After I dealt with the last attack, I walked over to my sister, who was hugging her friend, Ivy's sister. Ivy and her sister didn't share much resemblance, though.
"Is it over?"
Speak of the devil. Just then, a voice echoed behind me. It was Ivy; I had told her to stay put while I dealt with the attackers.
She immediately rushed toward her sister and embraced her. The act surprised me a bit, as I wasn't used to Ivy showing that much attention.
Seeing them reminded me that I needed to mend my relationship with my own sister. She had given Ivy and her sister space and was doing her best to avoid making eye contact with me.
I approached her, causing her to step back slightly. Perhaps she thought I was going to yell at her. She closed her eyes tightly and grabbed the hem of her skirt, like a little girl afraid of punishment from her parents.
I had learned my lesson from last time; shouting wasn't the right way to reach her. Instead, I rested my hand on her head and expressed how I felt.
"I'm glad you're okay, Thalia."
She slowly opened her eyes, and a look of shock crossed her face. Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. It seemed she really wanted to cry but was holding back. So, I pulled her close and wrapped my arms around her for a hug.
She struggled a little but then slowly began to ease into it. From there, the tears didn't stop. Everything she had desperately held back came out at that moment. She hugged me tightly, as if afraid I might disappear or that this moment would slip away.
I, too, was happy. It had been a while since I hugged my sister. In that moment, I realized how fragile she was and how much she needed me.
…
I didn't know how long we stayed like that. We were all lost in the moment until we realized it was best to leave.
We took a taxi home. Thalia fell asleep on me during the ride. She looked peaceful, so I didn't want to disturb her.
"Thank you for your help today," Ivy suddenly said. "Truly, if it weren't for you… I don't know what would have happened. I don't know how to thank you."
"It's fine. That's what friends are for."
Ivy tilted her head slightly, a confused expression on her face.
"Friends? We're friends?"
"Yeah, I would like us to be friends," I said, giving her a reassuring smile.
She suddenly turned her face away from me, looking out the car door.
"You really want to be friends with me?" she mumbled, and I had the feeling she hadn't meant for me to hear. "I don't have any experience with having friends. What should we do?"
She turned back to face me. Her expression showed she was serious; she really had no experience with having friends. The funny thing was, until recently, neither did I.
"How about we have lunch tomorrow in the cafeteria?" I suggested. "Just the two of us."
"O-Okay… that's fine," she replied. She then took out a notepad and scribble something before putting it back. Her face showed no emotion, not even the slightest joy or satisfaction at the idea of having lunch with me. I sensed that was genuinely how she felt.
Soon, the taxi stopped outside her house. Ivy exited the cab, but her sister, Kei, hesitated. I noticed she had been acting strangely throughout the ride.
For one, her breathing was ragged, as if she could barely control it. Her face was unusually red, too; perhaps the stress of what had happened was getting to her.
Suddenly, she pulled something out of her pocket and extended it toward me. I was left a little flabbergasted, as was Ivy, who was watching from outside the car.
"I, um… this is for you! I originally bought it for someone else, but I really want you to have it. Please accept it!"
She spoke so quickly that I could barely understand a word she was saying. Her hands trembled as she held out a small box wrapped with a bow toward me.
I attempted to take the box from her, but the moment my hand made contact with hers, it was as if an electrical jolt ran through her, and she quickly tossed the box into my lap and bolted out of the cab.
I was left speechless by what had just happened.
"Maybe she is still traumatized," I mused.
Ivy apologized, closed the cab door, and rushed after her sister. The commotion woke Thalia. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and glanced around the vehicle, realizing her friend was gone.
"Is everything alright?" I asked.
She smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, everything is fine."
Just then, the cab drove past an ice cream place we frequented as kids. It wasn't far from where we lived. An idea formed in my mind, so I immediately stopped the cab.
"What are you doing?" Thalia asked, giggling and covering her mouth. For some reason, she seemed a little giddy.
"Come on, let's walk home together."
I paid the cab driver, and we exited, walking toward the ice cream place. A few minutes later, we both emerged with different flavors of ice cream. We always had different tastes.
The two of us walked down the street, the only illumination coming from the moonlight and the flickering light of the lamp posts.
The night was quiet; only the sound of our footsteps could be heard. Our neighborhood was a safe one, so we didn't have to worry too much.
Thalia was stealing occasional glances at me, which indicated she was eager to bombard me with questions.
"Something you want to ask?" I inquired.
"About what you did earlier. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"I joined the boxing club."
"Yeah, but why? You never showed much interest in boxing before. For you to suddenly join the club is strange."
"I guess it all started with a boxing game I played."
She giggled. "That's just like you. You're always playing your silly little games."
"Gradually, over time, I started developing an interest in boxing. When I saw that the boxing club was looking for new recruits, I thought, why not join?"
She nodded along, smiling.
It was best to lie to her. I couldn't tell her that a crazy woman popped into my head one day and said I was going to be trained to become a professional boxer.
She would think I'm crazy.
"And your appearance," she asked suddenly, "how did that change so much?"
"I started eating properly and exercising. It's not strange for a person's body to change physically when they start working out."
"I guess you're right." She looked like she understood what I said, but then her face turned serious with a slight frown. "Be careful, okay? You know, with girls and stuff."
I smiled and rested my hand on her head.
"I should be telling you that. I'm the older one."
On our way home, we talked about all sorts of things. Our conversations flowed, jumping from one topic to the next, as if we were long-lost twins who had been reconnected.
She told me everything about her life; about school and her friend Kei. I think the reason she talked so much was because she was afraid, afraid that things would go back to the way use to be.
I would never let that happen. I had to reassure her of that.
"Thalia," she stared up at me with a cheeky smile as she balanced herself on the edge of the sidewalk, "feel free to talk to me about anything you want from now on, and I will do the same for you, deal?"
"Deal!"