Chapter 4

Two weeks earlier, Frea City, street 1

Andy continued holding her mother's palm in hers. She had done everything she could to keep her warm by putting on socks on her legs and covering her with blankets but the attack was getting more intense. She knew that this was getting out of control and she couldn't understand why Ammy had been gone for such along time.After some more minutes, their mother started breathing in extra heavily as though she was just tired of breathing so painfully for a long while. Andy began to panic seeing her mother's state.

"mummy....are you okay mummy?" she asked not able to hold back her tears anymore. She knew that she wasn't okay and that she was hurting but she couldn't stop herself from asking such a rhetorical question due to fear and panic.Gradually, her mother's breathing stated slowing down and she looked more pale and weaker and her eyes began closing slowly. Andy let go of her mother's palms and cupped her face in her hands while shouting at her atleast to keep her awake.

"Stay with me mummy....you will be fine....Ammy went to get you an inhaler so be a little more patient," Andy shouted at her mother as tears blinded her eyes. Finally, her mother's breathing stopped and she shut her eyes slowly making her go wild.

"Ammy!!!....hurry up ...mother is leaving us," Andy shouted at the top of her lungs before turning to her mother's now still body. She shook her vigorously as if that shaking would return her mother's life back.She couldn't believe that she witnessed her mother breathing her last and she could do nothing to help her. She couldn't believe that her beloved mother...the strongest woman who had sacrificed her all for her and her sister had just left the world just like that.

"M... mummy," Andy called as she took her head and rested it on her lap while patting her hair gently, " you better wake up mummy....your beloved daughters still need you...why are leaving us alone now mummy...you promised to always be there for us...b..but you are breaking your promise.Its not fair mummy, please don't do this to us," Andy continued pleading with her mother's lifeless body. Seeing that her pleading was in vain, Andy started shouting her mother's name and called to Ammy who was not back yet.Her shouting attracted the neighbors who came to her aid. An ambulance arrived a short while later and the doctors confirmed that, Melanie,their mother was dead before taking her body to a morgue. Days passed by and the day of her mother's funeral arrived but Ammy was nowhere to be seen even after the burial. Andy was distressed and all alone so she was taken by Emmy,her mother's elder sister who was leaving in Gel. Andy couldn't help but wonder what happened to her sister that night that she never came back. She had disappeared without trace as if she never existed before. No amount or tears could end the pain she felt deep in her heart for losing her mother in such an unexpected situation and her sister wasn't there to stand by her when their mother passed away. Letting anger take the good side of her, Andy decided to savor all ties with her elder sister Ammy. She blamed her for their mother's death.

"Ammy you are responsible for what happened to mother...you killed her after everything she did for us...I hate you Ammy and you are no longer as sister to me no matter where you are," Andy cursed that night as she crouched at the furthest corner of the room her aunt had given her in her house. Aunt Emmy was a rich lady and she had three kids of her own; Richard, Leon and Martin, so she was happy that she had a daughter to take care of. She tried every way possible for Andy to smile again but she failed. The thirteenth year old Andy was taken to a psychiatrist to help her with her situation a week after her mother's burial since aunt Emmy knew that she would be affected greatly by what happened to her. However, Andy was still interested with what happened to her sister and she decided to ask Richard, her aunt's eldest son who was also a news presenter of a famous tv channel to help her look for her sister. The man readily did as her younger sister had asked of him but he found nothing. There was no record of Ammy Walker in any hospital, morgue nor police custody. That revelation made Andy Walker believe that her sister had actually decided to run away when both their mother and her needed her the most. Ammy was seven years older than Andy and she was responsible as well and Andy was sure that Ammy loved them so much but she didn't understand why she would do that to them and let their poor mother die so painfully. Andy kept on reminding herself that their mother didn't deserve to die that way but Ammy had pushed her to her early death before running away in the pretence of going to buy a new inhaler for her mother. She hated her sister even more as she remembered that night of nights.A night that had changed her entire life and being so drastically.

"Why did you do this Ammy?" Andy continued asking in the middle of her tears as she always did before going to bed and every morning before doing anything but she was never answered. But this night, someone answered her

"Andy...you shouldn't blame your sister for what happened....just think of it...could Ammy have done anything to hurt you or aunt Melanie?...We have no idea of what happened but you shouldn't blame her for what happened," Richard answered her before pulling her into a warm embrace and Andy cried there, cleansing her inner being but deep down, she knew she would always blame her for what happened because only she was responsible for that tragedy that occured and no one could change that.

"So dear sister, what do you think about joining school now....or do you still need more time?" Richard asked while smiling after Andy had calmed down. Andy answered her almost immediately, as if she had been waiting for the question.

"Am ready to go to school now. Besides everything that has happened cannot be changed and I shouldn't waste any more time... don't you think so?" Andy asked and Richard nodded his head while smiling warmly at her. After giving her consent, Andy finally joined school in Gel and started moving on with life.