Family

Just then a little girl stumbled into the room. She had long blond hair in pigtails and brown eyes. She seemed shy as she ran towards Callum and hid behind him.

"So do you remember anything at all?" Callum asked staring at her intensely.

"No, I have amnesia. I don't remember anything apart from the things my mother has been spoon-feeding me." Ella said cautiously.

"I see." He said. Then an awkward silence fell upon them as neither of them said a word. Just then Otto cut the tension as he sat beside Ella on the bed.

"So are we just gonna ignore the girl?" Otto asked staring at the kid. Ella didn't say a word thinking that Callum would criticise her again. Otto just shrugged said, "Ok then." Then thought of something. "Hey, I have a question that I want to ask this guy." He said to Ella. "I'll just assume you're listening. I want to know where he thinks people go when they die." He said with a serious tone. Ella gave him a confused glance. "Just do it."

"Hey, I have a question." Ella began cutting their tense atmosphere. "Is it possible that I might die soon?" She asked seriously. Callum hesitated before answering.

"There is a high chance if you don't get better, your body is weak." He answered.

"That's a stupid question. Everyone dies eventually." Otto muttered.

"I mean physically you were weak but mentally, before this all happened, you were mentally pretty strong," he added.

"Really?" Ella said a little happy to hear she wasn't completely helpless before. "So... if I die, what do you think the afterlife will be like?" She asked ignoring Otto.

"That was two questions. And I can't answer that question because nobody knows for sure what it will be like." Callum said with a serious tone.

"I-i see..." She said laughing at herself.

"I know!" The girl exclaimed surprising Otto and Ella. "Basically when you die you go to a happy place of pure white where there are no rules or parents to boss you around, and there will be as much chocolate as you want, and you won't get any cavities and..." The girl continued just to be cut off by Otto and Callum.

"That sounds completely asinine." They said simultaneously.

"It totally does," Ella added.

"Brother Callum, you're using words I don't know again." The girl pouted.

"I guess they don't know either," Otto said casually. "Wait! Get a nurse and ask her!" Otto said as if realising something.

"So... Callum, what was I like as a kid?" Ella asked ignoring Otto completely.

"Don't ignore me!" Otto shouted in rage.

"You were very strange. You would freak out about everything and you would never leave me alone and make a fuss when I had to go home. You were seriously annoying but I guess when you were there he never felt lonely." He said remembering the past.

"He?" Ella repeated catching Callum's attention.

"What?"

"Y-you said 'he'. you said when I was there 'he' never felt lonely." She repeated. As if offended Callum immediately corrected her.

"No, I didn't." He said firmly.

"Oh, I see..." She said unsure of who was right.

"Anyway, I have to get to work. I'll visit you some other time. And you're mother can't make it today so don't wait for her." He added before he left holding hands with the girl. Otto caught a glimpse at Callum's pained expression before he left the room, but he immediately looked away and put on his usual casual attitude.

"Don't. Ignore me." Otto said firmly. "I have enough of that when I'm not with you." He said moving away.

"Sorry, but why do you want to know about the afterlife?" Ella asked curiously.

"Because I'm still here!" He shouted angrily. "I am the only one. Everyone else disappeared already to a place I don't know and I want to go into the unknown." Otto said with painful eyes.

Ella stared at him in silence. Again she was being inconsiderate, though Otto doesn't say much about himself she still had to be careful.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, but Otto gave no reply.