The Game

4 - Leaving, One Way or Another...

As we walked, Daisy told me a few things about her day at school. Like how she won the game of freeze tag at recess, how she saw a few of the older kids start a fight that same recess and immediately got a teacher to break it up, how she was doing really well in math until she got pulled out of class. She also said she showed her class what she finished drawing yesterday, and they all said it was really good. So, I asked to see what she drew.

Daisy pulled out of her bag the sketchbook I had got her for her birthday last year. Within the pages and pages of doodles was a finished drawing of what looked like her holding hands with three other people on a sunny hillside. It was a pencil-crayon drawing, but it was done in such loving detail, I recognized immediately who else was in the picture. Me, mom, and dad - I could tell because she drew my eyes green and orange, and it looked really accurate in terms of our heights, facial expressions, and everything. Even down to our mom's stern glare.

"This is really good sis!" I smiled, "How do you draw so well?"

She giggled, "I just draw and colour until it looks right."

I shook my head, taking out my phone, "You mind if I take a picture of this? It's really good."

She jumped up and down a bit, "Are you gonna show all your friends at school tomorrow!"

Inside, I was dying, but I kept up the smile, "Of course sis. And how about I take the picture with the amazing artist holding her amazing drawing?"

She squealed a little and took back her drawing. She held it to her chest, grinning so wide, her ears up and twitching with excitement along with her tail. We were in a park her and I used to play in, so I got the swingset and the trees in the picture as well. I took like, twenty pictures, each one turning out better than the last. My phone camera was awful compared to a real camera, but I swear, the pictures looked almost realistic to me. My sister squealed with joy when I showed them to her, claiming I was the best photographer in the world.

We walked hand in hand, smiling the whole way. I felt so light and carefree, just walking with Daisy happily skipping along beside me. I cherished this moment because I still thought in the back of my mind that this was going to be the last, truly happy moment I have with my sister. And with that thought coming to the front of my mind the closer we got to home, my smile faded, and my mood darkened. I looked down at Daisy, her smiling up at me, and I did my best to smile back.

I never once thought it'd be difficult to smile at my sister...

"Daisy... I-"

Daisy tugged my arm and tried to pull me along at a run, "Come on! Let's get home so you can show mom and dad the pictures you took of me!"

I held her by the arm tightly, "Daisy, just wait a moment."

She stopped and looked at me, "What?"

I felt my ears fall as I tried to think of something to say. I kneeled down to her, opening my mouth, but I still couldn't bring myself to say it. I sighed, looking slightly down from her and biting my bottom lip as I said, "...You remember before, when I said I wanted to tell you something important?"

"Yeah."

I nodded, "Well... I have to tell you now."

"...Can we go see mommy and d-"

"No, Daisy." I closed my eyes, "This is important. I need to say it now, I might not get another chance."