"I suppose I should give you the tour," Mom said with a shy smile as she helped me with some of my bags. I stepped through the white timbre door, into the place I would now call my home. There was a small space for shoes with what I imagined to be a coat closet on the left. I was proved right when she gestured to the door off to the side, saying it would be used mainly in the winter.
A few steps later, the layout opened up into the living room where we had our first meeting. While Cass' apartment was darker, giving off more of a woody old timey vibe, Mom's house, or I guess our house, was much brighter. It looked just like how I remembered from our first meeting. Plush sofas laden with cushions surrounded a marble coffee table, dozens of different art magazines covering its surface. A tv was mounted on a bit of exposed brick wall, right above a fireplace I imagined would be warm and comforting in the colder months of the year. To the left, there was an open space housing a table surrounded by 6 chairs. "Living room, dining room," she gestured to each one in turn, letting me take it all in. Mom pointed to a glass door. "Garden is out there. There are tables and chairs for you to relax with friends if you want to. It's especially nice this time of year."
Taking me gently by the hand, she led me to the left, past the common areas and into another smaller room. "Kitchen." There was a small stovetop, an oven and a fridge. Pans hung from metal hooks on the wall. "I'm not the best cook, but I do enjoy it sometimes. Though, after staying above a lovely cafe for the past few months, it's probably a downgrade."
"It's okay, Mom," I reassured her, squeezing her hand gently. "Don't stress out about these little things."
A smile tugged at my mom's lips, and she leaned over to give me a kiss on the cheek before leading me back the way we came. The ghost of her lips remained long after she had retracted.
On the right of the living room, opposite the kitchen, there was another hallway. She opened the door on the left first and I audibly gasped.
"This is my studio."
Every surface seemed to be covered in some form of creative medium. Easels dotted the floor, home to canvases covered in oil paint each more colourful than the last. She did say in the interview she was doing colour experiments, and it seemed she was really taking it seriously. The walls were plastered with different papers, humongous pieces that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Black charcoal and white chalk created some of the most amazing portraits I had ever seen. A shelf on the wall acted as her storage space, every material neatly packed away and labelled. There was a huge window on two adjacent walls of the studio, letting in lots of natural light which was essential for any artist. What was strange to me was that a corner of the studio was completely barren and empty. Right as I was about to ask, she interrupted me.
"That area is for you."
"Really?" I was gobsmacked.
This earned a laugh from her. "Really. If you'd want to. You're welcome to work anywhere in the house, of course, but I thought it'd be nice since it's something we both have in common. I'm sure there's a lot that we can teach each other."
"That'll be awesome," I said dreamily. My mind ran at a million miles an hour, already picturing it. We would spend days on end in the studio, blasting cheesy pop songs from a small speaker in the corner. A scented candle would burn in the corner to ward off the strong smell of turpentine. Maybe a hot cocoa scented one. I would constantly step back, using my thumb as a gage for how to go about the rest of the painting or drawing. Every once and a while, we would poke at the other's shoulder, eager to see what they're doing, only for them to chide us, bat us away and tell us to get back to work. We would only take momentary breaks, eating takeout right out of the box and talking until our stomachs were satiated before getting back to our work which would keep us up until the early hours of the morning.
"Come on," her voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I let her lead me to whatever was next. "My room is here," she gestured to a closed door right opposite her studio, quickly brushing over it. I suppose it was Mom's private space. I could see it another time. "Bathroom for you at the end of the hall. My room has an en suite, so that's all yours. And finally, this is your room."
I had to pick my jaw off the floor when she opened the door. It was absolutely massive, bigger than anything I'd ever had before. A four poster bed sat on one end, next to an enormous window which filled the room with natural light, thick curtains drawn back. There was a large wardrobe along one wall waiting to be filled, and a desk with a new computer sitting on it along the other. The final wall under the window held a wide open space I assumed I could use for art, with easels and canvases already in the corner, and a large table I could use for coloured pencil works.
"I left the walls white," she explained, placing my things down while I looked around in wonder. "I figured you might want to paint them, so I've left that choice completely up to you. You're of course welcome to join me in the studio anytime, but in case you have art you want to make in private, you can do it here. The windows can open if it's a cool day, there's AC to turn on if you get warm, I can show you your bathroom so you know how the water temperature and everything works, there's a laundry attached to the kitchen…" Mom continued to babble on, clearly getting a little nervous, so I silenced her by pulling her into a hug.
