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Chapter 14

Things in Common

WILLY'S POV

I was feeling excited when I woke up the next morning. Could you blame me? I was going to see Elfman and Lisanna at their house! I couldn't wait to go over there and see them. I got dressed, ate breakfast, and was ready to go to their place at any time.

"Come on, Finn! Let's go!" I said excitedly.

"Calm down, Willy," said Finn. "It's not like their house isn't gonna go anywhere."

Not wanting to keep me waiting any longer, Finn and I went out the door and were walking to the Strauss family's house.

"Well, you certainly seem excited," chuckled Finn as we walked.

"Well, it's been a while since I've socialized with someone, so can you blame me?" I said.

"Hahaha. Well, the Strauss siblings certainly surprised me when they invited you, especially considering their circumstances."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

Finn put his thumb and index finger in his chin deep in thought. "Hmm... how should I put this? Well, I guess you can say that you and the Strauss siblings have something in common."

"Something in common?" I asked. "Like what?"

"It's not my place to say," said Finn. "It's something only the Strauss family can tell you. I promised I'd keep that secret."

I looked at Finn a little confused, but I decided not to ask any further. If it's something that only the Strauss siblings can tell me, then I guess I'd have to ask them.

"Anyway," continued Finn. "While you're over at their house, you make sure that you're a good guest, and if you need me for anything, go to Sieri at my clinic."

"Why? Do you have anything going on today?"

"I guess you could say that. I'm going to a patient's house for a house visit. I probably won't be back till later. Until then, make sure you stay close with Elfman and Lisanna and have fun, OK?"

"Sure."

Soon we were outside Osia, and we walked along a path until we came to a small cottage. It was white with a brown roof and had a smaller shed next to it. A modest place, but it looked like a pleasant place to live.

"Well, we're here," said Finn. "This is where Strauss siblings live."

Just then, the door opened, and Elfman and Lisanna came out of the house. When they saw us, they were happy.

"(name)! Finn!"

"You're both here!"

Lisanna and Elfman ran to me, and both gave me a big hug. I hugged them back with earnest. Then I noticed another person come out of the house, which was a girl. She was taller than both of them and had silver hair just like them too. Only her hair was long and went past her shoulders to the middle of her back. She also had fair skin and bright blue eyes. She looked just like an older version of Lisanna. She then came up towards us.

"Hey, Mira. He is the boy we told you about before. His name is Willy Falconer," introduced Lisanna. "Willy, this is our big sister Mira."

"Hello. It's nice to meet you, Ms. Mira," I said, trying to be friendly.

Mira said nothing. She politely bowed and walked past me in front of Finn.

"Hello, Finn. How are you?" she asked.

"Doing all right. It's been a while since I've seen you, Mira. How are you holding up?"

"I'm fine. No recent injuries or anything."

As Mira continued to talk to Finn, I couldn't help but feel like I was being ignored, and that made me feel a little hurt. It made me wonder if I did something wrong, or Mira just plain didn't like me.

Then Mira turned to Lisanna, Elfman, and me. "I gotta go now. I have to take care of a job," she said. "I'll be back soon,"

"Hey. Why don't I walk you there?" asked Finn. It's been a while since we had a friendly chat."

"Sure sounds good."

"All right. Take care of yourselves, guys," said Finn. "Remember, if you need any help, go to Sieri."

"We'll see you soon, Big Sister! See you, Finn!" called Elfman.

"Do your best too big sister!" added Lisanna.

Mira smiled at Lisanna and Elfman, but she still paid no attention to me as she and Finn walked away until they were out of sight.

NO POV

"You know you could have been a little nicer to Willy Mira," said Finn.

"I don't trust him," said Mira. "As far as I'm concerned, he's just a stranger to me."

"Even though he saved your brother's life?" said Finn. "Come on, Mira. At least give him a chance."

"I'm sorry, Finn. You're a family friend, and I owe everything to you," Mira said respectfully. "But you can't make me trust anyone. Not after what happened."

Finn went silent. He knew what Mira meant.

"Yeah. I can well remember that day. How many years has it been since that happened? About three years, right?"

Mira said nothing. She only answered with a silent nod. Sensing that he was overstepping a boundary, Finn changed the subject.

