The Royal Contract

Her eyes blinked at the bright light while her ears heard the unusual noise. When she opened her eyes and saw the window near her bed, she realized she was in her sister's apartment.

She stretched her body, feeling the stiffness from her sleep. Or was it because of her accident? Although the therapy was working, she still had to undergo several more sessions to regain the full functions of her body.

"Aaahhh!" She widely opened her mouth as she yawned, expelling the air in her lungs. Then, her eyes focused on the side table beside her bed, staring at the picture frame of her and her sister.

"Why can't I remember you?" She mumbled at the young woman in the photo. But she was not referring to her sister but to herself.

How could her brain forget about her? Who was she? What did she do with her life? And what she wanted to do in the future?

How could one forget the people she loved? How could she fail to recognize the parents who brought her into this world and her entire family who cared for her?

"What about him?" Her eyes might be looking at the frame, but her mind saw someone else. She guessed the remnants of yesterday's events still lingered in her memories.

But how could she not put him out of her mind now when she could not recall anything about him in her past?

Everybody said that he was her world. She loved him with all her heart. "But why can't I remember you?" She asked the man in her vision.

Could what they said about him be true? Her brain could not answer the question, but her heart seemed to have an answer.

But could she trust an emotion that she could not remember nor understand? Could she risk her heart with a stranger based on a gut feeling?

"This is hopeless." She finally gave up, standing up from her bed, accidentally dropping her blanket on the floor as she felt frustrated.

No matter how much she tried, her mind would not cooperate with her. She could not even remember when she had seen them before she woke up from her coma, not even a faint recollection.

She grabbed the blanket from the floor and placed them neatly on the bed. Eventually, she walked out of her room, intending to make breakfast.

"Ouch!"

"Uuughhh!"

She quickly grabbed her foot as she bent down on her knees. She believed she had stepped on something hard with a pointy end. And it hurt.

Upon checking the offending object, she found her sister's shoes lying around the floor. She continued to massage the sole of her foot as she relieved the pain.

"Damn shoes!" She picked up her sister's shoes from her path and placed them on the shoe rack in the corner.

She thought her sister had to learn how to fix and clean up her apartment. She could not help but consider her a slob.

However, she could not discount that her sister barely had time for herself. With her studies and residency, she doubted that her sister could even have a decent sleep.

Then, she sensed movements on the other side of the room. Her nose picked up the smell of burning fat, making her scrunch her nose from the foul odor.

"What the heck?" She quickly rushed to check on the stove, finding something sizzling in the fan before her eyes noticed that her sister was dozing on the kitchen counter.

"Roseann! Wake up!" She shouted, waking her up before their small apartment caught fire. She could already see the smoke quickly gathering on the other side of the room.

Then, she ran across the room, turning off the fire before grabbing the pan. Fortunately, she had learned her lesson, picking a pot holder first before depositing the burning pan on the sink.

"Hey! Rosella! What happened?" Roseann finally woke up, probably noticing the commotion. "Oh my!" She expressed shock as she quickly moved toward her side.

"I was preparing breakfast but must have dozed off." Roseann grabbed the edge of her sleeve as she tried to wipe her face off the remaining wetness in her eyes and lips.

"What time did you go home?" Rosella asked, remembering that her sister was still out when she decided to retire last night.

She contemplated calling and asking her sister. She had no idea what time she would be home but decided otherwise.

She was unsure of the type of relationship she had with her. Would she welcome her concern? Or would she find it irritating and intruding?

"Just a couple of hours ago. I went back to the hospital because of a patient." Roseann informed her, explaining why she looked so tired.

She noticed the dark circles surrounding her sister's eyes, and her shoulders slumped downwards. She could only assume that her sister had barely rested or had not slept at all.

"You should have gone straight to bed." She chastised her younger sibling, worried about her condition.

She might not remember her, but she still felt she should care for her since she was older and knew better. She could not allow her to abuse her body in this way.

"But I want to cook breakfast for you." Roseann reasoned, but she stopped her as she put her hand on her shoulder and guided her back on the stool.

She could sense that her sister wanted to take care of her. But she might be in a coma. She might have forgotten a few things, but still, she was not disabled.

"You don't have to do that. I am more than capable of whipping up something in the kitchen. It might not be a fancy meal, but I believe it is still edible." Rosella expressed, appreciating her sister's thoughtfulness.

She guessed it was not that bad to have a sister like her. Maybe she was telling her the truth, that they were close. They were two peas in a pod. They used to be inseparable.

"And you should be resting after being at work all night." She pushed her sister in the direction of her room.

She believed she could not tolerate her sister killing herself with her current working condition. Everybody needed enough rest, even doctors.

Roseann would not be helping and healing anyone if she was sick herself. Her sister had to learn to live a healthier lifestyle. She would make sure of it.

"But..." Her sister was about to protest as she resisted her. However, she was not taking no for an answer.

"No more buts." She stood firm with her decision. "You will go to your room and sleep while I cook our meal. You will only emerge from your room when you have enough rest." Rosella would not budge from it.

"Fine." Roseann finally conceded when she insisted. She guessed her threat to drag her to her room worked. Or it could be that her sister was exhausted and decided to give in was much better than arguing with her.

She waited until she entered her room and lay on her bed. Then, she watched her close her eyes and sleep instantly. She guessed her sister was more tired than she cared to admit.

She waited a few more seconds before she left her room and proceeded to the kitchen. She remembered she still had a black pot to clean and a meal to prepare.

"I guess this is what being an older sister is all about." She thought to herself. She was not complaining.

On the contrary, she liked it. She believed she was a natural. She could do this all day.

Besides, she enjoyed bossing her younger sister around. She felt needed and wanted as her sister conceded and allowed her to fuss over her.

"Thanks, Ella." She remembered hearing her sister say before she succumbed to a deep slumber. Was that how she called her? She could not help but wonder.

She, somehow, felt lucky to end up with a family who loved her deeply. She probably could get used to having a sister like her.

Suddenly, she could not wait to get to know her other family members again. Her earlier apprehension had changed into excitement as she looked forward to spending time with each of them.

"Lala lala lala..." She hummed a song at the tip of her tongue but could not remember the lyrics. Then, she continued where her sister had left off.

She started with cooking the basics, like preparing coffee and toasted bread and frying some eggs and bacon. She doubted she would mess that up.

But as she was finishing off, she heard another commotion, but it was coming from the front door. Someone was knocking. But who could it be? Was Roseann expecting anyone?

"Wait!" But she guessed she could not ignore whoever it was lingering outside as another set of knocks followed.

"Give me a second." She shouted louder as she turned off the stove, avoiding burning the last batch of slices of bacon on the pan.

Then, she walked quickly toward the door. At least as fast as her feet would allow. She still felt a bit of stiffness in her muscles, preventing her from moving faster.

However, she still felt apprehensive, wondering who would visit them at this hour. She turned to the wall, checking the time. It was still early.

"Hey!" She blurted out, surprised to see the person behind the door when she opened it.

She only saw him yesterday. Now, he was here again. Did he have other better things to do than come and visit her? She guessed not as he stood before her.