"Mom, I love it."
"Oh," she chuckled, "thank goodness."
XXX
That night, Mom and I had homemade spaghetti and meatballs. It was her mother's recipe. Although she said she wasn't a good cook, I thought she was amazing. Being in the kitchen with her was so fun. She was insanely goofy, creative, patient and loving. The only time she was serious was when I asked if I could chop up the onion for the sauce, which prompted her to take my hands in hers and guide the knife along for me, teaching me how to cut nearly all the way through but not quite, then cut the other way before slicing downwards to get the perfect dice. Mom was insistent that I curled my fingers a certain way so I wouldn't chop them off entirely. She taught me the recipe which used to be her mom's, where she stuffed shredded mozzarella cheese in the meatballs so they were full of melty molten goodness when they were ready. To this day, it's still one of my favourite memories with my mom.
The next day, Mom and I were walking down the crescent-shaped street, on our way to her friend's house for brunch. Sometimes, I fail to understand the English language. We have a word for the indecisive meal between breakfast and lunch but we don't have one for "day after tomorrow". Logic, people.
I tried to take everything in as we walked past. The house directly opposite ours had a large pool in the backyard. There was a dog at house number 17, a cheery looking beagle that leapt and yelped at the metal gate that kept us separated. One of the houses had a basketball hoop in the front yard.
She turned onto one of the drives, the sign reading Number 5 Crescent Road. It looked neat and tidy, the lawn spotless as if it had never been touched by the day's breeze. The tiles of the roof were pale blue like a snowy day.
"My friend's name is Iduna, though you may want to call her Ms Krysi first."
"I've never heard of the last name Krysi before," I commented.
"She's Saami," Mom explained. "It's an indigenous tribe in Scandinavia but she moved to North Carolina when she was in her teens."
"That's so cool!"
"It is, isn't it?" Mom laughed. "She has two daughters, Elsa and Anna. Elsa is older and blonde, Anna is younger and a redhead. It'll be easy to tell them apart." I think she could sense my nervousness so she squeezed my hand reassuringly as we approached the painted blue door. "Trust me. They're a really nice family. You'll like them."
I exhaled deeply, releasing my breath through slightly pursed lips. "Okay," I psyched myself up, "let's do this."
The woman who answered the door did look to be a few years older than my mom. Her hair was a darker shade of brown, tied up in a bun with bangs that reached just above her eyebrows. Kind blue eyes met mine, set perfectly in her round face. In the sunlight, I could see the faintest indication of freckles dotting her cheeks, right underneath her eyes. There was such a nurturing aura around her, I immediately felt a little more at ease.
"Arianna, come in! And you must be Rapunzel."
I reached out to shake her outstretched hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms Krysi."
"Please, call me Iduna." She stepped aside and we followed her in, arriving in a dining room. Again keeping with the blue theme, the furniture was modern looking, the chairs pale blue around a light timbre table. Food like waffles and pancakes sat there, waiting to be eaten. Immediately, I spotted two girls about my age, seemingly waiting for us.
"These are my daughters, Elsa and Anna," Iduna introduced them, pointing to them each in turn. She sat herself at the head of the table, while I sat opposite Anna and my Mom next to me. Pleasantries were exchanged between us, albeit slightly awkwardly, as we all tucked in to the brunch they had prepared earlier that morning.
"Are you excited to be going to Willows?" Anna asked, bouncing up and down in her seat. Her demeanor was very chirpy and peppy and it did ease my nerves slightly.
"Sorry, where?" I asked, a little confused.
"Willows Academy," Elsa answered. She was much calmer and more composed. Her personality was a little cold, but not necessarily unwelcoming. She was certainly more introverted than her younger sister. "I've just graduated from there. Anna's senior year starts in a week, and that's where you'll be going too."
"Willows Academy For Girls!" Anna gushed proudly. "It's really fun. I've loved every year there so far and I expect senior year to be no different. I'll show you around on your first day and introduce you to the girls! I'm sure they'd love to meet you."
"Thank you," I said sheepishly, "I look forward to it."
"I'm doing mixed martial arts as my extra curricular," the redhead continued. "You should come along for the first session!"
I blushed. "Oh… I don't know… I'm not a huge sports person."
