"That's enough hugs for now, Tavia. Come along, let's unpack and show you your old room. You won't believe how much work we have put into it." Janice walked in front with two of Octavia's bags in her hand.
Quincy followed from behind with a bag in one hand and his other hand wrapped around Octavia's shoulder.
They seemed to be so happy she accepted their invitation.
Especially Janice.
'What changed?'
The thought rang in her mind every time her sister passed her a friendly comment or noticed even the vaguest things about her.
Like how she commented about her newly colored black hair, or how she thought the moon tattoo on the inside of her wrist gave a mysterious vibe.
It was all too new for Octavia to process.
They arrived at a door located in the east wing of the house. It was her old room closest to where her parents used to occupy when they were alive.
She felt a sad twinge but it was gone the moment she dismissed it. Her parents were dead and not even the occasional feeling of sadness could bring them back, neither would self-pity nor useless wistfulness.
Janice pushed the door open with a flourish, a wide grin sitting on her face as she whirled around. Her gaze was pinned on her sister, hopeful. "How do you like it?"
Octavia stepped in, taking the scenery in and for once, not having the feeling of repulse at her efforts.
Instead of the faded pink it used to be, it was now a silvery shade of blue, the depth swirling all around the walls like the color of the ocean.
Apart from the modern-sized dresser, the queen-sized bed with matching blue quilts, and the newly installed wardrobe, everything else stayed the same way they were; her old toys in the exact places where she liked them, the curtains, thick and opaque, her reading desk and computer now wrapped in a protective polythene sheet against dust.
Janice did know about her preference even when she didn't act like it.
For once, she didn't feel a spiteful remark loosely hanging on the very tip of her tongue. She didn't feel the need to walk out of the house and shut everyone else out.
For some reason, she didn't want to deal with another of her infamous tantrums. She wasn't in that rebellious phase anymore and for stranger reasons, it felt good to just let some things go.
"It's nice." Her insurmountable pride stopped her from uttering more words of praise even though she was close to drowning her sister in it. She didn't miss the slight fall in her expression at her emotionless reply.
However, her fiance appeared by her side to wrap an arm around her shoulder.
Janice wasn't deterred. She was intent on bridging the crushing gap in their relationship. After all, they were each other's only family.
"I was preparing a feast when you arrived at the airport. I'll get back to that now. Ensure you come down to eat after you get things in order."
Octavia sent a brief nod in response.
Janice closed the distance between them, drawing her in a brief hug. "We only have each other left in the whole world. I don't want this thing to grow into a rivalry. I do miss you and I know I messed up but I'll do everything in my power to win back your trust."
After that, she headed back to the door where Quincy waited. Before the door shut close, he sent her a small pleading look and then they were gone.
A small sigh fell out of her the moment the door clicked shut. It wasn't one of relief but extreme tiredness.
Her sister's words came back to haunt her but she shrugged it off, quickly turning her focus to arranging her clothes and putting her bags away.
Any moment now, her stomach would grumble in protest and she wouldn't be able to ignore the pangs. Six hours in a spot as well as trying not to get food poisoning was beginning to tell on her.
Her cold facade was fast crumbling into a miserable grimace. She would die first before anyone caught that expression on her face.
A few hours later, Octavia collapsed in an exhausted heap on her bed, her chest heaving furiously. After arranging her clothes in the wardrobe and putting the shoes and toiletries where they should rightly be, she looked at the arrangements of the room.
Suddenly, it felt wrong. She shoved and heaved the pieces of furniture until she achieved her aim.
Afterward, she stepped into the bathroom for a long shower, a part of her hoping to avoid the awkwardness of once more eating at the same table with her elder sibling.
Throwing on a thick woolen sweater that nicked at her mid-thighs and was a few sizes larger than her, she ambled down the stairs.
Slow but reluctant, she placed one foot in front of the other until she arrived at the dining room. It was characterized by a fire hearth which used to keep the house warm until the heater was installed.
