Chapter 62: Bitter Sunset

Bright and early in the household of Riku Whiter, the halls were alive with the sounds of the youngest child running around ready to tackle the weekend.

"It's Saturday! It's Saturday!" He would knock on his sister's doors a few times and then head downstairs to greet his mom making breakfast.

Zelene would be the first to leave her room, wrapped in her pajamas. The top was snug around her chest, a button had come off the night prior.

She mumbled through the initial fatigue and took a stroll towards the bathroom. Along the way she snuck a peek over at Lunalei's room.

She could hear her moving around on the other side.

Zelene pressed her lips and made her way to the door. She prepared to knock, but gave up halfway there.

"...Hmph." She uttered to herself, and resumed going to her destination.

But once she was at the door, Lunalei's own opened up.

Zelene watched her move about with a tired expression and saw that she had decided not to put on any pants.

"Great…Now you're going to be a prude?"

The two collided in front of the bathroom and that seemed to jolt Lunalei's eyes more open, where she looked up, adjusted her glasses, and dully remarked, "H-Hey."

The bruise on her face had healed up…Zelene could tell from the look in her eyes that she probably deserved another one.

Haunting her with that awful, envious gaze…Did she truly have no remorse?

Lunalei then gestured at the bathroom, "I need to pee. Can you…?"

Zelene furrowed her brows and then marched right into the bathroom, waiting for Lunalei to try and shout her way inside before shutting the door on her.

Lunalei resorted to pounding, her fists barely registering as a noise, "HEY! Zelene!"

Zelene had a brief and tense scowl as she gladly told her off, "Go use the one downstairs! You lazy…! Ghhh!"

"Fine! I will!" Lunalei shouted back. There were a few seconds of silence, then she kicked the door as hard as she could, and was heard growling in pain afterwards.

It tickled Zelene's heart to see her get some just desserts for her attitude, but the catharsis wasn't enough to help vent her frustrations.

She took to measuring herself out like usual, and marking everything down in her journal.

"Since last month I've grown…one inch taller, and two centimeters in the chest."

Her body shivered as she shut the journal fast, her worst fears realized.

She wanted to try and brush the tight pajamas off as "They got shrunk in the wash" because that delusion at least felt better than this absurd, unending growth.

"...I'm almost six feet tall, and my chest…" She didn't want to ever utter a syllable of that evaluation.

She took deep breaths, and slammed the journal into the drawer. After dealing with her hygiene, she returned to her room and tried her best to get into her usual fit.

But the bra straps felt snug against her shoulders.

She grit her teeth and endured it. She was hungry, and her frustration would have to wait…

She made her way to the kitchen and saw her mom hard at work cooking fried potatoes with chopped up sausage links and soft-boiled eggs on top. Xander was beside her waiting for the toaster to pop, bobbing his head around by the second.

It did bring a smile to her face to see him still full of energy.

Lunalei had yet to arrive, and she was reminded of what lay ahead.

Her dad was going to be coming home in the afternoon from a trip to Kentucky for a major organ transfer, and it was around this point she was considering telling him about Lunalei's late night secrecy.

"She needs a wake up call."

Cause by now it had become less a matter of concern, and more about seeing Lunalei get her due.

She carried that pensive expression to the breakfast table where, only after everything had been assembled, did Lunalei arrive to take a seat across from her, now fully dressed.

The two locked eyes and with a quiver of fear on Lunalei's expression, she proceeded to glare at her and muttered sarcastically, "Thanks for the courtesy…"

"God you're ridiculous…" Zelene muttered quietly.

Lunalei swung her head aside and planted a hand near your ear, "Huh? Speak up! Nobody likes a mumbler!"

"H-Hey…" Xander's little voice spoke up, "Are you two fighting?"

The sisters looked at him hanging his head, and then took one look at each other. Lunalei slanted her brows, Zelene just made a hard turn of her head the other way.

And she considered Lunalei lucky that their baby brother had more maturity than either of them, or she would've thrown a butter knife at her.

