"That's so selfish..." Ella said.
"Well, maybe I am selfish. I'm only human, what do you expect? You are my little sister and the only person who understood me since we were kids. I couldn't let your soul die because of me." Otto said, his eyes cast down in shame. Ella then gave a small sigh.
"I that you felt responsible for my amnesia. But if I'm ignorant about my brother, then I'd just be hurting you no matter what." Ella said with a trembling voice. "You know..." She began. "I... I will be leaving soon." She said softly.
"Y-you're leaving?" Otto repeated with pained eyes. Ella nodded quietly. Otto stayed quiet for a minute then smiled. "I guess that was to be expected." He said startling Ella. "I mean, you can't stay in this hospital forever right?" He said trying to hide his sadness behind a bright smile but it was already too late.
"You don't need to force yourself to smile or to be understanding," Ella said.
"To be honest I don't want you to leave. You are the only person I can talk to, and being with you, even when you can't remember me, is fun. I should probably act as a big brother and be supportive of your decisions, especially when it comes to bettering your health. But I'm too selfish for that." Otto broke down in tears. He behaved more like a child than his physical appearance suggested.
"Otto," Ella said softly. "I just found out that my brother is dead, and the ghost child I've been talking to for the past few days. I can't imagine how you must be feeling but I have learned after meeting my cousins and my mum and you that the past is painful." Ella said looking down at her pendant. "We shouldn't go back to it no matter how tempted we are by rose-tinted memories." She sighed and looked at Otto straight in his eyes. "Even though you want me to stay, my life is still moving forward while yours is at a standstill. I plan to move on with my life after I leave this hospital. The question is, will you stay stuck in this hospital forever or will you stop looking at the past and move forward?" Her determined gaze surprised Otto. Something struck a chord with him.
He looked down ashamed.
"I'm sorry... I've been a terrible brother." He said, then reached his hand out to her as if to pat her head, but stopped just before his hand went through her hair and kept it there. "You've grown up right under my nose while I'm still a child." He smiled.
Ella gave out a slight giggle when seeing that and Otto joined her. The tense atmosphere was washed away with the sound of laughter and tears falling. They shared their first laugh as brother and sister since Ella was hospitalised.
Soon Ella got the vaccination with otto and Mrs Brundle present. she was still not used to the needle but went through with it anyway. Soon it was time for Ella to leave the hospital and say goodbye to Otto. She was standing by the exit. It was the early morning so most patients were asleep.
Mrs Brundle was still on her way to pick up Ella. Otto followed Ella to the exit so he could say goodbye to his sister properly. She wore casual clothes and in her hand was the pendant. She turned around to give it to him but he immediately refused.
"But it's yours." She said.
"No... I gave it to you so you would remember me. Also, I can't really hold it even if you give it back." He said pointing to his transparent state.
"Right," Ella said feeling a little silly. She then hung it around her neck while waiting for her mother.
"It's actually my death day today," Otto mentioned.
"Could you call it an anniversary like a normal person?" Ella said with a smile.
"Well, kiddo. I'm not a normal person. I think a ghost has the right to call the day they died their death day." He announced with a smile.
"I guess so." She muttered then looked into the sky which was dyed orange from the sunrise. "The thirteenth huh." She muttered to herself then turned to face Otto completely. "I have decided to visit you every year starting today in this hospital." She announced with a smile.
"That might be a problem," Otto said regrettably. Ella looked at him curiously. "Remember I'm a ghost right now. Whether I disappear by force by leaving the hospital or disappear naturally because I've been hanging around here too long, it doesn't matter. My existence in this world is unstable and sooner or later I will disappear to a place completely unknown to me." He said with a wry smile.
"Oh, I guess I'll-" Ella began but then was interrupted by a honking horn from a car. They both looked and saw Ella's mother getting out of the car from the car park. "I guess I better be going. Goodbye then." She started then turned back to him. " I mean... God be with you." She said with a smile, starting to leave the hospital.
Just as her foot crossed to the world beyond the hospital she heard Otto call out to her. She looked back and saw him disappear right in front of her. Otto held his hand out to her as if to stop her from leaving. As he went through her body he also went past the hospital's boundaries.
He opened his eyes slowly, he felt heavy shoes on his feet and a solid surface where he stood. He looked ahead and felt the crisp breeze past his cheeks. He stared at the sunrise in front of him, actually feeling the warmth bathe his body. He felt his eyes go blurry and a tickling sensation on his cheeks. He touched his cheeks and realised tears were streaming down his face.
He looked at his arms than at the body he was in. He realised he was not an empty shell as he could feel a heart beating excitedly in his chest. Just then Mrs Brundle came towards him and called out to him.
"Ella, a-are you ok?" She asked noticing the tears. Just then it was as if Otto was pushed out of the body and he was driven back into the hospital.
Ella felt her cheeks in confusion and instantly turned back to the hospital. What she saw was a blurry figure disappear before her eyes. A single smile vanished when the sun bathed over the hospital. It was as if time froze right in front of her.
She snapped out of it when her mother called her name again. She looked back at her mother and gave a bright smile, salty tears still brimming in her eyes. She immediately hugged her mother with all her might. She knew that Otto was not behind her, or in the hospital anymore. However, she could still feel his warmth in the star necklace around her neck as the sun shone brightly, marking the beginning of the thirteenth day.