He stood at the entrance watching her trying to keep a fruit in place. She had pushed aside the knife that cut Nya's finger. He watched how she spoke to herself words of encouragement, while readying herself to make her very first slice.
"Take a deep breathe Isabelle Ree Wilton, you can do this. Just breathe, there's nothing hard in using a knife." Isabelle spoke to herself still staring at the Apple.
"Count backwards to calm down, 5,4,3,2 and
" I'll take it from here" Jia quickly collected the knife from Isabelle's hand.
"You can't even use a knife. So you mean to say that all your years of being alive, you don't know how to use a knife?" Chucked Jia.
"Well I know how to use a butter knife so its technically a knife OK?"
"No it isn't. A butter knife can't be used to cut meat or someone's head off in one slice."
"Someone's head.... head off?" Isabelle looked shocked.
"Yes. Now look at what I'm doing because, clearly you can't slice fruits." Jia smiled.
"I don't see what's funny" Isabelle mumbled.
"And what do you see then?"
"An annoying boy!"
"Well I see a handsome man teaching a child how to use a knife. Now come closer, watch and learn"
"Handsome..Man.. Child.." Isabelle scoffed but didn't take her eyes off of his hands."
That night, they gathered at a wooden dinning table ate sliced fruits of different kinds with wooden chopped sticks, while Isabelle used a silver fork.
"I cut the watermelon" Isabelle said looking up from her bowl.
"It wouldn't be possible if I hadn't helped, no need to take all the credit" Jia said.
"I wasn't taking all the credit.. I was just..
" Just what? because it seems like that's what you re doing "
"Jia. Let her take all the credit, it wouldn't hurt will it?" Nya had to interject.
Isabelle, was finding it hard to believe that there were no light bulbs or touch lights only candles and lanterns..
She laid in bed staring at the roof which had no chandelier. She heard a soft knock on the door, she got up and opened it peaking through to look at who it was.
"Kia?" she was a bit surprised to see him.
"Were you sleeping? I hope I wasn't disturbing you?" His worried eyes stared at her.
"I wasn't sleeping and its fine. I'm just not used to using lanterns or candles." She paused then asked "Why are you here though?"
"I want to show you something, come" He whispered and Isabelle followed suit closing her room door. He took her up a spiral stair at the center of the house.
"Where are you taking me?" Isabelle asked following kia up the spiral stairs, not forgetting to place her hand on the railings to keep her balance and still be able to catch up with kia who was moving quite fast.
Up the spiral stairs was another room which was locked but soon opened by Kia who brought out the keys from his pocket. He first jingled the keys at Isabelle's face , then placed it into the keyhole.
"Its dark in here " Isabelle whispered as she got in.
"I know". Kia said walking to the side of the room , he pushed a wooden lever and the roof opened up letting the star filled night sky come into view.
Isabelle was able to see a little more because of the sky.
" Just wait and see what'll happen next." Kia said not moving from where he was, still looking at the sky.
A bright light started to appear slowly, the light was moving in the sky. Isabelle, squinting her eyes trying to figure out what the cause of the light might be. A gasped escaped her closed lips leaving them slightly opened when she put two and two together and found out that the cause of the light were fire flies.
"I've never seen one this big before. In fact I've never seen a real fire fly before. They're beautiful" She said to herself but because of the quietness of the night, her voice was audible enough.
"They usually pass by Five times a month. This is the second time they're passing by" Kia said.
"I love them already"
"It takes a while for them to pass by, so here's the key. When you're done enjoying the view, you lock the door and drop the key on the mat in front of the door." Kia handed the key over to Isabelle, stretching his arms in the air over his head, he yawned and said "I'm so tired. I'm off to bed"
When a place has no resemblance of home, the difference so evident that being home sick is probably the last thing to ever happen. Isabelle sat on the floor staring st the sky. This place was nothing like her home but, home was the last place she wanted to be right now. She didn't feel like she was suffocating any longer.