The Receiver

3 3 - S I S T E R S

Frank makes all sorts of sounds in the kitchen, whipping up dinner for everyone. I fight the urge to get off the couch and help him, but that would leave Iris and Zoa with no buffer between them.

The three of us sit in silence, stiff and exhausted, lulled into a state of reverence at the strangeness of our current situation.

"So... are you staying for dinner?" I ask.

I feel Iris's gaze pierce the side of my face, but ignore it.

"I suppose," Zoa shrugs. "If there's room for one more."

"There's room for plenty," I nod and we immediately slip back into silence.

I wonder if things will ever be totally normal between Iris and Zoa. They had such animosity between them. Well... have.

I breathe in a lungful of air and jump to my feet, turning to face them both.

"Okay," I say, a bit too loudly, "here's how this is gonna work. Today is a clean slate. A chance to start over with each other. We're not gonna pretend like we haven't done the things we've done," I eye Zoa, "or said the things we've said," then glance at my sister, "but are all going to make an effort to get to know each other better. With no judgments about our pasts or who our family is or what they've done. We can only be responsible for ourselves. But let's at least make an attempt to be..." Dare I say it? "Friends. Agreed?"

"Whatever," Zoa shrugs.

I give her a look.

"Okay," she acquiesces.

"Fine," Iris sighs, crossing her arms.

"Good," I let out a big gust of air. "None of us is going anywhere. I really think we can make this work if we try. Even if it takes a while. All good things take time," I say, echoing what dad would always say when I was being impatient waiting from him to finish a project. "Now do we have anything we'd like to share with the class?"

The girls remain quiet.

"Great, I'll start." I turn my body to Zoa. "Zoa, I want to thank you for helping Frank with his coding even though you didn't have to." I take my time choosing the right words, pronouncing everything carefully, despite Iris's accusatory eyes. "I hope as time goes on we have more opportunities to work together and get to know each other better."

She nods, the floodlights bouncing light off her face jewels, then clears her throat.

"As difficult as it might be to believe," she begins, "I hope the same as well."

"Anything you want to add?" Iris suggests.

"What else would I want to—," But the expression on Iris's face cuts her off. Zoa turns to me. "I want to thank you for all you did for my brother. He needs more than a Receiver to fix his issues. So do I, obviously. I just need more time to process everything that's happened... the city will need a new leader soon, once it gets out about father and... well, Zander never wanted that kind of responsibility. I always thought I did, but now I'm not so sure. Anyway. My brother must have seen something in you."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," Frank says from the kitchen, "but you're about to have a guest at the door."

I'm less than twenty feet from the door so I go to get it without asking Frank who's on the other side.

It's Lady Death.

She looks like she just came up from downcity, no time to change or wipe the dirt or sweat from her face. She walks through the door, her eyes wild, searching.