The Origin of Roh-Shan

Secret

Roh collapsed in the silence, finally giving in and heaving into an old bucket on the ground. By the time she regained her senses, she noted that the sirens had stopped. She staggered up and carried the bucket to the door, daring a peek outside.

The streets were silent. The sun shone in a clear blue sky as if it hadn't just witnessed a near-apocalypse in the city. She stepped toward the woods to dump the contents of the bucket into the bushes, then turned back toward the street.

A buzzard wasp lay in the middle of the road with a red feathered dart sticking out its rump. She didn't know if it was lethal poison or a sedative, but she didn't wanna stick around to find out. Stepping into the street, she looked around briefly for her friend.

Nothing but empty streets.

Feeling much better after vomiting, she jogged through the streets and down the paths to her own house, noting several other kinds of animals lying motionless with feathered darts. She thanked spirits that the city's emergency management team had all these darts at the ready.

Things were a little busier near her house. Several parents were running toward the daycare, no doubt worried sick about their children.

Roh entered through the back door, hoping to not attract any attention, but she wasn't gonna get away that easily.

"Roh-Shan, my baby!" Her mother ran over, catching the attention of her father and grandmother too. "Oh, spirits I was so worried when you didn't come home! Where on earth were you all night?"

"And all day." Her grandmother added, standing in the doorway between the house and daycare, watching over the few children who hadn't been picked up yet.

"Oh uh, I went camping with some friends up to the hot springs, and we were hiking all day. I thought I told you yesterday I was going out with Paulo and them." Roh lied, trying to recall her words from yesterday to make it more believable. Lies usually came very easily for her.

"Oh, maybe you did tell me that..." Her mother shook her head. "I'm just glad you're home. Fix your hair, I hope nobody saw you like that."

With the interrogation over, Roh tugged at her hair and walked down the hall to her bedroom.

~

Roh shut the door and flopped down on her bed, giving up on her hair for the moment as a headache crept in.

Maita sat on her own bed on the other side of the small room, picking at her fingernails. She glanced up at Roh without raising her head. "Where were you?"

"Camping." Roh said quietly, even though her sister can always tell when she's lying.

"For real. What the hell were you and Kota doing all night?"

Roh's breath caught. "H...how did you know I was with her?"

"Well, you just confirmed it."

Roh let out her breath. "So?"

"You know what everyone's gonna think, right?"

Roh's head snapped to her sister. "What think... who's gonna think?" she stumbled. "Think about what? We were just hanging out--"

"About the fire, you idiot. Soon as word gets out, everyone's gonna think you helped her set it. Definitely seems like something you'd do, but Kota..."

"I didn't do it, neither did she."

Maita could read that she was telling the truth.

"Fair enough, but someone's gonna have to explain the green fire."

The little fragment of fantasy in Roh's mind that maybe she'd just imagined the color of the fire, shattered. "How did you hear it was green?" She asked solemnly.

"I get around." Maita gave a nod, "What, you think I just sit here and pick my nails all day?"

"No, just most of the day."

That earned Roh a pillow to the face.

She laid back on her bed, for the first time allowing herself to fully recall the events of last night. The drinking, the fall, the airbending, the crying... she mentally kicked herself for yelling at Kota, who had been so gentle with her the night before. Oh, and the cuddling. The grounding. That sounded a lot more accurate. That memory felt like something... secretive. A warm memory that was hers to hold onto and would be somehow tainted if anyone else knew. Then she remembered something else Kota said last night.

Roh sat up. "Hey."

"What." Maita grumbled absently. She had picked up a small sheet of parchment and was precariously balancing a tiny ink pot on the window ledge, drawing something with a small brush.

"Have you um," Roh tried to be casual. "Like, done anything weird or cool or like..."

Maita slowly turned her head and raised one eyebrow in condescending confusion.

"I mean, like found any new abilities... with bending?"

Maita frowned. "Like what?"

"Like, when you bend fire does it ever... come out as just a puff of air or something?"

"Nooo..."

"Or have you... moved... the ground?" Roh was trying to be as roundabout as possible but she's not good with synonyms. Or subtlety.

"Are you asking me if I've been earthbending?"

"Ha! No, why? Have you?" Roh instantly knew her voice gave away that something was up.

"No." Maita said firmly. "Have you?"

"No!" It was the truth, to be fair.

Unfortunately, both girls could read each other all too well by now. "What about that "puff of air"? Have you done that?"

"No." Roh knew Maita could instantly tell she was lying. "Well, ha, I mean yes, like I meant to firebend and only smoke came out, I'm a little out of practice. It was embarrassing, really."

Maita couldn't believe she was about to ask such a ridiculous question, but she did anyway, just to show her sister how ridiculous she was being. "Roh-Shan. Did you airbend?"

Roh swallowed a lump in her throat. She could've just started laughing. Maita can't tell she's lying if she doesn't say anything. But part of her was a little guilty that her twin sister wasn't the first person she told. Above all else, she could trust family more than anyone, right?

"No." Roh said.

Maita stared at her, dropping her brush in disbelief.

~//~