"..."
"Ug…"
"Nin..."
"Nina..."
"Nina..."
"NINA!!"
Joseph's eyes snapped open, and he erupted straight as an arrow. Sweat dripped down his forehead, his chest heaving, struggling to breathe.
His gaze quickly darted around looking at his surroundings— in a small room bathed in a soft, golden hue, the first rays of morning sunlight filtering in through the gaps in the worn-out curtains.
The peeling walls, the faint stench of rot, the familiar creeks and hums— It was without a doubt his room.
His gaze shifted downwards, and he was met with the sight of crumpled bedsheets, stained with what he could only describe as patches of dirt and dried blood.
His arms and chest were enveloped loosely in an odd, white, paper-like wrapping were in a similar state, possibly even worse.
Is this… toilet paper? He inwardly thought. 'What's going on…'
His mind buzzed with a sharp, almost concussive pain.
All that he remembered from last night was Nina's state, his failed heist, and the sudden encounter with a bearded man.
'How the hell did I get here?'
That was when suddenly, he felt a small weight alleviate off his thighs.
His mind reeled— his senses heightening to find an answer.
Yet before absorbing everything around him, the answer found its way directly to him.
"JOOOEEEYYYY!!"
"JOEYY!! YOU'RE ALIVE!! YOU'RE ALIVE!!"
An abrupt tightness swathed around his chest, akin to a boa constrictor wrapping around its prey crushing flesh and bone.
This pain came in the form of a quivering, small figure with dishevelled blonde hair and tear-streaked cheeks, burying into his chest.
"N—Nina!?" He barely managed to mutter.
"I WAS SO WORRIED!! I THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!!!"
"Nina… a…"
"Yes Joey!?"
"A little less tight please…"
"Sorry!" She jerked back, revealing feverish cheeks and glassy eyes. "I thought you were—"
"It's okay Nina… I'm so happy to see you—" It took all his power, but Joseph somehow managed to find the energy to move his aching body, softly covering his crying sister.
She slowly hugged him back.
The happiness from seeing his sister alive and well was immeasurable. The warmth of the hug enveloped him, a soft cocoon of light. He had felt something amiss ever since he woke, but it was as though all melted away in his sister's delicate embrace.
"Joey… I thought you were dead… I was so scared…" She snapped him out of his stupor, memories of yesternight slowly trickling back from his subconscious.
"Huh? You should know it would take a lot more than a blizzard to kill me!" He mused, trying his best to hold back the dams of his eyelids. It was me who thought you were dead… He inwardly added.
"Blizzard? All of this from a blizzard!?" She pushed away from him slightly and stared dead into his soul. "You have bruises covering your body! You have a big mark on your forehead!? What happened!"
"..."
"It wasn't just a blizzard… Was it Joey?"
There was an odd silence as the two stared at each other before he spoke.
"I had a job interview… I just got injured on the way…"
"HUH!? What? Are you lying to me!?"
"NO! Nina! You should know that you're the only person I'd never dare lie to!" Joseph's resolve was firm, sincerity evident in his eyes and shaking arms. "You're… All I have…"
"It's okay Joey… I believe you… It must have been hard and scary…" She looked down and softly rubbed his bruises.
"I promise I'll tell you everything when you're older… The details are unimportant now so don't worry your little head about them… Just know that I'd never lie to you…"
"No lies between us, right? Pinky promise?"
"Uhhh… sure…"
Joseph's shoulder screamed in protest as he extended his pinky, locking it with hers.
"Cross my heart." He shook.
"And hope to die," she continued.
"Eat a thousand needles if I lie."
"Pinky promise!"
The aggressive shake sent fresh pain through his joints, but his smile never faltered. "How are you feeling? Yesterday you seemed pretty sick."
"Sick?" She looked at him like a confused puppy. "I'm not sick Joey! I'm good good!" She put on a bright smile and flexed her massive, non-existent biceps.
"You're a good strong girl aren't you?" He beamed outwardly.
But inwardly…
She's lying… So much for her promise… He inwardly chuckled.
He did not need to take her temperature to know that her condition had only slightly improved.
Her face was not only red out of embarrassment. Her speech held a clear rasp and heaviness, her body trembled still, and the seemingly random pauses she would take in between sentences were her attempts to hold back any cough or sneeze.
Joseph took a deep breath to regain his composure.
He looked down at his injuries and the mess of toilet paper woven around his body. It was then he remembered more.
And he felt that same sinking feeling…
He had been so swept up by his initial turmoil and seeing his sister that he had not begun to realize his own reality…
Joseph
Why am I home!?
Flashes of memories returned to me one by one. My mind and body beaten to near death, only sheer will and adrenaline kept me moving that night.
The man was going to take me somewhere, but I told him to take me home. I fed him some excuse about preparations, but that was a lie, and he may have seen it. I had to see Nina—by any means necessary.
It's all far too illogical… Why did he agree? He had all power to deny me, yet didn't.
Why?
I made him drop me blocks away, checked my surroundings with every step. No one followed me. So why is this feeling crushing my chest?
Could it have been something else bothering me— My gaze dropped to the soiled bandages, and the sinking feeling intensified, like an anchor dragging me into an endless abyss.
My poor sister... I must have collapsed at the doorstep.
Nina finding me, thinking I was dying—it tore my heart to shreds. My body didn't bandage itself. My precious, weak, stick sister wrapped me, hauled me to bed. Those dark circles tell the whole story. I made her cry. She didn't sleep. She thought I was dead…
My heart cracked even imagining it.
Her smile now is like a candle in the wind—fragile, temporary. How long before it's snuffed out again?
The face of the man who "saved" me erupted in my mind.
Then my own voice.
"I will create heaven on earth for you..."
My only path to redemption. He gave me a mission. A week to recover. My body's used to beatings—I'll be decent by then. There's no running from this. I can't afford to.
_____________________
"Hey… Jojo… What's inside that bag? You brought it with you last night didn't you…" Nina tapped him on his shoulders, snapping him out of his stupor as he smiled.
"Oh, this?" He picked it up, revealing what was inside…
She looked in confusion as he pulled out what could only be described as a long, folded blueprint.
"A Map?"
"Kinda… Yeah… It's for my new job,"
"Can I see!?" She leaned in closer.
"Sure!" He opened it wide, showing it to Nina for a split second before returning it to himself.
"HEY! I didn't see anything!" She grumbled.
"That's because it's confidential!"
"Confetti…?"
"It means it's secret," He smiled.
"Joey…" She looked up slightly and pouted.
"Nina, have I ever told you you're the best sister a man could ask for? How could I ever survive without you?"
"Y—YEPPP!!" She slowly regained her vigour. "Only every day! Without me, there's no point in living anymore!"
In their mouldy home, with eviction looming and no food or money, they laughed like nothing else mattered. Because in their hearts, all they needed was each other.
"Oh yeah, I was wondering why you used toilet paper to wrap me."
"Ahhhh— Was I not supposed to!?" Nina's gaze dropped. "Isn't that what they do in the movies…"
"Pfff," Joseph could not help but giggle at such a response.
"H—hey!"