Aralyn didn't know what had come over her when she baked a bacon and egg pie.
Perhaps it was because of the way Mrs. Colin had treated her with such persistent kindness over the past three years. Somehow, the urge to repay it had crept into her chest, warm and uncomfortable.
"Come on, Aralyn, you know better than to give this," she muttered, standing in the kitchen with pastel-blue mittens still covering her hands.
Steam wafted from the flaky pie, curling into the air and teasing her conscience. She groaned and tilted her head back.
"You do realize that if you give this away, you'll be attached to them," she continued, trying to reason with herself. "Mrs. Colin will never leave you alone after that."
She pulled off the mittens and hung them by the kitchen rack, leaving the pie on the counter. Perhaps stepping away would clear her mind.
Instead, she wandered outside to check on her garden.
Growing greens and flowers had become her quiet occupation. Something to fill the long hours of solitude. She liked tending to them, making sure her green babies grew strong and beautiful.
"My Aru, how have you been with your sisters?" she cooed softly, crouching down beside the bed of soil.
The arugula leaves spread wide under her careful tending, their vibrant green catching the sunlight.
The bluebonnets nearby caught her eye, and she rose to make her way toward the flowerbeds.
Aside from disliking her antisocial nature, the townsfolk envied her for one particular thing: her garden.
People passing by her house often slowed their steps just to stare. The same soil that had refused to cooperate with them for years flourished under Aralyn's care. Then, she heard a laugh of kids playing nearby.
She looked up to see a few of them were looking at her, making Aralyn quickly dropped her head.
"No. No no no, don't come here," she murmured, praying so the kids won't step anywhere closer to her. She heard footsteps coming closer. Aralyn forced herself to look busy, hands busy with the soil.
"Um, miss Odie?"
She froze. Slowly, reluctantly, she managed to lift her head without looking conspicuously annoyed. Not a single word left her lips. Only a blank stare toward them, hoping it would scare them away. Head tilted just enough to tell the kids they had her attention.
There were three of them. Two boys and a girl. One of the boys had a similar auburn hair with the girl. Aralyn unconsciously squinted her eyes. They were twins! Same auburn hair and both had striking green eyes. These kids looked no more than five or six years old.
"I am sorry, miss Odie, but..."
The boy from earlier cleared his throat, looking truly scared of her as he pointed to the roof of her home. She turned back to see their kite, blown by the wind as its string was hooked on the roof. Aralyn sighed heavily, turning back to her greens.
"I'm sorry fellas. Even that is too high for me to reach. And it's Odea, not Odie," she said with an even tone. Not sharp enough to be rude, but enough to send them away. You should not be near me, little ones, she thought.
"Oh, I am sorry miss Odea. It's just... I make that kite for Callie. She loves kites," the boy said forlornly.
Aralyn heaved a sigh and looked up. This girl, Callie, was already standing behind her brother, peeking at her with her wide green eyes. She turned to the boy who had golden blonde hair and asked, "You. What's your name?"
"P-Patrick," he answered shakily.
Be easy on them, Aralyn, she scolded her own mind. She technically forced herself to not use the same tone again.
"Patrick. And you?" She turned to the twins, now voice a little lighter.
"I'm Lucas. This is my sister, Calliope," said Lucas rather warily. His hand went to her back, a comforting gesture to ease her.
Aralyn felt something warm brewing inside her before shaking her head.
"And you know me already," she said, tending back to the greens in hand. She heard some kind of a whisper from the twins. Lucas leaned down just enough to listen to what his sister was saying.
"Hush, Callie. She doesn't need to know." His voice, softened just a little, unlike the way he answered her earlier. This time, Aralyn could hear what Calliope was whispering.
"They love her hands, Luke," Calliope said with a small voice, though her eyes shone with wonder and curiosity. "They like how miss Odie touch them."
Aralyn went rigid. She lifted her head to see Calliope who was hiding behind his back now, hiding from her. Love my hands? That got her attention.
"Hush now, Callie," he hissed, but Aralyn stopped him, hand in the air, yet her eyes locked onto the little girl.
"Now, Lucas," Aralyn insisted firmly, "I need to know what your sister said. What did she mean by they love my hands? Did she meant these?" She pointed to the arugula.
Lucas swallowed. Even in his age, Aralyn could see he was the mature one here. The way he went silent first before speak told her a lot about him. But Patrick? Not so much.
"Uh-uh. You would not believe this, miss Odie- I mean, miss Odea," Patrick corrected himself, "they can listen to what the fo-"
"Shh! Who told you you can tell a stranger like that?" Lucas fumed, clamping a hand over Patrick's mouth. "Mind your own business."
Aralyn stifled back a smile, lowering her gaze before speaking, "You mean, you can hear what these plants are talking?"
Lucas remained silent. His eyes sharpened, expecting she would called them out for it. Aralyn knew what he thinking about. She shrugged.
"I, for one, would love to know what does my plants think about the whole time. I think it would be a very cool super power if you ask me," she said lightly. She could sense Lucas's tension was easing from his shoulders. For a few good minutes, he then turned to Calliope and then to Aralyn.
He crossed him arms. "Before we tell you, you must swear to us you won't tell this to anyone."
Aralyn raised a brow, feigning a surprise. "So it is a super power then?"
