Lily remained completely still, her mouth slightly open. The only source of movement came from the repeated blinking of her eyes, as if struggling to process what I'd just said. I took a deep breath, then continued.
"What I mean is, if you're scared of not having a home to go back to because of Mom, then you just have to fight her for it."
Lily tilted her head to the side as her brows furrowed together. She tried saying something, but the words failed to come out. After a few tries, she was finally able to speak somewhat coherently.
"Fight… Mom? How am I supposed to do that? She's… my parent…"
I stared at her blankly and scoffed.
"...Okay? And? So what?"
Lily reeled away from me slightly as an incredulous sigh escaped her lips.
"Wh- What do you mean 'so what'? I can't just go against my parents!"
I shook my head side to side and gently grabbed her shoulder. It's okay if she doesn't understand right now, but she can't stay like this forever. As her older brother, I have to show her that there are other options for her to take.
"Okay? What are they, gods? Lily, you're fifteen years old now; you can make your own decisions. It's okay if you don't understand right now. Honestly, I don't expect you to. But know that whatever it is that you want to do, I will be there to support you. If you're scared, then you can count on me. I'll fight for you until you're ready."
Her eyes widened upon hearing those words. She lowered her gaze to the ground as she began twiddling her thumbs.
"Fight… my parents? How?" she whispered softly, still confused.
Then, she clicked her tongue and dug her thumbnail into her index finger. The moment she did, she turned her head up and faced me once more. I couldn't help but shudder when I saw the look on her face. Huh, well, would you look at that– she can make that face after all...
In the depths of her black eyes, a vivid ember of courage burned. Lily grabbed my hand and gave me a firm nod.
"I-I still don't understand, but… I want to. So please, help me."
I gave her a gentle smile.
"I'll try my best."
I reached out my hand and patted her on the head. Lily closed both her eyes as she snuggled herself closer to it.
"Hehe," she let out a shy, yet happy giggle.
After a few moments, I began to stand up– but I still kept my hand extended outwards for her. Lily looked between my hand and me resolutely.
"Well, what are you waiting for? I don't know about you, but I'm definitely not gonna be sleeping outside."
Lily rolled her eyes before reaching out her hand towards mine and grabbing it. Her hand felt completely different now than the way it had this morning.
Something welled up from deep within me the moment I felt it, but I bit the inside of my mouth and bottled it down.
No, just a little bit longer…
I put a smile on my face and lifted her from the ground.
"Okay, are you ready?"
"Just hurry up before I change my mind."
I gently tugged her arm and began making my way towards our house. After only a few steps, a powerful resistance strained my arm, pulling me back. What the hell?
I quickly turned around and saw that my sister hadn't taken a single step. I lowered my gaze and saw that her legs were shaking.
"Still scared?" I asked bluntly.
"O-of course I am! My legs just won't budge!" she snapped, annoyed.
I let a short pause hang in the air.
"Then, should we not do it after all?"
Lily's nails dug into my hand the moment I said that.
"No! We should! But– I can't bring myself to move…"
Lily let out an embarrassed laugh as her ears took on a light shade of red.
Well, what can you do. If she can't bring herself to move, then there's only one option left. I let out a feigned annoyed sigh as I walked over to her and crouched down.
"Uh, what are you doing?" she asked in a confused voice.
"Oh, nothing, just admiring the ants… What does it look like I'm doing? Get on my back, stupid."
Even though my back was turned against her, I could easily make out the face she was making.
"Are you… offering me a piggyback ride right now?"
I let out a soft scoff.
"If you don't get on in three seconds, the deal's over. The–"
Before I could start counting down, a sudden weight crashed onto my back. Did she just jump on me or something? As I was about to pester her, I felt her warmth spread through my back as she snuggled onto me. …I guess I can save it for when we get home.
Lily rested her head on my shoulder and closed both of her eyes.
"Hehe, it has been a long time since you did something like this… How could I refuse!"
She said it jokingly, but there was a slight trace of nostalgia in her voice…
"Well, you'd better hold on tight. If you let go and fall, that isn't my problem."
I quickly got up and ran towards the direction of our house. She screamed at first, telling me to stop while pulling my hair, holding on for dear life. After a while, though, she was giggling into my ear. I couldn't hear it, however, because the wind was blowing loudly in my ears.
Lily leaned in closer and let out a soft, fleeting whisper.
"It's been so long…Big Brother…"
But those words never reached me; I just continued moving straight ahead without turning back.