âSister, buy a bunch of flowers.
See? They are beautiful, just Like you!â
âSister, how come you have a father, but I donât? Wonât you give your father to me?â
âSister, I like you so much, but I have to choose between you and father.
â
âSister, Sisterâ¦â
Who was it?
Who the hell was this girl?
The throbbing of Lucindaâs head intensified even more as a face slowly formed in her mind.
She couldnât make out the features, but she knew that it was young, always looking at her, always smilingâ¦
Lucinda was surrounded by laughter.
All around, it was all that she could hear.
The girlâs face was still hazy.
Lucinda forgot to struggle.
She gave in to gravity, sinking farther into the depths of the river.
âam I dying?â she wondered.
Before she completely passed out, she felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around her, and then soft lips against hers, blowing air into her mouth.
Someone had pulled her from the brink of death.
When Lucinda opened her eyes again, it was to the sight of a white ceiling.
âAre you feeling any better?â came the familiar voice of Cyrus.
Lucinda turned her head and blinked at the manâs handsome face.
âCyrus⦠she rasped.
âDonât say anything.
You just broke your fever.
We canât have you hurting your throat.
â
Cyrus leaned over and stroked her hair.
His eyes were red at the rims.
He ached for her and what she had gone through, but he couldnât resist scolding her for her recklessness.
âWinter is almost here, and the river is close to freezing.
How could you jump into the water when you were injured? Werenât you afraid of getting infection? Or were you really planning to die back then?â
Lucinda mustered a smile and wrinkled her nose.
âWhat about Abel and Rickey?â
Cyrus sighed helplessly.
How could she still be worried about others in this state? Still, he answered her patiently.
âThey were pretty beaten up, but none of their injuries was fatal.
They should recover after some proper rest.
â