The Deathly Scream - 𝟙

༒ Eighty-seven ༒

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The next day I woke up early, the sun shining through the window when I put on another simple dress and decide to go somewhere. A place I had promised myself to stay away, but I couldn't.

I stand still before the door, realising that if I would knock no one would answer, never again. Instead I take the doorknob, pushing against it when the abandoned room appears in front of me. Carton boxes all over the floor with Valentina's stuff in it.

After my mother had died my father had done the same with her stuff, except for her coronation dress. That was the only piece we had left of her. I walk in further, closing the door behind me and see Olivia sitting on the bed, holding a picture in her hand.

'Rosalia', she whispers and tries to stand up but I gestures she shouldn't. After one nod she turns to the picture again and I look around the room, not understanding how my father wanted to break it down. Every piece of my sister would be thrown away in only a few days, we would have nothing to remember her.

I look over Olivia's shoulder, staring at the image of her and my sister a few years ago. Both of them smiling bright. I doubt I have a picture like that with Val.

'I should clean up', she whispers after a while. It sounds like she couldn't speak louder. The once so brave and arrogant Olivia had made place for another broken soul. I couldn't possibly hate her.

'Let me help you', I whisper when I take a few books of the shelves. Realising my sister had never read those before. The sun comes up higher once we are working and I open the doors to the balcony, letting fresh air coming in.

'Have you been here all week?' I ask when I stare at our front yard that now looks more like a battle field. My sister had laid there in the mud and I hadn't been able to safe her.

'Your father wants to throw away everything. I started yesterday with packing', she says soft. I turn to face her, seeing the pain in her eyes when she takes the dresses out of her closet.

'I couldn't protect her', Olivia whispers before closing it. Leaning against the closet she turns to me, barely able to stand up straight.

'You did everything you could', I assure her but she nods her head.

'I should've fought. I should've ran after her the second the left, but I couldn't', her voice breaks. Olivia walks over to the bookshelves, helping me to get rid of them one by one.

'You were in pain, Olivia. Your whole side was ripped open there was no chance that ...'

'We should fight for love', she interrupts me. I stare at her for a moment, not sure if I understand what she has told me.

'You loved Valentina?' I ask again.

'No, I was in love with her', she says soft. After that Olivia kneels down on the ground, holding her head in her hands. I take my arms around her and for once we sit down together, showing how fragile we actually are.

'I had no idea', I whisper. 'Did my sister feel the same?' Olivia nods her head a little, wiping the tears out of her eyes once we release each other.

'She started the Selection to hide who she was. There was no chance we could ever be together'. I lean against the shelves, Olivia doing the same when we stare at nothing.

'I'm sorry you have to find out like this, Rosa'. I look down at my hands, realising I had never truly known my sister. I used to think she went after all the men in the castle and felt herself too powerful because no one was good enough. Apparently she had been in love with someone I would've never thought. She had loved Olivia.