"Where are you going? Didn't you just get here?"
Flynn asked as she watched Irene, who had arrived just two minutes earlier. She threw her luggage inside her room and was about to head out again.
"I need to buy some apples. The ones in the academy aren't that good; the green apples from the southern state at the border with the elven kingdom are the best. The man of the world tree and the fresh breeze of the south make them so good."
Irene drooled as she imagined biting into that apple. Flynn shook her head and smiled. Nobody would look at Irene and imagine her being such a foodie. Her taste was more delicate than a food connoisseur.
"By the way, what's with all that luggage?" I
rene pointed at five suitcases and three other bags he was hanging onto his neck, shoulders, and forehead.
"I don't know. Mom packed it, and I dared not refuse her request, so yeah."
Flynn sighed.
"Can you help me take it to the top floor?"
Irene shook her head and waved him goodbye,
"It's your fault for being number one."
Flynn, feeling betrayed, looked at the ten-story building he now had to climb as the elevator still wasn't constructed. He sighed and dragged the 100 kg luggage up the building.
After ten minutes of walking down the street, Irene reached the apple shop. Every apple in that store had run out, but the clerk knew Irene would come, so she specially kept a bag just for her.
"Thank you,"
Irene said with a bright smile as she tipped 2000 Dale more to the clerk.
"Thank you, young lady, this will help me a lot."
The woman now had enough money to feed her family for six months without any problem.
Irene headed out, feeling warmth knowing she had helped someone and would soon be enjoying her apples. She couldn't contain herself to get a bite from those juicy apples.
"Hmm?"
As she was about to head back, her eyes caught onto a familiar figure among the crowd, slithering around with a tired and bored look. If they were friends, she would probably call him, give him a single piece of her treasure, and walk together, as both would talk about what they had done during the past three days.
But reality was different; Levi wasn't a friend, just a stranger who once risked his life to save hers.
An unforgettable stranger.
Irene was about to look back and walk away but saw a woman suddenly approach Levi and put her arms around his shoulder. She was shocked to see Levi, close, physically close with a woman like this.
'So you do have friends other than Gabriel. She does look a bit like-'
Irene watched the woman's face closely. She didn't recognize nor remember her, but her heartbeat seemed to keep increasing and increasing, so much that she felt like it would pop out.
It felt distant, but the familiarity was too close to ignore. Her feet moved slowly, unlike her marching heartbeat, on its own, to be sure she wasn't wrong.
The woman strangling Levi also looked at her. Those brown eyes perfectly hid the blue under them, but Irene's eyes also weren't normal. Her eyes and facial features which looked like hers, were mature and a missing mole under her left eye.
"Irina?"
Irina's grip loosened. She wanted to run, had to, but it had been ten long years since she saw the crying and cheerful sister. The crybaby now had become so big and strong that she couldn't take her eyes off.
She wanted to engrave it in her brain and remember as long as she lived.
And now there was no room to run as Irene touched her sister's hand over Levi's shoulder. Those blue ocean eyes were about to overflow, and Levi could hear Irina sniffling as well.
It was a heartfelt and unprepared union. But the crowd staring at them ruined it.
"Guys, I think you should carry this on to a more private spot,"
Levi said as he eyed the crowd.
Irina took her hands and Irene's hand off Levi. She clasped her young sister's hands and felt calluses on her hand.
It was too late to run, and now what she was about to do would be the dumbest thing to do, but how could she let go after missing out on those ten excruciating years.
Irene also didn't want to let go. She was brought back to ten years ago when Irina would grab her hand the same way when they used to sneak out of the mansion to buy the red apple candies at night.
Irina gently pulled Irene as both walked beside each other, feeling many things at once, except for Levi. The big sister's hand was on his collar, and he was being dragged around, his shoes skidding on the ground.
'Is this what third wheeling feels like?'
Levi wondered as he had to start thinking of excuses to give to these two sisters.
After five minutes of walking and dragging, they reached Irina's house in the darkest corner of the city. Irene looked up and smiled, seeing the name of the shop.
Irina let go of Levi as his head hit the ground. She unlocked the door and walked inside. Irene looked around at the well-built shop, with a sewing machine in the corner stacked pieces of white silk on its side and neatly wrapped clothes packed in bags.
Irina sat on the newly bought brown leather sofa with Irene as both didn't let go, even after their hands were sweating.
Levi got up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and walked, shutting the door. He didn't sit on the sofa but on a chair near the sewing machine.
The shop was filled, and the sisters didn't speak a word nor did Levi. They just held each other's hands. Both wanted to ask millions of questions, but right now they wanted to say only one thing.
