Imperial Coffee

Daring: Part Nine

A/N: HAVE AN EXTRA LONG CHAPTER AFTER THAT EXTRA LONG WAIT. *evil cackles* 

Cinder stood shocked, her grip on Peony's hand tightening. Her sister's lips were dry and cracked, but she moved them to speak, and Cinder leaned in to listen.

"Cinder...is it really you?"

Cinder blinked, surprised to find tears already collecting in her eyes. Peony's voice was so soft, so far away...even next to each other, Cinder could feel the distance. And she was helpless.

"It's me, Peony. I came as soon as I..." Cinder gulped.

Peony smiled, but Cinder saw that tears were rolling down her cheeks as well, staining the plain white pillow beneath her head.

"You...came for me?"

"Of course. I'll always come for you. You're my...You're my Peony. I need you."

Peony's hand slipped from Cinders, and her eyes closed, but the tears that continued to fall proved that she was still awake.

"You came for me..." Peony whispered. "After...everything..."

Cinder wanted to say something. She wanted to bundle the small girl into her arms and carry her away, far away. Peony didn't deserve this. Peony didn't deserve anything but happiness. Peony deserved to live.

No words came out. Because some things were not describable in words.

Then the door opened, doctors pushing past her, and Cinder stepped back, shaking.

"Please wait outside," a doctor told Cinder, and one second she was there, next to Peony, and the next she was out with the door closed.

Iko ran up, breathless. "What's going on? I was walking down the hall and then—"

"Peony opened her eyes," Cinder said. "And woke up."

"She what?" Iko's grip on her hospital salad weakened, and only a steadying hand from Cinder kept it from falling to the ground. She placed it on the ground beside them. Iko's eyes were wider than Cinder had ever seen them before.

"She's awake. Her voice...was so weak."

"What did she say?"

"She didn't say a lot," Cinder said, tilting her face to hide her expression. When she looked back up, she found Iko's lips wobbling, eyes glistening. Iko leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Cinder, pulling her into a tight hug.

Iko cried into Cinder's shoulder, and Cinder patted the back of her head. Iko sobbed harder.

"It's been s-so hard, Cinder," she said, shaking in Cinder's arms. "Without you, sometimes I felt like I was a ghost in that house, as if I-I didn't exist and then Peony was sick and..."

Cinder's stomach dropped. She loved being free from Adri, but she hadn't considered the pain she'd caused by leaving.

"I don't even have anyone to talk to in Portuguese anymore," Iko sobbed. "It's like p-part of me was gone when you left."

Cinder pulled back, watching Iko's tears still falling. She brushed one of Iko's braids away from her face. How long had Iko been holding this in? How long had Iko kept this contained?

"I didn't want to leave you," Cinder said. "That was never my goal. My goal was to leave them, to even leave who I used to be. I wanted to start over. I know that makes me selfish, and I can't expect you to forgive me for leaving you behind." Cinder let her hands drop and squeezed Iko's hands. "But I'm here for you, and I always will be, and when you leave too, I hope I will be the first one you turn to. Because you are my sister, always will be, and..." Cinder shook her head. "I don't know if I've said this to you enough, but I love you, Iko. And I always will."