Their mom sat down after the tensions had subsided, and the "family" ate their meal.

Slowly chewing was the name of the game here.

Zelene and Lunalei exchanged looks like they were throwing darts.

Halfway through, Lunalei picked up her plate and glass and remarked, "Mom. I just remembered I have an important call to get ready for, so I'll be eating the rest in my room. Is that ok?"

Lunis looked floored, "O-Okay…!"

But she took the matter in stride.

Zelene glared at Lunalei until her legs were up the stairs, upon which her direction shifted to Xander and his disappointment.

"Awww, I thought we were gonna watch some anime…"

"...Sorry Xander, she doesn't have time to fake being a family anymore." She closed her eyes and remained firmly judgmental in demeanor.

"..." Lunis pointed her fork at Xander and whispered, "Xander, why don't you call Uncle Mew up and ask him if he's busy at home today? I bet he'll watch some with you!"

"Ok!" Xander then devoured the rest of his meal in seconds and ran the plate to the kitchen, jumping into a kiss on his mom's cheek midway, "Thanks for another wonderful meal!"

"Oh that boy…" She whispered fondly.

She then turned to Zelene and folded her hands under her chin, "Alright, what's going on with you and Lunalei?"

Zelene didn't even get a single word out before her mom flicked a finger up and smiled proudly, "A mom just knows."

"..." Zelene bit her bottom lip and felt wrongly accused here, "If you're worried, ask her about it."

"Zelene…" Her mom raised her voice ever so slightly, but still remained kind, "Please be honest with me now. You did something to get your sister upset at you."

Zelene's eyes widened and she remarked, "Me?! She's the one who…"

She felt her bra digging into her skin and paused to rub her shoulder. She then closed her eyes and moved away from the table, trying to use this lapse in conversation to leave.

However, her mom got up and gently placed her hand on her stomach, then extended the distance between them and looked around.

"...Would you feel more comfortable if we didn't talk here?" She said, raising a finger to the side of her face and giving a wink.

"..." Zelene nodded firmly.

"Great!" Her mom smiled with elation, "Then let's do something about your clothing situation, hmm?"

"Mmmrrghh…!" It took only one more ache from her shoulders to shut Zelene up and go along with this, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"I'll go get ready, and let your sister and brother know we're leaving." Lunis left with a smile, and could be seen shaking with excitement over getting to spend time with her.

Zelene shook her head and bitterness was still felt through gritted teeth, "'Sister', she says…"

She got her necessities gathered up at a glacial pace and yet, her mom was patiently waiting at the front door, having tied her hair up into a ponytail and put on a thin jacket.

"Oh, I also let your dad know we'll be back later."

Zelene looked at her mother smiling and felt partially disturbed by it. Not a hint of bitterness or worry anywhere.

It was an unrealistic level of calm, even for a goddess. And she could not relate to it.

As such, she didn't really expect much out of this trip except to get the soreness out of her body for a little while longer.

She carried anxiety and tension in her body as they got in the car and headed off, making a brief stop to drop Xander off at Mew's house to hang out.

By all accounts, she wished Mew was the one standing up as a listening ear. He was a hard guy to peg down, but she didn't hate that about him unlike with others because every action he did was honest to a fault.

Once they were on the freeway her mom threw out the normal kinds of questions, "So, how are things going at school?"

"Have you made anything in art lately?"

"Is the gym still treating you well?"

All designed to read the mood, all of them receiving the same answer, "It's going fine."

At a light, her mom reached for the radio, "Music?"

Zelene turned away from the window and shook her head.

"Hmmm…" Her mom whispered, "You've got to give me something, Zelene."

"You're the one who insisted…" Zelene mumbled back, blowing away a few stray hairs.

"True, but I didn't force you into the car. Clearly…you need a shoulder to lean on."

"Hmm…" Zelene sat up properly and closed her eyes tensely, "Mom, could you not talk like that? It's coddling."

"Sorry, sorry. Haaa…" Her mom looked at the road with a smile, "I'm still not ready to accept that. You're still my little girl."