"So, you're going out on a job again?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Mira. "Something's causing a disturbance outside of the village in the forest. Just a bunch of forest Vulcans causing trouble, I bet."

"So your job is to get rid of the disturbance, eh? That kind of job pays a lot of money, and it's dangerous too," said Finn. "Then again, knowing you, you're taking that job anyway."

"That's right," said Mira. "I vowed to take care, protect, and do everything I can to help my brother and sister. No matter what it takes. They're all the family I have left. Without them, I don't know what I'd do with myself."

"I understand but seriously Mira, you're only 13 years old. You're a teenager trying to act like an adult and do things on your own," said Finn. "Like taking this kind of job. Sure it pays a lot, but it's too much for one person to do alone. Why don't you ask someone to go with you and..."

"I don't need any help!" snapped Mira.

There was a long awkward pause. Then Mira politely bowed apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Finn. That was uncalled for."

"No. It's fine. I understand. I'm sorry. I'm just worried about your safety, that's all," said Finn.

"I know, and I appreciate that, but it's something for me to handle alone," said Mira. I don't want anyone else to get involved in my problems. Besides, I don't think anyone would care less about helping me anyway."

Finn wanted to say something, but he decided to say nothing.

"In any case, I have to go," continued Mira. "And before you say anything else, I'll be fine. I'm strong enough to handle a couple of forest Vulcans."

"I see. Well, then I'll leave you to it," said Finn. "I have to go to a house call anyway. See you later, Mira."

And with that, Mira and Finn separated. Mira went in one direction while Finn went the other. As he walked, Finn couldn't help but look back at Mira as she walked away.

"That poor girl," he thought. "Ever since what happened, she's been... distant. She doesn't trust anyone who tries to get close to her, except for Sieri and me, along with her siblings. I only wish there was some way I can help her ease her pain and help her. But I suppose there's nothing I can do."

He watched Mira walk away until he couldn't see her anymore, then he continued his walk towards his destination.

WILLY'S POV

I watched as Finn and Mira walked away until they disappeared in the distance. I was still wondering why Mira completely ignored me before.

"Did I do something to make her not like me?" I wondered out loud.

"Sorry about that, Willy," said Elfman. "You did nothing wrong."

"Yeah. Mira's just not good with people," said Lisanna. "But she's a good person once you get to know her. Anyway, come on. Let's go do something together."

I looked back to where I saw Finn and Mira go. I still wanted to know about Mira's behavior, but then I decided to put it out of my mind for now and have some fun with Elfman and Lisanna.

"OK, then. So what do you guys wanna do?" I asked.

"Well... you do owe me a swimming lesson," said Elfman. "How about we head to the lake, and you can teach me?"

"Well... I don't know," I said. "I don't think I'll make a good teacher. Plus, are you sure that it's OK?"

"Aw come on Willy, It can't be that hard," said Lisanna. "I'm sure you can teach my big bro. Besides, Finn said that if we needed anything, we could see Sieri. Pretty please?"

At first, I was a bit hesitant, but after a cute look from Lisanna that no one could resist, I decided to go after all.

"OK, then. Let's go to the lake. I don't know if I'll be a good teacher, but I'll give it my best," I said, pumping a fist determined.

"All right!" cheered Elfman and Lisanna.

And so, we were at the lake dressed in our swimming clothes. We had already gotten permission from Sieri, as long there wouldn't be anymore drowning kids. There also weren't many people around today so that we wouldn't be interrupted. Lisanna stood by the shore so she could cheer on Elfman from afar. We both waded into the lake and stopped when the water was chest-deep.

"All right then, this should be good enough," I said. "Are you ready to learn Elfman?"

"Yes!" he answered.

"Do your best big bro Elf!" called Lisanna

"OK. First off, we're going to start with something simple," I said. "You're both are going to open your eyes underwater."

"Sound easy enough," said Elfman.

He took a deep breath and went under the water. I followed suit after him. I opened your eyes and saw Elfman with his eyes also open. He looked at me and gave me a thumbs up. I nodded, and we stood up.

"OK. Not bad. Now let's try something a little more advanced," I said.

