"Annie."
The girl was suddenly aware of her older sister, who had knelt beside her with concern written on her face. Big Sis carefully wiped the tears off Annie's cheeks.
"When you said they took everything," Annie whispered, "you really meant everything? Even my clothes?"
"Yes," Marie admitted.
"Why did you lie to me?" Annie sobbed to her sister, "Why did you say the police took my dress?"
"I was afraid you'd hurt yourself."
Frustration bled into Annie's voice. "Why would I do that?"
"You were humiliated. You lost that dress."
"But you still lied to me!" Annie raised her voice. "You lied to me..."
Marie looked away. "I... I didn't want you to kill yourself."
"I, I... what?" Annie slowly brought her tear-streaked face up.
"I didn't want you to kill yourself again," Big Sis repeated.
"When have I ever done that?" She was seated there, alive, was she not?
Big Sis held her hands together in front of her. "Early this year, remember you were in the hospital?"
Annie nodded. "Yes, I fell from a bridge."
Big Sis balled her fists. Then she looked directly into Annie's blue eyes. "Annie, you threw yourself off that bridge."
"What? Why?"
"Because Mum wouldn't buy that red dress for you," Marie explained.
"The red dress?" Annie blinked her eyes clear of tears. "The one I lost?"
"That dress," Marie acknowledged.
She had tried to kill herself because Mother would not buy such an expensive dress? How selfish could she have been!?
Annie held her head in her hands. This could not be happening. She had lost the red dress. And Big Sis had lied to her. She tried to kill herself before. So many shocking revelations in so short a time. And... and... there was that time... that thing that happened when she was unconscious... that... that...
Big Sis carefully pushed Annie's hands away so she could hold her sister's face. Then she slowly turned that face towards herself. "Annie, please don't do anything to yourself," she pleaded.
The younger sister blinked her tears away again. She looked into Big Sis' brown eyes.
"Annie, don't hurt yourself, please," Big Sis pleaded again.
"I won't," Annie promised weakly.
***
Big Sis must have told everyone else in the family. Despite Annie's promise, there was always someone checking up on the little girl.
Annie had too much worry on her mind to care. All she could do was sit huddled on her bed, shivering nervously. Big Sis' presence and warm embrace was little comfort. It could not chase her demons away.
She had been a bad girl. She had been robbed. She had been sullied and humiliated. She had been abandoned naked and exposed. She had tried to commit suicide before. Her friends might not really be her friends.
She wished she had never woken up at the hospital.
***
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