The Veltina Sisters

Chapter 10

Catina slowly opened her eyes, confused as to where she was. Instinctively she turned her head to the side, her eyes searching for her sister's figure. 

"Is something wrong?" Catina questioned as she noticed the frown on Catrina's face.

"That's what I should be asking you." Catrina replied as she continued to stare at Catina's face.

"What?" Catina questioned, as she shifted slightly. 

The two of them were currently in bed, as Catina had just woken up she was unsure of the time, but assumed that it was early in the morning, as the sunlight has yet to peek through their bedroom curtains. .

"You were crying." Catrina whispered, reaching out a hand to wipe away her tears.

Startled, Catina touched her cheek, finding it stained with tears. "wha-?"

"It seemed like you were having a nightmare." Catrina answered as she continued to wipe away her sisters tears.

"....A nightmare..." Catina mumbled.

"You kept tossing and turning, should I have woken you up?" Catrina questioned, as she positioned herself so they could talk properly. 

"...No, it's fine." Catina answered quietly. 

Silence reigned as they stared into each other's eyes, each occupied by their own thoughts. 

Sighing, Catrina decided to break the silence by asking, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Catina bit her lip, "My memory is kind of blurry, and nothing really makes sense."

Catrina raised a brow, "Just say what you remember then." 

"Their faces were kind of blurry, and sometimes their voices would become distorted and-" 

"If you don't want to talk about your dream, then say so. No need to beat around the bush." Catrina interrupted, being woken up so early in the morning, she was slightly cranky. 

Catina paused, before inhaling as she tried to calm herself. When she certain that she was ready, she explained her dream as best as she could to her sister.

"Does this girl show up in your dreams often?" Catrina questioned curiously.

Catina shook her head, she had seen the girl in her dreams once, or twice, but that was about it. If she had any other dreams involving her, she didn't remember them.

"Must have been a pretty realistic dream to have caused you so much distress." Catrina commented casually. 

Catina grimaced as images from the dream resurfaced in her mind, desperate to change the topic Catina asked about something else that had been on her mind recently, "Are you nervous about our affinity test?"

Catrina blinked, clearly caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic. 

Taking advantage of her silence, Catina continued, "I mean, isn't it very important? What if we fail?"  

Catrina rolled her eyes, "I'm not nervous, and no, we won't fail."

"How do you know?" Catina questioned softly, nervously, "Even mother was worried."

"Mother's worry is unwarranted." Catrina grinned, "How could I possibly fail?" 

"But what if you do?" Catina questioned, her heart was very uneasy. 

Catrina snorted, "Then that's that, there's always swordsmanship." 

Catina stayed silents as she slowly digested her sister's answer. It was true, even if the results showed that Catrina didn't have an affinity with any of the elements, she could still bring their house glory with her swordsmanship skills. 

"...what about me?" Catina questioned quietly.

Catrina tilted her head in confusion, she barely heard what her sister had said.

"What if I fail the test, what will I do?" Catina questioned, somehow her chest felt heavy, and it was getting harder to breathe, as if the air in the room was slowly thinning. She felt like she was drowning, unable to swim to safety.

Not noticing her sister's plight, Catrina shrugged casually, "Do whatever you want to do."

Catina sincerely thought about her sister's suggestion, but it didn't make her feel better. She found herself wondering what it was that she wanted to do, and there was only one thing that surfaced in her mind.

"...I want to stay by your side." Catina stated as she reached out and slowly grabbed her sister's hand. Only then did she feel relieved, as if she was given a lifebuoy that would prevent her from drowning. 

Catrina blushed, "Aren't you already by my side?"

Catina smiled, and nodded.

Pulling Catina onto her side of the bed, Catrina wrapped the blanket around the both of them, she was preparing to go back to sleep. 

Catrina yawned, "We should go back to sleep, the maids will come wake us up in a few hours."

Nodding, Catina snuggled up against her sister, her eyes felt heavy.

"One day, we should go on an adventure together." Catrina said as she drifted off to sleep.

Catina smiled, silently agreeing.