From there, I showed him the other things about swimming. How to stroke, float, kick, and other things too. Then we practiced the real thing. I started with Elfman by holding his hands while pulling him along as he kicked so that he could get used to swimming. Lisanna watched and cheered for Elfman, keeping his confidence up. After that, Elfman started doing it on his own. Eventually, after a few hours, Elfman began to get better. He began to swim as soon as I let go of him. I was pretty impressed with him. He soaked everything I taught him like a sponge. Pretty soon, Elfman had gotten the hang of it and was now swimming without any trouble at all, even in deep water. After that, we all took a break sitting on the shore basking in the sun.

"Whew, that was fun," I said.

"Yeah. No kidding," said Elfman. "Thanks for teaching me how to swim, Willy."

"Anytime. Glad I could help."

"You were awesome, Big Bro," said Lisanna. "Now that you know how to swim, you won't be drowning anymore."

"Yeah, I guess so," smiled Elfman.

"And Willy, you were an awesome teacher," she continued. "You made the perfect swimming instructor."

"Hehehe. It's no big deal," I said. "I was just doing what my Mama and Papa did when they were teaching me how to swim."

"So your Mama and Papa taught you how to swim, huh? That's cool," said Elfman. "Your parents are awesome to have taught you how to swim."

"Yeah," I said. "They were."

I stared up at the sky, letting my mind drift. Hearing about my Mama and Papa made me think about them. It made me nostalgic and at the same time, a little sad. The memories of my parents, as well as Aquadia, came into my mind the good and the bad. Elfman and Lisanna noticed this.

"Hey, Willy? Is something the matter?" asked Elfman. "You look a little sad."

"Oh, it's nothing," I said. "I was just... thinking."

"Are you still feeling a little upset about Mira?" asked Lisanna. "If you are, I said not to worry about it. She's always been like that."

"Oh no, I wasn't thinking about that," I said. "Although now you made me think about it."

"Oops. Sorry about that," apologized Lisanna.

To be honest, I did want to know why Mira acted the way she did now that I thought about it. It did make me want to know.

"Say Lisanna. Elfman. Pardon me for asking, but do you two know why Mira ignored me the way she did?" I asked.

Lisanna and Elfman looked at each other with complicated expressions. I felt like I was prying too much, so I immediately took back what I said.

"But hey, if you don't want to tell me then that's fine. I shouldn't be getting up in your business."

Elfman and Lisanna said nothing. After a brief pause, Lisanna spoke.

"Yes, we do. The reason Mira's like that is because of something bad. You see, three years ago, our parents died."

My eyes widened, and I felt my heart stop for about a few seconds. I also saw a brief image of my mother's corpse in my mind.

"No way... Your parents died?"

"Yes," said Elfman. "It was about a couple of years back before we came here to Osia. Back then, our Mom and Dad were wizards working on many different jobs to support our family. Sure they were frequently on jobs, but it was okay. As long as we were together, it was okay. We lived happily until one day, everything changed. They went out one day on a job and disappeared for a few days. A few days later, Mira told us that they - they died on the job."

Elfman's eyes filled with tears. Lisanna gently patted him on the back to calm him down.

"It's okay, Elfman. It's okay," soothed Lisanna. Then she continued the story.

"Ever since that day, Mira has been taking care of us, but she's been doing everything on her own. She's been taking a lot of jobs so she can make money to support us. Mira completes the job, but most of the jobs were dangerous ones, and usually comes back injured. I tried telling her that she couldn't keep doing this on her own. Otherwise, she'll hurt herself, but refuses to because she doesn't trust anyone. That's why she left this morning and why she was acting the way she did."

"Is that's why she acted the way she did?" I asked.

"Yes," said Lisanna. "But please don't hold anything against her. It's not her fault."

I sat there, taking everything in. Frankly, I was shocked. I never thought that I'd meet some people that suffered like me. Guess this was what Finn meant about what Strauss siblings and me having something similar.

"It's okay. I won't hold anything against Mira, but I do have one question, though. Why are you telling me this? I mean, I'm practically a stranger to you two, and you're telling me something personal."

"You're not a stranger. You're a friend," said Lisanna. "I should know because I'm a good judge of character. We told you because your a good person and we trust you. Right, Elfman?"

"Yeah. Not to mention you saved my life," said Elfman. "Not only that, but you also took the time to teach me how to swim. That proves you're a good person and deserved to know."

