9 - Sister

Clara remembered something from her childhood. 

A sister. They were running away from the nanny. She was upset with them for avoiding bath time. 

In her memory, she and her sister were laughing out loud, the exact way Celine was laughing right now. She laughed with a distinct sound that brought back all their childhood memories.

Jeremy, the ever-attentive brother, noticed Clara before anybody else did when she was not laughing. 

He was surprised that tears ran down his sister’s face when everyone else was laughing. So he hugged Clara to shield her from everyone’s view and walked away with her face tucked into his shoulder. 

“It’s going to be okay. We're getting out of here,” he whispered in Clara’s ear.

“Uhm... I think she ate something bad. She’s not feeling well. We’ll come back right away,” Jeremy said to the group, his back turned, shielding Clara from their eyes.

Sebastian noticed Clara almost the same time Jeremy did, but he did not know what was happening, and his reaction was a tad too slow. 

He took a step and was about to ask her what happened when Jeremy swooped in and took her away. 

Left alone with Max and Celine, he couldn’t concentrate on their conversation. For some odd reason, Sebastian felt worried and protective at the same time. 

He sincerely wanted Clara to feel better. Now that he knew they were all just siblings, he didn’t feel as threatened when Jeremy took her away. 

-=-

Clara was inconsolable. She wept so hard, making it hard for her to breathe. 

She kept mumbling, “It’s her, it’s her... I know it’s her… My sister... she’s my sister….” 

Clara’s constant wailing brought tears to Jeremy’s eyes. He could only imagine the pain she was feeling right now. He assumed she was recalling memories of her sister.

A recurring nightmare gave Clara snippets of her past. Being taken, having a family long forgotten, crying a lot, darkness, and pain.  

But today, after seeing Celine, it all came rushing back. She felt like her memories were getting downloaded into her brain, and she was watching a movie showing what happened that fateful day.

Clara had been abducted when she was ten, and Celine was six. A very important last-minute meeting prevented their father from picking the sisters up from school that day, so he had to send the driver alone.

They were on the last stretch home, a few more minutes, they would be happily eating ice pops in the garden.

The driver always used this back road to get home faster. It ran behind the newly constructed townhouses, cutting through the traffic and leading them directly home. 

Only a few people knew about this shortcut, and there were no stops or intersections for miles, so it surprised Clara when the car suddenly halted.

She and Celine were in the back seat, busy with their homework when the driver announced that there was traffic up ahead. 

He got out to see what happened as Clara paused her homework and listened to what the driver said to the people outside. 

She possessed an inquisitive mind, and eavesdropping on conversations always got her in trouble. But this time, something told her it was important she listened.

Being around a lot of adults, she always heard about things kids should never know, and it was not always a bad thing.

The loud voices outside made her ears perk up. So she listened a little more closely, pushing her ears to the window, thus amplifying the sound.

Hearing them mention kids made her heart thud faster, so she told Celine to make herself small and stuff her little 6-year-old body in the space under the driver's seat. Clara covers her with their bags, books, and jackets, so nobody would find her. 

Her sister complains, but Clara shushed her, making her promise not to come out until mommy or daddy comes for her. They were both scared, but she promised Celine everything would be okay.

Clara heard a loud bang and tried to hide under the seat in front of her, but she was too big, and the space was too small to conceal her. 

She knew it was too late when she heard the door behind her open. 

The people from outside grabbed her and placed a bag over her head. 

“Get the other one,” says the man holding Clara captive. 

“There is no one else here,” says the other guy, and Clara screams for help to distract them.

Only one thought was running through her mind, ‘You can’t take my sister.’ 

Her diversion was successful because the kidnappers left the wounded driver and the car on the road with Celine still inside, hidden under all their school stuff.

-=-

Celine stopped laughing when she saw Jeremy tuck Clara under his arm, whispering in her ear. She heard him say that Clara had eaten something bad, but she was fine earlier, so she was concerned.

“Don’t worry, Clara probably didn’t agree with whatever she ate. She seldom agrees with anybody, so this is not a surprise.” Max tried to lighten the mood, but the joke just flew over their heads.

Max was trying to divert Celine and Sebastian’s attention so they wouldn’t ask too many questions. He does not know what was happening right now, but his siblings needed his help, so he’d look foolish just to get their attention.

“It’ll be okay. This happens all the time when she gets nervous.” 

“I think I should go help them. I can take Clara to the ladies’ room and help her clean up.” Celine started walking after the siblings, but by the time they reached the hallway, Clara and Jeremy were gone. 

Celine checked the restroom, and they were not there either.

“I’m sorry about all of this,” Max said apologetically.

“Celine, I still want to have lunch if you are available tomorrow.” He looks at her in question, and she shrugs. There were more pressing matters, and Max was concerned about their lunch date.

“It looks like we’d have to call it a night. I’m going to find them and bring them to the hotel.” Max said as he bade goodbye to Celine and Sebastian.

“Wait! I want to go!” Celine and Sebastian uttered at the same time. Then they both let out a nervous laugh. Each person had their reason, but they were both concerned about what happened to Clara.

“Uhm… I don’t know… I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You see, Clara doesn’t like people seeing her when she’s vulnerable. I’ll see you guys later. I promise everything is okay.”

Celine didn’t think Clara had food poisoning. From the corner of her eye, she was sure tears were running down Clara’s face. But then again, she was laughing too much, and wasn’t paying attention, so there was a huge possibility she was wrong.

With the night cut short, Celine said goodbye to Sebastian and returned to her table, where her friends grilled her about the men she was laughing with. 

They always thought she was the most introverted among them, yet she had three men in suits surrounding her and flirting with her. Not to mention the illustrious Mr. Colfer, who was the object of every woman’s dream.

Her friends got excited and exchanged stories about Mr. Colfer while she thought about Clara. How she made Celine feel at ease the moment they met.

‘Why do I have this nagging feeling that I’ve met Clara before?’ 

Celine squeezed her memories dry for any signs that Clara had been a close relative of a family friend, but everything came up blank.

Clara gave off this distinct and undeniable older sister vibe. Like someone who she could talk for hours and share her deepest secrets with. It made her remember her deceased sister, bringing tears to her eyes. She brushed them away quickly, in case anyone noticed.

‘If Carmen were here, we would have gone out like this every weekend. We would scope out men and scrutinize if they were good enough for us.' 

'God, I miss her so much. I know it has been 20 years, but I still miss her. I wish Carmen were still alive.’