Altered

Chapter 8: Gina and Ro

Gina woke up to the late sun shining into her and Ro's bedroom. She felt refreshed and alive again. Startled, she remembered that she and Ro were starting to be on friendly terms. What a day yesterday had been.

Ro was sitting outside with one of her new dresses on.

How early is it? Gina wondered. Ro hasn't gone to training yet, so it must be earlier than I normally wake up.

"Good morning, Ro!" Gina called out, feeling chipper. "What a beautiful day."

Ro rolled her eyes. "Well, I guess if you consider it good, then good morning to you as well. I was just about to go take a walk."

Ro paused, looking rather unsure. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Yes," Gina told her reassuringly, "I would love to come. Do you have time for me to change and wash up some before we go? I just woke up."

"Go on. I'll meet you by the path."

The day was bright and happy, and a cool breeze blew in through the door before she closed it.

Gina pulled off her nightgown and washed in the tin tub that the Lia'unnians had provided for them. She had found it difficult to get used to the wonderful treatment at the Manor. At the orphanage, she shared the bathing tub with all of the other girls her age in the dorm. It had been filthy by the time she had a chance to take a bath, and cold. Gina had eventually resorted to standing in the rain when it came and taking the little bit of soap she was granted out there to wash with.

So much was different from her orphanage days. If she was being honest with herself it wasn't just the surroundings or the nice baths. She had changed. Internally she had become a better-rounded person, with confidence in who she was and what she could do. She guessed that the Manor had given her a chance to be her without restraint and that was why she felt this way.

Gina hurried to pull on one of her brown work dresses and some thicker boots. If she and Ro were going to be walking a long distance then her slippers didn't make sense.

Gina walked away from the house and onto the rock path. Squirrels dashed up leafy trees and a sweet honeysuckle scent filled her lungs. She breathed deeply. It was so nice out here.

Then she walked up to the start of the nature path around the Woodland grounds of the manor that she went to occasionally when she wanted to be alone. She had never imagined walking it with Ro.

Ro gave her a displeased look. "There you are. I thought it would be time for Vienn's lesson before you got here."

Ro tossed her head in her typical grumpy way, but her voice harbored muted affection too. It seemed to be her way of joking.

Ro was holding clothes in her arms, and Gina wondered why.

Gina teased, "I was enjoying the natural beauty of the grounds. Perhaps if you tried it some time, you wouldn't be so grumpy."

Ro took the joke literally, looked angry, and then the anger melted and she only seemed sad. "I deserved that," she told Gina. "I haven't been very good to you. I've just been so lonely and angry since my brother's death. I wasn't sure how to deal with teammates - much less friends - after not having anyone for so long. I wasn't sure if I even could have friends."

"It's ok," Gina told her openly, having closed the door on her anger towards Ro. "I know what it feels like to be alone. What I have discovered is the only way to stop feeling loneliness is to take away its power. No matter what happened to me at the orphanage, the many times I felt like an outcast of the outcasts, or when Miss Karina was particularly awful, I would remember the joy I had felt helping others before then. I could always be alright with myself because I chose to not let the loneliness make me lonely. It's our choice what we feel, regardless of our situation."