"I see... but... I still feel bad for making you guys tell me such bad memories," I said.

"Don't worry about it," said Lisanna. "As I said, you're a friend. You did deserve an explanation as to why Mira ignored you."

"Yeah, and I can now understand why she's acting the way she is," I went on. "In fact, I can relate to all of you in regards to that."

"What do you mean by that?" asked Elfman.

"Well... you see... I lost my parents too." I said.

"No way!" gasped Lisanna.

"Are you serious?" asked Elfman.

"Yes, I am."

Then I told Elfman and Lisanna about my parents as well as how they died, how I met and lived with Aquadia, and how I came to Osia. When I had finished, Elfman and Lisanna were surprised

"That's... crazy," said Lisanna. "

"So you're parents died from an attack on your village?" asked Elfman.

"Yep."

"And you were raised by a water dragon that taught you magic? That explains the magic you used earlier," said Lisanna. "And you're also searching for your second Mama? The dragon that raised you?"

"Yes," I said. "I want to find Aquadia more than anything, but I have no idea where she is or why she disappeared. That's why I ended up here in the first place, so I could find information on where she went. Finn even offered to help me find some info, but so far, he hasn't been able to find anything."

I squeezed my hands on my lap, remembering the day when Aquadia disappeared. It made me feel a little sad. So sad that tears started to well up in my eyes.

"I just don't understand it. Why did Mama leave me? How could she just leave me like that without saying anything to me? Is it because she didn't want me anymore?"

"That's not true," said Lisanna. "I'm sure she must have had a good reason."

"I just... miss her so much. I wanna find her so I can be with her again," I continued. "But it seems like I'm destined to be alone. Every person I cared about is either been killed or disappeared from my life."

"Now hold on," said Lisanna. "You're starting to talk like Mira. We won't let you say that."

"That's right," said Elfman as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "You're not destined to be alone because you got us.

"Yeah. Like we said, we're your friends, and whenever you feel alone, you can always count on your friends to help you," said Lisanna. "So don't worry. You won't be alone because we'll be with you."

"We may not be able to use magic like you, and we may not be expert swimmers like you, but we can help you if you ever need it," added Elfman. "Trust in us when we say that we'll always be there when you need help because you're our friend."

I looked at Elfman and Lisanna as they both smiled at me warmly. I couldn't help, but feel a little happy, and smiled back at them.

"Thanks, you guys. That means a lot," I said with gratitude.

"No problem. That's what friends are for," said Lisanna. "I only wish Mira knew that. At least then, she'll know to trust people."

"Yeah."

"So... what should we do now?" asked Elfman.

"Well... we could always go back to our house and wait for Finn to come home," suggested Lisanna.

"I agree," I said. "I don't want him to get into a panic because of me not being there."

After that, we got back into our normal clothes, and we set off for home, heading back to the Strauss sibling's house. As we walked home, we talked quite a bit, getting to know each other. Pretty soon, we were back to the Strauss sibling's house. We walked inside, and I looked around. The house on the inside looked a little run down, but it was decent.

"Sorry if its nothing special, but it's a good place to live," said Lisanna.

"It's fine. You got a nice place here," I said.

"So what do you wanna do while we wait for Finn?" asked Elfman.

I looked around, trying to think about something to do. Then I saw a bookshelf in a corner. It had a couple of books on it. I went over to the bookshelf and picked out a book. The cover of the book read, 'The big book of fairy tales.' When I saw that book, my eyes sparkled with excitement.

"No way! You have this book?!"

"Oh yeah. I remember that book," said Lisanna. "It 's one of our favorites."

"Mira would read to us all the time back when we were little," said Elfman. "Do you like that book too, Willy?"

"I love this book," I said. "My Mama and Papa used to read to me every night before I went to bed. I loved hearing stories about fairy tales, monsters, and heroes. They're one of the reasons why I wanted to learn magic in the first place."

"Why is that?" asked Elfman.

"Well... when I was little, I've always admired all the heroes and wizards in the books. It made me want to be just like them," I explained. "Someone who would not only fight for justice and for what's right, but also protect the people he or she cared about and fight for what he or she believed. And also so I could prevent others from going through the same pain I did."

"Whoa. That's pretty cool, Willy," said Elfman.

