Her brothers were giants.
Well, okay. Not literally giants. Just giants compared to her small self.
They were younger looking versions of her father. And they looked identical. How interesting. Based on her parents' description of her previous exploits, they were her conspirators in mischief, and she had led them in pranking every single neighbour in the community.
Ahh... Good times...
Too bad she can't lead them in mischief anymore. But they could help clean up after her this time! Smiling at that thought, Lys went forward to greet the both of them.
"So, my little brothers, or would you rather now be called be my big brothers?" She teased. "Do I have any sister in law yet? Why are they not here?"
"What little, you brat, I'm older than you!" Max retorted, falling back into his old ways and arguing with his sister. "Big sister is now little sister, sooooooo short. Grow up shorty!"
He pet her head feeling satisfied. This sister of his had disappeared from his life for 30 years. She was still a kid and looked like one. Then, pinching her cheeks, he turned to his older twin.
"She's too chubby. Even after lying down in bed for years without eating, she is still so plump. We need to put her on a diet!"
Mat silently stared down at his sister mentally memorising her figure, then, shaking his head at Max who seemed to have mentally degenerated back into a kid in 10 seconds, he then plucked Max's hands off her cheek.
"Enough, Max, our little sister just woke up and you are bullying her again?"
"Again?" Lys narrowed her eyes at Max. "What did you do before?"
"I didn't do anything!" He looked accusingly at Mat who stared back at him. Resignedly, he admitted, "I just... just jabbed you with a needle every time I visited...for the first 10 years..."
"You did what!!!" Dragon Mother Ng roared. "Max Ng! Why did you do that to your sister?!"
He ran behind his sister "I... I just wanted her to wake up faster... Big sis, please save me..."
"You..." Mummy Ng looked at her children and sighed. She had prayed for her daughter to wake up every single day for the past 30 years. How could she blame her then 8-year-old son for trying such a method to wake up his sister?
"No dessert for you today."
"But... But Aunt Meng made my favourite rock sugar milk pudding..." He pouted, trying to get his mother to change her mind.
"No buts! Go show your sister to her room, the doctor advised her to rest more"
Sulking, Max picked up the bag containing her belongings that accompanied her hospital stay, then looked at his sister.
He bent forward and smirked, "Come, let big brother piggyback you to your room!"
Watching both siblings disappear up the stairs, Mat shook his head again. How did the intelligence department even function with his troublemaking brother as it's vice-deputy?
He walked towards his father's study and waited outside for the troublemaker, typing furiously on his tablet. When Max arrived, he nodded and knocked on the door, then headed into the study where their parents were waiting impatiently for them.
"I've put Lys in bed and fed her her meds. She is now asleep." Max announced as he closed the door. "She must have been really tired to fall asleep so soon after taking the medicine… That or the meds are really strong."
"I asked for something stronger for the first week or so so that she can rest better. That girl used to never sleep and sneak out at night, and I always acted like I never knew… we can't have that now though…
"Has everything been arranged?" General Ng looked solemnly at his two sons.
"I have finished upgrading all our security and surveillance programs and have set it on the highest priority. I will know immediately if there is any intrusion on our network." Mat answered as he settled himself in the chair across from his father.
"All personnel has been vetted and accounted for" Max's face was without any of his usual humour as he reported to his father. "I have ordered for an increase in the frequency of the surveillance patrol rounds along with alternative routes as well as stationing plainclothes nearby. No one will be able to get close without being vetted first"
"Good. The Tomorrow Project seems to be acting up again…" General Ng turned on the screen behind him and looked at the live feed of the various surveillance cameras located inside and around the house. He pressed a button on his comms and the middle screen began to play a recording of an explosion from 30 years ago. "And there is also this incident…"
They silently watched the video, softly gasping at the part where a familiar little girl who collapsed bleeding at the same time the blast occurred…
"You were standing so far from the main blast, even the shock waves should not have pushed you back that hard… How did you get so badly hurt?"
"Daddy is sorry, he was late to pick you up from your trip to the mall."
"Daddy will make sure to protect you from now on."
"It's alright dear, we'll do better protecting Lys this time." General Ng felt his wife's familiar touch as she kissed his cheek and wiped the tears that had fallen without his knowing.
"Yes dad, we can help this time." Mat promised.
"No one will touch our sister without me knowing." Max pledged, clenching his fist and pledged. "We were too young then, now that we are older, we can catch the ones that caused this."
Their family faced so much hurt during the past 30 years, the pain of a family not being together and missing the antics and smiles that cheeky girl had always got herself into.
"We won't let her get hurt like this a second time." They vowed together.