EPISODE 2 -SISTER FOR A WEEK
1158 Words
It was still early when Vierra woke up.
Vivienne was still asleep beside her. And the first thing Vierra checked wasn't the clock, wasn't the window.
It was Vivienne's wrist.
It was still there.
The bracelet she made last night. The beads were a little crooked, blue and white, the colors she picked herself.
Vierra smiled. Like it was a really big deal that her sister was still wearing it. For her, it meant Vivienne really liked it.
She tried to get up quietly so she wouldn't wake her, but Vivienne was already awake.
"Morning," Vivienne said, fixing her hair.
"You're still wearing it," Vierra said right away.
Vivienne looked at her wrist. "Of course. Why would I take it off?"
"I thought you would when you sleep."
"No. I said I'd wear it."
Vierra's smile got even bigger.
When they went down to the dining room, Christopher and Grace were already there.
"Oh, you two are up early," Grace said, putting food on the table.
"Someone's got energy," Christopher said, looking at Vierra. "Didn't get tired yesterday, huh?"
Vierra didn't answer that. She went straight to Vivienne.
"What are we doing today?" she asked.
"We haven't decided yet," Vivienne said.
"Let's bike? Or draw? Let's go to the garden? Or the bookstore? Or the old tree? Or make snacks?"
One after another. She wasn't even done with one idea and she already had another.
Grace laughed. "One at a time, Vierra."
Vivienne laughed too. "You want to do a lot of things."
"I don't care," Vierra said. "As long as I'm with you."
In the end they only picked two. Garden first, then drawing later. Christopher said, "Don't use up everything today, you're still here tomorrow."
"But I want to do everything now," Vierra said.
"You'll get tired," Vivienne said.
"It's okay. If I'm with you, I won't get tired."
Vivienne looked at her and ruffled her hair. "Okay, okay."
That was really it for Vierra. It didn't matter what they did. As long as it was with her sister.
They went to the garden together.
Not the big, neat garden with flowers lined up. They went to the back, near the old tree where leaves covered everything. There was a small space there that felt like no one knew about. No one really went there.
"Here," Vivienne said, sitting on the grass.
"Whose place is this?" Vierra asked.
"Ours only," Vivienne said. "No one else comes here when it's just the two of us."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Our secret place."
Vierra sat beside her, looking around like it was the most important place in the world.
"Sis," she said after a while, "when I miss you, can I come here even if you're not here?"
Vivienne looked at her. "Of course."
"Even if you're not here?"
"Yeah. Just come here. And pretend I'm here."
Vierra nodded like it was a serious promise. For an eight-year-old, it is. When her sister says it, it's true.
While they were still in the garden, Vierra noticed Vivienne's hair. Half-pony.
"Sis, I want my hair like yours," she said.
"Okay," Vivienne said.
Vierra got a hair tie and tried to do it herself. But she couldn't. It was messy, crooked.
Vivienne looked and laughed. Not in a mean way, just because it was cute.
But for Vierra, it wasn't.
"Why are you laughing?" she said, pouting now.
"No, it's just cute," Vivienne said.
Vierra didn't answer. She turned away. She didn't want to talk.
"Hey," Vivienne said.
No answer.
"Vierra."
Still nothing.
Vivienne moved behind her and gently took her hair.
"Let me do it," she said.
Vierra didn't talk but she let her.
Vivienne fixed her hair, same as hers. Half-pony, neat.
"There," Vivienne said, holding a small mirror. "Look."
Vierra looked in the mirror. Then she smiled.
"We're the same now," she said.
"Yeah," Vivienne said, "we're twins."
They both laughed. Just like that. Less than a minute of being mad, then okay again.
From the terrace, Christopher could see them.
He didn't go near them. He just watched.
He saw how Vierra followed Vivienne everywhere. Wherever Vivienne went, Vierra was there. If Vivienne ran, she ran too.
And he saw how Vivienne took care of Vierra. Not like she was forced to. It was natural. Like a real older sister.
Grace came beside Christopher with coffee.
"They're so happy, aren't they?" Grace said.
"Yeah," Christopher said.
"Vierra rarely comes here but she acts like she's always here."
Christopher smiled. "She really loves coming here."
He didn't say anything else. He didn't mention why Vierra rarely came. Not now. Not yet.
They were tired when they got back to the room but Vierra still didn't want to stop.
She got some papers from her bag.
"Sis, look at my drawings," she said, laying them on the floor.
There were a lot. A house, a dog, a tree. And one drawing of two girls.
"Who's this?" Vivienne asked, pointing.
"Us," Vierra said. "This is you, this is me."
"Why am I smaller than you here?"
"So I'm taller than you," Vierra said like that was a perfectly normal reason.
Vivienne laughed. "And why do I have horns?"
"That's not horns, that's a headband. I just didn't draw it well."
"Oh okay, I thought it was horns."
"It's a headband!" Vierra said, a little annoyed but laughing too.
Vivienne just watched her while she explained every drawing. Why the roof was blue, why there were three suns, why the hands were big.
Everything had a story when it came to Vierra.
Night time. The whole house was quiet.
They were in the bedroom, lying down, lights off but with a small lamp on.
"Sis," Vierra said, looking at the ceiling.
"Hmm?"
"When we grow up, what will we do?"
"What do you want to do?"
"I want us to have a big house. And still have a garden. And just the two of us."
"Include Dade and Grace?"
"Include them. But our rooms still beside each other."
"Okay," Vivienne said.
"Then we travel?" Vierra asked.
"Where do you want to go?"
"To the beach. And to where there are many lights. Then we come back here."
"That's a lot."
"As long as you're with me, it's okay."
Quiet for a second.
"Sis, when we're old, we're still close, right?" Vierra asked.
"Of course," Vivienne said.
"Promise?"
"Promise."
It sounded like nothing. Just a normal question from a kid. She didn't know it was actually a big promise.
After a while, Vierra fell asleep. Fast, because she was tired the whole day.
Vivienne was still awake for a little bit.
She looked at her wrist. The bracelet was still there.
Then she looked at Vierra, sleeping soundly, hair still a little messy from the half-pony earlier.
She just smiled.
No drama. No sad music. Just an ordinary night between two sisters who thought they had so many more summers ahead of them.
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