[Zain's POV]

“Today was also another failure.”

No matter what we do, she always does her best to keep her distance. As we grow older, we become aware of how she consistently maintains a barrier between us. When we were younger, we misinterpreted her aloofness as cold-heartedness. 

It was only with time that we began to perceive her suffering, pain too much for us to comprehend.

Vivian was bullied in kindergarten, a fact that is too heavy on our young minds. Because of fear, we didn't let our parents know about the torment Vivi endured. Then, one day, she arrived to take us home, and she protected Vivi from bullies. That changed everything for Vivi. The bullies also never disturbed us.

Curiosity and eagerness to know what she did. But we were still afraid that asking questions might get us in trouble. When we learned she had kept our secret safe, we wanted to say thanks.

Just like every day, as soon as she returned home she went to sleep. We quietly snuck into her room, even with Mom's warning not to go to her room when she was sleeping. We were too excited and afraid that we fell asleep unexpectedly. 

...Urgh...

I was waking up because of a sudden noise. So I searched for my pillow to block my ears, but there was no pillow. 

...Cough, Cough...

I opened my eyes abruptly, without hesitation, I reached out to shake Vivi, because I thought she was having a nightmare.

“What happened? Why are you shaking me?” Vivi's voice held annoyance as she questioned me.

"You seemed to be having nightmares, that's why," I responded to her with worries.

“No, I'm not. And why are you in my room?” Vivi's voice filled with absolute annoyance.

I was getting pissed at the way she was talking. I was worried about her but she was just getting angry. 

“What do you mean? You are…”

...Urgh...

A sudden sound pierced the silence, sending a jolt of fear through us. The realization that we were in her room gripped us, and we turned around in alarm, half-expecting to find her awake and watching. Yet, her eyes remained closed. With cautious steps, we began to escape.

Before leaving the room I wanted to see once more if she was alright. We couldn't see her face properly before because we were seeing her from the floor. And her moaning sounded like she was in pain. As I turned back, I stood stiff. 

Her voice sounded strained because she was holding her own throat. I became paralyzed when I saw her like that. Though I wanted to call her out, but my voice wasn't coming out. Tears are piling up in my eyes. 

...Ugggghh...

Her groaning broke the silence and made me come to my senses. Without hesitation, I rushed toward her while calling her. “Sis, wake up.”

Vivi almost opened the door to go outside, until the sound of my voice brought her to an abrupt halt. "Are you stupid? What if sis wake… Sis?"

Frozen in place, Vivi's eyes widened in shock as she saw our Sis. I continued to shake Sis urgently, pleading, "Sis, wake up. Please, please, please wake up.”

Despite my efforts, Sis remained unresponsive, her hands locked around her throat in a grip I couldn't release. Turning to Vivi, I implored her to call Mom for help. However, Vivi's gaze remained fixed on Sis, her eyes filled with dread. Frustrated, I raised my voice, "Don't just stand there, call Mom."

...Gasp...

I turned around to see if Sis was having any other problems, but I was met with the sight of her eyes fluttering open, her breaths ragged and heavy.

"Sis, are you okay?" I asked. I felt a sense of relief as her breathing steadied. "Please wait, I'll call Mom."

But she grasped my hand firmly before I could get up. "No, no. Please don't call Mom. Please, don't call her. Please, please," she pleaded, her eyes filled with fear. Seeing her in distress, tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. "I... I won't call her, so please don't say it like that."

Overwhelmed by this, Vivi began to weep. In a moment of realization and unsure, Sis reached out and embraced me. She beckoned Vivi to join us. Our sister, typically reserved, enveloped us both in affection. I don't even remember when was the last time she hugged us.

Two of us cried for quite a while. She comforted us with gentle pats on our backs, whispering "Don't worry. It was just a nightmare. A very bad dream."

It's been years since that day. After that, we started checking on Sis when she went to sleep. Yet, each sleep brings the same torment. Unable to bear her suffering any longer, we eventually told Mom, but nothing changed.

Even now the lines of pain etched deep into her face, revealing the intensity of her suffering, the weight of her silent struggles. Her haunted expression revealed the burden of her unspoken dreams.

As the echoes of my memories slowly faded into the recesses of my mind, I found myself back in the sis room, the weight of the present moment heavy for me, no matter how many times I see this. With trembling hands, I continued to call out to her.

The sound of my voice is desperate. At this moment, I looked at her, with the hope that she would wake up again.