Sisters
1069 Words
She was reading some books, continuing her research when she felt someone standing by the door. She looked up in surprise; her heart beat fast. These days, she was easily spooked. But seeing who it was, she felt a rush of relief and her face broke into a genuine smile.
"Hi," she called out to her younger sister as she put the book down and patted the space next to her on the sofa.
They were still at Sam’s place which served as their headquarters. Her friends didn't let her and her sister go back home until they solved the mystery of the dreams. For days now, the horrifying nightmares they used to see every night had been replaced by different scenes. It was as if they were watching parts of a continuing movie each time they closed their eyes and slept.
Both sisters told their friends about what happened, and the two wrote them all down. They would all then search for a particular event in history that matched the dream. So far, they had written down several snippets of history which guided their research.
Still, they weren't enough. All they knew was that both Jessica and Hannah had lovers in the nightmare— one which they had identified as Johann de Lancret.
But why were they having these dreams?
Until now they didn't know the answer and most times, Jessica felt frustrated. Because of this problem, she couldn't function well. It was a good thing that she had been working freelance so she didn't have to worry about an employer who'd get mad if she didn't work. It was lucky too that it was summer vacation so her sister could stay at home where she could watch her.
In the past few days, Hannah had been able to sleep longer than she used to, which had improved her appearance. She still looked fragile, but at least the dark circles under her eyes were no longer that deep, and she was starting to regain color on her skin which had been very pale just a few days ago.
Jessica’s complexion, on the other hand, hadn't improved. She was naturally pale to begin with, but her continued lack of sleep made her paler and she had lost weight. Even if the dreams weren't as bad as before, she couldn't rest until this dilemma had been solved.
"Are you okay?" Hannah asked her as she sat next to her and rested her head on her big sister’s shoulder.
Jessica pulled her down on her lap and Hannah smiled as she lifted her feet from the floor as she settled her head on her sister’s thighs.
"I'm okay," Jessica answered as she stroked her sister’s hair which had grown longer in the past month. "How about you?"
Hannah studied the ceiling for several seconds before she opened her mouth to answer.
"I'm okay," she said and sighed. "I dreamt again," she told her sister whose hand froze on top of her head. "But it was a good dream this time," she continued and she heard Jessica’s audible sigh of relief and resumed stroking her hair.
"What was it about?" Jessica asked.
"I dreamt of him," Hannah whispered the last part and Jessica noted the dreamy expression on her face which indicated that the 'him' she mentioned was her lover.
Jessica felt worried that her sibling was falling in love with the man in her dreams, but she knew she had no power over it. After all, after seeing Johann over and over again, and the things that they did when she closed her eyes, Jessica admitted it was somewhat affecting her feelings at present too.
But he knew these feelings were futile since the person she had been in love with was long gone— had been dead more than a century ago. To fall in love with a man who didn't exist anymore, to yearn for someone who could never be there really was a tragic thing.
"What about him?" she asked, making sure her voice was light.
"He is good at painting," Hannah answered, the wistful smile still on her face as she tilted her head so she could see her older sister’s face.
"We watched the sunrise again today and we stayed near the spring as he painted me. He is really good," she continued and her smile turned secretive like there were other things she couldn't tell her. "He said he will become a doctor for me."
Jessica’s worry grew. Hannah talked about the man like he was still there— that the dream was real. She was beginning to fear that her sister would get trapped in this reverie and she was powerless to stop it since she too was suffering from the same malady. It was as if they were no longer dreaming about the nightmares— they were living it. She was about to voice out her worries when the front door opened and her friends came in.
"Hey," Hannah greeted them as she sat up properly so that Caroline could sit next to her.
"Hey," Caroline greeted back as she walked towards them and kissed Hannah’s forehead before sitting next to her.
"We bought food," she said as she pointed at Sam who was holding bags of Chinese takeout. On his other hand was a package with a ripped end which told them that it had already been opened.
Jessica looked at him with puzzlement. Sam’s expression was as hard as stone, indicating that her friend was thinking about something very serious and she couldn't help but ask.
"What's wrong?"
Sam turned to her and sighed. He handed her the bag of food as soon as he joined them and slumped on the floor next to Croline.
"Let's eat first before we talk okay?" he ordered them and they followed.
Jessica knew she couldn't push her friend to tell her anything when he's like that. Samuel Dale, after all, could give lessons to a mule when it came to being stubborn.
After they had eaten and put the trash away, they settled again in the living room where the sisters looked at the couple anxiously.
"Caro…" Sam signaled his lover, and she nodded as if she was given cue, and smiled at them.
"Well," she began and then paused as if weighing her words.
The anticipation was killing her but Jessica remained silent.
- Writer
