Evanescence

“….Kate?”

Whispering to her in as calm and non-confrontational a tone as she could manage, the globe-trotting tourist champion tried speaking to her sister again.

“….Frankie.”

She took the cold acknowledgment as a gesture that it was okay to come closer to her bed. The girl wasn’t doing much. She’d seemingly been browsing videos, but nothing much was catching her eye. It wasn’t any use. Even the distractions only served to remind her.

“….Really nice having Saint and Cheryl here.” She murmured. “That kid really wants to talk to you… don’t you wanna see him?”

“….”

“Katie… come on.” She risked nudging the shut-in to startle her attention. It wasn’t what she wanted, but it did do something.

“Do they know?”

“….”

The younger sister looked at her with some offense.

“Of course they know… Cheryl’s… I had to tell her.”

“Sorry. …I guess it… doesn’t really matter either way, does it?”

Frankie hated hearing the groggy, dispassionate voice of the girl. For the longest time, it hadn’t even sounded like her sister, like the person she went on all her adventures with was gone. By now it was clear that this is how she always had been.

“I wanna help you.”

“…” Katie’s eyelids fell even more than they already were.

“Look, I know, I know. This- nobody could’ve predicted this.” She found herself having this same conversation she’d had many times before yet again. “It’s like-“

“Like we don’t even matter…?”

Frankie’s frustrated scowl intensified.

“…Katie, we’ve still got time.”

“Time?”

The remnants of Katie cackled.

“We gave up our time so we could work for the money to reach our dreams… dreams we don’t have time to reach anymore.” She damningly uttered.

Frankie clenched her fist.

“If that’s what you think… whatever.”

She turned around to head for the door.

“I wanted… things to be the way they were before. Just for a second.” She twisted the knob.

“I guess I should’ve known that’s not possible.”

She shut the door with a firm slam and disappeared.