Chapter 2

A Chapter by Edite

The last sunbeams were sinking in the thick lava, and people started pouring down to the beach like leaves in the autumn - it took one strong gust, the drowning of the Sun, to bring them all down here. They took their dumb leisure walks along the cost. Their laughs were cutting my ears. The only person, I wanted to see down here, was the girl, and she was the only one, who stayed by her house. Sudden rush of anger burned my throat.

“Come, Robin,” I said and jerked my sister`s cardigan, “It is time.”

“Just few more,” Robin looked at me with her eyes still wet.

“Stop that now,” I whispered and put my palm on her shoulder, she whipped her face with the sleeve and rose to her feet. Her shoulders were still shivering. I shook my head and pulled her one more time, we had to go.

“Maybe if we stayed only a moment after the Sun drowns?” Robin begged so quietly that I could have easily pretended that I didn’t hear her. But she was still my little sister.

“They are not the night birds. Either they come now, or they won`t come at all today,” I got up, too, and then added, “Only one more.”

I handed her the sheet of paper. I could see her fingers trembling as she dropped down in the sand and hurried to fold it. Mom will not like this, I thought, but dropped on my knees next to Robin. Our sights met, and her lips opened in a faint smile. I sighed and started folding another plane.

“Mom will be mad,” I whispered, “No, furious she will be.” Partly I wanted to make Robin feel guilty. After all, we were in the same social status. We were siblings of the same parents and lived in the same house. That was a rarity, because, if parents decided to have the second child, they mostly picked another partner for the genome diversity. People here were rich and spoiled enough to rise children alone, and that is why brothers and sisters mostly had different social statuses dependent of statuses of both parents. Robin and I were the same, and still, my mother would always make me the responsible one. I folded the plane and already imagined her hissing at me about us being home late. She would kiss Robin`s forehead again and again and then grab the edge of her own skirt while running around and pouring soup in our bowls. Then she would go on and on about how worried she was, still patting Robin. Lastly, she would lightly pinch my arm and run off to read in the garden - another luxury in such a hot and dry climate.

A part of me wanted to stay, too. Not because of the birds, though. Because of one special bird. This was the last week of summer, my last chance to see her. Although, I couldn’t touch her, I felt a mild comfort just seeing her. I sighed. My stomach boiled with longing. The more I thought of her, the more distracted I felt.

“Ready, Brandon?” Robin jumped to her feet and turned to lava sea. She was the only one who addressed me in my full name. To my father I was Bran, while my mother called me Ranny. If we had different fathers, we would have never been allowed to live together and would address each other as sir and madam. Half-brothers and half-sisters was the most formal relationship in society. Fathers here were quite possessive.

“Yes,” I replied automatically. Thoughts about brothers and sisters made me look up to the row of houses at the girl I liked so much. She had two sisters. I caught myself wondering how came that they lived together. I would never believe that two people would ever take the liberty to have more than two children together.

“Brandon!” Robin pushed me, “are you here at all?”

“Yes,” I replied automatically again. Only then I realized, Robin had already thrown her plane. No birds again. Only a small stream of smoke hovering over the bubbling lava was left of the paper plane.

The girl was looking at me. I noticed her looking at me and not lowering her sight! My skin tingled.

“Here!” I pushed the pile of paper and my plane in Robin`s hands and rose up. “Only ten minutes. Fold them. Throw them. Don`t go anywhere!”

I stormed away before my doubts took the upper hand. I did my best to push away all the thoughts of what a useless brother I was.

“What are you doing,” I heard Robin shouting after me, “You can`t leave me!”

I squinted remembering all the people around. I looked back, “Please, Robin, only ten minutes.”

“You can`t go, Brandon! What will mother say?” she let go of the pile of papers and they hit the sand, “We have to go!”

I gazed at the girl. She was still sitting on the handrail alone. Her sisters must be walking somewhere between all the people. I run back to Robin, took both of her small palms in my left one and sleeked her thick bangs away from her face. My breath was heavy, and I felt tickling in the corners of my eyes. I had to go.

“Please, this once,” I felt anger bubbling in my chest, but I knew that anger wouldn’t help me against Robin, “You desperately want to see the bird, don’t you?”

She slowly nodded. I was on the right path, “And you would do anything to see them, wouldn’t you?”

“I guess,” she nodded again.

“And can you imagine how happy you would be to find them?” I squeezed her palms lightly. She blinked her huge eyes.

“Do you see that girl?” I pointed to the girl in green dress. She was still looking at me, and I dropped on my knees. I couldn’t stand, how I wanted to touch her. Please, Robin, let me, you are killing me.

“She is all you think about,” I heard irritation in Robin`s voice.

“Yes, that is it, she is all I can think about,” I pushed my forehead against Robin`s, “I need to meet her as strongly as you need to find the birds, can you understand?”

Robin leaned back, “Yes I can.”

“So, can I go, please?” I looked in Robin`s eyes, “Only ten minutes.”

Robin pulled her palms out of mine and turned her back on me. “No,” I heard a strict tone in her quiet voice. It sounded more like a growl, “We have birds to find.”

“No?” I jumped up, throwing the dry sand in the air, “Why, the hell, no?”

She didn’t look at me, she had this silly ten years old confidence that made my spine shiver. “You promised me the birds,” she said to me as if we were equal suddenly and she wasn’t the little girl I was responsible for.

“There are no birds!” I shouted. The fiery blood was rushing to my head. I was hot. I wanted to shake her. I wanted to push her. Wanted her to be some other father`s daughter, so I would be like all the rest of people �" free from silly sibling bonds. She was standing there firm like a rock, not trembling, not crying anymore. I growled a loud argghhh and caught my hair.

“There are birds, I know” she turned to me and narrowed her eyes, “Only not here, and you were lying to me all summer long.”

“I was not!” I couldn’t tame my voice, it trembled and twitched, “Birds were here!”

“When you were a child, I know, you told me! But why didn’t you take me somewhere where they still are?” Robin`s voice was squeaking, a tear rolled down her cheek.

A terrible silence set in. The lava waves were slowly falling to the shore. People were looking at us. We both were breathing wildly.

“Why didn’t you?” Robin whispered, not holding her tears back anymore, and all my boiling blood suddenly calmed.

“Come here,” I pulled her to my chest. For a moment, she resisted, leaned back, and pushed me away, then her blood cooled, too, and she hid her face in my shirt. I sneaked a look at my girl. She was playing with her hair and gazing in the wine glass. Still alone. My heart howled for her, and I looked away. Slowly people returned to their own matters, and beach returned to its usual self, except for our cracked bond.

“Just go,” suddenly Robin pushed me back. “Go now!”

“What?” I tried to pull her back.

“Just go to her,” Robins face was full of tears, and it burned a hole in my mind. I did it. It was I. She is crying because of me. I had done it slowly, all summer long. Not knowingly, I had patiently lied to her. I had broken her.

“Go!” she yelled at me, “I can cry alone!”

I looked around ashamed of the curious looks and ashamed of her. But, the most ashamed I was of myself.

“I can`t go,” I said to her, realizing, I was lying to her again. Of course, I could go, and I wanted to go. The girl wouldn`t be alone for long, if I wanted to talk to her at least, I had to hurry. I could sense her warm, soft skin brushing against me, and, unconsciously, I had already stepped back from Robin. It tore me. I had to stay with Robin, she was my sister after all. Not everyone had a blood-sister. I made some more steps back. Robin sat down in the sands, embraced her legs with her hands and put her head on her knees. I could see her silhouette twitching. I couldn`t just go. I wanted to hug her and calm her. So, I turned around and run.

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