The Unkindness of Fire

Chapter 9

"The drought was the worst in the south, where everyone but the royals suffered because of the mismanagement of water resources." - From A Look Back: Water and War

***

Somehow, in the pervasive way that it tends to do, time crept by at an impossible pace, and the next time I blinked, eight weeks had passed.

I was shocked at how quickly Vencia and I fell into a rhythm, her with school, and me with basic training. The market became our favorite way to spend our free time, especially once I started getting paid. Slowly, we began to decorate the apartment with vases of flowers, spare fabric for curtains, and whatever else we could scrape together to make the place feel more like home.

"How's school going?" I ask Vencia as she sits at the kitchen table, scribbling on a paper, as I throw together dinner for the both of us.

"Good. I think..." She looks up at me and smiles. "I think I might actually like it here."

"Yeah?" I stop stirring the pasta to get a good look at her. "You're not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?"

"No, I'm serious. I'm..." she rests her head in her hands, "happy isn't the right word, but..."

"I get it. It's nice to... have a lock on the door and warm food." But happy... still felt out of reach after everything we'd lost.

"Speaking of which, is dinner ready yet?"

"Almost," I laugh. "You could help, you know?"

Vencia, mouth open, scoffs at me. "I am busy being studious, can't you see?"

"Mhmm. Here." I pass her a bowl full of pasta, which she attacks graciously.

"What are you gonna bake me for my birthday?"

"I don't know yet. When's your birthday again?"

Vencia gawks at me with her mouth half full of pasta. "Are you-"

"I'm kidding. Maybe I already have a few things planned."

Vencia sets down her bowl and folds her hands in front of her on the table. "Can I propose a plan?"

"Sure..."

"Well. I know we don't have much space here. But, since whatever your planning probably won't last more than one evening, I was wondering if, well, if I could..."

"Spit it out Vencia."

"Can I invite a few friends over?"

"You have friends?"

She rolls her eyes. "Yeah, sis, you're not the only one who can make friends. If that's even what Indigo is to you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"She's around a lot, and I see the way you look at her-"

"How do I look at her?"

Vencia laughs and starts after her pasta again. "You just get happier when you're around her."

"Okay back to the friend thing," I wave a hand. "How many are there exactly?"

"Like... eight or nine."

"Uhh," I stare at Vencia.

"Please?" She bats her eyelashes in the way that would win our parents over.

It works on me too. "I... think we can manage a few extra people for an evening."

"Really?" Vencia arches an eyebrow, and I just smile in response. The excitement that lights up her features is worth the anxiety that having multiple teenagers in our tiny apartment gives me.