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Happy birthday again, Jessibaby! One more year and you would have lived a quarter of a century. Woah, you’re getting old! But then again, I’m only one year younger than you, so I guess there’s not much of a difference.

How was your day? I left some cupcakes for you with Nurse Hyoyeon. I hope you got to eat them instead of Hyo having to take the leftovers to Sooyoung again. Don’t be worried, I didn’t make them; they’re from our favorite coffee shop. Vanilla, banana, and red velvet… your favorite flavours, right?

I want to apologize for not being able to visit or write to you as often these days. Not only is the workload at the office getting extra (I’m trying to get a promotion and I am also taking over your work from Blanc) but also Sooyoung is keeping a strict eye on me. She had told me to decrease the amount of times I visit you—something about it being not healthy and me needing to divulge myself with my other friends again— and she has appointed Hyoyeon as my Big Brother whenever I come to the hospital. I guess that’s what happens when your therapist is dating your girlfriend’s nurse. Well, nevertheless, my heart is always with you, I hope you know that.

Anyways, guess whom I met again today? After I visited you and on my way back to our apartment today, I decided to stop by at the hospital garden again to relax a bit. It was about time for the sun to set, the sky already reddish orange, the cool night seemingly dousing out the fire of the great star. I sat at the bench I always took and took out the strawberry cupcake that I had saved, originally intended as dessert after dinner, but I was already very hungry since I had no time for a coffee break earlier today.

Like a moth attracted by light, a small girl appeared before me, entranced by the pink sweet delight in my hand.

“Hello, Annabel!” I greeted brightly when I recognized her. From the last time I saw her, the child has lost even more weight, looking half of who she used to be. Her pink hospital gown, which used to make her look like a ghost, now made her look like an illusion of a phantom, as if she would disappear if I blinked.

“Unnie, give me the cupcake.” Her soft voice slithered into my ear and sent a shiver down my spine, frail like the rest of her. There was a smirk though, resting confidently on her cracked lips, portraying the strength of life that was hidden underneath the illness.

“No.” I narrowed my eyes and hid the cupcake behind my back, feeling like I’m the child in the encounter as I did so. As I was about to blush self-consciously, Annabel’s smirk transformed into an ear-to-ear grin and I felt pride swelling up inside my chest rather than embarrassment upon having given the appropriate response.

“Belle, stop bothering the pretty unnie and come back here right now!” A strict yet concerned voice called out to the child, who rolled her eyes and turned around towards the source with her arms cross in front of her chest.

The owner of the voice, a pretty young lady with spectacular teal eyes, came running to us and immediately scooped up Annabel in her arms, gently as one would pick up the skeleton of a leaf.

“I’m so sorry. I hope my sister wasn’t being a nuisance. Perhaps did you didn’t give her anything? She’s not supposed to eat.” Apologetic and anxious eyes stared at me, their beauty and clarity captivating me.

“I know,” I simply replied, still internally gaping at the newcomer’s eyes.

“What?” The young lady blinked in surprise.

With the interruption of her lashes, I finally jerked away from my awe. Before I could reply, Annabel wiggled and jumped down from her surprised sister’s arms. Grabbing the thermos and spoon from the older girl’s hand, the child skipped over to me.

“Unnie!” Little outstretched hands placed the two items on my lap. “AHHH!”

“Annabel!” Her sister scolded her again. “Come back here. I’ll feed you.”

She reached to seize the child’s arm but the little culprit hugged my legs and shook my head stubbornly. I cannot help chuckling at the adorable display and the heartwarming bickering between sisters. It used to be just like that between me and my older siblings.

“It’s okay. I’ve met Annabel before. I don’t mind feeding her. She’s very cute, isn’t she?” I smiled at the little girl, who was now dorkily grinning up at me with her aqua eyes twinkling, and then at her older sister, who was so beautiful with the sunset lighting a copper glow around her brunette hair.

I couldn’t help staring at her. Please do not be jealous, Jessi, or mad at me, for if you were in my situation, you would have done the same.

Our eye contact was broken when a chirpy voice spoke up from below. “The cutest!”

We both looked down at Annabel, who was smiling back at us as innocently as she can be, and laughed out loud all together.

“So…” The older sister began again after we have all settled down from the laughter. “I’m Elizabeth. Nice to meet you.”

“No, she’s Lizzy!” Annabel interrupted, gulping down the chicken broth that I was now feeding her. “She’s Lizzy and she’s my lovely beautiful one and only sister. She’s 19 and I’m 7.”

“Well Annabel, thank you for your introduction of your sister,” I replied as I fed her another spoonful, and then shared a smile with Elizabeth. “I’m Tiffany and I’m 23.”

“I’m Belle! Because I’m beautiful! And Lizzy is beautiful too,” Anna narrowed her eyes at me before she continued. “You cannot have her yet because she’s mine. But after I’m gone, you can have my sister and you can make each other laugh more instead of crying over something that you can never get. I trust you, Fany-unnie!”

Both Elizabeth and I blushed, but our shy smiles were threatened by our heavy hearts at the child’s accepting words.

“Well, you better drink more of this delicious chicken soup and stay with us longer then!” Elizabeth exclaimed and patted her sister’s head lovingly.

Her overly cheerily voice was fake and all three of us clearly knew that, although it was easiest to assume otherwise for the time being. With our plastered smiles and sincerely affectionate interactions, we would have seemed like a perfect imperfect family to an unknowing eye.

Annabel continued drinking spoonful after spoonful of her dinner obediently, quiet for a rare change. The wind was cool, blowing away our worries for a moment, and the child’s copper hair billowed out in breeze like strings of hope or red strings of fate.

As I reached out to tuck the loose strands of hair behind Annabel’s ear, Elizabeth also moved to collect her sister’s hair to tie into a ponytail.

The actions between the sisters reminded me of those times when I would always fix your fringe and you would close your eyes to savour my gentle touches, or when we would laze around on slow afternoons in each other’s arms while you would braid my hair in different styles, pretending that you’re my stylist and I am a world star.

Elizabeth’s fingers and mine brushed against one another. We looked at each other and our gazes were held fast. It felt as if I was looking into a mirror; her eyes were clear enough to be one. All my anxiety, grief, guilt, hope, and love were reflected in her green eyes. We were merely strangers yet in that moment, there was only two of who understood each other and the world as it is.

I didn’t stay much longer because Annabel ended up vomiting all that she had just eaten after a few more minutes and was hurried back into the ICU.

As we ran back together into the whiteness and the lights, I stopped at the entrance and let them go. Elizabeth turned back once to give me a quick apologetic yet grateful smile. I returned it with the like but no goodbyes were said.

Deep down in my heart, I knew I would be seeing both of them again.

A/N: hey guys! i didnt realize that it had been like 20 days since i last updated.. yikes! really sorry! i hav been busy with preparations for uni and writing other fics that i didnt notice the time passing by so fast O.O well so.. hi, i'm back!

so... our lovely little Annabel is back ^^ i really love her characters, do u guys feel the same? and another o/c is introduced! our beautiful elizabeth hehe tell me what you think of these two characters okay? maybe they're here to stay?

some ppl were asking me how long i plan for this to be... and i hav to say i think we will only have about three more chapters.... i've been dragging this out long enough already teehee

anyways, so i have the next chapter all written and the ending all planned out but i just hav to write it :) again, motivate me guys!

btw do u guys hav any questions? anything you want to know?  plz tell me so that i can answer ur questions in the next two chapters ^^

did my lovely readers miss me? hehe

comment, upvote, subscribe, spread the love!~