Her Voice 2 [JENLISA]

Chapter 24

Jennie

Freshly showered, I walked out of my bathroom. My hair was still wet and it soaked the back of my dress through. The cold chilled through my bones and I fought back a shiver. My bare feet padded over, crossing my room until I was standing next to my bed. My breakfast had been delivered to me a few hours ago. It was now cold, and I still couldn’t bring myself to eat.

Not when I knew what was about to happen.

Not when I knew what this day meant…

Day zero.

Either we die today or live to see the next sunrise.

My heart clenched at the thought, and I closed my eyes, refusing to think of all the bad things that could happen.

When I opened my eyes again…I blinked. Once in confusion. And then in utter shock.

My lips parted but I couldn’t seem to find my words or my voice. My throat was clogged with emotions, and I felt the burning sensation in my eyes. There was wetness on my cheeks, and I swiped it away before looking down at my wet fingertips. I choked back a sob and looked up again, facing my dream.

This couldn’t be reality.

“Nayeon,” I whispered.

She nodded, taking an unsteady step toward me. Nayeon looked just as shocked and pale, her chin wobbling with the effort to keep her tears at bay. My legs took me forward before I could think, and I crossed the room until we were standing a foot apart.

I watched her lips move and I wished I could hear her words, her voice.

“Jennie.”

She was really here. In my room.

Not a figment of my imagination.

Nayeon was here and safe. Unhurt. Alive. Healthy. Smiling.

Nayeon wore a black dress, the same one I’d seen the maids wearing. Her hair was brushed back neatly, set into a pretty brunette plait. Her hands were folded in front of her. She looked a little nervous, her feet fidgeting left and right.

But she looked so happy that I had to blink in surprise several times, thinking this was just a dream.

Nayeon raised her arm up, as if to hug me, but then she looked uncertain, scared, confused. Tears slid down her cheeks. “It’s been so long.”

I could only nod. So long. Two years.

“You are okay,” she said, her tear-filled eyes assessing me for any damage. I couldn’t take my eyes off her face. I didn’t want to miss anything. “I was so worried…all this time.”

“Me too,” I found myself saying. Bringing a hand up, I touched her soft cheek. Nayeon gave me a gentle wobbly smile. “You are real,” I gasped. “Oh God, I missed you.”

This time, Nayeon didn’t hesitate. I didn’t either. I fell into her arms, and we clung to each other, a desperate attempt to hold each other close. Joy washed through me until I could hardly contain it. Shaking with relief and pure happiness, I pulled back and stared at Nayeon's face.

She might have not been my blood sister, but she was no less to me.

Nayeon had been a friend to me when I needed someone the most.

She was a shoulder to me when I needed to cry. We had been bound to the same reality, the same thread, living the same tortured life.

Nayeon's lips curved, a whispered smile. But her eyes said it all. So many emotions. The mirror of so much tragedy yet a pit of never-ending strength. I could see her scars, both the physical and the ones invisible.