Air Touched - A Dragon Tribe Origin

Chapter Four - Min

Focusing on homework was a lot harder for Min than usual for some reason. No, not some reason. She knew exactly why she was so distracted. Her sister had a date with a crowned prince of Aero, and she was jealous. Min had wanted to date for a long time. Both of the girls did. When it became clear Ijn had such severe social anxiety, their desire was put on hold—and with good reason. Ijn needed help. Min understood why they had to wait.

She was also tired of being held back from what she wanted, what she needed, because of her sister. Boys weren't the only thing Min got taken away from her. Choice of school was another, the chance to travel abroad, even the ability to wear whatever she wanted. All because Ijn couldn't handle the fact that they had separate personalities and lives.

Min couldn't have a boyfriend before Ijn did. It'd swing Ijn into a depression. If she went too far away from her sister, she'd be too lonely. They were twins. It was unnatural for them to have too great of a distance. While Min saw some truth in that, she didn't see their being twins any differently than siblings born years apart. If Min tried to establish too much independence in any way, period, Ijn freaked out. They had to be as identical as possible despite being fraternal in the womb. Probably because Ijn wanted them to be identical. When they were identical, then she could use Min to continue getting her way.

As much as she loved her sister, Min saw just how spoiled and unfair Ijn behaved. School was the one place Min got to be on her own, to live, so getting lost in her class assignments was something she actually wanted to do. Ijn couldn't even let her have that.

Her sister paced their bedroom, sighing heavily—repeatedly. Min told herself she wasn't going to take the bait. After so many minutes of it, however, she couldn't stand it anymore.

"You know I hate when you do that. Just tell me what you want already," Min snapped, slamming her book shut.

Ijn winced and tears pooled into her eyes. A few seconds later she burst into loud sobs.

Rolling her eyes, Min sat up on her bunk, mindful to not hit her head on the ceiling and waited for her sister to regain control over herself. She was crying for show, another head game she played unintentionally because she was just that insecure about herself. This game was one Min refused to play. Nor would she call her out on it and start a fight. She'd tried to explain some of the things Ijn didn't mean to do. The conversation never ended well. Her sister wasn't ready to see the toxic behaviors she had.

Silence was better. Let her cry it out. In the end, the outburst probably stemmed from some kind of deep insecurity that she needed to cope with anyway. Or that was just the psych major in Min coming out to overanalyze her sister—again. Not a good habit to be into, especially when she wasn't sure she did it correctly.

After a minute or so passed, Ijn let out a slow breath. "Sorry, I'm sorry. I don't mean, I just, you know, I have a hard time with confrontation."

"What do you need to confront me about?" Min asked. This ought to be good. We've hardly spoken to each other all day. What could I possibly have done?

Ijn gazed down, her head tilted to the side slightly. "Not the right word. I don't have anything to fight with you about. A request. I have a request to make of you and I know you're not going to want to do it."

"Oh boy." Min exhaled heavily. She closed her eyes, found her center, and then opened them again. "What do you want me to do for you? You know I'll help you in any way I can."

"I need you to go to the mixer for me," Ijn whispered. "If I see him in person, I know I'll just die on the spot. Right there on the dance floor, my heart will explode."

Min snorted. "Overdramatic much? I highly doubt your heart will literally explode."

"Have you seen him? The pictures in the magazines and the newspapers. He's gorgeous!" Ijn sniffled. "I'm so plain in comparison. There is no way he'll be interested in me. Once I open my mouth, he'll decide to find another girl. He could have any one he wants, you know. He's dated models and actresses. At the same time!"

"Those are just rumors," Min mumbled. "Something tells me that if he could date anyone he wanted, he wouldn't be conducting interviews for an arrangement."

Probably not the best thing to say to her sister, but she needed to help her maintain a sense of reality. Ijn didn't cry, so she took it better than Min thought.

But Ijn was quiet for a long time. "All the more reason for me to get this right. I will not find better than him. He could still find better than me. Even if he's having a hard time finding someone to marry, he will always have unlimited opportunities. I won't. Eventually, I'll have to accept that I'm not meant to be wed."

"Still being overdramatic." Min got down from her bunk to hug her sister. "Have you thought about finding a new path? Something for you?"

"Having a husband is for me! What else would I do?"

"Paint, draw, own a store, travel the world, there are choices."

Ijn shook her head, pulling away. "Those are your choices. This might sound stupid to you, but ever since I was little all I've wanted was to be a mother and a wife. That's it. Painting and drawing and music, those are all wonderful things, but they aren't the way I will feel fulfilled in this life. I wish you'd understand that, and that there's nothing wrong with it either."

"I'm trying." Min fidgeted with her hands, unable to meet her sister's gaze. "When I look at you, I see so much potential. It's hard for me to accept that you're not interested in expanding on your talents. You could be one of the greatest if you trained even a tiny bit more."

"You might be right. What you don't seem to understand is that if the desire arises, I'll be able to still achieve it in marriage just as easily as I could if I was single."

She didn't mean to, but Min laughed. "I'm sure you'll find plenty of time when you're not chasing the kids around."

"Perhaps not in a normal household." Ijn gave a blissful sigh. "But Jae is a prince. The prince. I'm sure there will be nannies and plenty of activities to keep all of our children occupied. Which is perfect. I want kids, but I haven't the foggiest idea how to take care of them."

"Most parents don't until they actually become parents," Min pointed out.

In a flash, Ijn's mood changed from warm to cold. She crossed her arms in front of her. "If you don't help me, I'm not going to have a chance to find out, now am I? Just this one dance. There are so many people, I'd never make it beyond the entryway. Please Min. I'll do anything."

It would have been easier to say no if Ijn wasn't right. Her anxiety would overwhelm her to crippling proportions. How could she have a date if she couldn't make it to the dance floor? What if Jae thought she was standing him up? Why did father agree to this for a first meeting? Whatever happened to coffee?

She rubbed her forehead, trying to decide what to do. What would be best for her sister? Helping her out this one time or forcing her to face her demons? With a reluctant sigh, she nodded. "Only if you promise to at least try and come. We'll walk in together, and if things get bad, I'll talk to him so he knows you're interested." That seemed like the right route to go. A mix of both choices. Perhaps her sister would see she was a lot stronger than she thought.

"Will you be me if I can't?" Ijn pressed.

"Let's take this one step at a time," Min said. "So long as I don't have to actually dance with him, I might be able to manage."

Ijn hugged her sister close. "I don't know where I'd be without you."

Min returned the hug. I ask myself that question every day.