Two Tails, One Rotten Heart

Prepare to Burn

Of all the days possible for the sun to finally come out he chose today to show himself and plant himself right outside Nala's window. The light burned past her eyelids to her corneas and with a frustrated groan she gave up sleep. Nala dressed herself all the while annoyed at having been woken up early although by the empty bed beside her it seems Ula had still beaten her.

Maybe she got started on breakfast, Nala hoped. Throwing on a simple dress for the day she didn't even bother brushing out her hair before heading downstairs. She could hear her grandfather mumbling in his sleep and decided to let the old man sleep in a little more and avoid having to get him up and dressed. Unfortunately, there was no smell of breakfast when she got downstairs and no sign of her sister either. Where had that girl gone? Their house was not so big that there was anywhere for them to really hide. 

A silver of unease crept down Nala's back and just for a second a flash of a burning fire and an unheard scream went through her head except this time it wasn't her mother but Ula. Ula burning and crying out for her sister to save her. Nala shook her head and swallowed the scream that had built up in her throat, wanting to lose the vision and frantically turned this way and that way. Ula must be here somewhere! There. Looking out the window that their grandfather gazed out everyday Nala saw her sister leaning out past the cliffs to the crashing waves.

This time she couldn't hold back the scream.

She raced out of the house shrieking unintelligible things, just trying to get her twin away from that cliff before history repeated itself. Ula spun around and tried to get up but Nala was already there sinking her nails into the other sister and all but dragging her through the grass until they were far enough away.

"What were you thinking? You could have died! How dare you!" Nala screamed, unable to keep it in as she stared in horror at her sister. The last part was more angry than anything and filled with unsaid words.

How dare you get so close

How dare you scare me

How dare you try to leave me too

"I-I'm sorry...It...Wha..." Ula trailed off. The twins sat there for a moment and just caught their breaths.

It wasn't long before Ula was plastering a smile on her face and getting up, brushed the grass stains off her dress.

"Come now Nala, we have to start on breakfast."

Nala gaped before grabbing on to her sister's arm and stopping her in her tracks.

"Are you not going to explain? Why were you out there? What were you doing?" She demanded. Ula shrugged her off, "Nothing! I wasn't doing anything."

Nala did not believe her, "Nothing? Ula what happened?"

"I do not wish to speak about it!"

The girls feel silent. Ula rarely raised her voice. Nala couldn't remember the last time her sister had so much as snapped at her, yelled at her, more importantly and frightening she couldn't remember the last time her sister had denied her something. Yes, Ula had pulled her away before she could pummel those villagers but that was different. She always came through if Nala ever asked for something, never refusing her. They were twins but somehow, at some point, Ula had become the bigger sister. When had that happened?

Unable to come up with a retort Nala followed Ula has she walked back home. Her sister acted as though everything was normal, getting dressed, making breakfast, helping their grandfather down, and seating him at his normal window seat. Everything was not normal! Nala would not forgot the look on her sister's face as she looked out to sea as if she was going to jump into it. Her sister, who had never paid attention to the water or even went near it. Why wouldn't she talk? Ula hummed to herself as she moved around the kitchen unaware of her sister's plotting.