Just What She Needed

Just when I thought the Tate home couldn't get any more perfect, Rachel's sister came home.

Rachel and I were in her room, painting our nails and practicing eyeliner, when we heard the side door push open. Rachel dropped everything she was holding and yelped, "Sia!"

And then she ran down the stairs.

I decided to follow her, out of pure curiosity. And politeness, of course.

Entering the kitchen was a tall woman I'd never seen before. I knew all about Sia, obviously, Rachel couldn't shut up about her. Sia was Rachel's older sister -- she was thirty two -- but she was never home. I knew Sia from when I was little, until I turned four and she left to serve the military. Rachel and I were very young then, so we didn't fully understand where Sia had gone. I remember realizing how dangerous her service must be when I saw Mrs Tate crying in her bedroom after two years.

Sia was wearing a knee-length skirt, and she added black tights underneath. She was wearing a red sweater that ended just above her waist, and red combat boots. She wore a black beret covering her short silver hair.

"Sia!" Rachel barreled forward and hugged her older sister, burying her face in Sia's snowy jacket. Sia bit her red lip to stop from crying, and I looked away in shame. I shouldn't have been watching, but I was so envious of Rachel I couldn't help it. Rachel was so lucky in the family department -- Mrs Tate and Sia would never even consider kicking her out.

"Rach," Sia whispered, her long fingers clasping Rachel's white-blond hair. Sia squeezed her eyes shut.

"Rachel...?" Mrs Tate got off the stairs and stared at Sia in disbelief. "Anastasia?" she whispered, her green eyes brimming with tears.

"Why didn't you tell us you were coming?" Mrs Tate choked. Rachel stepped back so Mrs Tate could embrace her daughter. Sia hugged her back, and, because of her towering height, she rested her head on her mum's.

"I did?" Sia said, and her voice had such a firm British accent it amazed me. Her voice was so deep. "You didn't tell Mum, Rach?"

"I didn't think it was real," Rachel sniffed, wiping her eyes and smudging her eyeliner. "You said you were coming so many times. How am I supposed to know which time is for real?"

"Ana," Mrs Tate said, using her nickname for Sia. Sia always preferred 'Sia', but Mrs Tate insisted on 'Ana', after her grandmother. "Do you want to stay in your old room?"

Sia hesitated, and immediately, I knew. Sia wasn't going to stay.

"I already got a place," she said, hitching her backpack higher up her shoulder. "I was on my way just now."

Mrs Tate's face fell. "Why did you...?"

"Just thought I'd say hello." Sia rubbed her eyes and checked her watch, which looked cheap and old. "Ah, shit, is it eleven already?"

Mrs Tate's eyebrows drew together, and Rachel bit her lip. Mrs Tate, like my mum, hated swearing.

"I need to go--" Sia began, but her phone chimed with a message. She pulled it out of her back pocket and read it, and her face brightened. She remembered we were all still there, and looked back up at us. "Erm -- nice seeing you all. You too, Han. I'll be back soon!"

And with that, she left swiftly.

I heard her car rumble and the unmistakable sound of tires rolling on pavement. I turned to look at Rachel, but her eyes were narrowed after Sia's car.

"I think I'll...." Mrs Tate swiped at her eyes. "I think I'll go to bed, girls. Don't... stay up too late."

Then she trudged to her room and closed the door gently.

Immediately, I was filled with anger. Why couldn't Sia just stay? Would it really kill her just to stay one night?

Rachel shook her head. "Let's go, Han," she said softly.

I scowled out the window but followed Rach upstairs. At the last step, I turned around and glared out the window one last time.

Fantastic. This was just what Rachel needed -- her big sister, whom she looked up to 𝘴𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩, to visit her for six minutes and disappear once more.