Cingulomania (n.)

A strong desire to hold a person in your arms.

Chapter 9

Little Alice fell 

d

o

w

n

the hOle, 

bumped her head

and bruised her soul.

"Good but still not good enough."

"You will never make it."

"Why won't you be like your sister?"

"You're a disgrace to this family business!"

"Why are you hiding me? Are you embarrassed?" 

"Let's run away."

"Filthy , It's all your fault."

Voices. It will all turn loud when midnight come, she closed her ears with her palms as she shivered in fear. They are here. 

The voices keep haunting her every night, enabling her to sleep. Her eyes keep looking around as shadows started to form from her vision. She's hallucinating again as she pushed herself more to the side of her room. 

Her feet were cold and her hands were trembling in fear. She wanted to scream for help but she knows that no one will ever come. 

She's all alone. No one can save her right now.

"I'm here. You know that I'm always here for you."

She look at her side and she found a brunette girl who have the brightest smile. 

The girl who never leave her, she's with her again tonight. The girl held her trembling hands and put it down as she caressed Lisa's wet cheeks. 

"Don't be afraid Lisa, you can always be with me whenever you want to."

The girl pulled Lisa into a hug. Her stored tears continued to flow and the sobs wracked her body, robbing off the ability to speak. 

The pain in her heart become more and more intense that she can no longer take it. It was unendurable and even the girl who's tucking Lisa in her arms can't take it away from her. 

She cried and cried until guilt started to washed over her. "I'm sorry. I was too weak to fight for you, I was too weak to save you. It was all my fault." She choked and everything hurts. She wanted the pain to stop but all she can do was to cry. 

"But I'm still here right? I'm still here."

And then it went all blank and the last thing she saw was her gentle smile. 

It's okay, she will never leave her. 

She woke up as the sunlight hit her pale face, her eyes flickered adjusting from the brightness. She rolled herself to the left and found herself laying on the carpeted floor. What was she doing here? Her bed was over there. 

She sat up as she felt pain on her back from laying on that hard carpeted floor. She shake herself and started to stand up and walked her way to the kitchen. 

Only to see that she was not all alone in her unit. 

"Unnie."

She stop mid halfway when she saw her older sister sitting in her living room couch.

"Dad found out about you."

She stand up as she crossed her arms. 

"And I suggest that you go back before he can do anything to hurt you, Lalisa."

Lisa shot her sharpest glare at her older sister before she scoffed.

"Is he that desperate to eliminate me out from our family?" 

She's shaking her head in disbelief. Her unnie went to her as she grabbed her hands. 

"Lalisa, you know what you did was wrong." 

"No, Chaerin! That was freaking 4 years ago!! It may be my fault but I did nothing wrong."

She bit her trembling lips as she tried to stop herself from crying again. 

"Why is it always me