"It's pretty easy," Elsa assured me. "I did it while I was at Willows. Although, I'm not nearly as violent as Anna. She got into so much trouble for punching the neighbourhood asshole last year."
"Language!" Iduna chided, trying to stifle a grin.
"It's true though," Elsa argued.
"Hans was being a massive misogynist," Anna pointed out.
"And a douchebag," the older sister added.
"I suppose he did deserve it," their mom laughed, "but I still don't condone unnecessary violence!"
"You say that now," her younger daughter challenged, "but my fists will be ready when you need them."
"Seriously though, Rapunzel," Elsa interrupted, "once you get started, it's hard to stop. And you never really forget. Kind of like riding a bike."
I shrugged, "well I can't ride a bike so that analogy is lost on me."
"Ooh! Ooh! We can teach you!" Anna offered. "I'm a certified instructor. Well, not really certified, but I did teach a bunch of kids from a local elementary school to contribute to a service learning credit, and I was pretty good at it if I do say so myself."
"That sounds like a splendid idea!" Iduna commented.
"We have a spare bike in the garage," Elsa suggested, "it's a good size for you."
"Are you sure? You guys don't have to go through the trouble for me…"
Anna hushed me, cute dimples forming at the corners of her lips whenever she smiled. "We're gonna teach you. Come on. It'll be fun."
XXX
Following our brunch, Elsa and Anna led me outside while our moms stayed in for a cup of coffee. I watched in fascination as Elsa brought out a toolbox and used a screwdriver to remove the pedals of one of their bikes. The design looked really cool. Sleek and lightweight with a simple structure. The body was painted electric purple.
"Okay, here's what you're gonna do," Anna instructed, leading me out onto the empty street. It was the middle of the day and cars rarely came through there anyway, so there wasn't much to worry about safety wise. Other than me falling off and breaking something important, of course. "Elsa and I will stand a couple feet away from each other. You start at Elsa's end. Butt on the seat, feet planted on the ground and push off. Take it like you're running and guide the bike to me." Noticing my uncertainty, she demonstrated for herself. I observed with great focus as Anna shifted her weight from one foot to another to avoid falling over, keeping her back relatively straight but angled slightly forward as the bike propelled herself forward. "Both of us will be here to catch you if you fall," she assured me, helping me onto the seat. Elsa kept her hands on my shoulders while Anna ran and stationed herself a couple of feet away.
"You ready?" Elsa asked. I nodded and felt her slowly retract her hands. Trying to keep my balance, I mimicked Anna's movements, shifting my weight between my feet to propel myself forward.
"Left, right, left, right, left, right!" Anna chanted as she grew closer. I tried to remember what Tadashi and Hiro taught me when I learnt to ride his hoverboard for the first time. Keep your centre of gravity secure, look at where you want to go, falling is a natural part of the process.
A small shriek escaped me as I felt myself begin to tilt to the right, my world spinning a little as I fell towards the ground when-
"I got you," Elsa assured me, steadying me with her hands again.
Anna ran to meet us. "You okay?" she asked, concerned as I tried to regain my balance.
"Yeah," I laughed, shaking off my nerves. "I'm fine. Let's try again."
The sisters nodded, splitting off again. After Elsa let me go, I moved towards my target, keeping my eyes focused on Anna so I wouldn't ride off course. Before I even realised what had happened, Anna stepped to the side and caught me by putting her hands on my shoulders. "You did it!" she praised, helping to keep me steady.
"I did it," I gasped in disbelief.
"Okay!" she clapped her hands, "we'll work on increasing the distance, and once you're comfortable with this, we'll re-attach the pedals."
We spent the time after that gradually increasing the distance between the two of them as I got used to the repetitive movements. When I eventually got the hang of it, they re-attached the pedals. It was a little fiddly at first, even with my feet secured in the straps. After a few practise rounds with Elsa and Anna running by my side, each of them holding one shoulder, I was able to cycle from their house to mine and back again.
"You really got the hang of that quickly, huh?" Elsa commented. She seemed quite impressed with how fast I caught on.
Anna materialised next to me, "we should ask our moms if we can ride out by the coast. It's not too hot out today so it'll be nice and breezy. What do you say?"
I nodded enthusiastically, "okay, let's give it a shot!"
