~GEMMA~
Rays of the sunlight enters the room and shines brightly on my face in the morning.
"What a bright day, but sadly there's no brightness in my life," I mutter sadly.
I stretch myself in bed and stands up. Soon, I am walking to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for Chloe and I.
In the kitchen, I stand at the stove, hunch over the sizzling butter, moving with the meticulous focus of someone performing a sacred ritual.
I'm not making scrambled eggs and pancakes…. I'm making memories.
I'd raid my emergency stash and buy the good ingredients….heavy cream, fresh chives, and, most importantly, the cinnamon bread we only ever had on Christmas morning.
The aroma of butter-fried cinnamon and melting sugar filled the air, thick and sweet. I flip a stack of fluffy pancakes onto a plate, the steam rising like a fragile curtain.
I hear the low groan from the next room, followed by the soft sound of a sheet dragging across the floor.
"What in the actual hell is that smell?" Chloe's voice, thick with sleep and utter confusion, drifts down the narrow hallway.
I smile a genuine but bittersweet curve of the lips before schooling my expression. This is my role now, the cheerful, slightly mad older sister, giving her final, greatest performance.
She shuffles towards the kitchen, her hair a messy halo, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
She stops dead in the doorway, gazing at the table laden with fruit, syrup, and the towering stack of cinnamon-dusted food.
"No, wait. Stop. Is the world ending? Are we rich now? That smells like a Disney movie, Gemma. Who is this magical person cooking in our kitchen?" she squeals in disbelief.
"It's the chef," I reply, turning and pointing the spoon at her like a weapon. "She's famous for her perfect frying technique. Go sit down before you scare her away."
Chloe sits, staring at the plate of food with an almost wonder as I dish it out on the table.
"This is the first time in six months we have eaten something rich like this. Did you win the lottery? Did a duke propose to you at the club?" she asks.
I pour the coffee, placing the mug firmly in her hand.
"Better than a lottery. I signed a contract. A massive, corporate, life-changing contract that begins tomorrow. It's a clean slate, Chloe. All debts are gone. You're paid up for the next four years, and then some. This is my celebration breakfast."
She takes a cautious bite of her pancake. Her eyes closed in genuine pleasure.
"Gemma, this is… amazing. It's perfect. It tastes like when Mom used to make it," she says in delight.
The mention of our mother, gone too soon, hit me like a physical blow. I mask the pain instantly, piling her plate higher.
"Exactly. Eat it all. And then we're leaving," I tell her.
"Leaving? Where? I have a Pre-Med study group…."
"You have nothing but me today, today is ours, from now to dusk." I interrupt, sitting opposite her, though I only picked at my food.
The tablet sits on the counter, the digital glow a constant reminder.
"Twenty-four hours. That's my grace period before I start this new job. And I'm spending every second with you. I want you to make me a list, right now, of every single thing you wish you could see or do in this city," I tell her.
Her eyebrows go up, a pure, innocent flash of excitement replacing her morning confusion.
"Anything?"
"Anything. You want to see the new Dior exhibit you kept talking about? We're going. You want to ride that terrifying wooden coaster at the amusement park until you throw up? We're going. I want to see you happy, Chloe. I want to spend a day filling your emotional bank account so full that it lasts until I get back," I smile at her.
She put her fork down, her smile wide and cheerful.
"This is amazing, Gem. Thank you. This is the best news. You finally get to breathe" she exclaims in sheer happiness.
I will never breathe again, I thought, pushing the thought down with a sip of bitter coffee.
The lie is exhausting, but the joy it makes Chloe feel is worth every terrifying second.
Within forty minutes, we are on the street.
"First stop," I declares, pulling her jacket playfully.
We start with the frivolous, hitting the upscale mall where Chloe gawks at designer clothes, and I buy her a ridiculous, oversized pink scarf, a defiant splash of color against the monochrome future I am entering.
We are now going to the Art Gallery. Chloe is fascinated by the Renaissance section. We stand before a massive oil painting of a woman with a chillingly serene expression.
"She looks like she's keeping the world's biggest secret," Chloe whispers, leaning close to the canvas.
"Maybe she is," I murmur, my voice strain. "Maybe the secret is how much she sacrificed to look that peaceful."
The unspoken fear hangs between us, heavy and real. The time was slipping away, minute by agonizing minute. I have to ensure she has the memories to sustain her.
We are now heading to "The Museum of Natural History" I want to stand next to something older than the human heart, just to feel small again.
"Gemma, I love you. This is so beautiful. I have wanted to come here for a long time." She hugs me, then pauses to take a good look at my face.
"You look pale, Gem. Did you sleep at all? Or are you missing me already?" She asks, laughing at me
"I slept fine. Just… massive adrenaline rush," I lie, staring up at the polished bone. The T-Rex, once a hunter, now a preserved exhibit.
I am looking at my future. I am about to become Leonardo's museum piece, preserved in luxury but stripped of life.
By mid-morning, the solemnity has to break.
"It's time to go to the amusement park."I say to Chloe who is engrossed in the museum.
"Ohhh, yeah. I don't want to leave here." She says with a sad face "It reminds me of what we were taught in class. History!!"
"Don'worry, we will come back here again, when I'm back." I say to her, not even sure myself, if I will ever see her again.
I drag her to the city's oldest, most chaotic amusement park. This is the real test. Could I still feel joy when my soul was forfeit?
We see how people are screaming.
"Ohhh my God, this is so scary. I don't have the courage again." Chloe tells me.
"Hahaha! Chloe. Are you not the strong girl again?" I tease her, mimicking her scared face.
"You know what? I'm not scared now. I'm just…. In fact, let's enter to prove to you that I'm not scared at all." She says, trying to act tough.
I smile at her, adoring her cuteness. "You are so cute when you try to act tough."
My sorrows go away at that moment she blush.
"Stop it Gemma."
We start with the Ferris wheel. From the height of the carriage, the city looks small, insignificant.
"Is this not your school?" I point out the college campus where she studies.
And then, miles away, close to the amusement, I see a black sedan parked suspiciously far back in the periphery, the driver a motionless shadow ensuring my compliance. I freeze instantly.
I instantly know that he's watching us.
Leonardo is watching me!!!