Fading Echoes

Chapter 19

A I D E N

"Good night," Eva said, smiling at us before heading inside.

After a brief moment of silence, Victor spoke up. "So... what's with this change?"

"What?" I looked at him, confused.

He met my gaze. "Your behavior towards Eva. It's different."

"I could ask you the same thing," I replied, raising an eyebrow. "You seem close to her nowadays. How did you manage that?" I chuckled.

He looked hesitant for a second before replying, "Just had some realizations."

"Well, those realizations came pretty early," I scoffed.

"And what about you? You're being really nice to her," Victor said, his facial expression hardening.

"I've always treated her better than Austin and you," I said firmly.

"I won't disagree with that," Victor admitted, looking guilty. "But you were never this loving towards her."

"Yeah, I wasn't, and I really regret that," I sighed deeply.

"What happened?" Victor asked, placing an assuring hand on my shoulder.

"Do you remember the time when Eva fell down the stairs and broke her ankle?" I said.

He nodded. "Yes, I was so worried. I wanted to come home but couldn't because of my exams."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. "I was the reason behind it."

Victor's eyes widened in shock. "What? How?"

I bit my lip, thinking back to the incident that still haunted me.

_______________

"Let's mess with her a bit when she comes down the stairs," Austin said, a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

"I'm not in the mood, Austin," I replied with a bored expression.

"Oh man! Don't be so boring," he nudged my shoulder.

I rolled my eyes at him.

"Okay, if you join me, I'll be your PA for a week," he offered.

"Deal!" I smirked. "No backing out."

We waited at the top of the stairs, watching as Eva came out of her room. She was humming a tune, oblivious to our presence.

As she neared the stairs, I stepped forward. "Hey, sis!" I gave her a light push, expecting her to stumble a little and catch herself.

But it went horribly wrong.

Eva lost her balance and fell harder than I intended. Her scream echoed through the house as she tumbled down the steps. The sound of her ankle hitting the edge of the stairs was sickening. She landed at the bottom, crumpled and crying in pain.

My heart stopped. "Eva!" I shouted, rushing down the stairs with Austin right behind me.

Eva was clutching her ankle, tears streaming down her face. I knelt beside her, panic surging through me. "I-I'm so sorry, Eva. Are you okay?"

Her eyes were filled with pain and fear. "It hurts," she whispered.

I slipped one arm under her knees and the other around her back, lifting her up into my arms and carefully placing her on the couch.

Alex came running in, alarmed by the noise. "What happened?" he asked, his eyes scanning the scene.

"S-she hurt her ankle!" I stammered, panicked.