Is It Spring Yet?

Empty

"Dango, Dango, Dango, Dango Dango, big dumpling family." Victoria sings to herself as she colors in a unicorn I drew for her.

"You really like the Dango family, don't you?" I ask, placing a pink crayon in her open palm.

"Of course I do!" she says, her voice resembling the tone of betrayal and aggravation. 

"Okay! Okay! You don't have to get so defensive. Why do you like them so much anyway?"

"Because.... Because I want to be part of the big dango family," She looks out her window on the right of her bed.

The ground is covered in red, yellow, orange, and brown leaves. The trees stretching across the court yard are more beautiful than any girl I've ever seen (Not including Victoria, of course.) The birds fly between trees, cheerfully chirping to one another. The sun has started setting over the city. The city lights, which feel a million miles away, start flickering on, lighting up the multicolored sky. The setting sun having cast wild colors onto the clouds, making them seem like swirls of paint flying across the sky. The picture of the perfect ending to a fall day.

Across the street, children play on the play ground. One child swinging from the monkey bars. One sitting on a swing while a slightly larger child pushes them. I look over to another child, walking over to two adults, lifting it's arms in the air. 'Must be it's parents.' My thought is confirmed when the child's father lifts it up and kisses it's forehead.

I look away and fold my arms over my chest. I look at my sister, my beautiful sister, who is still looking outside. Her eyes coming to rest on a child having their birthday in the park. Happy people, adults and children, smiling to each other as they sing 'Happy birthday' and the child blows out the candles on their cake.

"But you have a family. You have me, remember?" I say and grab her hand, pulling her out of her trance.

"I have only you. And you have only me..."

Our parents died last winter, during a horrible snow storm, in a car crash, right after Victoria was diagnosed with bone metastasis. (It's funny how bad things tend to all happen at once.)She got it after her lung cancer caused tumors to spread over her rib cage, arms, legs, and skull. They died while driving to come see her in the hospital, after she collapsed at the light-festival. Which leaves me, Victoria's 20 year old brother, and her a tiny, hurting, cancer ridden 12 year old.

I wasn't ever really close to my parents. Sure, I lived with them for 18 years. And I loved them. Yet, I always stayed far away from them. I sometimes think that, maybe if we were closer they wouldn't be gone. Then I realize how ridiculous that is. I just think that, maybe I should have told them I loved them, more often than I did. They died days after a fight we had, my parents and I.

I was home with them and they had just gotten off the phone with Victoria's doctor. He said that she wasn't going to live to her next birthday, and suggested that we shouldn't try to get her any treatment. We didn't have the money to pay for her treatment. And they actually thought about just letting her die. I flipped out on them and walked out, shouting the three words I wish I could take back, "I hate you! " I never got to take it back, I never was able to say sorry.

I shake my head, forgetting those thoughts. "And we will always have each other. We don't need anyone else. I wont leave you, and you wont leave me," I looked into her eyes, still seeing lingering sadness, "By the way, I brought you something." I say grinning at her in an attempt to cheer her up.

"Really?!" Looks like it worked, "What? What is it?!" She straight up very quickly, causing her to flinch from the pain.

"I'll tell you if you calm down," I lay her back down, "Now close your eyes and hold out your hand."

She does as I said and closes her eyes, her soft eyelashes touching her pale cheeks, and holds out her thin, shaking, hands. All the while still holding onto her grin.

I reach into my bag and pull out a necklace with multiple charms hanging off of it. I slowly drop it into her hands and pull the necklace I am wearing out of my shirt.

"Ta da! You can open your eyes now!" Her eyes fly open and look down to the object in her hand. She looks up at me with eyes as wide as saucers, melting my heart in the process.

"Did you really get me all of these? Or am I dreaming?" She asks, holding the necklace up by the top of the chain and rubbing her thumb over a unicorn charm.

"You better believe it lil' sister. Not only is it real, but I have one too!" I grin at her as she glances to the necklace dangling from my neck. She grins. Then a confused expression crosses her face.

"But where's the other charms? Your unicorn and mermaids are missing."

My necklace only has one charm on it, a heart torn in half. As her's has ten charms on it, including the other half of my heart.

"Well, being the manly man that I am, I thought that It would be better with just one charm. Plus, you didn't seem to notice that my half and your half matches. This means that, no matter what, we have to stay together. Because you are the other half of my heart. Okay?"

"Haha! Okay, big brother!" She grins and looks up at me as the wind, coming through her open window, tussles her hair around her head like a golden halo.

Now all she is missing is her wings.