Sissie's new friend is pretty nice. She often comes over to play and she's been doing that for six months but Sissie never lets us talk to her. I know she wants to but she's so scared. I wish Nice Girl could play with us like Mako does but Mama says that Nice Girl is a bigger girl like Sissie and so might not want to. I asked Sissie how come we can't have tea with Nice Girl, too, and she told me, "Oh, sweetheart, I'm trying to protect you." I don't know what Sissie would be protecting us from because Nice Girl is so nice.
I talked to Ryuuko about it and Ryuuko said, "Sissie's hidin' something. I dunno what she's hiding but I know she knows what happened that one time the house burnt down. Maybe she don't want her friend to know." That was weird and I told her that she's never told us, except that she wants to protect us.
"Sissie's strange like that, Nui."
"I know she wants to protect us but how is she doing that?"
"I don't know, Nui, she's always done everything for us."
"I know but why can't we play with Nice Girl?"
"I dunno, Nui."
"Yeah, but—"
"Nui, she ain't tell me what happened that night and she didn't tell Miss Mama."
"What's she scared of?"
"Somethin', Nui."
I don't really remember what happened that night but Ryuuko does. Ryuuko told me that we were so little but I was "littler than her" and the house burned down. "It was loud popping noises and Sissie's been like that ever since. For a while, 'sides Rei, Sissie didn't make no friends." she told me. She told me that Mako's really nice and so we have our own "Nice Girl".
"Maybe Sissie will let us talk to Nice Girl."
