Chapter 5

“She still hasn’t eaten in days, I’m afraid, Madame.”

            Vivien Samson turned to the nurse and nodded sadly. “I understand.” The nurse left them then. The bright sun was streaming in from the blinds, chirping of flocks of maya heard from outside. The small hospital room was bathed in warmth, not uncomfortable, and well-lit. The patient, strapped onto a ventilator, seemed to glow from the sunlight. Her thin, light-brown hair was reflecting back the light and she looked ethereal. Vivien put a hand on hers.

            “You should eat, Liel.”

            Liel blinked and smiled, wincing as she did. It took efforts to breathe, Vivien knew, and she was grateful for every smile that Liel struggled to give her. It made her cherish and savor every breath, every step, and every movement that she was able to do. If her sister could not move, then she would move twice as much. She would see twice as much and she would be twice as much.

            “Manang…” Liel began but was sushed by Vivien’s smile. “How dare you call me older sister, you strange girl. We were born just minutes apart!”

            Liel breathed quickly, which was her way of laughing. “I know you are busy. Why are you here again? And it sounds like your clothes are wrinkled.” Her small hand hovered in Vivien’s direction, motioning at her suit and dark blue polo. “Have you come here right after getting into bed with your new husband?”

            “Dirty child.” Vivien scolded. “You have such strange thoughts about me. I came here straight from a… meeting. From Santiago.”

             At the mention of Santiago, Liel’s breath hitched and the monitor displaying her heart rate stuttered. Vivien rushed another hand on top of her clasped one to calm her.

            “Do not worry. I have caused nothing to happen.” Vivien assured her, stinging herself with her words. Her sister’s eyes were continuing to widen.

            “What have you done?”

            “Nothing, Liel.”

            “You visited her, didn’t you?”

            Suddenly the state of Vivien’s clothes was incriminating, and she withdrew to straighten them. A small silence.

            “Have you killed her?”

            Vivien’s eyes darted upwards, and she sighed.

            “Of course not.”

            “Why not? That’s why you married a mayor this time, didn’t you?”

            Vivien blinked, caught off guard at her sister’s forwardness. She exhaled through the nose, roughly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Liel.”

            “Vee.” Liel spoke, her voice was always faint but somehow it was the only firm reprimand that Vivien would heed. “I may be blind, but I can see clearly what your actions mean. If you want to go back, and finish whatever obsession that has gripped you since we left, then go. But please,”

            Vivien looked up and met her sister’s white eyes.

            “Never lie to me.”

            She swallowed the block in her throat and sighed again. “I would only do so to protect you, kabsat.”

            “If I am truly your sister then you wouldn’t f*****g lie to me.” Liel grinned, reaching out again to Vivien to hold her hand. Vivien hesitated, watching her thin fingers feel around the air for her. “You’re messing with a blind chick, that’s just mean, sister.”

             At last, Vivien gave in and leaned forward, clasping Liel’s hand to her cheek.

            Liel smiled again. “What about the others?”

            Vivien did not reply. She dreaded what she needed to say.

            “They will be involved in what’s to come.”

            Liel sighed, still smiling. Her thumb was now grazing Vivien’s cheek.

            “Will you kill anyone, Vivien?”

            “Yes, probably.”

            “Will you ruin someone, Vivien? Will you humiliate them before others?”

            “Definitely.”

            “Will you go so far as to get revenge for my sake?”

            Vivien leaned into her hand and closed her eyes, feeling the boniness of Liel’s fingers and knowing fully well that her sister could not see her pained expression.

            “Of course, Liel.”

            “I can’t stop you, I’m invalid and blind. But I can only tell you this: we can never be the agents of Providence, sister. In the end, our justice is not God’s.”

            Vivien opened her eyes and tucked Liel’s hair into her ear. She sensed her twin sister’s voice was growing weaker than usual, which meant that she was about to fall asleep. Gripping her hand tighter, she put it on Liel’s side and stood up.

            “We don’t believe in God, sister.”

            Liel grinned before her unseeing eyes slid shut.

            “Oh, that’s right. I forgot.”