"Yes. I couldn't believe he was that unconcerned. I had always assumed… that he somewhat cared a bit more about you. He had kept you home longer than he did with me, before sending me to boarding school, so I don't know why... I should have known better. Anyway, it made me mad so I figured if I was mad at our father I had to at least do better than he did as a parent. I mean, I know we are only half-sisters but you're still much younger than me, and without any decent parental figure."
I have to keep myself from chuckling when she says that. Despite her very strict tone, I guess that's her way of showing she cares. I think I'm trying to understand how it works in our family... I'm completely fine giving up on that asshole of a father though. From the bit I remembered of him, I'm not missing out on much. I nod and take a deep breath.
"Amy?"
"Yes?"
"...Thank you. For being my family."
She goes silent on the other end of the phone, but that's fine. I didn't expect any cheesy response from her. I just wanted her to hear it from me at least.
I hear her clear her throat and I smile. Is she touched?
"A-alright," she says. "...Anything else you remember?"
"Uh, I don't think so. That's pretty much it."
"I see, I don't know what happened in that accident but... Clarissa, your disease..."
"I know. I'm healed, aren't I?"
"Yes. I asked them to check and double-check everything. They said aside from your injuries, everything is... gone. I am not really knowledgeable in the medical field, but they said it's like all of your cells had regenerated. Your lungs are as good as any healthy person your age, your blood is clean, everything is... fine."
"I remember how I felt before the accident, a bit. I know I wasn't feeling well."
"Clarissa, you were terminally ill. Our family doctor said you should have... died within a couple of years. I don't know what happened in that accident but it saved you."
Magic saved me.
I don't know what happened, how Clarissa got ahold of Mara's powers, but... somehow, she found a way to survive. Not only did she heal herself but she... we acquired these powers in the meantime. A Cursed One's body who should have died now is as good as the body of the Fire Witch who should have lived instead. How the hell is that possible?
I lean against the kitchen counter, my head filled with questions. I'm mostly uneasy because I'm afraid to know what Clarissa did, the price she paid for this new life. Why I don't remember myself as Clarissa, and why the name Mara is the one that sticks in my head. Something about all of this scares me. As if some truths I still have to uncover are going to hurt more people...
"Amy... Why didn't you tell me? That I was sick before?"
"Oh. I..."
She sighs.
"I don't know. I didn't have any plans to actually hide it from you at first, but then, before you woke up, I guess I just felt like maybe it was better you didn't remember. I thought... you might be happier if you had a chance to start over. You had... a new life given to you. I honestly don't care to know how it happened. I just felt you deserved it after... everything. You were in a new city, you had a new friend, a new life away from our father and everything you went through as a child. I felt like maybe this was a chance I should give you. I know if it had happened to me, I would have taken it. So, I made the choice for you."
I nod.
I can't say I fully agree with her decision but... Clarissa and Amy weren't close enough to tell each other their secrets. Her dying, younger sister came to Silver City and suddenly, she wasn't ill anymore but an amnesiac. I don't know what I would have done in her stead, but Amy knew Clarissa wasn't happy. No matter how far apart they were, she couldn't ignore the fact that her little sister was unhappy with her previous life.
The bullying episode... I didn't tell Amy. She probably doesn't need to know that but maybe, she would have been comforted in her decision if she knew.
"...Are you upset? That I didn't tell you?"
I hesitate. I probably am a bit. I mean, I wish she had been much more honest about everything, earlier. It's not that I really resent Amy. I do understand she was trying to do what's best for me, but it's just that our relationship was too... awkward to begin with. I guess she and Clarissa never really learned how to behave as proper sisters, so she just acted the way she felt was the best for her estranged sister. It's not wrong, it's just... not really right, either.
"I understand," I simply reply. "However, I'd appreciate it if you... asked me things directly, from now on."
"I will."
"...And not pay my friends to do it."
"...Oh."
