In the stillness of the night that surrounded her, Ava lay wide awake, listening to the occasional breeze rustle through the leaves, and the gentle coo of the owl overhead. She could see the soft glow cast by the crescent moon, through the canvas walls of the tent that she rested within. Across the tent she identified her older sister Morgan, bundled inside her sleeping bag. She had been watching her sleep for close to ten minutes, contemplating whether or not she should wake her. Normally this thought would never cross her mind; because she knew that Morgan wouldn’t react well being woken up, especially if it was just so she could take her to the bathroom. Against her better judgment, Ava sat up, gaining the courage to wake Morgan. She inhaled deeply, justifying her decision. With a little cough she cleared her throat, and started to talk.
“Morgan?” Ava pleaded, her sweet voice cutting through the silent night.
“What?” Morgan mumbled; her head buried within the plush pillow.
“Can you take me to the bathroom? I’m scared.”
Morgan released a long groan and rolled over, the aggravation stitched on her face like fine needlework.

“Go yourself. It’s too cold,” she snapped.

She felt around the tent, her hands quivering as she blindly searched for the flashlight among the countless blankets. Ava unzipped the tent flap, and waited for a second, giving Morgan the opportunity to change her mind and come with her. She knew that Morgan never would have agreed to go camping with her if their parents didn’t force her too.

“It will be good sibling bonding.” They had told the girls.

“It’s only for one night.” They added, almost reassuringly.

When Morgan didn’t move, Ava quietly exited the tent, the ominous darkness engulfing her childish figure.

“Take this,” Morgan hollered, lobbing the flashlight towards Ava, who had already made her way out of the tent.
There was a soft thud of the flashlight hitting the ground, followed by the barely audible click of it turning on. A narrow beam dimly illuminated the path in front of Ava, and Morgan watched as her shadow shrunk in the distance. She tucked the sleeping bag under her chin and melted into the dome of warmth it provided. She remained this way until something hit her face.
“Go back to bed Ava,” Morgan grunted.
Something brushed her cheek again, this time with more force. The sound of a soft buzz circulating around her head sent her springing into the air. Immediately Morgan searched the tent for Ava, who was nowhere to be found. The sight of the bee sent Morgan into a frenzy, as she flailed her arms violently, swatting at the flash of black and yellow darting thorough out the tent. All too soon the bee landed on her, injecting it’s stinger into her left forearm. She let out a small yelp, not in reaction to the pain, but to the unrelenting fear that rolled in. Morgan knew the area would swell quickly, and her allergic reaction would take hold of her within minutes.
“Ava!” she shrieked.
The word rang out into the night, her voice trembling with panic. The lack of a response sent Morgan into hysterics.
“What if Ava can’t hear me?” she questioned to herself, “What if she doesn’t come back in time?”
The crisp night air now felt stuffy against her skin, as heat from the sting site rang throughout her body, and hives appeared, intensifying the sheer terror she had felt from the moment the bee entered the tent. A silent stream of tears trickled down her swelling cheeks. She cringed as it became more difficult to breathe, each breath forced out of her painfully contracting throat. With every little bit of air that could slip by, there was a crackling wheeze. Her pulse raced and a bout of nauseating dizziness sent her doubling over in pain. Her world seemed still around her, each second passing by more slowly, marked by the metronomic sound of the cricket’s chirping. Morgan played back the blur of events from the night, from the moment they set up their tent, right until Ava left to go to the bathroom. A wave of guilt crashed over her.
“I should have never been so mean to Ava,” Morgan reflected, shaking her head slightly, “She never even did anything wrong! She’s still little...I’m sure I was that way when I was her age. This is all my fault! If I had just followed her to the bathroom the bee would have never gotten in…”

She quickly realized trying to change the past was useless, and remembered the reality of her anaphylactic reaction. Almost five minutes had elapsed since the initial sting, and the physical effects were daunting. Mustering up as much strength as she could, Morgan called again for Ava; this time with an amplified veracity. Her bellow echoed through the tent and within moments, she heard the small strides of someone running towards her. Breathing heavily, Ava ran into the tent, possessed by a manic look.

“Morgan!” she screeched, her face reddening, “What happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Morgan managed, pointing towards a red duffle bag. She opened her mouth again. “Get my…” Her voice cracked before she could finish her thought.

