Part 7
The days passed, and the monotony and calm returned to the lives of the Nakama sisters. The long-awaited moment for Nasai had arrived, and the sisters celebrated it with a picnic in the middle of the field. Despite the intense cold, the sun’s rays eased the weather, making it more bearable.
A grand feast was spread out across the blanket laid on the grass. The atmosphere was peaceful, with only a few people accompanying them. The half-frozen water of the lake shimmered with platinum glints as it met the sunlight, further enhancing the beauty of the natural landscape.
"I think you’ve gone overboard with the food this time, Nasai," Yuna said to her sister as she finished off a cod empanada.
"You always say that, but you end up eating everything."
“Well... it’s true,” Yuna replied, laughing as she grabbed a piece of tortilla.
“So, are you alright? Nothing unusual these days?” Nasai asked, unconvinced by the weak excuse her sister gave the night she disappeared for an entire evening.
“Do you think something could happen to your big sister? I’m as tough as a rock,” Yuna nodded with a wide grin, pounding her stomach in an unfeminine way.
It was true that several days had passed, and there had been no sign of the mysterious man who saved her, not just once, but twice. However, she didn’t want to involve her younger sister in something she herself neither understood nor believed. Besides, if luck was on her side, all the strange things that had happened to her would simply remain in the past, with no need to think about them again.
“So, tell me, how are the rehearsals going? You’ll be performing soon, right?” Yuna quickly changed the subject.
“Yes. I’m a little nervous.”
“You’re one of the best. You’ve got nothing to worry about,” Yuna said with bold confidence as she helped herself to more of the salad.
This was how Yuna wanted things to be, for every day of their lives to be like this—where she and her sister could live in peace and harmony. And if any obstacle appeared, it wouldn’t destroy the bond between them. Above all, she wished that the problems they faced would be ordinary ones.
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Uneasy footsteps echoed through the halls of the Dokovic mansion, nerves and tension palpable in the air. Ronnie hurriedly passed through the archway leading to the living room, interrupting the conversation between the two brothers.
“Devon has done it again,” he announced, troubled.
“What do you mean?” Patrick asked, while his brother remained calm, seated in the armchair.
“Devon has acquired the business where Kassandra works,” Ronnie said, agitated.
Uncertainty spread throughout the room, yet Vincent stayed composed, as if the news came as no surprise to him. On the contrary, it seemed as though his mind was already planning the next move.
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Hours had passed, and fog now covered most of the cemetery. The Nakama sisters had finished their family meal, and as they did every year on this special day, they stood before the gravestones of their parents.
Yuna stood further back from the tombstones, remaining impassive, in contrast to Nasai, who, unable to hold back her tears, finished decorating the graves with bouquets of anemones.
“We’re doing well. Yuna does everything she can to take care of us,” Nasai tried to articulate as she stood up from the ground.
“How are you both?”
The youngest Nakama sister asked, but soon broke down in deep sobs. Noticing her sister’s state, Yuna approached to comfort her with a strong embrace.
A few minutes later, the two girls were heading home along the path of the vast cemetery. Due to the drastic change in the weather, the place was deserted. The tension and absence of words from Yuna were palpable.
“Are you okay, Yuna?” her sister asked, breaking the silence.
“I don’t want to relive the anniversary of our parents’ death,” she replied after a long pause.
“Yuna…”
“Every time we come here, I relive everything that happened,” Yuna cut her off, not letting her continue. “Every time I think about them, I’m more aware that our parents’ death was my fault.”
“You can’t say that… It’s not true,” Nasai replied, saddened, stopping in the middle of the path as her sister kept walking.
“Yes, it is!” Yuna shouted from a distance, stopping with her back still turned.
“You didn’t know what was going to happen. Neither of us did.”
“You can’t understand anything!” Yuna screamed, her voice raw, clutching the edges of her sweater tightly, her face streaked with tears. “You don’t understand how I feel! You never will!”
Yuna cried out, releasing all her grief before starting to walk, and then running, leaving her sister completely alone in the shadows of the necropolis.
“Yuna…” Nasai whispered, hidden under her breath, as she intended to follow her sister, who was moving farther and farther away.
However, as she prepared to take a step, her vision blurred, an overwhelming heat surged through her body, and her legs gave way, causing her to collapse onto the cobbled ground.
“No, no, no... Not again,” she repeated to herself in barely audible murmurs as she lost consciousness, lying on the ground. “Yuna…”
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