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Yan Ran abruptly springs up from her bed as she wakes up in a cold sweat, a piercing scream on her lips. Her whole body is drenched in sweat and she is shivering with fear.
She looks visibly shaken and her mind is still trying to differentiate between reality and the dream.
She has not had one of these nightmares in quite a while. Is it this place that has triggered them again?
Maybe it is because of how stressful the day has been.
She reaches over to her bed side table for her alarm clock and checks the time.
It is 3:43am. Her throat feels parched. She's about make her way to the bath-room to freshen up when she hears a knock on her bedroom door.
"Ran, are you okay?" comes the concerned voice of her brother Ying Jei.
Yan Ran's throat is so dry that the only sound that comes out of her mouth is a squeak.
"Ran, are you awake? I'm coming in," her brother says worriedly and he opens the door cautiously.
He notices her sweaty face, guessing right away what has happened.
"Did you have one of your nightmares again?" he asks, the frown on his face revealing his troubled thoughts.
She nods, still trying to disentangle herself from her nightmare induced daze.
"Let me get you some water," her brother offers
She nods while trying to recollect her scattered thoughts.
In a few moments Ying Jei comes back holding a glass of water.
Yan Ran and takes a few sips as Ying Jei takes a seat on her the foot of her bed.
"Do you feel better now," he asks her his eyes watching her searchingly.
"I'm fine. I haven't had one of these in quite some time," she tries to reassure her brother.
"Yan Ran, I think you should still consider seeing someone to help you. It's been a long time," he says tentatively.
"Ge, I am really okay"
The frown on her brother's face does not go away showing that he is not totally convinced.
"Ran, I don't want to nag but you know that as long as you keep it buried inside, it will never go away. You need to deal with it."
"Ge, seriously, I'm okay. You are forgetting that I literally spent my teen years with psychologists. They have literally turned my mind inside out."
"I think today I was just a bit more tired than usual, what with the concert and going to the club afterwards. I'm pretty sure I will be okay after some proper rest."
"Talking about that, how was it meeting your friends again after such a long time?" Ying Jei asks deciding to change the subject for her sake.
"It was not as bad as I thought it would be. After all I just left them with no explanation," she says trying to sound cheerful.
It does not fool her brother though.
"That bad, ha? Did you meet Wei as well?"
She nods looking down gloomily.
"Ge, I'm really tired. Please may we talk about this another time?" she pleads with him.
Her brother knows that she is trying to avoid the issue.
Ying Jei decides not to push her this time, knowing how stubborn she can be.
"Okay, lie down, I will tuck you in," he says affectionately.
Yan Ran laughs shortly.
"Ge, if you haven't noticed, I'm a no longer six," she protests even as she lies down obediently.
Her brother kisses her forehead as he looks at her fondly.
"To me you're eternally that six year old with missing teeth and pigtails," he jokes but the next moment he turns serious.
"Ran, you do know that I'm here for you anytime you want to talk right?"
Ran nods giving him a tired smile.
"Okay little girl, have a good night's sleep. We don't want any wrinkles forming on this six year old girl's face. By the way, don't you have a meeting tomorrow with your manager?"
"Yes I do actually. We are going to be working on the release of the new album. I'm going to be very busy in the coming months. You know what goes with an album release."
"I'm sorry I probably won't have a lot of time to spend with you and aunt. I know I have just come back and haven't spent time with you, but I promise as soon as soon as I have free time, I will take you guys away on a trip."
"No worries, Ran. I have a major case coming up. I will be quite busy too so go do your thing."
"Ran, You know that mum and dad would be so proud of you, right?"
Yan Ran's eyes fill with tears.
"I miss them so much Ge, especially right now."
"Yeah, I know you do. So do I; so do I; Ran."