FRIENDSHIP

Chapter 1: Isa-Belle

It was a normal day when I was walking back home from school with my one of best friends Eina Hugwell. My name was Isa-Belle Sinany. People either called me my given name or they called me Ibe.

I was a brunette and I was fourteen and a half. I had jade-coloured eyes and my black t-shirt matched my cropped leggings. It was in the middle of winter, so my head was covered by an orange beanie.

Eina, though, was completely different. She had blonde hair that was really thin and delicate. She also had eyes that reminded me of the ocean. Eina wore a grey knitted hat which was her Christmas present from me and a pink coat that looked like a dress with golden buttons, as usual. Her legs and feet were covered with black boots, which made her skinny legs look even skinnier.

Fast footsteps came from behind us.

"Eina! Ibe! WAIT!"

We stopped.

"Wait! Isa-Belle! Eina!" The owner of the footsteps called. "I have something to tell you guys!"

We stopped and turned to see our friend Nexi. Her full name was Inexa Marie Dicaminchi, but we didn't call her that.

Nexi's father was Fayanese, while her mother was from Callkva, our homeland.

Nexi had shoulder-length onyx hair that was always tied into pigtails, and she had hazel-coloured eyes. She was the shortest among the three of us, although she was the oldest. She was wearing a purple sweater and her classic grey knee-high skirt of which I heard her parents forced her to wear it, although she hated to. She was wearing brown snow shoes that somehow matched perfectly with her skirt.

"What?" I asked.

"Look," she began. "My father just told me that Fayan is going to have war with Veeskatania so I will be out of the country at the battlefield for at least a month. I came here to say goodbye. Sorry..."

"Are you serious?" Eina blurted out in shock. "Will you like, d-die? Will you be okay?"

"I don't know," she said.

"Then I'm like going with you! If you die, then let me die also! You're going too, right Ibe?"

"I.." I stammered. I didn't really like to talk in front of any one of my eight half-brothers, two of my dad's wives, who I call my aunties, one mom and one dad just to ask them if I could go. The only person I feel comfortable talking to was my sister, but she doesn't make the choices in the family. But I couldn't leave my friends either.

"Ibe, are you worried?" Eina asked sweetly.

"No, I'm fine."

"You don't have to worry about your family problems. I'm sure they'll let you go." Nexi reassured me.

"But..."

"It's okay if you don't go. It's your choice and you have the right not to." Nexi patted my shoulder. "I won't think of you as less or a bad friend."

"Thanks... I might not be able to come, but I'll try my best to."

***

Back at home, my own mom was in the kitchen preparing dinner, Karen (dad's first wife) was putting on makeup, my dad's other wife, Janice, was controlling her ever-crazy kids, and my dad was on some 'important' call with my uncles.

My family was full of people. I had nine siblings-- one sister from my mom, and four half-brothers from each of my other moms.

Sometimes I even forgot who was who... all of my half-brothers almost looked the same. If it weren't for just the aging, I wouldn't be able to tell. I was closest with my only sister Geneva Paige Sinany. My half-brothers called her GenEVIL, but she was actually really nice.