A Tale of Sisters and Secrets

Reila

Reila paced nervously. She rubbed her hands against the cold breeze that crept into her room but did nothing to keep it out. Rather, she welcomed it. Night always seemed to flush the streets of Aldira of its stagnant, building stench, the one that only a city so poorly designed and so densely populated could hold. What daytime's activities brought, the evening wind swept out to sea, refreshing the city and preparing it for the next day's repetition.

    She didn't know if Cas and Amalea would return. She didn't know when they would return, but her mind ran in a million different directions at once so pacing seemed the best response. Besides, she couldn't sleep. She resigned herself to the fact that if no one came, she would still be awake and therefore able to pick through the muddy pile that was now her life. Or, rather, that her life had always been. She'd just never known it until now.

    Footsteps sounded outside. Reila stopped her pacing to listen. She strained her ears to hear the steps stop outside her door—her heart beat quickened and she clenched her fists—only to find they continued down the long corridor. It had only been a guard, and nothing more.

    "This is ridiculous," she muttered aloud to the darkened room, and flopped onto the bed. Why had she thought they would return the very next day? It was much too dangerous, and as much as she had to tell them, they most likely did not have anything exciting worth telling her. Reila couldn't contact them; she would have to wait for Cas and Amalea to come to her.

    A soft knock rang at the door. Reila grew excited and bounced over to open it.

    Amalea stood alone. Reila pulled her inside, wanting to speak immediately but knowing neither of them could be seen in the hall.

    "Where's Cas?" she asked.

    "I came alone. Reila, I need to tell you something," she said in a hurried voice.

    "So do I."

    "We're sisters," they blurted at the same time.

    Amalea stepped back, astonished, the dark blonde waves of her hair bouncing in the moonlight.

    "I only just found out," Reila added. "Today, actually."

    "I just felt so guilty last time, that we didn't tell you. It seemed unfair to keep you in the dark."

    Reila suddenly felt very aware of how she was standing and what she was wearing, and of the girl who had once been a stranger and now was her sister, standing in front of her. When she thought about it, Amalea still was a stranger in some ways. Though she felt an immediate connection with the girl, Reila felt like they each stood on either side of a small but dangerous stream. She could cross the stream with some difficulty and reach her sister at some point, but at the moment it seemed easier to stay where she was. She could shout across the stream but when sixteen years of your life are missing it's hard to start back at the beginning.

    "I'm Lea, by the way," she said cheerfully. "Nice to finally meet you."

    "You too," Reila said, feeling quite shy in front of the girl.

    Lea pulled her in for a tight squeeze of a hug. Reila wrapped her arms around the girl but still felt strangely aware of how their two bodies were intertwined. Finally, Lea let go and stepped back to her side of the stream.

    "Sorry, I just, I'd always wanted a sister. Is that the second Vivian Loita novel?" she asked. The book on the vanity had caught her eye. Lea stepped over and picked the book up, opening to a random page and skimming it's surface.

    "Yes. It seems Methies had me confused with someone else," Reila joked. "I haven't read the first one though."

    "You haven't read the first one?" Lea asked, appalled.