“Your what?” Ava questioned frantically.

“Epipen…first pocket...” Morgan uttered.

Morgan let out another sputtering cough, urgently motioning towards the bag in the far corner of the tent. Ava stood stationary, scrambling to comprehend what Morgan was trying to communicate. Morgan knew Ava didn’t understand, and began pointing to the enlarged lump on her forearm. Immediately Ava’s eyes widened and she scurried towards the bag, tearing apart the contents of the first pocket. Miscellaneous items flew out of the bag as she rifled around for the Epipen.

“I got it!” Ava declared reassuringly.

The color continued to drain from Morgan’s face. Her olive tone now depleted to a green tint of white, and the sockets around her hazel eyes bore into her skull, leaving her looking distant and corpse-like. The long curly locks of hair that once bounced on top her cheeks were now slick with sweat and tears, and plastered to the side of her face. Ava’s diminutive fingers fumbled around the cap of the pen, as her heart beat pounded through her head. She clammily handed the device to Morgan, who rolled up her pajama pant leg past her thigh. She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment and inhaled as deeply as possibly, then forcefully shoved the pen into her thigh. All the while Ava stood over head, quivering from anxiety. She patiently eyed Morgan as she regained partial strength. Morgan gasped for air then tilted her head towards the small figure standing over her. She sat dumbfound for a moment, recalling what had just happened.

“She saved my life,” Morgan thought, “Ava, just saved me.”

This one idea circulated through her brain, until it sunk in. There Ava stood, standing in the corner hardly four feet tall. Her blonde bobbed hair and ruler straight bangs conveyed a childish quality, coupled with the mismatch of pajamas she selected herself. The terror that once burdened her face dissolved, revealing her bright blue eyes that were too big for her round face. She gazed at Morgan who stared back, neither girl saying anything. In that moment, Ava knew the appreciation Morgan couldn’t verbalize, and she ran to her with outstretched arms. Morgan smiled and rested her chin on top of Ava’s head, causing her to tighten her grasp around Morgan’s thighs. The two girls shared this embrace until Ava let out a yawn of exhaustion.

“Let’s go to bed Morgy.” Ava instructed, crawling over to her sleeping bag.

“Good idea.” Morgan replied.

With that she pulled her sleeping bag closer to Ava’s, who had already drifted into a deep sleep. She watched as her body rose and fell with each gentle breath, wondering what she was dreaming.

“Love you,” Morgan whispered although she heard Ava wouldn’t hear, “sleep tight.”

Soon enough the morning sun penetrated through the tent walls, casting shadows over the two sleeping sisters. Ava awoke, bursting with energy and full of life. Normally, she would have pounced on Morgan to wake her up, but with the events that happened last night, she decided it would be better to wait for her to wake up herself. She began humming a cheery tune, and putting her clothes back in her bag. Morgan rolled over and flashed a sleepy grin in Ava’s direction. They continued to clean the tent and roll the sleeping bags, while talking about countless topics.

“How about some food?” Morgan offered.
Ava nodded excitedly.
“Race you there!” she exclaimed, darting out of the tent.
Morgan ran out of the tent laughing heartily. She had almost reached Ava when she remembered she left the tent unzipped.
“We don’t want any more bees!” she chuckled to herself, as she made her way swiftly back to zip the tent.
Morgan raced to catch up with Ava.
“Beat cha!” Ava cried, letting out a puff of air, “what took you so long?”
Morgan smiled and waved a hand, shooing away the question. Opening the sliding glass door to the house, the girls were greeted by their mother.
“How was it guys?” she inquired enthusiastically.
They exchanged looks then erupted with laughter.
“Seems like you two had fun,” their mother prodded, “How about I make some pancakes and we talk about it?”
Both girls nodded and help gather materials, chattering the whole time. Watching Ava help stir the batter, Morgan realized just how lucky she was to have her around.
“Although she sometimes gets in the way, or can’t do the things I tells her to, overall she’s not that bad.” Morgan thought to herself. “I guess all siblings are that way. How I treat her now will change how she treats me in the end. For what it’s worth, Ava saved my life, and I can never forget the devotion she has to me, and how she will stop at nothing to make sure I’m ok. Even after our age difference and petty disputes, we’re still sisters until the end.”