"I missed you."
Irene and Irina said at the same time. The dam of tears broke as Irene started crying. Irina hugged her and kissed her forehead. She too couldn't stop herself anymore.
Tears and hugs filled the void created ten years ago. The things they had to go through and the loss they had to suffer were too much at that time. They had been strong for too long and now finally cried their hearts out.
Irina put her hands on Irene's cheek and lifted her face. She wiped those tears and kissed Irene on her forehead.
"You are so big now."
Irene looked exactly how Irina looked ten years ago.
Irene smiled and wiped tears off her sister's face.
"And you….have gotten a lot older."
Both laughed and cried as they didn't stop hugging each other.
'This is awkward.'
Levi looked away from the sister exchanging their sorrow.
'Why is Tyson away when I need him the most?'
God listened to Levi as he could see Tyson and Luna coming out from the other room, beside the open kitchen. Luna's eyes at first fell on Levi and she shouted, "Big brother" and ran towards Levi and hugged him.
Tyson looked at the sofa and never thought he would see this sight ever again. Irene and him smiled at each other, shocked and relieved to see each other fine, after all these years.
But Irene's eyes were glued to the little girl, with black hair and blue eyes, just like hers.
From the corner of her eye, Luna noticed a younger version of her mom and her mom taking off her disguise.
Irene looked at the cute angel walking towards her.
"Is she your-"
"Yes. She turns six after two months."
Irina said and let go of Irene's hand.
Irene knelt down as Luna walked to her. Tilting her head, she asked,
"Are you my mom's twin sister?"
Irene laughed and hugged Luna without any hesitation,
"No, I am her younger sister and your aunt."
"Really?"
"Yes."
Luna, excited, hugged Irene back. Their heartfelt exchange brought a smile to everyone's face, except Levi. He saw a chance, and he was about to take it.
'This is my chance.'
He stood up and walked towards Luna,
"Luna, do you want to go out and buy candies with me?"
"Can I?"
Luna looked at Irina for permission. Irina nodded, and Luna quickly ran towards Levi. Irene gave him a scornful look, which he ignored. He picked Luna in his arms and ran out.
"Come back in an hour,"
Irina said, and Levi nodded as he shut the door.
Tyson wore an awkward smile and sat beside Irene. He put his hand on her head,
"Time flies by really quickly."
"It does."
Tyson sat beside Irina, and now the three just sat in silence, soaking in the moment. Millions of questions had to be asked, and now they would have a lot of time to do so.
Irina stood up and clapped her hands.
" Let's have something, we have a lot of catching up to do and I have gotten good at cooking, you know."
"Haha, cooking you? You mistake salt for sugar. I don't believe it."
Irene remembered the time she ate the world's saltiest cookie made by her sister. She vomited for an hour and got sick for a week.
"That was a long time ago. Now I can differentiate between salt and sugar just by their smell"
Irina then walked to the kitchen and started turning on the stove.
Irene could tell she had gone through a lot since that incident and some things about her had changed, but at the core, she was still that loving, wonderful, and silly sister.
"Is she really good at cooking?"
Irene asked Tyson.
"Well,"
Tyson thought of the dishes he had to go through.
"Compared to back then, her cooking is now somewhat edible."
"Tyson."
Irina frowned and gave an annoyed look to her husband.
Irene laughed as she also stood up and walked to the kitchen. "See, you still can't cook; let me help you."
Tyson also got in the kitchen as the three of them started cooking, talking about Irina and what she used to make back in those days.
As they were talking, Irina couldn't help but wonder,
"So are you and Levi friends?"
Tyson also curiously perked up his ears.
Irene shook her head at the question,
"No, not friends...just classmates."
Irina noticed Irene's hesitation in saying that. They hadn't talked for ten years, but she could tell Irene was lying.
"Are you going to lie to me after all these years?"
Well, what could she do? The situation was just too complicated, but she also couldn't lie to her sister.
"Do you know about the attack in the academy about two months ago?"
"Yes," Tyson and Irina said in unison.
"I also got caught in the attack…..in fact, the main point of the attack was to kill me."
Irene looked at Irina holding the knife so tight that the hilt was almost crushed. Irina knew about it. Some intruders came with a demon to attack the academy, and everyone talked about how Fiona and the headmaster dealt with the intruders but didn't know her sister was in the middle of it.
"So did the headmaster save you? "
Irina said as she started chopping up some spinach.
"He did save me, but only at the end."
Irene remembered that incident clearly to this day. It haunted her, the helplessness and weakness, but getting her out of it was always that one boy.
"That day, Levi saved me."