A large dining table made out of polished oakwood with marbled surface, sat in the center of the room and chairs of the same material as well.
The room was big, too spacious for the number of people left in the family. Octavia took a seat opposite the two people whose gaze was pinned on her like a hawk.
Ignoring them, she grabbed a plate for herself to pile on it a few laps of roasted duck, some veggies sauce, and more than a few slices of bread, then she settled down to consume her meal.
Silence rang out in the room further amplifying the sound of her cutlery as they met with her plate. The clinking bounced off the walls in ominous echoes but she was beyond famished to care.
Moments after she dug in, she sighed, growing weary of their surveillance. "I'm not going to break into pieces as you fear. Can you both just stop and let me enjoy the meal?"
From the corner of her eye, she saw them talk in hushed whispers and bicker lightly over something.
When she raised her head to look at them, they stopped, awkwardly looking away. If no one was going to utter a word, she would as well play blind to their antics.
With a resigned groan, Janice sought her attention. "Tomorrow night, we'll be throwing an engagement party..."
"...and we're wondering if you'd like to attend. I mean, it would be the sweetest pleasure if you honored our invitation." Quincy completed for his fiancee after sensing her hesitance. They had invited her on the phone but they felt it would be more honourable to tell it to her face instead.
"If I didn't plan on attending, I wouldn't be here with you two, watching you display an unnerving show of affection." When she saw the look of disapproval from her soon-to-be brother-in-law, she let her lips stretch in a smile, no spark of humor in her eyes. In a cheery voice that oozed faux, she added, "Of course, I'd love to."
Janice's eyes sparkled with delight. "Great then. It's a good thing I bought you dinner gowns so you don't have to trouble yourself with questions about what to wear. There's a variety of options to choose from; the one with a jeweled neckline so you don't have to worry about accessories, the one with a long slit by the side- ooh, all the sexiest you can think of, I just can't wait for you to try them on."
Octavia managed to send forced a smile her way. It was in a bid to get her off her back. After silence once more filled the atmosphere, she returned to the bliss of flavors exploding on her taste buds.
"By the way, Tavia--"
"It's Octavia, please."
Janice held up her hands in resignation. "My bad, Octavia." She leaned closer with her eyebrows wiggling suggestively. "I'll be introducing you to our guests, the ones who are undebatably single and ready to mingle."
An angry itch shot into the spot of the moon tattoo inked inside her wrists and she rubbed it with a hiss.
When the itching subsided, she shot her sister an indignant look. "I didn't ask for your matchmaking skills neither did I tell you about problems with snagging a man for myself. Please keep your nose out of that part of my life. It's private."
Janice opened her lips in protest but Quincy quickly laid a hand over her arm, a silent message for her to let it go. Octavia was grateful for his intrusion.
"Let it go, baby. She's not a kid anymore. She can very well decide for herself if she needs to search for love or not. For all we know, she might even have a prince charming she doesn't wanna talk about yet."
Octavia almost gave in to the urge to yell 'thank you' and 'told ya' but judging by the red tinge in her sister's face, she hastily decided against it.
Guilt flooded her system and as always, pride held her from soothing her raw nerves. "How about we go look at those dresses when we're done eating?"
The expression that crossed Janice's darkened features was pure euphoria. Her face lit up like a Christmas tree turned on in the middle of an empty dark hallway. She dropped her fork with a clink, eyes widened in surprise. "Are you sure about that? I mean, there's enough time tomorrow to--"
"My offer doesn't hold out for too long. Do you want it or not?"
"Yes. Yes, we will try those clothes on immediately after." Her head bobbed continuously as a ridiculous grin remained on her face. Quincy squeezed her hand, also smiling.
It took Octavia all the self-restraint in the world not to let what she'd eaten find its way out of her stomach at their unabashed display.
With her usual stony expression and the hours she devoted to her budding writing career, she doubted anyone would ever look at her the same way Quincy was gazing at her sister like she was all that mattered.