Womanish Lady

Chapter 29:

However, despite everything, Nali was reminded that her group had a job the next day.

"Oh right! But, please - someone else fill in for me?" she asked, looking around at her fellow comrades.

The eldest one shook her head.

"Nali. I'm happy that you and your sister are meeting again, but time won't stop for you two to catch up. Your group has a mission tomorrow. We can't spare any more delays from you."

Fuyaiyah was upset, but tried to keep her respect.

"You can't spare a day - or even a few hours for us?"

The eldest turned to her sharply.

"Watch your tone, Fuyaiyah. I only approved of you the first time for your bravery to use those men to find us, but I wasn't told that you would be joining us. Sorry, but you do not amount enough for me to have mercy on Nali."

There's no disrespect tolerated in this group, so Nali quickly bowed and apologized to both the leader, and to Fuyaiyah.

That night, the two sisters slept together and hugged tightly, but the next day, Fuyaiyah woke up, Nali was gone, and she was being tied to a pole in the room.

Fuyaiyah screamed.

"Sorry darling!" said one of the women.

"I heard you love to get into trouble. But, after last night, I'm afraid that you'll seriously get hurt if we let you off this pole. Forgive us, sweetheart."

A third one emerged.

"Everyone knows about your little adventures in Everwinter. So we also know that you have the same goal as us - which is the sole reason why you weren't rejected immediately. As you should know, restoring our village isn't a simple thing. We have a plan that took years to form, and now we have to carry out, so we can't afford anything that'll delay, or throw us off track. Sit tight, Fuya."

Fuyaiyah stared at the women around her.

"Why are you speaking so familiarly? I have never seen any of you before."

There was a moment of silence. The third woman went into a small chest and took out a purple striped scarf for her hair, and a matching apron. She put them on, and stood in front of Fuyaiyah, who was speechless.

This woman was the woman who ran the beloved smoothie shop back at their village.

She then looked carefully around her. The other two women put on pieces of clothing that revealed their identities.

"Aww - don't look so horrified, sweetie." said one with tears in her eyes.

The smoothie woman took off her old pieces of clothing.

"Nali will tell you all that you need to know."

Fuyaiyah's stomach curled.

"What? 'all that I need to know?' No! Tell me everything. Because-"

She got emotional. The women let her say what was in her heart.

"-because we're supposed to be a tight village, but I feel like an outcast."

There was a moment of silence.

The women left her, and she twisted her body so she could face the window. The kind of angle she was in, all she saw was the cloudy sky.

"I feel like there's a lot more important things that are hidden from me."

After a few days, Nali returned. But it was late at night, so when she went to check in on her baby sister, who was still tied to the pole, she was already asleep.

She stared at Fuyaiyah with a look on her face.

The three women who continued looking after her emerged from behind and looked at her too.

"She wants to know everything, you know."

"Naturally." Nali replied.

"But, no matter what, you can't tell her everything just yet. Though, now that she's here she'll find everything out anyway."

"Are you worried? What's that look on your face?"

Nali continued to stare at her sleeping sister with her eyebrows raised.

"I'm not worried about what I have to tell her tomorrow. But - why is my sister tied to a pole?"

The three women, who came with many things to say, suddenly had nothing to say.

Fuyaiyah woke up the next morning. The ropes were untied. The first thing she did was stretch, but then she walked around, looking for her sister.

"Has Nali come back yet?" she asked a woman eating her breakfast.

"Ah - yes she has."

"Where is she?"

"I don't know, baby. Go look for her."

She got similar responses from other women, and the eldest ignored her completely, so finally, Fuyaiyah looked for Nali by herself.

Nali was nowhere to be found near the area, so she went behind the house, and, in the woods behind it, saw a figure that looked like Norekeito.

"Norekeito?"

He turned around, then took off deeper in the woods.

"Hey!"

Fuyaiyah ran after him.

"Where do you think you can run to? I was always faster than you, Norekeito!"

Seconds later, Norekeito led her to the edge of a cliff, where Nali stood, looking over the edge.

Norekeito stood beside her, and she turned around and greeted her sister with a small smile.

Fuyaiyah understood the atmosphere quickly. She staggered and looked over the edge.

The view showed them their entire ruined village way down below and the areas around it.

Nali looked back at it too, getting ready to begin.

"We purposefully chose this house because we could oversee our village. It's perfect isn't it?"

Fuyaiyah didn't forget anything just because she was with her sister.

"No. Why would you guys choose a place that oversees a destroyed village?"

Nali's plan to start off positively failed. She looked around, trying to find words. Norekeito put a hand on her shoulder for emotional support.

"Also," she kept her tone steady. "While I was tied up, I could tell that the building was quite old, but well-kept. Whoever lived in that house before could view our village while it was flourishing - if you know what I mean."

She finally looked at Nali, who did, indeed, know what she meant and was rendered speechless.

Suddenly, Nali laughed and let go of her tension.

"My dear Fuya, you were always so smart. I should've known this wouldn't be easy. You know I'm not allowed to tell you everything, right?"

"What's 'everything?' Why does it feel like I'm the only one left in the dark?"

Nali kept her smile.

"Because - look at you, Fuya. I said one simple thing and you got hostile. I was only just beginning too."

Fuyaiyah was not satisfied, but she wanted to know as much as she could, so she fell silent.

"Now," desperately thought Nali. "Where should I begin?"

However, looking back, she saw the sparkly eyes Fuyaiyah gave her.

"It's okay, Nali," she said steadily.

"She's going to hate me if I tell her!"

That thought of hers was unbearable. Nali ran off.

Fuyaiyah instinctively ran after her.

Norekeito, believing that it was best to give the two sisters some private time, walked leisurely in their direction.

Both sisters ran very fast. But Nali, being burdened with her own fictitious beliefs, made her running a bit sloppy. Consequently, being tackled by Fuyaiyah, and they both slammed into a tree.

"What's so awful that you tried to run away?" she yelled without meaning to.

Nali just cried.

"Nali! I can stand everyone else keeping things from me, even my entire village! But please! You of all people - please don't hide anymore from me!"

"I can't tell you everything though!"

"What's 'everything?'" Fuyaiyah had never seen her sister in such distress before.

"I can't tell you!"

"Of course you can," she said softly. "It looks like it's already on the tip of your tongue. Besides," she gave a smile. "We're sisters! And the best of friends!"

Nali's face filled with sorrow. She believed that would be the last time she'd see her smile.

"We're not even real sisters though."

Fuyaiyah's eyes got wide. She got off from on top of Nali, who sat up and, without looking at her little sister, wiped her tears and sighed.

Nali was still scared of how Fuyaiyah would react, but nonetheless-

"-I guess you would've found out anyway."

Fuyaiyah stared at her with big sparkly eyes.