"Cross your heart first!" Lucas demanded, his voice tight. Aralyn sighed and her fingers crossed her heart.
"Happy?"
Lucas's face softened and lowered his arms down.
"My sister and I can hear the trees talk. The plants, the flowers," he stated. Aralyn tried to find any amusement in his tones or his eyes, but she found none of it. Her eyes went to Calliope for confirmation. "Is this true?" She inquired.
Calliope only nodded. Her fingers still tight holding the hem of Lucas's shirt. Patrick smiled like he won something. "It's so cool right? I wish I can hear it like them."
Aralyn then noticed they had been standing there for quite some time under the glaring sun. She felt bad seeing Calliope wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. Shooing them away seemed like a good idea, but since she had this new information? She had to know.
She stood, beckoning to them. "Let's go to the porch."
"Why?" Lucas asked.
"What? You want to stand under the sun the whole time? Be my guest."
Lucas looked troubled when she said that.
"What's wrong?"
"Jack's uncle said we should not be near you."
"And why is that?"
Patrick chimed in, "He said a bitchy, unfriendly neighbor like you should be stayed away."
Aralyn choked, turning to them, hands raised. "Woah! Language, please. Look, if you want to stay away, just go. Don't come back again. But I don't wanna see no kids burning up like this, so the least I could do is to provide a shelter. Otherwise, your parents would hate me more to see their twins roasted like a turkey on Thanksgiving."
Aralyn had prayed the kids would choose the first option. This Jack's uncle person was really a douchebag. He shouldn't use the word for the kids, let alone telling them to use it on her.
"Let's go," Lucas finally said after contemplating, holding Calliope's hand and walked to the porch with her. Patrick trailed after them. Once on the porch, Aralyn told them, "Stay here."
She went inside to the kitchen to grab a jar of lemonade from the fridge. As she put three cups of lemonade on a tray, the bacon and egg pie stole her attention. Should she give it to Mrs. Collin or the kids? They did looked hungry, though.
"Whatever, I can make a new one," she muttered, cutting the pies. Carefully, she brought the tray and walked out.
Patrick who was peeking through the door gasped and opened it for her. "Woah, that looks yummy!"
Aralyn shrugged, putting the tray down on the coffee table. Gesturing to the kids, she said, "Hydrate. Eat if you're hungry."
Patrick didn't waste his time and grabbed his drink, gulping everything in one go. Aralyn blinked.
"This is so fresh. Thank you, miss Odea!" He exclaimed happily, then turned toward his friend. "Luke, you really should drink. Callie must be thirsty."
Lucas hesitantly reached for the drinks and gave it to Calliope, who eagerly drank it.
"So, does your parents know about your super power?" Aralyn finally asked as she sat down on the stairs, facing the kids. Patrick took a slice of the pie and brought to his lips. His eyes widened in surprise, groaning. "This is so good, it taste like what Nana always make!"
Watching him devouring the pie she baked had sent indescribable feelings all at once to Aralyn's core. It has been years she had received a compliment, especially when she had bake something like this.
Lucas was quiet, taking a slice and bit it before giving it to his sister. The bond between these two tugged a foreign affectionate within Aralyn. "We did. They didn't believe us," Lucas said, munching slowly on his pie.
"I do!" Patrick lifted his hand, speaking with his mouth full, "I always want to have super powers like them."
Aralyn stretched her legs on the floorboards, tilting her head. "What kind of powers do you want, Patrick?"
Patrick looked thoughtful for a moment. His eyes bright with excitement. "I wanna be like Superman! Saving people is so cool," he beamed. "Miss Odea, can I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Nana said you lived alone. That must be lonely."
"That's not a question."
"Where is your family, miss Odea?"
That--that simple question had her went rigid for the second time in the day. She swallowed hard and looked away. The storm in her eyes were shown clearly. Her throat cleared.
"That question would have its answer in another time. From now on, I do not want you to ask me things again like family and stuff. You get me?"
Patrick nodded slowly, and finished his pie. Aralyn turned her gaze to Lucas. "Speaking of which, may I know how do you hear them? These tree's language. How do you understand?"
Lucas stared at her for a long time. "We don't know. We just heard them, and we understand. Like feelings."
"Feelings?"
Calliope who sat behind him nodded. "We... we can feel them. We can feel it if the storm is coming through the trees. We can... also feel if they get hurt," she stated, her voice small and shy.
This was fascinating to her. Children couldn't lie, even if they wanted to, there must be something that would give it away. But this twins? They shared a connection with the forest that no people back in her times had possessed.
"Miss Odea?"
"Yes, Patrick."
"Don't you feel hot wearing those on your neck?"
Aralyn exhaled. She rubbed her hands together and stood.
"Fashion. And I believe you should go now. Don't want your parents to know you've been hanging with the wrong sort like me," she said bitterly. As Lucas, Calliope and Patrick walked together, Lucas turned around and said, "We won't tell. Thank you for the food and the drinks."
Calliope wave a small goodbye and the three went on to their homes. Aralyn stood at the porch, watching them leave. What the heck are you doing? You should send them home the first time they came! Aralyn looked up at the darkening sky, heaving a deep sigh. Her oath she had made with the kids was breaking her own ones.
Unexpectedly, she heard infants crying at the back of her mind with chanting voices. She shook her head rapidly. Those days were over. A decision she had made with no regrets.