Jessica and I spent our days together doing nothing really. We didn't go to school; we didn't go to work. We climbed trees. We lay in the grass and looked at the sky. Jessica swiped something called chalk and we drew pictures in the street. She showed me how to play a game called hopscotch. She taught me other games too: tick-tack-toe, duck-duck-goose (which is hard to play with just two people), hide and go seek, and tag.
Every so often I'd say something and she'd give me this real funny look. She did it when I told her I didn't know how to play hide and go seek. "You sure you never heard of this game before?" she asked me
"Yeah," I said kind of quickly and I don't know a little angry maybe.
Jessica gave me another funny look but told me "There's nothing wrong with that. I was just surprised. I didn't think anybody could get to your age and not know tick-tack toe or hide and go seek or at least tag."
I felt my face get hot. "Well, I don't know them," I said still angry.
"Okay, okay," she said. "I didn't mean nothing by it. I was just surprised is all." I didn't say anything back. I kicked some loose pebbles. I wasn't angry anymore, I was feeling something else: scared. I didn't want her to find out the reason I don't know this stuff was because I'm not human; I didn't have a normal childhood. I couldn't explain myself so I kept quiet. I guess the silence bugged Jessica, after few minutes she said real quietly "don't run away again."
I wasn't planning on running then, not unless she found out the truth. I guess I planned on leaving her eventually. She was looking at me nervously though. She looked kind of worried or upset or something. I felt like I had to say something. "I won't." I told her and I promised myself I'd keep my word by not leaving anytime soon.
Jessica seemed to relax. She smiled at me and asked, "Do you want to hide or be the seeker first?"
We played for awhile. I was a pretty good hider. Once she couldn't find me at all. She looked all over the place. Then she yelled, "Wrath I give up. Come on out." I didn't know if I was supposed to come out or not so I stayed hidden. She went around yelling for me to come out. After I while her voice got, I don't know, sort of different I guess. And I realized that she wasn't having fun anymore. This meant we should probably stop the game.
"I'm here," I called emerging from my hiding place.
She looked so happy to see me I couldn't believe it. Then she got angry, "Why didn't you come when I called."
"I was hiding. You weren't supposed to find me." She taught me the rules she should know this.
"Whenever someone says 'I give up' that means the game is over. Come out right away."
"Okay," I told her quietly. She was pretty angry at me given that I didn't know any of this stuff.
She must've realized this cause she stopped being angry. "It's alright," she told me and she smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.
We were done playing hide and go seek so we switched games. Later that day I made another mistake: I called her mommy. I didn't mean too really. I meant to say Jessica but for some reason I said mommy instead. My face got really red afterward. And she was looking at me funny again. I don't like it when she looks at me funny it makes me feel weird like I'm a freak. I am a homunculus so I know I am a freak but it doesn't mean I want to feel like one. This had to be one of funniest looks she'd ever given me too. She looked I don't know like she wanted to laugh but sad at the same time.
Finally she said, "I think I'm a little young to be your mother. I could be you big sister instead. Big sister Jessica how does that sound?"
Mommies never seem to work out for me; maybe a sister would be better. I liked the way it sounded, "Sister," I said trying out the word.
"That's right, brother," Jessica said back. She was smiling at me with her mouth. Her eyes looked like they were going to cry though.
She was weird for the rest of day, real quiet and even though she was close I think her thoughts were far away. If this was the price for gaining a sister I wasn't sure I wanted it. But the next day she was back to her normal self and the day after that too. At first she had crying eyes when I called her sister but eventually those faded. So I decided the price, whatever it was, had been worth it. And that was how I gained a sister.
I wanted to update sooner, but the current chapter I've been working on is giving me some trouble. Also, I've been spending some of the time I'd normally spend writing studying for a certification exam. My next update will be probably take a little while too because I'll still be studying.