His Proposal

His Proposal - 4

Three Months Later

It's been three months since I moved to Los Angeles to be the guardian of my brother and sister, and it hasn't been easy for any of us.

A day after my parents' funeral, we moved out of the house and into an apartment building in Burbank. The apartment building we moved into has the best security measures in place, and it's what we need because our parents' murderers are still out there.

The building's entrance door has a security lock; the only way to get in and out is to know the code. The codes are changed weekly for the people who live in the building.

There's a security guard behind the desk in the foyer. He knows everyone's names in the building. I recently learnt the security guy's name: Hans.

Hans is a big guy with tanned skin. His arms and legs are full of muscle, and he's bold. He looks like a WWE Wrestler.

When Aleysa and Nate aren't doing their homework, they are downstairs talking to Hans. During his night shift, they bring him leftover food and keep him company until he's finished dinner.

Looking at the clock, I see it's 7 a.m., and my sister hasn't come down the hall for breakfast. I walk to her room and open the door.

Entering the room, I see her back turned to the door. "Aleysa, it's time for you to get up." She doesn't make a sound or move. Turning her on her back, I see she's pale, and there's blood in the pillowcase and sheets. Dried blood is covering her face and nose. As I pull the blankets back, I see bruises forming on her body.

What's happening to my sister?

"Nate," I yell.

Nate runs into the room and looks at me. "What?"

"Call an ambulance. There's something wrong with Aleysa." I move my hand close to her mouth, ensuring she's breathing. I know she's still with us when I feel a slight breeze blowing.

She's alive.

I sat on the bed and looked at my sister.

Nate pulls his phone out of his pocket and calls 911. He tells them what's wrong with Aleysa.

While he's on the phone, I grab an overnight bag from the closet and start packing it for Aleysa.

I don't know how long we're going to be at the hospital.

For the last week and a half, Aleysa has been sick. She started to feel lethargic, and then her appetite diminished a couple of days ago.

Last week, I got a phone call from Aleysa's school, and they told me she wasn't feeling well. I went to school and picked her up.

When we got home, she went straight to bed and slept.

That night, I brought her some soup, and she ate that.

During the day, Aleysa screamed my name, and I jumped out of bed. Running to her room, I found her on the ground. I helped her up and asked. "What happened?"

Tears fell down her face as she said. "I was going to the bathroom, and I started to feel dizzy and fell."

After putting her in bed, I put the blankets over her. I walked into the bathroom and filled the cup on the counter. Giving the water to Aleysa, I said, "You need to stay hydrated, sis."

Aleysa takes the cup from me and drinks it. When the cup is empty, she gives it to me. "Thanks," she says, lying back in bed and falling asleep.

I kiss her cheek and whisper, "I'll fill the cup up." Walking to the bathroom, I fill the cup again, put it on the nightstand, and leave the room.