Chapter 1 ERICA

Sophia's POV

The rising and the falling of Erica's sweet voice were cascading blissfulness into the ears of the audiences and judges, the inexplicably and unfathomable joy and wins their tender souls. All applauded - in a standing ovation, in an orchestra hall in my school. I was so happy, so happy, that makes tears started dripping down from my eyes to my cheeks. Erica was my younger sister. She was talented to sing. And she always won all the competitions she participates in.

"Amazing" the first judge exclaimed.

"Wow," the second judge clamored.

"She sings beautifully" the third judge bawled.

Standing on the glistening and colorful lights stage. Amid the glowing hall with luminous lights. Erica was happy to see people in jubilations because of her. And she smiled with her baby face.

"The winner of today's music high school competition is...." the absence of the first judge's last word abated the audience's noise. All went silent, so silent, that I could hear my chest throbbing up and down.

"Skylar Erica" the second judge shouted. And Erica burst into tears. In joyful tears.

The hall vibrated with jubilations. I hugged Lucy and Bella. They are my best friends in school. And they hugged me back in gladness. Everyone wore the countenance of happiness except the losers. Who were busy shedding tears?

Although Erica has been winning different competitions this one was different. She won a car key and scholarship too.

Sitting with Erica and my friends on chairs in the school's restaurant. Shaking my head to the tune of background music. Students were congratulating us. And some boys were snapping pics with us, especially with Erica.

"For Erica" Lucy raised a bottle of wine in her left hand, a glass cup with little wine in her right hand. Seeing her, we quickly filled up our glass cup with wine too.

"For Erica" the rest of us chorused. And we drank it together. It was sweet in my mouth. Filling it again to its brim, I drank it again. The sweetness didn't satisfy my tongue. Filling it again to its brim, I drank it. And yet, I wasn't satisfied. And then, I put the whole bottle of wine into my mouth and drank it, and even sucked it off till there wasn't any drop.

Noticing them staring at me in silence except in the background music. And in their face, I read a lot of things. Lucy wore a face of disbelief. Bella wore a curious face - a face that has a question to ask. Noticing Erica's face now, she was just smiling. And I smiled too. Then eyes were rolling. Accelerating - rapidly like owl red eyes. I panicked. Whose eyes is this? I want to hold the eyes of that person, to stop it from rolling. Not knowing that it was my own eyes that were rolling.

"She was drunk," Bella said

"Hold her," Someone said. Then I felt a hand holding me tightly.

"Leave me alone" I roared, trying to free myself.

Amid the struggling. The eyes were rolling again. Looking at the floor, it started rolling too. I tried to hold the floor or else an earthquake might happen. Many hard hands held me back.

"Leave me"..... Then everything was silent. And dark..... "Leave me alone, or else...."

...........

"Erica, Erica, E - RI - ca" I muttered those words out of my dreams, and my mouth smelts of wine. Not ordinary wine. It was the alcoholic one. I sit up on our bed swiftly. It was my bed and Erica's bed. We slept together in one room because Erica has a phobia of sleeping alone. The school uniform was still on my body. "I suppose to wear night gown," I said and my mouth smelts like an alcoholic wine again. What happened? "What happened?" I managed to say the words out slowly, to avoid the smells.

"You got drunk yesterday," Erica said, coming out of the bathroom.

"Really?" I asked, covering my mouth with both hands, not to smell the gas of the wine again.

Erica looked at me. And smiled.

Her smile. With her baby face. Charmed my eyes. And took my memory back to what happened yesterday, at the school's restaurant.

"Did dad knows that I got drunk?" I inquired, without caring for the smell again.

"No. He asked me why you were sleeping in the afternoon, and I told him I have a headache Erica said, still smiling. That is why I love her, she always saved me from every trouble from my strict dad. "He gave me some milk and some drugs" Erica picked a packet of drugs on the red stool and threw it to me.

"What of the milk?" I asked

"Forget about it. The sick girl didn't need milk. She only needs drugs" Erica said, still smiling.

"So, Am I sick?" I asked with an opened palm up.

"Should I tell dad the truth?" Erica asked back and smiled.

Hissing like a cat. I started offing my school uniform. I'm sure that Erica had already drunk the milk. Moving down from the bed, I kept hissing. And I walked to the bathroom. I need to do it quickly for school. Still hissing loudly. But it seems Erica didn't care at all. She played her favorite song on her phone and she sings along.

Water was cascading down on my head and then down to my naked body, to wash soap foam off. I picked a toothbrush near me and applied much paste on it - it is a remedy to clean up and send the bad smells of the wine away.

The absence of the gas of the wine from my mouth relieved my mind.

I catch Erica peeping through - watching my naked body.

"Are you a lesbian?" I shouted and threw my toothbrush towards her eyes. She dodged it and laughed.

I ate my breakfast with my Erica - stubborn girl. I kept gazing at her with the angry face but she would just look away and smiled.