Best Gift of God

I am not qualified

Neeya POV

I saw Maya's eyes widen as I said the word elder sister. But as I confessed to her how I felt, I saw her go still. Her stare was blank. I shook her slightly, calling her name several times, but got no response. Slowly, I saw her eyelids start to drop. I wrapped my hand around her before she fell. I heard her say something but couldn't catch its meaning.

"Maya, let me take you to the hospital," I said, running my hand over the back of her head. I felt her shaking her head. "You want to go home?" I asked. She didn't respond; instead, she adjusted her head on my shoulder more comfortably. "Got it. You need sleep," I said, kissing the top of her head.

I called a cab, and then I took her home. She was whimpering incoherent words during the whole ride. When we reached our destination, I patted her cheek to wake her up.

"Maya, wake up. Maya..." She opened her eyes and clasped her head, whimpering in pain. "Maya, are you okay?"

"Where am I?" Instead of answering, she questioned back. Her voice was so weak that it barely reached my ears.

"In front of your home." I answered, pushing her hair behind her ears.

"Home?" she whispered. She was half unconscious when I got her inside the cab. So, she doesn't have any clue where she is.

"Yes. You felt sick. So, I brought you home. Now, come on. Let's get inside," I told her softly, getting her out of the cab and leading her to her house. She kept her head on my shoulder, as she was too tired to keep her head up. "Where's your keys?" She let out a key from her bag and went to unlock the door. But her hand was shaking uncontrollably. The key had nowhere to go inside the whole. I placed my hand over hers, helping her unlock the door.

She stepped forward inside the house, but her step stumbled. I quickly wrapped my arms around her, preventing her from falling. I led her to the living room and sat her on the couch. I brought water and handed it over to her. She took the glass with a shaky hand. I never let go of her hand. She drank the entire contents of the glass. She leaned against the couch, closing her eyes and inhaling deeply. I keep brushing my hands over her hair.

"Neeya, can you please take me to my room? My limbs felt so numb. I can't move," Maya whispered weakly. It sounded as if she was having trouble speaking.

"Sure, come." I put one of her hands over my shoulder and secured my arm around her waist. I took her upstairs to her room. She kept her head on my shoulders the whole time. I laid her down on her bed. As soon as her back touched the soft mat, she fell into a deep slumber. I let her sleep and went downstairs to make dinner.

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"Neeyaaaa!" Maya jerked up from her sleep, screaming my name. She was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. I rushed to her side. She pulled me into her chest in a jerk and held me tightly as if I were going to disappear. When she pushed back, she showered kisses all over my face. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Maya, are you okay? What happened?" I asked her worriedly. She didn't respond; instead, she started panicking. She was trembling and mumbling incoherent words.

"I... I... " She tried to speak but couldn't form any words. I squeezed her cheek with my thumb.

"It's alright. It was a nightmare. Everything is fine. So, calm down," I said, softly wiping her tears. She swats my hand from her cheek.

"Nothing is alright. You don't know anything!" She started taking short breaths. "I am warning you, Neeya, don't... don't consider me your elder sister. I am not qualified to be a sister, let alone a big sister," she screamed, trying to catch her breath. "You don't know anything. You don't know how worst of an elder sister I am! You know I... I... I have killed my own little brother!" she gasped for air but still continued, "I am a killer. I am not a sister; I am a killer," she fretted. Her face turned blue, and her lips were pale. Her condition was worsening with every passing second. If this continues, she will be in shock.