"I never thought books had that much of an impact on your life," said Lisanna.

"You bet."

"Well, if you like this book so much, why don't we all read it together?" said Lisanna. "It'll be like we're kids again."

"All right!" I cheered.

For the next hour or so, I read to Lisanna and Elfman just like my Mama and Papa would do for me, and they loved it. Before we knew it, it was getting close to evening. I had just finished reading a story from the book when we heard a knock on the door.

"Coming," Lisanna called as she went to the door. Moments later, she came in with Finn.

"Hey there, guys. I'm back," he said.

"Oh, Finn! You're back," said Lisanna. "How'd your house visit go?"

"Pretty well. Thank you for asking Lisanna," said Finn. "So, how was it today?"

"It was great," said Elfman. "We had a lot of fun with Willy today."

"I did too," I said. "It was great being with you guys today."

"That's good," said Finn. "Well then Willy, what do you say we head home? It's getting close to the evening."

"Aww. Do I have to?" I asked, puffing my cheeks.

"Oh Willy, we told you before, you can always come tomorrow. Don't be difficult now," Lisanna said like a mother with her child.

"Oh, OK," I said.

"Hey, Willy. You think that you could read to us again sometime?" asked Elfman. "I liked the way you told the stories."

"I'd like that," I said. "In fact, I would love too."

"Well then, we're gonna head home," said Finn. "We'll see you soon, Elfman. Lisanna. Say hi to Mira for me."

"We will," said Elfman and Lisanna.

"And if you need anything or in need of help, feel free to come to my place," he added. "I will do whatever I can to help you."

"That goes for me, too," I said. "I may not be the most reliable guy, but I'll help too. Just say the word, and I'll be there to help."

"Thank you both," said Lisanna. "We'll be sure to come to you if we need it."

"Until then, we'll see you later, Willy," said Elfman. "Come by again soon."

"I will," I said. "Bye."

Then Finn and I left the Strauss house and set off for home. As we walked home, I couldn't help but feel bright and cheerful. Today was a great day.

"Well, Willy, you seem to be in good spirits," said Finn.

"I am," I said. "I had lots of fun today. I got to do a lot of stuff today."

"I'm glad," said Finn.

I smiled at Finn, but then I noticed something. Finn, for some reason, looked worried.

"Is something wrong, Finn?" I asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," said Finn. "Just thinking about some things. Willy, what do you think about Mira?"

I was a little surprised by Finn's question. I thought about it based on when I first met her.

"Well... my first impression was that she... was a bit mean, but Elfman and Lisanna told me why though," I said.

"So I take it you know the reason why she's the way she is," asked Finn.

I nodded.

"I see. Then I really must apologize to you," said Finn sadly. "She had no right to treat you that way."

"It's OK, Finn. I understand. I would've been acting the same way. I mean, after all, we do have something in common like you said, right?"

"Truth be told, she wasn't always like this. She was such a kind and sweet girl, but ever since that day she's been handling things no girl her age should be able to endure. She is just a child."

"Well... I remember my Mama telling me something when I was little," I said. "Losing someone you care about is very painful, but it's a part of the circle of life. We may miss them a lot, but they'll always be with us in our hearts, and that's something we'll never lose for we're a part of each other."

Finn stared at me, then he chuckled.

"Your Mama's pretty wise Willy," he said. "She certainly did a good job raising you right."

He rubbed me on my head, making me giggle a little bit.

"I'd say that little bit has earned you a hearty dinner. What do you say?"

"All right!"

Suddenly we both heard a voice coming from behind us.

"Finn! Willy!"

We both turned around, and only to see Lisanna and Elfman running towards us, looking worried. They soon caught up with us out of breath from running.

"Lisanna? Elfman? What's going on?" asked Finn.

"It's terrible, Finn! We think something's happened!" said Lisanna catching her breath.

"Whoa calm down," Finn spoke calmly. "Take a moment to catch your breath and then tell me what's going on."

Lisanna and Elfman did so. Then as soon as they got their breathing in order, Lisanna told Finn what had happened.

"It's... It's Mira. We think something's happened to her," said Elfman.

I want to thank a friend of mine, in giving me ideas for this chapter.

Thank you, Jackie!

Hope to see you guys again for the next chapter!

Dragonman out.