Shadows Between Sisters

Crossing Paths

Saturday mornings at the hostel were usually filled with lazy laughter, the sound of kettles whistling, and the smell of instant coffee or fried eggs wafting down the corridor. But that morning, Room 12 was heavy with silence.

Angel sat at her desk, staring blankly at her open notebook. The words on the page blurred; she hadn’t written a single sentence in half an hour. Across the room, Racheal scrolled through her phone, her face calm but her posture stiff. Chika, sensing the tension, had slipped out early, muttering something about visiting a friend. Mariam lingered for a while but eventually excused herself too, leaving just the two of them.

The silence pressed in until Angel finally spoke.

“Racheal… are we just going to keep pretending?”

Racheal didn’t look up. “Pretending about what?”

“That we’re okay.” Angel’s voice cracked slightly. “Because we’re not. And it’s breaking me.”

Racheal set her phone down and turned, her eyes sharp but wet with something she refused to let fall. “You’re the one breaking us, Angel. Not me.”

Angel’s breath caught. “How can you even say that? You know I would never want to hurt you.”

“Then why him?” Racheal’s words came out like a blade. “Of all people, why Daniel? After everything I told you? After everything we promised?”

Angel swallowed hard, her chest burning. “I didn’t choose this. I didn’t go looking for it. It just… happened.”

“That’s not an excuse.” Racheal stood abruptly, her chair scraping against the floor. “You’re supposed to be my sister. Sisters don’t betray each other for some smooth-talking guy.”

The word betray hit Angel like a slap. She wanted to argue, to defend herself, but guilt rooted her to the spot.

Later that afternoon, Angel slipped out to the campus gardens, needing space to breathe. The flowers were in bloom, the air alive with buzzing bees and laughter from couples walking hand-in-hand. She sank onto a bench, hugging her knees, trying to quiet the storm inside her.

She didn’t notice Daniel until he sat beside her.

“Hey,” he said softly.

Angel startled. “Daniel—what are you doing here?”

“Looking for you.” He smiled, though his eyes searched her face with concern. “You’ve been avoiding me all week.”

“I had to.” She looked down at her hands. “Racheal… she thinks I’m betraying her. And maybe she’s right.”

Daniel frowned. “Angel, listen to me. Caring about someone doesn’t make you a betrayer. It makes you human.”

She shook her head. “It’s not that simple. She’s not just my friend, Daniel. She’s my family. We promised each other—”

Daniel leaned closer, his voice low but steady. “And what about your promises to yourself? Don’t you deserve happiness too?”

Angel’s heart pounded. His words wrapped around her, soft yet dangerous, pulling her closer to the edge she’d been resisting. She wanted to say no. She wanted to walk away. But when his hand brushed hers lightly, she didn’t move.

The silence between them grew heavy, charged, until Angel finally whispered, “Daniel…”

Before she could finish, a voice cut through the air like a whip.

“So this is where you’ve been.”

Angel froze. Racheal stood a few feet away, her eyes wide with disbelief and raw hurt. Her gaze darted to their hands—close, almost touching—and then back to Angel’s face.

“Racheal, it’s not—” Angel began desperately.

But Racheal laughed, bitter and broken. “Don’t even try. I see it now. Everything you’ve been hiding, every excuse, every lie. You chose him.”

Tears pricked Angel’s eyes. “No, I didn’t—”

“Yes, you did.” Racheal’s voice trembled, but her anger gave it strength. “And you know what hurts the most? You didn’t even have the courage to tell me. My own sister—my Angel—lying to my face.”

Daniel stood slowly, tension in his jaw. “Racheal, this isn’t fair. Don’t take it out on her—”

“Shut up!” Racheal snapped, her eyes blazing. “You don’t get to speak. You don’t get to destroy what we had.”

She turned back to Angel, her voice breaking. “You were supposed to be forever. But forever doesn’t mean anything to you, does it?”

Angel stood, reaching for her, but Racheal stepped back as if her touch burned.

“Stay away from me.”

With that, she turned and walked away, her shoulders stiff, her figure shrinking into the distance.

Angel sank back onto the bench, tears streaming freely now. The garden blurred before her eyes. Daniel reached for her shoulder, but she shook her head.

“Please,” she whispered, her voice hollow. “Just… leave me alone.”

Daniel hesitated, pain flickering in his eyes, but he respected her words. He walked away slowly, leaving Angel crumpled on the bench, her world in pieces.

That night, Room 12 was colder than ever. Racheal returned late, slipping into bed without a word. Angel lay awake, staring at the ceiling, replaying every moment in her head—the promises, the laughter, the vow of forever.

Now, all she could hear was Racheal’s voice, breaking with betrayal: Forever doesn’t mean anything to you.

And for the first time, Angel feared that maybe she was right.