Sold?

I ran through the blood and bodies on the street into the dark allies towards the hospital Canaria was in.

It was way past visiting hours but I had to get her. I had to save her.

I couldn't lose more of my family to these vicious people.

I went in the hospital through the emergency in order to avoid the staff.

The place was quiet with its usual aseptic smell of carbolic acid but it gave me a sense of relief.

It meant they hadn't gotten here yet.

They hadn't found Canaria yet.

As stealthy as I could, I made my way to the infant ward, tiptoeing my way to the incubator room where she was.

She was sleeping quietly, just like the other baby. Their incubators were separated by a glass wall between them. In short one could say, they were in separate room. The other room could be accessed through the transparent door.

I placed my hand against the incubator, staring at her chest rising and depressing slowly.

She was doing fine.

I smiled but it lasted only for a second and disappeared as if it was never there.

Will she be fine?

How can I protect her?

I walked around from one side to the other, gently sliding my hand across the incubator.

Last time I was here, the nurse told me it would be very dangerous if Canaria was taken out of the machine.

Commotion.

I froze when I heard noises from outside.

It seemed like some people were arguing.

It was faint and this room was far but I could still hear it, those garbled words, probably because they were screaming.

I placed my ear next to the closed door to hear better.

"Sir! I can not tell you that! It's way past visiting hours!!" I heard a woman say, I'm guessing it was the receptionist.

Just the next moment I heard her scream and heard something breaking.

"Tell me!" It was a man's voice. It seemed like he was threatening her and she got dominated.

"B-by the end of the hall!" She spoke quickly and I realized she had given Canaria away.

I heard her fall to the floor, "You go take care of the CCTV footages." Some guy told another.

I locked the door to buy some time.

Then turned around and looked at my sister.

What to do!?!!

I want her to live! I want to hold and play with her!

Will I never get that chance?

…

I gulped and walked to her.

I only had one option to take her and run. I opened the lid of Canaria's incubator, took her out and was about to run when I stopped.

What if she dies because of this?

I didn't want that, not because of me…

I had no idea what to do. I was panicking so bad I couldn't even think straight.

Then, my eyes landed on the name written on a sheet of paper and pasted on the wall above the machine.

'Canaria Alucard, D/O Richard Alucard.'

Oh…

An idea popped in my mind but I hesitant about it.

I shook my head and brought myself back to my senses.

I had no time to waste.

I took the description off, then ran to the other room and tore off the other baby's name and description, replacing it with Canaria's.

The doorknob rattled and I jerked my head around with my tiny little sister in my arms.

They were here!

I darted my eyes around to find a place to escape or hide.

The men had started using force to break down the door.

At that moment my eyes landed on a cabinet.

I gulped and opened it up to hide myself in it.

As the door broke down, I closed the door of the cabinet.

It was completely dark except for the rectangular narrow opening of the cabinet that let a bit of light in.

I saw the same two men who were in my home walk in. They looked at the empty incubator and the bald one narrowed his eyes, but he relaxed them a bit when he saw the other incubator.

He walked to the other room through the transparent door and I saw them more clearer since now they were closer.

Both of the men looked at the paper pasted on the wall and gave each other a nasty smile.

"Finally." The bald one took out his gun while the other one opened the port holes, "Let's get this over with."

He slid his hand in through the access porthole and placed the gun right next to the baby's head as she slept silently.

Unaware of danger she was in.

Unaware of how she was going to die even before she got to live.

Unaware of everything.

I closed my eyes.

How lucky…

There was a single bullet shot, the sound of which resonated so loud it shook me but I wasn't scared about that.

I was scared for Canaria.

I shot my head down to look at her. My eyes had adjusted nicely to the dark and I could see her clearly.

She had woken up.

The noise had shaken her up as well and she was about to cry.

Oh no!!

No. No. No. No!

What do I do?!?!?

She opened her tiny mouth as little tears formed in the corner of her eyes.

At that moment I thought it was all going to end.

She began to cry.

I watched her with my eyes wide open.

I watched her cry without stopping and I felt a pang of relief and pain at the same time.

She cried with all she had but no sound came out.

She was mute.

The men immediately left after performing the deed. They still had work to do, which included finding me.

I brought Canaria next to my chest and comforted her

"It's okay." I whispered, "It was nothing."

I wondered at that time whether it was my fault she couldn't make any sound.

Or was it due to the time mom fell down the stairs, or was she born with it?

I didn't have an answer and I never got it.

I got out of the cabinet and placed Canaria back in the incubator. Then I exchanged the places of the incubators, bringing the bloodied one to Canaria's place and taking hers there.

I took off the description paper and placed it over the bloody machine.

'Canaria Alucard, D/O Richard Alucard.'

I stared at the paper for a while, then looked at the incubator. The tiny body of the child laid there dead. Blood splatters covered one whole side of the machine.

I looked down at the paper in my hand

'Liliana Nim D/O Naru Nim.'

Her name was Liliana…

I looked back at the baby and whispered, "I'm sorry."

I was sorry because she had to die in place of my sister.

I was sorry because she didn't even get to meet her family properly.

I was sorry because I chose her death over Canaria's.

And, I was sorry because now I was giving her identity to my sister.

I felt guilty, so guilty it was making me sick, but what else could I have done?

I went to the other room and placed Liliana's description page on top of the incubator.

Then stood by her, watching as Canaria drifted back into sleep.

I placed my hand against the glass and tried smiling but I couldn't

"I guess I'm saying my good-bye to you even before I got the chance to say hello."

That's right.

It was better off if no one knew what had happened here.

She can live as Liliana.

She can live a normal life.

She doesn't need to know this world like me. I would never want her to know this pain, this agony, this confusion.

I don't even know what's going to happen to me, but at least this way Canaria will be safe.

I finally managed to smirk at the thought that at least she wouldn't be hurt.

Yeah.

I nodded to myself as I took my hand off the incubator and stepped back.

No one needs to know she's still alive.