"I wish I was." Zelene noted.

"..." She reached for the radio and turned to channel 98.5 for some softer tunes.

Her mom broke into a brief hum during one of the songs.

They made it to a big clothing outlet near the edge of town. This was where she had always gotten her bras and jackets.

And it was really packed today. She felt inclined not to get out, but she was too close to back away now.

And the strain on her shoulders was enough to convince her otherwise.

There was some comfort that her mom stood by her side. But she wanted to try and inch away, do things on her own.

Taking that important step was always difficult. And she wound up standing directly beside her mom's shoulder.

It reminded her where she stood now. Once having to look up to see her smile, now she just had to turn her head.

Zelene stopped thinking when her mom looked at her and asked, "Well? Lead the way!"

She didn't expect this freedom of choice, but she should've figured she was old enough now to pick her own clothes.

She looked at her garb while examining the racks. These loose, lady-like clothes were worn out of necessity over preference.

She didn't hate them, per se, but it was like she was a snake that needed to shed her skin.

But the environment would never be right to do so. So she'd have to accept what she looked like.

She picked out a few new striped shirts and a slightly longer skirt for the next inevitable growth spurt.

She found a nice blue vest, but it was made of leather…she had an image she wanted to keep, and be accepted for.

After she had gotten an arm full of clothes, she felt heavy in her chest.

If she was old enough to pick her clothes, then she was old enough to pay for them.

"Hey, mom." She watched her mom wave her hand and look understanding.

"I got this." She then flashed a thumbs up.

Zelene squinted her eyes, "Can't you show even a little hesitation?"

But this was who she was. Temperance incarnate.

And it was at times like this she wished she had a little fire like her brother, or heck, even like Lunalei…

Zelene bit her lip on that thought and then whispered, "H-Hey, I'm going to…make sure these fit. Can you wait for me at the registers?"

Her mom gasped, "Are you sure?"

She nodded, but it was an anxiety filled one.

Her mom began to open her mouth but rescinded her voice and headed on her merry way, only stopping to check the boy's clothes.

Zelene got into the fitting room with little issue, beyond a few jealous stares.

She had little trouble fitting into the new clothes. To her surprise it wasn't her chest that got in the way, but rather the muscles she had put on in her arms.

All she had to return was a long sleeve shirt. She then picked up everything else and headed back towards the front.

Taking deep breaths and leaving nothing to chance, she strutted her long legs quickly between the clothes racks.

But her path was stopped by a boy her age, maybe older, remarking, "Wait up!"

She felt a little heat haze up her thoughts and picked up the pace a little more, only for the voice's owner to jump in front of her with another boy helping out.

"Hold on now, we just wanted to ask you something."

"Ask me out? Get lost!" At this moment, she restrained herself and started shifting her eyes around to think of something else.

But she had already seen how these slimeballs moved and presented themselves.

They projected confidence but only jumped "easy" targets. The laziness behind their postures suggested they had done this multiple times.

They didn't see her tightening her fist under the clothes, but they sure as hell would see it if they didn't back. Off.

"Excuse me." Her mom's soft voice came to her rescue.

She stood beside the boys and they couldn't stop themselves from looking brain dead at the sight of her mom's beauty.

"Do you know my daughter?" She raised her voice slightly, and the boys pretended to smile and act innocent.

"N-Not really but-"

Her mom closed her eyes and whispered tensely, "Then I suggest you try elsewhere."

It cut them like a sharpened sword and they left, hanging their heads in silence.

Zelene was dissatisfied, "They're going to target someone else."

Her mom turned and grabbed her still curled fist, "Did you have a better idea?"

Zelene shivered and pulled her hand free and loose before biting her lip.

They went to pay for the clothes and returned to the car with this hanging sense that nothing actually got accomplished today.

On the drive back, however, her mom had to say, "Honestly, I missed doing this. Let's go again soon."

Zelene kept her mouth shut and leaned against the window.

