Chapter 4
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“Young Miss, please! Your sister is still recuperating, you cannot-“

“It’s fine, Gretchen. Let her in.”

I gave another wavy smile at my frazzled maid, who was currently holding onto my dear sister, who was desperately trying to wiggle out of her grasp. She sighed, and loosened her grip, but was still surprised when Daisy burst out of her hands and practically dived to be by my side. Somehow, she managed to stop without hurting herself, which was good. The last thing I needed was for both of us to be bedridden.

She was still bent over, breathing hard. Poor kid. She probably ran the whole way once she heard the news. But after a little bit, she seemed to catch her breath, and she looked up at me.

“See, look, Big Sister is-“

I froze, as I really looked at my younger sister. Wait, didn’t this just happen? Okay, cut me some slack. I’m still ailing, y’know? Can’t be expected to be firing on full cylinders. 

Daisy and I didn’t really look alike. We both had brown hair, but that was where the similarities ended. I preferred my hair cut somewhat short, tried to keep a neutral expression, and was basically a beanpole. Daisy, on the other hand, hated cutting her hair, wore her heart on her sleeve, her bright green eyes always expressive, and was as plump as they came (the servants were just as useless as I was when it came to refusing her sweets). More than one visitor of Father’s had remarked that I took after him, while Daisy looked just like a much younger version of Mother.

Of course, that didn’t change the fact that she was the dearest person to my heart. It really wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that she was my motivator, my reason to get out of bed in the morning. I could grit my teeth and try and shrug off Mother and Father’s lack of concern for me, but I’d be damned if Daisy didn’t grow up with all the love she deserved. I swore to protect that smile.

But I was doing a pretty crappy job of that right now. Daisy’s eyes were dull and red, and I could see bags under her eyes and tear lines. Her mouth was turned down into a frown. Her hair was stringy, and I could see she was unsteady on her feet. She even looked a bit thinner.

How many nights had she spent crying herself to sleep? Did the thought of the idea that her sister had left her alone in this world ruin her appetite? What was wrong with me? How could I do this to her?

Okay, look, I get that I’m being a bit melodramatic. I got hurt doing something really stupid. That’s just how 12-year-olds are, even the ones who’ve grown up quicker because of circumstances (and I’m just talking about the ones before I remembered my past life). Even if I tried to play the adult, clamp down on my emotions, and try and muddle through, I had still been immature. Playing on that bannister didn’t make me a bad person, I know that.

But goddamnit, if you saw how utterly heartbroken Daisy looked right now, you’d rhapsodize about your own folly too. Ugh. Again, I was reminded of how badly I had screwed up.

Well, no time like the present to fix things. I hesitantly spread my arms for a hug, and Daisy eagerly took my invitation. She clung to me so tightly, as if I’d go away if she let go, and sobbing into my undershirt. I patted her on the back. Gretchen came over, probably to chide her for disturbing the ailing me, but I shook my head at her, and thankfully, she took the hint.

We stayed like that for a bit. Her crying quieted down after sometime, but her grip never loosened.

Finally, she reluctantly let go, and drew back a bit. This time, I made sure to look in her eyes, but for once, her expression was unreadable. We were silent, and I hesitantly broke it.

“Daisy…”

And then she slapped me. And started hitting me as hard as her tiny fists would allow. Of course, Gretchen sprang into action.

“Big Sister, I hate you!”

“Young Miss, you absolutely cannot-“

“Please, Gretchen, just wait -“

“You promised, Big Sister! You…said you wouldn’t leave me alone…”

The fight went out of her as suddenly as it started. She slumped on the side of the bed, mumbling, “You promised…”

I desperately waved Gretchen off. Despite Daisy’s best efforts, I wasn’t hurt at all, really. If anything, her reminding me of that promise caused me more pain. We made that promise on a particularly bad night, when Father had flung her off after dinner when she tried to show him a drawing she had made, and I had snuck into her room to find her desperately holding back tears. It was as much for my benefit as it was fr hers. I was making up for the parents who refused to care for her, and she was my anchor for keeping me from giving up. As long as we had each other, we’d be alright, no matter what happened.

I couldn’t blame her for feeling betrayed when she found out what had happened, even if it was an accident.

I gently grabbed her, and brought her up to look at me. I took a breath.

“Daisy, I’m really really sorry.”, I said, with as much sincerity as I could muster.

She squirmed, trying to turn away. Wasn’t going to be that easy, huh? Well, that was fine. This was one thing I wasn’t going to give up on. I made her look at me again.

“I’m serious, Daisy. What I did was foolish, and even though I had no intentions of breaking my word, there’s no excusing that I nearly did. I’m really, really sorry!”

She looked a little surprised, just like Gretchen had. I really did need to be more candid. I ventured again.

“You don’t have to forgive me right now, but-“

“I forgive you.”

I tilted my head.

“Um, not that I don’t appreciate it, but just like that?”

“It won’t happen again, right?”

“Yes. Absolutely.”

“Then it’s fine, if you’re sorry.”

“I am. I really am.”

Then, finally, she made that smile that filled my heart with warmth. This time, it was my turn to tear up.

Also, I was going to have to revise some of my plans. I still had far more questions than answers about the situation I had ended up in. In fact, some part of me was worried about who exactly I was. Maybe I was Melissa’s soul who took over Dahlia’s body. Maybe I was Dahlia who somehow got Melissa’s memories. This identity question had been on my mind. I worried that I was intruding on this world, stealing the body of another girl. But seeing Daisy dispelled all those doubts. If the pain I felt from seeing her wasn’t real, then nothing was. Whoever I was before, I knew that I was Dahlia Regisberg now.

And I would use everything at my disposal to live a safe and happy life. I would scour for anything my past memories could help me with to achieve this goal. Both for Daisy’s sake, and mine.

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