The Dandelion System

Chapter 32

"I think my sister is at home today, because I was supposed to come home. I'm sure you two will get along."

When I turned to look at Otto, he was looking at me with an expression I had never seen before.

"Is my face strange?" I asked, embarrassed.

"No," he said. "It's beautiful how you smile when you talk about your sister. She's like what Oda is to me."

"You're right. You are absolutely right."

I turned away and felt myself become sick.

It wasn't true.

His love for Oda was different from her love for him, and my love for Catalina.

When me and Oda agreed to the plan and trade to save each our siblings, we both did it out of a possessive, obsessive, and unhealthy love. It was something our siblings would never have wanted. Neither Catalina nor Otto would have been happy to know the pain and danger we put ourselves through for them.

If they could choose, they would rather have us be happy than anything.

This whole time, we never knew. Or did we, but ignore it anyway?

The carriage stopped. Otto got off and held out his hand. He had became bolder, less dependent. I smiled and took it. Once on the ground, I showed him my neighborhood.

"That," I said, pointing to my house, "is the house I was born and raised in."

It was small, but pretty, with stone on the roof and wooden beams. It was not much different from the other houses but I would never forget it. All the memories came back and I suddenly thought of my sister.

We walked towards it and I opened the door. It was bright inside from the sunlight pouring through the windows. Otto peeked in from behind me.

"Catalina!" I shouted. "I'm here, Catalina!" She immediately ran out of a room, her hands gliding against the wall to keep her stable.

There was her familiar figure in a green dress, brown hair like mine pulled back and covered with a cloth. Her eyes were downcast like always, lids half closed. At the sound of my voice she turned to me, her beautiful but unusable eyes crying forth rivers.

"Karlina," she cried, taking small steps towards me. "Is that you?"

"It's me." I walked towards her and held her hands, and she started to sob loudly.

"Oh, Karlina! I was so afraid when I heard of the deaths! I couldn't sleep, I couldn't stop thinking that you might've been killed!"

"I'm so sorry, Catalina." I hugged her tightly and she buried her face on my shoulder.

"I would have hated myself if you were killed! I would have hated myself for sending you off to the Dandelion System! It's a terrible place. It's a cursed place." Her hands in mine were trembling. "I'm so glad you came back."

"I'm glad too," I said, and began to cry too.

The long night had passed and the long journey has ended too.

I was were I belonged again. At home, with my sister.

But something didn't sit right with me. I couldn't leave the palace at it is now, with Princess Oda trying to calm the public, the servants leaving, the King's advisers trying to take control, Aideen still begging to see the Queen, and Otto, finally set free but lost and alone in that place.

Was this really where I belonged?

"Lets go inside," Catalina said, gently pulling me towards our house. "Mother and father are waiting inside. They were worried too."