Her mom asked, with a slight sigh of exasperation, "Still not up to talking?"

"..."

Her mom faced the road with a smile, "You two never hung out together that much, but I was hoping, now that you were older, that would change."

Zelene narrowed her eyes, "That's not my fault."

"Well, then whose is it? Cause you're keeping me in the dark, Zelene."

Zelene was getting annoyed, "And? If I told you, would you try and mediate us to kiss and make up?"

Lunis' eyes widened and she looked a little goofy as she suggested, "I think…I'd be setting unrealistic expectations if I wanted you to get along all the time."

Zelene hit the arm rest and raised her voice, "Really? Could've fooled me."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You don't get how I feel."

"Oh geez," Her mom laughed, "That's WHY I'm trying to get you to open up."

This was ridiculous. Zelene squeezed her fists and bit her teeth down hard, "You take everything in stride…But I can't relate."

"I don't just see people as people, mom. My eyes are fixated on every movement…"

"If their cheeks so much as twitch I see it. If they have a quirk while talking, I'm ready for it."

"I KNOW when someone is lying to my face. I know when they have inappropriate intentions towards me!"

"And I've had to deal with that all of my life! Unable to fight back…!"

She grit her teeth at her mom, "Because I have a mom who has never known what it's like to feel this way!"

Her mom slanted her brows and pulled off the road, slamming on the brakes.

Zelene was stunned into silence, and felt guilt in her chest.

Her mom let go of the wheel and took a deep breath, gasping in a slow, firm tone, "I do understand. More than anyone."

Zelene opened her mouth and her mom stretched her hand out to cover it.

She then looked at her with all her sincere intent, "I don't talk about this much anymore, but…Before I lived here, I was on another world with my brother and your grandfather."

"And for much of my life, I was a prisoner, exposed only to what I was allowed."

"But my wandering eyes wanted nothing more than to take in knowledge however it could. What you're experiencing…might be a permutation of that."

"That's not what I want to talk about right now though. It's about my jailkeeper…a woman who believed she shined brightest, but whose heart was darker than darkness."

"She robbed me of every hope. She violated my body in ways I would never hope you could envision…"

Lunis shook and had to briefly close her eyes to contain herself, "She turned me into a murderer."

"...I hate her. I hate her with every fiber of my being. I could spread my hate to every moon in the starry sky and still not fill them up."

"But when you let your hatred spread uncontrollably, you risk washing away joy, laughter, even tears."

"So I make sure she's the only person I ever hate, so that I can love you all that much more."

She then reached out and patted Zelene on the cheek, "Whatever your sister did, I'm sure it's not worth holding onto forever. At least…try to talk to her one more time."

Zelene glared, "And if I still hate her afterwards? You're going to be fine with that?"

"It's like I said, I can't force you to love your family. But I can keep you from losing yourself to hate."

"Mom…" Zelene mumbled in a deeper tone, "Lunalei is irresponsible, stubborn and a jerk…"

"And I still love her all the same."

It was the last comment Zelene needed to hear to realize this conversation wasn't worth her time.

They continued to drive back home in a car filled with tense silence.

When they returned, enough time had passed and Zelene looked at her bag of new clothes, then over to her mom.

She pulled her in to give her a short hug, "T-Thanks for taking me."

She hugged back, whispering in her ear, "Your name means 'Sunset'. And a sunset is prettiest when the warmth of day and the calm of night meet midway. You…have so much to offer the world, honey. Don't let other people decide your worth."

"R-Right…" Zelene gently pushed away and went upstairs.

She glanced at Lunalei's door and walked over.

She was still there, mumbling angrily at something.

Zelene's gaze turned hostile, but she pulled herself away from the door.

"If you want my trust back, then that's up to you to earn it, not me."

"Until then, I won't say anything about your secret…"

She drew on happy memories of spending time watching her sister fight off her bullies, or creating amazing machines with a smile on her face.

Her whole body quaked and tears loosened down her cheeks, "I-I owe you that much…sis."

Next Time: All or Nothing