The bike they lent me had been Iduna's old one, before she got a newer design of the same colour. Elsa's was similar but the body was painted pale blue. Anna's was the same except a dark green coat distinguished it from the others. Our moms were eager to let us spend some time together, probably wanting me to make friends my own age. We rode off under the promise that we'd message them when we reached the coast and when we were to head back.
Although I had experienced a little freedom with Hiro's hoverboard, the thrill of riding bikes with girls my age was incredible. I could see the wind whipping through Anna's free flowing auburn hair, while Elsa's was neatly secured in a braid that trailed behind her. They led me down Crescent Road and through a series of other suburban roads, pointing out landmarks on the way. I tried to map out the route in my head with mediocre success. Eventually, the houses thinned out entirely and buildings made way for flat plains of sand with the ocean peaking over the horizon. I could smell saltwater. The subtle sound of the waves echoed in my ears. The sisters bantered as they rode on either side of me on the wide cycling path. When the path began to narrow, we opted to dismount and push so that we'd still be able to walk side by side.
"I'm really glad I can get to know you guys," I gushed, looking out to admire the sparkling sea.
"Likewise," said Elsa.
"I love the weather this time of year." Anna chirped. "The end of summer where it's warm but not unbearable. Plus, it always puts Elsa in a good mood because it means winter's coming soon!"
"Just because the cold bothers you doesn't mean you have to hate on my favourite season," the blonde jibed. "Anna and I spend every winter in Norway with our mom's family. When we were kids, we climbed a lot of trees and built a lot of snowmen."
"Can you guys speak Norwegian then?" I asked curiously.
"Mom can," Anna explained, "she grew up in her village so spoke it up until he was in her late teens. The language has still stuck with her even though she rarely speaks it, but Elsa and I were born here so never got the opportunity to learn."
"It's a shame, really," her sister continued, "I do need a language credit to graduate, so I was considering starting. It would please Grandma if we could, I think."
"They did try to teach us when we were little, but I think we were a bit much," Anna chuckled.
I tried to remember what my mom had said in one of our early conversations. "Well, I have some German blood in me, so maybe I could learn too. Though, I've got no grandparents to impress."
"It's not about proving anything to anyone," Anna pointed out, "it's about doing it for yourself. Whether you have an interest in languages or just want to connect with your culture more, you could even do it just because." Her teal eyes were genuine and I felt myself begin to blush.
"We should head back," Elsa said. "They'll be wondering where we are. Let's not keep them waiting."
XXX
"It was so nice to meet you, Rapunzel," Iduna said as they led us to the front door. It was already evening and the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. "I hope you enjoyed yourself."
"I did," I smiled, "I really did."
"I'll see you around the neighbourhood," Elsa said, leaning against the doorframe.
"And I'll see you in school!" Anna sounded excited. "Term starts in less than a week. I can meet you at the gates on the first day and show you around. We take all the same electives so it'll be easy for us to stick together without having to go off to different classes."
"Thanks," I said gratefully.
"Oh, and one more thing! Pass me your phone, I'll add my number so you can text me whenever." Without a second thought, I handed her my phone, waiting for her to type her number in. When she handed it back, I saw she saved her name as Anna Krysi with a bunch of emojis behind it, including a chocolate bar, leaves caught in a breeze, a gecko and a snowman.
"Thank you guys so much for having us over, especially you girls for getting to know Rapunzel a bit better," Mom said as she led me out the door.
"Come over anytime, dears!" Iduna replied, seeing us off.
Mom and I made our way back down our street towards home, hearing the door to the Krysi household shut behind us.
"Did you have a good time?" Mom asked, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I really hope it wasn't too much for you. I know you can get nervous around new people, but I thought you all got along so well at lunch, and they managed to teach you how to ride a bike! I'm totally rubbish at that stuff so I'm glad they were able to do that job for me."
"I had a good time. Thanks so much for arranging it, Mom. Now at least I'll have a friendly face to look for when I start school." I hugged her from the side, arm arm around her waist. "I love you."
She turned to place a kiss on my cheek. "I love you too."
A/N - Another week, another chapter! Do let me know what you guys want to see in upcoming chapters, whether it be more interactions with Arianna, getting to know Elsa and Anna better, new school experiences or even meeting old friends. I have some things written but am eager to hear from you guys too. Feel free to leave a review or PM me, I don't bite. Promise. Until then, stay hydrated and wear a mask :)
