CHASING MY RIVAL

SHE IS MY EVERTHING

Mist’s P.O.V.

“Stella told me that you once again refused to take your medicines in the afternoon. Now, what happened?” I asked Naomi in a soft tone while stroking her head lovingly. “They are too bitter and sometimes dissolved in my mouth. I don’t want to take the medicines anymore”, she once again gave me the same complaint while shrinking her nose. I smiled and kissed her forehead. “You know, angel… I hate their tastes too…. But you have to take them. Don’t you want to get better soon?” I tried to persuade her like always but the sadness that spread on her face shattered my heart once again.

“You always asked me this question, Mist. I want to go home. I don’t like here. Please take me home soon”, she pleaded to me in a choked voice and I pulled her in my embrace gently. She sobbed while hiding her face in my neck. I stroked her back but said nothing. I didn’t know how to console her now. She was suffering from blood cancer and was in the hospital for the past six months. We got to know about her disease six months ago when she suddenly fainted at school. Her teacher brought her to the hospital after informing us and since that day, she was here. She was only 17 and when the doctor confirmed her disease, our small happy world crumbled down immediately.

“You are my brave girl, Naomi and you know that right. We will go home soon. Both us and the doctors are trying to find a perfect match for you very hard. As soon as we got the match, you will be out from here. Just…. Just stay with me till then”, I said in a cracked voice. To be honest, I was also losing hope now. She had a rare blood type that was the big hurdle in our way. “Will I die soon, Mist?” suddenly she whispered the words that I never wanted to hear. I immediately pulled her away from me and cupped her face. “No…. I will not let you die, angel. You are my everything and you know that, right? I will never let anything happens to you… I will never let anything happens to you”, I once again embraced her with a furiously beating heart. I had tears in my eyes that I didn’t want to shed in front of her. I was her strength just like she was mine.

We both stayed in the same state for a while without saying anything. “Hey girls… what’s up”, I immediately blinked my eyes to get rid of the tears when I heard my father’s voice. I gently Lay Naomi back on the bed and wiped her tears. “Hey, dad”, I greeted my dad when he came near to us. He knitted his brows when he saw us but didn’t ask anything. He looked at Mist who had closed her eyes as she was still sobbing. Dad took a deep breath and then looked at me helplessly. I passed a weak smile silently telling him that everything would be okay. “You are getting late, Mist”, he said in a low voice and I immediately looked at my wristwatch.

“Hey, angel…. I have to go now.. I will come in the morning, okay?” I kissed her forehead once again and she opened her eyes. “I am making you exhaust yourself, Mist”, I didn’t know what happened to her today that she was talking so depressed. “No.. no.. don’t think like that, angel. You are my life, angel…. I am doing everything for me, not for you. I … I can’t live without you and you know that right. So… stop thinking like that. We are sisters and”, I took a deep breath while cupping her face with one hand. “You have to live for me, Naomi… never … ever… think anything negative”, I said the last line in a firm voice while looking straight into her eyes. Her eyes once again became watery but she nodded without uttering a word.

“Promise?” I asked her in a soft tone and she nodded. “Promise”, she said in a low choked voice. I smiled and kissed her on her cheek this time. “I am going now and please take your medicines on time”, I requested her with a small smile on my lips. I stood up from the bed and then looked at dad. “Uhh… I am coming back soon, kiddo”, dad said to Mist and she nodded. I knew what dad was going to say to me but I didn’t stop him. We both walked out of the ward silently. “Mist”, dad called me and I just hummed in response without looking at him. “You know that we won’t be able to save her. I.. I don’t want to lose hope but”, he paused and I took a deep breath and exhaled through my mouth.

“We already had this talk dad and I always gave you the same answer. We will find the donor soon and will manage to save her”, I said in a stern tone and he sighed aloud this time. “We have already used our all savings. You have taken a loan from your company too. We… we can’t afford her transplant even if we get the donor”, I stopped in my track and looked coldly at my dad. “Listen to me dad… and listen to me very carefully. Neve… ever.. uttered these words again. I will save her at any cost and there is no if and but in this case. I don’t know why Naomi and you are speaking so negatively today. Just take care of her and don’t say anything stupid in front of her”, I said in a very cold tone and he looked at me helplessly again.

