"It's freeing to lead, right sisters?!"

1.6

One might wonder what happened to my seductive-voiced sister, and even I had no idea what befell her. However, I can only look back to the times where she and I used to play Hide and Seek in the States' Mansion garden.

Our chrysanthemum garden filled with only the best floras one could purchase from the Golden Highs - a market in San Francisco for the wealthiest individuals in the upper class society. It was Castielle's gift to Topaz on her 8th birthday, and he called it a celebration for his first perfect creation.

Perfect. Let me say that again, but this time with a sarcastic tone and a cynical expression, 'perfect'. I was a kid, and so is she, and so is Laurice. That means that grand gifts like this could immediately make us excited, we forget quickly, I forget too fast.

"Hey, let's play hide and seek! No one should hide in the bushes, I'm allergic! Also, I'm the eldest I'm It first!." remarked big sister Topaz to her younger sisters.

"Why would we cheat? There's no reason to...right Sister Cory?" muttered Laurice sweetly towards me.

I flinched when the youngest gave me the sweetest candy-topped smile she could muster. Did she happen to notice that I was planning to cheat? That's impossible, yet unwillingly I remembered responding, "s-sure thing. No cheating."

"On the count of three, you and Cory would run away from the garden as far as your silly little feet can!" grinned Topaz.

"My feet ain't silly." pouted Laurice.

Her cute expression made Topaz and I chuckle.

Years ago, my sister's joking reminders would surely be read as what she simply meant - to run away so that she won't be able to catch us during the game. Yet as silly as what she calls our little feet were, these little feet of ours would be needed for real, some time later.

Flames engulfed the western area of the States Mansion. Laurice and I found ourselves scampering away from the root of the fire - the Chrysanthemum Garden. Laurice was hugging me tightly out of fear, surrounded by a red lake, only our eyes shone brighter than fire itself.

"Big sister is still there!" whimpered Laurice, her eyes are pleading, she wants to save Topaz.

"Alright." I told her seriously.

I took my jacket and covered Laurice with it, and courageously I took one step forward to face the fire - where a looming shadow starts to trudge towards us.

The individual was holding a what seemed to be a flame thrower, unwounded and unaffected by the flames. The person noticed us, but I didn't feel any animosity, she then disappeared after a strong breeze passed by.

1.6 END

"Wear a cardigan or something."

©2021.07.19