Extraordinary Mistakes II - Blood Ties

An act of love

The alarm on Sofie's smartwatch wakes Megan up. She snoozes it. It will ring again in ten minutes. This one is for the morning jog, Megan's sure. Fifteen minutes later, Sofie leaves. Megan remains still on her bed, contemplating everything around her.

For the past weeks, she has seen up close her sister's routine. Closer than before. How Sofie goes about her day. The morning jog. Always at the same time. The teaching assistant classes. The afternoon to grade papers. The dissertation she writes and how she stays silently for hours while working on it. All with the help of the drugs she sees her take.

Megan has stepped aside after their last discussion. Sofie's communication is limited to good morning and good night. She does ask from time to time if Megan is feeling better, how's the pain, and if she still can't use her abilities.

She still can't. Her body's pain decreases, not due to healing but time. Megan wonders if, like the death one, she will be powerless now.

Is this the price I must pay?

Sofie comes back, her smartwatch rings again. She'll snooze it and in five minutes it will ring again. It's time for her shower. That's the time she has. Then it will ring again in ten minutes for her to get dressed, have breakfast. Then it will ring again.

Megan goes to the living room. The sisters' eyes cross paths and mumble good morning to each other. Megan turns on the television and sees the images of the destruction of several nearby countries. A massive earthquake followed by a tsunami. The desperation of the people is devastating. People searching for their missing relatives, their homes completely tarnished. The news presenter shows an emergency voting taking place live on the Congress. They pass a bill of relief of billions of dollars to help the neighboring countries.

***

Two weeks later, Sofie's alarm goes off, but this time she doesn't leave 15 minutes later for her morning jog.

One hour for pick up. Her text reads.

Megan goes to the kitchen and watches her continuously snoozing the alarm.

"No run today?"

"No, I've sprained my ankle yesterday," Sofie gets up in pain and puts her coffee mug on the sink.

"Maybe my power will return and I can heal you." Megan sits down facing her.

"I don't need you to heal me. Never have," Sofie turns around and walks slowly, sitting down with her tablet reading.

"I have followed you for years, Sof. I never see you with anyone. No friends, no companion. I have been here for over a month and you don't smile whenever you receive a text. No one calls you. I've never even seen you use social media. The activities that you have are social, sure, but when I followed you, I never saw you engaging with anyone. You cut contact with Marianne. You are completely alone. That concerns me."

The alarm on Sofie's watch rings again and she snoozes it.

"Let's get one thing straight. You are here because that's what father would've wanted. That's why I'm helping you. You don't get to criticize my life, Megan. You don't get to pretend you know it because you have been following me around."

"You are my sister, Sofie. I love you. I want you well!"

"If you loved me, you would've stayed!" Sofie shouts and puts down the tablet.

She gets up and sees a new text. Fifteen minutes.

"I never came back, out of love. Out of love." Megan gets up and takes the toast out of the toaster, starts preparing her tea.