I didn’t look at him anymore and strode towards the elevator leaving him alone in the corridor. Naomi was my step sister and was seven years younger than me. My stepmother was a kind woman who loved both of us in the same way. She never made me think that she was my stepmother. She was so full of life and love. When Mist was born, she gave her to me and said that she is my responsibility, not hers. She died in an accident when Naomi was only nine years old. Before her death, she took me the promise that I would take care of Mist just like my daughter and never would make her feel her absence in her life. From that day till today, I took care of Mist just like my daughter and she was my whole life. I knew what my dad said was true but I knew one thing more that I would do everything to save my baby sister. She might be my step sister but nothing less than my daughter.

I came out of the hospital and went to the parking area to get my bike. I sold my car three months ago and bought a second-hand bike instead to pay the hospital expenses. I was working in Harris & Harris as the assistant of the COO and my pay was good. My boss Mr Christopher Stanton was a really good man. I joined the company only two years ago but he trusted me the most and he was the one who helped me getting a loan from the office for Mist’s medications. I now working in a garage part-time in the evening to earn some extra income but it was also not enough. I was still looking for some other sources but it was not easy to get everything.

“How is Mist?” my garage owner, David, asked me as soon as I joined him in repairing a car. “She is okay”, I said in a low voice while looking at the open engine of the car. “Everything will be okay, kiddo… keep your trust in God”, I smiled when he tried to lift my spirit up. I smiled while lowering my eyes. “I know”, I said once again in a low voice and then sighed. “Okay… what do we have today?” I asked him and then he told me what was the complaint of the car owner. I was a girl but I was passionate about cars since I entered my teens. I joined David when I was sixteen only to learn more about cars. He was doubtful about me in the beginning but taught me everything that he knew later when he saw my passion and my love for cars.

I started my work and he went to see another customer who just entered the garage. It was four years old model of SUV and was giving a problem while starting the engine and making some weird sounds during the drive according to what David told me. The pity the car because the owner was so careless that he forgot its last two services. There was nothing serious and I finished my work in no time and asked Tim, another helper to give the car a routine service. I then moved to the other car and started my work on that. “Hey, Mist”, David called me after a while and I just moved my head in response without speaking anything.

He came near to me and stood up beside me. I glanced at him and stopped when I saw the hesitation on his face. “What is it, David?” I asked him while stopping my work. “Uhhh… I know that … please don’t take this in a wrong way”, he immediately raised his hands in surrender in the air making me raise my brows. He gulped down hard and then took a deep breath. “I trust you, Mist and I know that you will not let anyone know about what I am going to tell you”, he said in a low and soft tone while looking at me hopefully. I nodded to give him assurance that his secret is safe with me. “Okay… so the thing is that… I am sure that you have heard about”, he looked around to the other as if someone is eavesdropping on us or not and then looked at me again.

“You have heard about underground car racing”, he paused and looked at me questioningly. I nodded once again and looked at him questioningly this time. “Great…. The thing is that.. my driver quit last evening due to some personal reasons and I need someone”, he said in a low voice while closing the distance. “I got you, David but how this is a concern to me?” I asked him in confusion. I also kept my voice low because this was serious. These underground car racings were illegal and we couldn’t talk about them in open. This could put David into a problem. “I want you to join me there, Mist”, he blurted out and I jerked my head backwards while still looking at him in confusion.

“I have seen your driving and you are capable enough to win the race there”, he spoke confidently. I was still looking at him blankly not knowing what to say. “David… thanks for the offer but I can’t”, he cut me off and his next words put me in deep thought. “The pay is really good, Mist, if you win the race. It can help you in getting funds for Naomi”, he said in a tone to make me understand what he was offering me here.