted us with gentle pats and whispered one thing.

"Don't worry. It was just a nightmare. A very bad dream.”

It's been years since that day.

After that, we started checking on Sis when she went to sleep. Yet, each sleep brings the same torment.

We were unable to bear her suffering any longer, so we eventually told Mom, but nothing changed.

Even now, the lines of pain are carved in her face. They reveal the intensity of her suffering and the weight of her silent struggles.

Her haunted expression reveals the burden of her unspoken dreams.

As the echoes of my memories slowly resurrect into my mind, I find myself back in Sis's room.

The weight of the present moment is still heavy for me, no matter how many times I see this. With trembling hands, I continue to call out to her.

Even at this moment, I am desperately calling her, hoping that she will open her eyes.