Vulpecula ✔️

Clayton's Sister.

When Kayden and Stephanie walked away from our table, Clayton looked at me and tilted his head, in a form of question, of course I nodded back. And the discussion picked up from where we left it. I learnt more and more about Aldrik and the supernatural.

One by one everyone left the cafe so it left me and Clayton. I leaned back in my chair and ordered another coffee and chocolate truffle pastry. Clayton placed his own order and we both sat down there staring at each other. I knew he had something to tell me. About training the mind, so I was just waiting.

"Are you okay?" He asked me.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked back. There was no reason for me to feel upset or bad because Kayden walked out of the cafe with Stephanie while he was ignoring me. I don't really care. Or maybe it's just that I don't know how to feel about it. I'm just pathetic when it comes to feelings.

"Perhaps because you like him and he just went with another girl." Clayton asserted.

"I don't care. There are other pressing things that need my focus. And he made it clear that he doesn't have anything to do with me, considering he had been ignoring me for the past few days." I looked at him and saw a small smile on his face. "Get it out Clay. We both know that you've been dying to tell me something."

"You don't have to listen if you don't want to. It's just that I haven't talked about her in a long time. And I needed to get it out of the way before we face him. And you had already heard my mother, so I guess it's only fair I tell you why everyone has been so protective over you."

"You can talk to me about anything. I do like to listen. Talking takes a lot of energy anyway. Don't worry. I'll always listen." I smiled at him to ease the tension.

"My sister, Rose, she was five years younger to me. I was so happy when I first saw her. So small and delicate. That's when I knew that her name was to be Rose. We did name her that. I hated going to the school back then because all I wanted, was to stay by her side and protect her. She was my everything. I loved her way too much. It scared me. My friends were also scared of my protectiveness for her. None of them ever came close to her.

"When she was able to eat, I had to be the one to feed her. We were so close. Best friends, because I shared everything with her and she pretended to understand. We were inseparable. She was 10 and I was 15 when we went out on a family trip. A beach trip. It was our family and one of our family friend's. It was fun, until we realised that Rose couldn't swim. I was ready to protect her at all costs. If she wanted to go to the waters, I was ready to do that. But she sent me away to bring her some ice cream.

"It was too late. She didn't make it." His voice cracked and tears gathered in his eyes. "The life guards found her dead. She wasn't breathing. I remember panicking. I was calling out to her again and again. I wanted her to wake up and tell me that she was pranking. Laugh or just tell me how stupid I was for chasing a rude girl, but she didn't wake up. She was dead. I just saw her lifeless body and I hadn't been any more devastated than that incident. Her death left me all types of broken." He broke down into sobs.

I got off my place and sat beside him. Holding him close was the only thing I could do for that moment. There was nothing I could say or do that would make it all go away. That would make his hurt go away. His pain go away.

Clayton cried for sometime and then pulled away. He glanced around at all the eyes that were upon us. Hastily wiping his tears, he got up and gestured for me to do the same. We split the bill and left the cafe soon enough. On the way back home, we didn't say anything. I'm sure he was reliving the memories so I let him.

And it felt like an honour to be a sister to him. Because I have seen how protective he could get of me. From the time when we were in the markets of Varanasi, buying things for our family and friends, Clayton made sure he was close to me at all times. Any one who looked my way, he glared at them until they felt threatened by him and looked away.