"When are you leaving?" came an emotionless voice.
"It's not done, Zed. Where are your manners, huh? Did I teach you this? You didn't even wish me morning" Rain pouted.
"Did you have your breakfast?" Zed asked in his monotonous voice.
"It's only half-past six, Zed. Do you want to turn me into a sleep-deprived Zombie? I just took a bath." Rain complained.
"Took bath the first thing in the morning, huh? So, which part?" this time Zed's voice carried a layer of concern in it.
"Huh?" Rain blinked in confusion, not understanding him immediately. "Damn you, Zed!" She cursed when she finally got him. "You tricked me again. When will you stop doing this to me?" she complained.
"When you will start sharing your nightmares with me." Zed chided her. "Now tell me, which part did you see?" Rain usually took bath after her exercises. Early bath only meant nightmares for Zed.
"The one where we are running away" Rain gave up. She just could not win from this brother of hers.
Rain heard a loud sigh from the other end.
"I am scheduling an appointment with Doctor Nie for tonight. Just finish your work early and be back before the scheduled time." Zed said in a pressing tone.
"I am fine…. Zed," Rain said as if she was repeating this line for a millionth time to this person.
"No, you are not fine. I should not have let you leave my side. I will beat the shit out of that old man the next time I see him for making you leave my side. You are too careless, sister Rain. Do you even take care of yourself? Don't you know how important your health is? I bet you have already lost a few pounds....." next came a series of nagging comments from Zed.
Rain shook her head at her failure once again. She took a silent, deep breath and put her phone on the speaker before she began tidying her bed. After quickly cleaning up, she collected the scattered documents that she would need at her work today, as she mouthed the same words Zed was uttering through the speakers of the phone. After hearing the exact same words repeatedly over the years, she had now memorized every word of his nagging, even the pauses he would take in between.
After finishing her cleaning, she picked up her phone and headed towards her gym in the next room to begin her daily exercises.
"….And that is why you need to take care of yourself, and sound sleep is crucial to ensure your health. Do you get me, sister Rain?" Zed finally finished his hour-long nagging for the time being with these words. His voice seemed dry after the long nagging session.
"Got it," Rain said, panting, as she finished her last set of exercises and stood up.
"What do I do with you, sister Rain?" Zed admonished her helplessly. Why did you bathe earlier if you were going to exercise anyway? Now you will take bathe again. You know that it just snowed there last night, right? You will catch a cold like this."
And before Zed could start another nagging marathon of his, Rain cut him midsentence, " You know I hate to be sweaty Zed. And stop nagging again, or else I will be late for my work. Don't worry, my little worrywart, I will take good care of myself and won't catch a cold, okay? Now stop frowning and eat your reheated breakfast before it gets cold again. I will talk to you later." Rain said, heading back to her bedroom. She knew her brothers too well. Just like they knew her.
"Hmm… Bye, sister Rain. Please take good care of yourself and don't get hurt" Zed bade her farewell half-heartedly. He wanted to say more but chose otherwise lest his sister got angry at him. He was still worried about her.
"Bye, my little brother turned to big brother. Do your best today, and don't forget to take care of yourself too." She ended the call with a smile on her face.
It became a daily routine for Zed to call her every morning to know about her. Initially, she succeeded in keeping her reoccurring nightmares from him but, once he found out, he began to ask her questions from her daily schedule, tricking her to spill the beans just like today. He knew her too well to decipher even the slight changes in her schedule, which were usually caused by her nightmares. And what was worse was that he uses a different question every time to trick her.
Alex and Zed were the only family Rain had in this whole world. Even though they were not related by blood, they were connected by the heart. And they could do anything for the sake of the other.
After ending the call, she quickly finished her second bath of the day, had her breakfast, and departed for her work.
Rain worked in a company called Vision, a small subsidiary of The Apexi Corporation, one of the top companies in their country. It was located in one of the small cities in the country Abrea.