The morning was still young when Alliah felt it—a subtle tension, like a quiet breath holding back a storm. It had been a week since Dr. Pacheco’s encouraging words, and her body seemed lighter, freer. Yet beneath the surface, uncertainty lingered.
Apple noticed it first. While helping Alliah prepare her tea that morning, she paused and said softly, “You’ve been quieter lately. What’s on your mind?”
Alliah smiled faintly. “Maybe I’m just… listening. To my body, to the silence.”
Apple frowned but said nothing, sensing that her sister needed her peace.
Later that day, Dr. Pacheco called for another round of tests—bloodwork, scans, and a colonoscopy to ensure that inflammation had truly subsided. Alliah approached it with cautious optimism, but deep in her heart, there was an unspoken ten
