Paper Heart

§ 4 § 

“When the wind plays jokes, hold me tight in case I fly away,”

Pain.

She could feel her lungs closing up, her heart stuttering as she struggled to breath. Her body shook from the tremors as she reached for Ri-ah’s sleeping body next to her.

Springing from her bed, she reached out to reach something, anything to hold on to. Her fingers surrounded , as she writhed for breath. Coughing violently, blood seeping out of her lips as it choked . The flavour was dreadful; an all too familiar metallic-like taste overwhelming her senses.

“Ri-ah!” She gasped, shaking her sister awake as best she could. Black spots started to swirl her vision, as she struggled to breath properly.

“Ara!” She could distantly hear the familiar voice of her sister. “Ara, listen to me, just keep listening to my voice okay?”

She grabbed her sister’s shoulders to keep her body upright, her fingers stained with blood. Ri-ah was dialling a number, one that Ara realised she should’ve got used to.

“I’ll get help, okay, just breath slowly, follow me,”

Ri-ah breathed out slowly and inhaled in an exaggerated manner, urging Ara to follow her exact movement. The pain was still burning her lungs; it was becoming too much effort to even keep her eyes open. She could feel herself slipping into unconsciousness, the cries of Ri-ah still burning through her ears.  

The all too familiar sound of a machine beeping woke Ara up from her painful slumber. Wires that fed from an oxygen tank ran over her ears across her cheeks and under her nostrils, helping her lungs to carry the much-needed oxygen around her body. 

“Ara,” A voice said softly. Her eyes constricted towards the light, as she gazed up. Ri-ah stood there, tearstains on her cheeks as she smiled weakly at her younger sister.

“Hey,” Ara croaked in response.

“You scared the crap out of me,”

“I’m your little sister, isn’t that my job?”

Ri-ah Ara’s soft hair, running her fingers through each strand. “Your not suppose to make me laugh, why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling well?”

“I,” She sighed softly, biting her lip as she looked around the hospital room. “I just, didn’t want you to worry,”

“Yeah, instead you scared the out of me, and told Naeun,”

“Language,” Ara tutted, winking at Ri-ah.

Ri-ah scoffed, “You’re back to sassing me, you’re definetly okay,”

Ri-ah was silent for a while, burrowing further into the hospital bed. “What’s the verdict?”

“Bed rest, until the weekend. No school for a week and new prescription.” Ri-ah rolled her eyes. “They said that this would help for sure,”

Ara snorted. “That’s what they said for the drugs I’m taking now,”

A nurse came in and interrupted them. She checked Ara’s vitals, telling her how much of a brave girl she was; something that Ara was getting sick of hearing. She wasn’t brave, she had no choice whether or not to be brave; the illness chose her, not the other way around. Ri-ah was gagging behind her back. 

“Unnie,” Ri-ah continued to Ara’s hair, humming in reply.

“Thank you,” Ara whispered, biting her lip. “For always being there,”

Ri-ah smiled, “That’s my job,”

Kai didn’t know why his mind was filled with her, but he couldn’t deny the fact that Ara had once again left an imprint on him. He sighed heavily, walking around the school’s courtyard on his own, kicking a stone across the ground.

She hadn’t been in school today, as she hadn’t for the remainder of the week. It was the end of school on a Friday now, and a part of Kai wondered was it because of him that she wasn’t here. 

Stop being like Tao, He thought to himself, There’re plenty of reasons she’d miss school, not just you. Maybe something’s come up with Ri-ah or maybe she’s sick, Kai stood still for a second.

What if she was sick?

Maybe he should go and check up on her, but didn’t she move houses? He’d tri