Symere, a young girl recruited as a holder at just 11 years old, uses her innocent appearance to outsmart everyone in the dangerous world of drugs and guns. When the talented Artist enters the fray, he becomes both a rival and a potential love inter...
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Symere was trapped within a cocoon of silence, her mind drifting between the realms of dreams and shadows. In her unconscious state, her only companion was the steady hum of the machines regulating her fragile existence.
Yet, in this dreamlike world, an unexpected presence slipped through the veil of her coma. It was a figure she had never seen in her life, Artist older brother who had passed away two years ago. Tall and ethereal, he stood at the foot of Symere's hospital bed, bathed in a soft luminescence that warmed the cold room.
"Symere." He whispered, his voice soothing and comforting. "Can you hear me?"
In her dream, she had no idea why he came to her out of all people. They weren't familiar with each other, yet, they were connected through Artist. Symere had no idea he had a brother, he never spoke of him.
"I've come to tell you something."He said, the shimmer of his spirit dimming slightly. "It's about Artist and your dad."
In her slumber, Symere felt an instinctual tightening within her. The air grew heavy with unspoken truths, and she focused all her will on listening.
"Chosen is losing his mind... He's upset, Symere. Chosen asked Artist to leave the house." His voice trembled, the ethereal glow around him flashing with the pain of unwelcomed change for his brother. "I don't want to cause any trouble. I just wanted to protect you, to watch over you, and prepare you for the worst when you wake up."
Symere sensed the weight of his words, the sharp edges of confusion and pain swirling in the air around them.
"Did he touch Artist?" She frowned.
"Unfortunately but he's fine. I've tried to find a way to get through to you, to tell you everything would be okay." He continued, glancing around as if he feared being overheard. "Chosen has been fighting with him about visitation. Artist is lost without you, Symere, and it's tearing him apart. You need to wake up. Even just for a moment."
As if proded by the urgency in his voice, Symere felt the darkness of her coma constricting, pulling her further into its depths. Flashes of Artist's current state filled her mind. Artist, sleepless, his face a mask of concern as he kept watch over her. She remembered how he had often stayed awake until she fell asleep. Now that she was in a coma, he never slept peacefully.
"He never slept well, you know." He said, his voice a whisper, nearly breaking, as though he shared a secret. "He was terrified of losing you, terrified that one day he wouldn't be able to protect you anymore. And now..." A sudden heaviness filled the space between them. "You're in a coma and he feels guilty."
"I've always felt safe in his presence, this isn't his fault." Symere's mind raced back with a flicker of strength, a spark igniting deep within her. "I wanted to protect him like he protected me." She said, sadly.
"Wake up, Symere!" He urged fiercely. "You can't stay here forever. They need you, and I need you to be free."
The room around her began to flicker, shadows stretching and fading in and out like a forgotten dream. In that moment, Symere grasped the weight of his words and the truth of his worries. She held the power to mend the rift, to hear the unspoken wishes of her family, to finally break free of the shackles binding her to the darkness.
