Chapter 177Tears to Shed

Her sister... I wasn't sure I believed her, there was little resemblance. Then again, often enough did siblings not bear that much resemblance to an outsider. There was no reason to lie. Her age, however, was a small matter of concern. She looked about twelve or thirteen. Her sister, if it was true, must have been at least five years older.

I guess the simplest question would be "Her sister? Isn't it a bit late? Why are you here?"

She sighed sadly, wiping away her tears. "My sister had been gone for a day when I heard she had died. But I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to her, my parents only told me about it after dinner. I just asked them why they were dressed in black..."

She started crying. "The worst of all was that they didn't tell me without asking. And even then they sounded they had just done a chore! It was my sister! Didn't they care?"

An odd thought occurred to me. "But, don't they care for both of you?"

She sniffled, very childish in some way. "I don't know. They didn't appear sad or anything. They should have told me!" She sneered.". So I ran away, visiting a friend first, then made my way here."

"But it's not safe."

"I don't care! She's my sister, I'm not leaving her. I... I don't even know how she died!" Her tears flowed over her face. "Why won't they tell me? Why didn't they say? Why didn't they let me say goodbye?"

Her sniffling calmed down again. "But... Who are you exactly?" She wiped her tears on her sleeve again, streaks of her many tears darkening the fabric.

What should I do? I did know. I was there, but was I the one who should tell her? It was a story I didn't feel comfortable with, at all. Maybe it was for the better to actually tell her, to give us both some comfort. But could I tell her the half-truth without revealing my nature?

"I..." Should tell her?"

She looked more attentive, the red in her eyes ever apparent. "Yes?"

"I was there."

"What do you mean?"

"I was there when she died."

She almost jumped at me and hit me with her clenched fist, weakly. "You know how she died? Tell me!" She pounded my chest. "Just tell me!" Her tears rolled over her cheeks like beautiful streams in the moonlight.

Even if the moon was nowhere in sight.

"I..." I sighed. "Calm down, I will tell you."

She looked up at me, her eyes filled with so many tears she should have trouble seeing me, and nodded. "O-Okay."

"It's kind of hard to explain exactly, but I was just going through town on my own." I tried very hard not to lie, choosing my words with care. "I heard a scream and went to find out who caused it... When I found her, your sister, she had been attacked by some guy. He tore her neck open and she was bleeding fiercely."

A deep breath. "I pushed him away and hit him. He wasn't that strong apparently. But when I knelt beside her it was already too late. She was d..." I got a grip on myself. "She was dying and spoke her last words to me."

Her eyes had become big as she looked at me, she probably felt I was speaking the truth... mostly.

"Only two words. 'Not alone.' I... I wasn't quite sure what it meant."

She spoke softly. "I think I do. She had been having nightmares of dying the past few weeks. She told me about some of them." She closed her eyes, trying to remember. "She would hurt herself, fall of a cliff or something, and be left alone. When she was younger the dream would end as soon as she hit the ground, but lately... The dream continued, leaving her alone in pain to die." She sobbed. "It made her very depressed."

"She..." I had to take another deep breath. "She looked happy I held her. So maybe it was as simple as that."

It took her a while but her crying slowed down from it's tears to a calmer breathing. She looked up at me and smiled. "I'm glad she had someone nice with her. Thank you, I'm so happy you came here and told me."

She cried softly in my arms, holding me as if I was her sister. She felt cold so I finally wrapped my arms around her, holding her tenderly. We sank to our knees, right in front of the grave. The air was almost completely silent here, not even the chirp of bugs in the graveyard. Nothing the darkness and the silence around us.

It wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I wanted to say goodbye.

But this was as good a way as any.