"Liar," Louisa muttered with dazed eyes.
"Liar." She repeated in a clearer voice, her head shaking in denial and her hands trembling faintly.
"Novel? Transmigration?..." Her gaze snapped up, colliding with Sienna's. "No! I don't believe you! You're lying to me!" she suddenly screamed.
Sienna said blankly. "I wasn't... Actually, why would I?"
Louisa's lips quivered. "You have many reasons to! You stole my sister's body and didn't want me to know!" She stood up. "You know what? I don't care whether it's indeed an accident that you have no control over or not. I want my sister back! Give me my sister!" she shouted with a pale face. Her little body was trembling, and her eyes had reddened.
Sienna's stomach twisted. Watching the little girl cry made her heart ache so badly. Honestly, she wished she could have chosen the body she could stay in, but the choice wasn't hers.
And... She couldn't bring herself to lie to her either. She felt that Louisa deserved to know the truth; however, the truth was obviously hard to bear.
She said in the softest voice possible, "I'm sorry."
Louisa lost it. "Sorry?! You're sorry for what? What could your sorry do? Bring back my sister?! I don't care!" She charged at Sienna, the knife in her hand already thrown away. After all, she didn't want to hurt Sienna's body.
Her little hand tightened around Sienna's collar, and she shook her. "Leave! Leave my sister's body! Bring back my sister."
"Bring her back!"
"Go away!"
"Give me my sister!"
Tears streamed down her pale face as she bellowed.
Sienna was very patient with her and didn't say a single word, just sitting there like someone who had no soul left.
Meanwhile, Louisa continued crying. "Take your life! Die! Do something! Do something! Just—just bring my sister back! PLEEEEASE."
"...."
"I beg you, okay? Just give me my sister and we will forget about this! Leave her body! You said you're in the military, right? You told me you're a researcher, didn't you? You're definitely important to your country. They would have found you another body or repaired your own!"
"...."
"Look, this world is not safe for you. So leave... please go away. Go back to your body or just someone else's body! I don't care! Just leave my sister's body!"
"...."
"Why are you not saying anything?! Why are you not responding to my words? My sister deserves to live but you're occupying her body and making her unable to do so! Leave! Leave this body! It's not your body! Go back to your body!"
Sienna finally spoke.
"I would if I knew how to... But I don't." She sighed. "I thought I would die after the laboratory blew up, only to find myself in your sister's body. I don't know too..."
Sienna suddenly felt guilty. In the novel, the original owner had lived till the apocalypse, but her transmigration cut short her time. A part of her did feel that it was because of her she had died untimely.
However, feeling bad wouldn't solve any issues. The only thing she had to do now was console the little girl and make her accept the reality.
Louisa sobbed, her cries softening into something quiet, yet not less heartbreaking. Her body slowly collapsed onto the ground, her face buried in her hands like she was bereft of any strength. But her trembling body made it obvious she was still bawling.
Her sister...
Her beloved sister...
Tears clouded her eyes, making her unable to see, but Sienna's memory lingered in her mind.
The one to take her out when she was bored, to get back at her bully whenever they hurt her, to bring her gifts, to share the bed with her when she had nightmares, and to stay by her side no matter what was wrong — was gone. She couldn't believe it.
How could that happen?
How could she leave her alone?
How could she not notice immediately that she was gone?
How bad of a sister was she to not realize her sister's body was being occupied by a stranger all this while?
Her heart shook at the thought of this, and she felt even sadder. Her tears were endless, pooling over the carpet and making her head hurt. But she couldn't stop.
It's all her fault.
When their father had died, she should have stayed with her and been there for her like she too had been. But she wasn't. She let her cry herself to death inside her room every morning, mourning and also suffering from the heartbreak of her crush entangled with another of her sister. Just... just how could she not have noticed?
She hiccuped, clutching her heart where it hurts so badly.
Sienna bit her lips, her brows furrowing. What should she do next?
Give her time to recover?
She glanced down at Louisa.
She didn't look like she would soon.
This was a very strange situation for Sienna, who never had to deal with crying or mourning children.
'Maybe I shouldn't have told her after all...'
But it was already too late. In the end, she gently placed her hand on Louisa's shaking shoulder. "I will be there for you."
The little girl didn't even stiffen. It was as if she didn't hear or feel her.
Sienna didn't stop. She continued speaking in the gentlest voice she could muster. "If your sister was here, she would never want you to be sad. For her, you came first, and you always would be. So please, stop crying."
"I may be a stranger in your sister's shell, I may not remember the precious memories you shared with her, nor the promises you made to each other, but I promise to do what she would have done for you in every situation — to be there for you like she would have been."