Autumn leaves fell as a cold, heavy breeze blew. In the distance, people could make out the silhouettes of two children – a boy and a girl – playing recklessly beneath a dying ginkgo tree. No one knew much about these two kids aside from the fact that they were siblings.
The girl was short yet very smart for her age. Her purple hair, which she had insisted on cutting short, was pulled back to a semi-ponytail. Her outfits were often of purple ensembles so as to match her eyes which were a pair of bright, soulful amethysts. Albeit she had recently turned six, people kept on mistaking her for a four -year-old, not only because she looks like one, but she acts like one too.
Her brother is an exact opposite. He was stoic, mysterious and very observant. His sapphire-blue eyes were seldom fixed in an angry expression, but on certain occasions, he would smile and his eyes would hint a rather cheery demeanor. He seems to like the color blue since he wore it a lot, but it might've also been because his sister thinks the color suits him. Everyone estimated that he'd turn eight soon; maybe in a week or so.
The two of them were laughing and chasing each other around the tree, the girl falling several times in an attempt to grab the hem of the boy's shirt, and the boy stopping momentarily to make sure she was alright. When everything appeared fine, they'd continue running until the girl was finally able to grab the boy's wrist. That meant one thing: he'd have to push her back and forth on the tree swing – an improvised work by their butler; a tall, elderly man who looks after them like a father.
It was a tire that hung by a thick, orange rope which wound around the topmost branch of the tree. Leaves had rested themselves in the hollow of the tire, so the girl had to spend a few more minutes to remove them all before she climbed unto the object and sat herself in the loop, hands holding on to the rope. The boy warned her that if she fell, he'd do nothing to help which caused the girl to laugh out loud. He then pushed her as hard as he can, sending her into the air while she stretched her right hand so that she'd reach the closest branch which hung at around seven feet above the ground. The swing heaved back down, and the boy revved forward again. Each time the swing pulled back to him, he'd push harder until the girl managed to grab the last surviving leaf on the tree before her legs buried themselves in a pile of yellow leaves again.
"Brother, look," the girl murmured, gazing at the leaf she had just plucked off. The boy leaned over to get a better view of what his sister was holding and his gaze softened. She was actually holding two leaves; one was smaller and greener than the other, and they were attached together by the stem.
"It's just like us," the girl commented, smiling at her brother. "We'll be like this when we get older. We won't be separated no matter what happens, right?"
"Yeah," the boy said, pausing for a second before adding. "You better take that home and glue it to the scrapbook you're making."
The girl nodded. "It'll look great! I'll even put our names on it... Lass on the bigger leaf and Arme on the smaller leaf, see?" The girl waved the leaves to her brother's face. The boy simply smiled as he hefted his little sister off the tire and kneeled down so that his eyes were on the same level as hers. He then gave her a pat on the head and smiled – like he'd usually do when she had thought of something brilliant.
Her brother stared at her as he stood up before turning his head to face the sun which was setting slowly in the horizon. Another cold breeze blew, signaling that they should return home. "It's been a year, right?"
The girl then jumped up and held on to her brother's arm while saying, "Yup!
The boy looked at his sister, then at the sky, remembering the events twelve months prior…
Rain poured down the suburbs of a small town as a young boy no older than eight ran through the streets, cowering in fear as thunder boomed from above. His clothes were already drenched with both blood and water. He had asked for shelter from a few houses, but none of the people he had looked up to took notice of his condition. He tried avoiding the mansions since he knew the rich never really cared about people like him. He knelt by the sidewalk and was about to succumb to the idea that he might die in the streets, but before he could close his eyes and allow the cold wind to freeze him, he caught sight of an opened gate which lead into one of the largest manors in the area. He didn't think twice in sneaking into the house and exploring the whole place. There was a bit of laughter from the inside as he made his way past what could have been a kitchen.
"I'll go get something to drink," he heard a deep, masculine voice say. He peeked through the window and could make out the shape of an old man who seemed to be searching the fridge for something to munch on and behind him was a little girl who watched him eagerly as he brought out two bottles of juice. The boy froze and ducked below the window when she looked straight in his direction. Thinking it was only a product of his imagination, the boy decided to look again, only to find that the girl was pointing at him.
He decided to run for the sake of his life but ended up falling backwards once his body made contact with a person.
"What are you doing here, my boy?" An old man asked at the top of his voice, holding out a hand to help the boy up but the boy gingerly refused.
"The gate was open," he replied, his voice barely audible as he lowered his head so that his hair covered his face. "I'm sorry for trespassing. I just need a place to stay."
"Shouldn't your parents be worried by now?" The man questioned, staring intently at the boy as he stood up.
"They're dead," The boy sharply retorted causing the old man to flinch lightly.
"So… You really need a new place to stay?" The old man asked again, earning a nod from the boy. "If you want, you could stay here. I'll introduce you to my mistress, Arme. She's a cheery little tyke, but mind you she's extremely childish."
"W-wait… That girl isn't your grand-daughter?" The boy inquired, lifting his head a fraction.
"Of course not! I'm her butler!" The old man boasted. "Now come before you catch a cold."
The butler led him into the kitchen, which was a lot bigger from the inside. A huge door which led to the dining room was located on the left side of the room. Three wooden cupboards hung in mid-air while a cocktail cabinet exposing several wines was tucked in the corner. The fridge sat beside the stove which was found on the right side of the sink. To his right, a red apron was hung, and letters he couldn't make out were inscribed on it.
The old man slipped into the dining room for a moment to probably clear out a few things with his mistress. The boy could hear the words "brother" and "family", though he didn't really know if that meant a lot. The old man then entered the kitchen and gave the boy a towel to dry himself up, and then he told him that the mistress was a five-year-old who shouldn't be provoked because of her height. The boy nodded and watched as the old man beckoned the little girl to enter the room. She seemed cautious for a moment but then she ran inside and hid behind the man.
"T-That's him?" She asked in a very high-pitched voice.
"Yes mistress," The old man replied.
"He has blood on his clothes… Just like mom and dad when they left," The little girl stated, causing the old man's eyes to widen momentarily as he glanced at the boy. The girl added, "Mom and dad never said anything about a brother."
"Brother?" The boy mouthed at the old man who nodded in return.
"Why don't you introduce yourself to him, mistress?" The old man suggested smiling as the little girl prudently walked towards the boy. She stopped momentarily and bowed.
"M-my name is Arme," She paused and pointed at the butler. "H-He told me that I wasn't even born when f-father took you to study in another city. P-Please tell me y-your name."
The boy stared at the old man as if to say "Is this really necessary?" and gulped when he gained a nod from the said person.
"L-Lass," the boy choked out. "My name is Lass, –" Pausing for a moment, he stated, "—and it's a pleasure to finally meet you, little sister."
The girl smiled and pounced on her "brother," wrapping him in a tight embrace. He hesitantly hugged her back, sneaking a glance at the butler.
From that very evening, he took care of her, and over time he got used to his new life. He would take her to several wonderful places, and he even started considering her as an actual sister. He just hoped that one day; he wouldn't regret his decision to stay with her.
"Brother, is everything okay?" His sister suddenly asked, automatically cutting his thoughts off.
"Y-Yes," He replied, holding her hand. "Let's go home."