Final Departure

She lead her out of the bedroom by her hand. Pulling her around like always, the sisters stepped into the silent hall, moving towards the living room where Katie began to gather some things.

“Katie?!” Frankie stressed, though careful not to wake up the sleeping Cheryl and Saint only feet away from her on the sides of the central room. “What do you want? We can talk about things again, if you think it’ll help. Katie, plea-“

“Come on.”

Katie dragged her back to the room. She picked up the phone and backpack she forgot, throwing them on her bed before she scoured her closet. Soon enough, she pulled out the lilac dress she hadn’t worn in forever.

“Do you want… to go outside? Right now?” The little sister made whatever attempt she could to understand her, watching the woman immediately strip down to enter her old uniform.

“That’s right, I want to go back. We’re going back.”

“Why are we going back?” She tried to play along with her sister’s ramblings to the best of her ability, but it had only grown harder these past few weeks.

“I’m not done yet.”

Lightly-packed and hurriedly-dressed, Katie returned to the living room, followed by her tourism partner. Slipping on her shoes, she got ready to set out again.

“Katie.”

The sister grabbed her shoulder.

“We can go in the morning. You don’t have to push yourself to do everything right now.” She said.

Katie looked repulsed by the argument.

“But I do, Frankie.”

Frankie just stopped her short of turning the doorknob.

“Katie- I get it. I know what’s going on in your head. And I… It’s not like I’m ever gonna let you go alone. If you run out there, I have to go, too. You know that. But- but please. Things are finally happening for me now. I’m really, really happy right now.”

Frankie’s eyes naturally slid over to Cheryl.

“So if… I’m going, at least let me bring her.”

She looked up at her big sister with as convincing an expression as she could muster, but the dying eyes of the waking dreamer were without reason.

“No.”

“W-why not? Why can’t I-“

“It has to be the way it was before. Come on.”

Katie walked out the door, only careful not to slam it because waking up the room would only slow her progress that much more.

Without much of a choice, Frankie followed her.

She felt infuriated by her sister, hating she was stealing any more time away from her with the person she loved- but considering how many of Katie’s own days had already been wasted, she felt she couldn’t say no to her. Looking out over the night landscape of their home park Merrytown, she could see the lighthouse her sister once dragged her barefoot to, and all the rides they went on as kids.

She swallowed, getting this gross feeling all of a sudden.

“…Do you still like this, Katie? All the parks?”

The girl wouldn’t- or couldn’t- answer.