Wings

renée

It turned out I didn’t have to ring the bell. As I stood on the step, the door opened and a petite blond woman stepped out, not looking where she was going, and crashed headlong into me. She took a step back, and I quickly apologized.

“I’m so sorry, ma’am…” I trailed off as I got a glimpse of the woman’s face.

“Renée?” I gasped. It had been so long since I had seen my baby sister that I had almost forgotten what she looked like, and she had certainly changed enough for me to not recognize her at first sight.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” Renée asked me. I frowned slightly, wondering what she meant, before I realized how different I looked since she had last seen me.

I grinned. “Ren, has it been so long that you don’t recognize your own sister? Even with the tattoos, hair, eyes, and accent, that’s a bit sad, don’t you think?”

Renée grinned slowly as realization dawned on her. “Sarah Emily Aspen, is that really you? You promised you would call, and I think you owe me an apology.”

I laughed. “Sorry, Ren, the international cell phone thing took a bit longer to sort out than I thought. I still only have in-country cellular. And it’s not Sarah Aspen anymore, it’s Melody Claudia Wing. I probably should have e-mailed, though, and at least told you that.”

Ren frowned slightly. “Melody, then… Or do you prefer Mel? Anyways, what are you doing in the States? I thought you had moved in with Josh about five years ago. He would have told me that you were coming.”

I sighed. “Yeah… That’s actually a good cliffhanger as to why I’m here. Is this Gran and Pop-Pop’s house? Or have I coincidentally stumbled to the wrong flat that you just happen to be walking out of?”

Ren gulped and shakily nodded. “It is indeed Gran’s house. But I’m sorry, Pop-Pop died a few years ago. It was just after you lost contact with the rest of the family, and by the way, that didn’t really endear you to Mom and Dad.”

I was shaken by the news but tried my best not to show it. Pop-Pop was the one who convinced Gran to trust me in the first place, and I owed him more than I could ever repay. He was the one I named my studio after, Aspen Wing Art, and I had been closer to him than anyone in my family but Renée.

I shook the past off and took a deep breath. I opened the door to my grandmother’s flat, and ushered Ren inside, following her into the living room.