"Do you think mom would have liked Snowbell?"
The question came during dinnertime. It was an innocent enough question, but one that sent Nyle's mind reeling.
In all honesty, Nyle couldn't remember much about his mom. He couldn't imagine what memories Isla still had of her; It had been a long time since she passed. And, with time, memories fade.
"I think she would have. Remember when she brought that stray in? Mangy little thing, wasn't it?" Nyle's father answered, setting his fork down on the old, worn-down table.
Even though their father was an expert in the fishing industry in District 4, prices were rapidly rising. Soon, Nyle was also going to start looking for work. Isla promised to help out too by selling portraits and paintings.
"The one she gave to Mrs. Langly?" Isla asked between bites of tuna. Nyle reached over and used his thumb to wipe away a leftover piece from the corner of her mouth.
"Exactly that one, kiddo," Nyle's father nodded. "She was so happy when she saw it, almost brought her to tears."
Isla hummed, seemingly thinking to herself for a moment.
Cats were always a sore topic in the Seaton household. Maybe not for Isla, but for Nyle and his father. Despite the amount of time that had passed, cats still seemed to be on everyone's mind. Nyle guessed it had to do with the conflicting feelings in the house. Nyle's father couldn't stand cats, especially not after Snowbell. Isla, on the other hand, could talk your ear off about cats if you let her. One night, Nyle stayed in Isla's room until 2 in the morning, just talking about cats. It was really mostly Isla doing the talking, but Nyle was just happy to listen.
"Hey, Nyle... you think you could teach me how to play baseball?" Isla asked.
Nyle wondered how she could do it. In most cases, Nyle's brain didn't stop thinking, but he never switched topics as fast as she did. It was as if she had a rolodex of topics to plow through.
"What's the sudden interest?" He asked, resting his head on his hand, propping himself up on his elbow.
"Guppy said his brother is teaching him. I know he's going to ask me to play but I don't know how," Isla said.
"Oh, Guppy?" Nyle started wiggling his eyebrows up and down, a wide, goofy grin plastering itself on his face.
"Shut it, Nyle!" Isla's face bloomed with a vivid hue of pink, her hands working fast to cover up the sight.
"Does Isla have a crush?" Nyle sang, leading his sister to groan loudly.
Guppy was a boy from Isla's class, living somewhere close to the shoreline. Every morning before school, Guppy would come over and pick Isla up to walk to school. Nyle found it adorable. His father? Not so much. The look on Guppy's face the first time he saw their father standing behind Isla was priceless. He would never forget that day as long as he lived, and neither would Nyle.
"No, Nyle!"
"You totally do!"
"Do not!"
"Do too!"
"Alright, knock it off you too. Not at the table, at least," their dad sighed, shaking his head.
A moment of silence passed, with Isla nervously chewing at her lip while Nyle poked around at his food.
"Can you?" Isla asked, looking up at Nyle with pleading eyes.
If there were one person in the world Nyle could never say no to, it was her. As much as he loved to tease and rile her up, she was his baby sister. As far as anyone knew, Isla had Nyle wrapped around her little finger.
"Sure, kiddo."
It's been a while, huh?
I just wanted to extend a huge thank you to dirtwolf for bringing Nyle to life in a way I never would have imagined. 2020 was a hard year for all of us, and I speak for a lot of us when I say Vying brought so much fun and joy to those dark times. You brought a sense of community and let us all be ourselves openly, and I thank you wholeheartedly for that. You have done more for me than you will ever know.
Even if you never see this, thank you.