Death Kiss

The sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, a gentle farewell to a day spent in quiet contemplation. Aveline, her light blue dress now a canvas of earth and grass stains, traced patterns on the windowpane of her room. The air was thick with the scent of blossoms from the enormous trees outside, a perfume that always reminded her of freedom, of endless possibilities.

She looked across the room at Freya, her oldest sister, who sat on the edge of their shared bed, her gaze fixed on the wall, a deep sigh escaping her lips. Freya’s eyes, usually so bright with mischief and understanding, were now clouded with an unspoken sorrow, a blankness that unsettled Aveline.

“I see you got back from a walk with Black,” Aveline offered, breaking the heavy silence. Freya flinched, as if roused from a deep trance, her eyes slowly focusing on Aveline. “Is something wrong?”

Freya’s reply was barely a whisper, yet it carried the weight of a secret too heavy to bear. “I can’t lie that there is nothing.” Aveline’s heart tightened. She knew that look. Freya was hiding something, something significant. She always shared everything with Aveline, but this time, her sister’s customary openness was replaced by a chilling reserve.

“I, I think I fell in love.” Freya’s words, though delivered with a heavy breath, were a shock. Aveline’s eyes widened, a mixture of joy and confusion swirling within her. Joy for her sister, for finding what Aveline herself so deeply yearned for. But confusion, too, at the raw pain etched on Freya’s face. Why would love, the most beautiful of emotions, bring such an agonizing pine?