Sold?

I woke on something way softer than the dirt floor of the playground.

With a drowsy head I looked around and saw plain blue walls of the bedroom. I looked down and found myself on a double bed.

The environment felt safer but completely strange at the same time. It was nice to be on a comfy mattress but it was scary not knowing whose it was.

It was definitely not my house.

I glanced around again. I was alone in the room so I decided to get off the bed and go out through the door in the corner.

Getting down from the bed was a bit hard but I managed. I did fall flat on my butt but it didn't hurt.

I stood up and walked out of the room through the door which was slightly open and I didn't have any trouble opening it more to pass through it.

Outside the room was a lounge. I walked in hoping to see Dahlia or someone I knew but it was empty.

"Lia?" I looked around when I called out to her..

"Oh dear! You're up." I turned my head towards the kitchen and a woman came running towards me, "How do you feel?" She asked me.

She came and crouched down in front of me.

I didn't answer her. I just kept staring at her face.

"Lia?" I asked her after many seconds of observing?

"Dahlia is in the hospital. She's hurt."

"Hut?"

She patted my head, "She'll be okay."

I moved back. It wasn't like she was a bad person but I didn't know her.

"Who you?"

"I'm a distant relative of your mom. Your mom and I were very close." She paused to make sure I wasn't scared, "I found you both in the park late at night by coincidence."

I didn't know what that meant but I understood the part that she and mommy were friends

"I wanna ko hom." I told her.

"I'm so sorry dear but you'll have to stay here for a few days."

"Why!?"

"Don't you want Dahlia to get better? Or do you want to leave without her?"

I thought about it. How could I leave without Lia?

"... I wanna ko with Lia."

She stroked my head, "What a good little sister." She then stood up, "Would you like something to eat?" She asked but before I could nod my stomach answered for me and growled loudly. The lady giggled and picked me up, "Let's get you something to eat~"

She took me to the kitchen and handed me a pudding, "Eat all you want." I started digging in without a second thought, "I'm Emma. You can call me aunt." She smiled.

"Aunt." I said subconsciously as I continued eating, "Thak you for da food."

"No problem."

I heard the door open while I was still eating.

"Mommy!" I heard a little girl's voice.

"Claire. Laurance. How was your visit?"

"It was okay. Dahlia probably won't be waking up anytime soon." I shot my head towards the people who just entered when I heard the man speak about my sister.

Laurance, a man in his late thirties carried his daughter Claire in his arms.

"Mommy who's she?" Claire pointed at me.

Emma didn't say anything for a while. She was just looking at her husband.

"Claire." She stood up from her seat, "This is your cousin. Azalea. She'll be staying here for quite some time."

Claire was excited at the news and I liked it too. I had found a friend to play with who was around my age.

***

Lia woke up after a few days but had to stay in the hospital for checkups.

I wanted to meet her very badly but no one allowed me to visit the hospital.

In my mind, as a kid. I only knew about getting hurt and getting healed. I didn't know of the things that came along with serious injuries.

The day Dahlia came back she seemed weird.

I know people said she was weird before too but I didn't understand why they called her that. She was fine. She was always my older sister.

When she came back she seemed pale with heavy dark circles. There was a bandage around her head.

"Lia?" I called her but she wasn't very responsive.

Laurance took her to the sofa in the lounge and I followed, "Lia?" I tugged her dress.

She looked at me and I grinned but my smile faded immediately when she just averted her gaze and started staring into space.

My heart dropped and I felt like crying.

Emma came to me, "It's okay Azalea. It will take her some time to remember you."

"Wat?" I didn't understand.

"She's still hurt." Emma pointed at Dahlia's head, "When the bandage is taken off, she'll be all better." She was probably lying to me but it was the best way to calm me.

My mood got sour. I didn't like the fact that my sister had forgotten me, "Lia fogot me?"

"No." She patted my head, "If you spend time with her and be a good girl. She'll get better fast." I looked at her in hope, "You will be a good girl right?"

I nodded, "Yes!!"

***

I spent the next few days trying to cheer Lia up.

I would play with her, make her imaginary tea and food. I would sing her the alphabet song. We both slept together as well.

Anything I could do I would.

Slowly but surely she got better and one day she suddenly woke up in horror in the middle of the night and grabbed me tightly.

I woke up with a jerk and saw that she had pulled me in her embrace and started crying.

"Lia?" I was still half asleep and drowsy.

"I'm sorry." She said, "I'm so sorry." Her way of speaking felt more degraded than before but her pronunciation was okay.

I pushed against her and saw her tears running down her cheeks.

I didn't understand why she would cry like that so I began wiping them with my hands.

I wiped them away but new tears streamed down her face. I wiped them again yet her cheeks remained wet.

"Lia? You miss mommy and daddy?" Upon hearing my question she hugged me tighter and I thought maybe she really did miss them, "Let's ko hom then." I told her, "I wanna see mommy and daddy too!"

I wiped her cheeks again and this time they didn't get wet again.

Instead Dahlia started staring at me with a pained expression, "I'm so sorry Azu." She shook her head, "We won't be going back. Mommy and daddy aren't here with us anymore."

Her words were confusing.

"Huh?" I tilted my head at her and she answered

"They have gone to meet God." I guess that was the best answer she could have given to a child.

"Then when they coming bak?"

"Never…"

I blinked at her, "Is God not letting tem ko?"

"Yes.." She laid me down with her, "God is going to keep them now…"