Amitola was nervous. Should she be nervous? It may just be the most important day of her life – the day she meets her real parents, not to mention seeing Lai again. In the four years Amitola had known her, Lai and she had got along well. Amitola remembered days spent making sandcastles and playing in the waves, and nights where Amitola would sing Lai to sleep and tickle her so that she'd laugh that bubbly laugh of hers and cry, "Stop, Ami, stop!" Lai was the only one who called Amitola Ami. Except that one time, when Kahana called her Ami...
Daniel held the car door open for her, and Amitola stepped out into the chilly autumn air, blinking up at the tall apartment building that towered over her. "You ready?" Daniel asked, offering his arm. Amitola hooked her fingers on his forearm, nodding as she inhaled the crisp air. "I think so."
Daniel knew she was nervous. He also knew why. Amitola couldn't help feeling so incredibly grateful for his presence, for his existence; if he had never washed up on her island over a week ago, she would have never found Lai. The universe was finally doing something right for Amitola's life. She had left her hardships all behind, and was now entering a new world of possibilities.
"I have known Amarissa since she was a little kid," Daniel was saying as he led them into an elevator, pressing a button that had the number thirteen on it. Amitola knew her numbers up to twenty in English. In a week she had managed to learn what most people learn in a year. But then again, Amitola was not most people.
"She is so sweet – always smiling, never complaining. I have never met such a happy kid. Even as a teenager, she's great. You have nothing to worry about," Daniel assured her.
"I am not worried," Amitola replied determinedly. "I am fine."
Daniel chuckled. "Then maybe you can stop digging your nails into my arm. You are hurting me."
Amitola released her hold, which had recently tightened, on Daniel's arm. He rubbed it, wincing slightly. "You sure are a strong woman," he said.
"And you sure are a weak man," Amitola teased.
"Hey!" Daniel cried, blue eyes glittering with amusement. "I am not weak!"
"You are!" Amitola giggled, poking his side repeatedly. Daniel attempted to block her blows until the doors opened with a ding, and an old lady with the whitest hair Amitola had ever seen walked into the elevator, shooting them a sly smile.
"Aren't you a cute couple?" she grinned.
Daniel's eyes widened as Amitola tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, glancing downwards and shifting away from Daniel. They had only been teasing. "Oh, we aren't a...couple."
The old lady winked. "Okay."
Daniel grabbed Amitola's wrist and yanked her out of the elevator as the doors closed on the old lady, who wouldn't stop grinning at them. Flustered, Daniel dragged her down the dimly lit hallway until they reached a door which he knocked upon.
Ten seconds of painful silence later, the door swung open. Amitola held her breath. It was a boy, around Pio's age. Oh, Pio. Amitola felt tears well up within, but pressed them down. This was not the time to cry.
"Uncle Dan!" the boy exclaimed, olive green eyes lighting up with excitement at Daniel's presence. Daniel wrapped him into a bear hug, saying, "Since when did you get so tall, Ricardo? You're almost my height!"
They pulled away from each other so that Ricardo could reply, "Almost, but one day I'll be taller than you, old man!"
Daniel tackled Ricardo into a headlock, which Amitola found to be quite impressive for a lean man like him. "Say that again, and I'll break your neck!" he threatened playfully.
Ricardo laughed in surrender. "Okay, okay, you're not old, you're not old!"
Daniel released him, slapping Ricardo on the back roughly. "That's right. I'm younger than your dad. Now he's old."
"He's only 40," Ricardo shrugged. "You're...how old are you?"
"I'll tell you if you promise not to grow taller than me," Daniel said.
Ricardo rolled his eyes. "I can't promise that!"
"Then I'll never tell you!" Daniel boomed.
"That's not fair!" Ricardo whined, his eyes sliding over to Amitola, who stood in the doorway all this time, watching them with a curve of a smile on her lips. He raised his eyebrows. "Who are you?"
Daniel tugged Amitola in gently by the elbow and beamed. "This is the lovely Amitola, Lai's long lost sister."
Ricardo frowned. "I didn't know Lai had a sister."
"Well, now you know," Daniel said as they shuffled into the apartment, shutting the door behind them. Little did Ricardo know that Lai wasn't Amitola's real sister; in fact, Amitola was Ricardo's real sister. She could see little resemblance between her and him, however, it was true. She had a little brother.
Amitola took the time to explore with her eyes the magnificent furniture and painted walls hung with picture frames of a family –her family. Amitola still couldn't believe she was here, and her heart only pulsated faster as they entered the living room, Ricardo in the lead, with Daniel as her only support system. If he wasn't holding her by the elbow she would've surely collapsed by now. This apartment was by far much better than Daniel's, not just because it was beautiful, but because a family lived here. Daniel's apartment was lonely, while this one was full of love.
"Ricardo, is that you?" a female voice called. Amitola could only see the back of her head, where a dark brown mass of curls flowed down her shoulders. Ricardo replied, "Yes, mama," as he strolled into the room confidently, glancing back at the guests. There was a television screen that flickered some show where a bright-faced woman was talking, and on the arm chair sat a man with sandy brown hair and tanned skin, who rose from his seat at the sight of them. As he embraced Daniel, the dark-haired woman turned. Amitola gasped.
"You..." the woman squinted at her as she stood up, her short slim frame wearing black pants and a dark green blouse. Her eyes were a warm chocolate brown, and they smiled at Amitola, who was glued to the spot. This woman was the spitting image of Amitola. This woman was her mother.
"That's Amitola, mama. Lai's sister," Ricardo introduced as the woman approached Amitola, her eyes scanning over Amitola's face.
"Amitola," the woman murmured. She held out a hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Bonita."
Amitola took her hand, shaking it with a polite smile. "Hello, Bonita."
"Don't call her that," a familiar voice said suddenly, and they all turned to see a curly haired tanned seventeen year old girl walk in, followed by a short girl with beautiful almond shaped eyes and black hair. The older girl locked eyes with Amitola for the first time, and Amitola could see Leotie in her features, and Kiritopa in her stance. She really was the real jungle princess. "Call her Mom."
Bonita laughed. "Amarissa, what do you mean? Why would - Oh." Her laughter came to a halt, and instead she frowned at Amitola, her hand still gripping hers. Suddenly, her eyes brimmed with tears. "You are my daughter?"
"She is," Amarissa said firmly, stepping into the center of the room and under the light. Everyone was silent, including Daniel, who watched intently. "And this is my sister, Lai."
Amitola felt her throat choke up with tears as Lai shuffled forward, looking lost. And then her eyes landed on Amitola, and a flicker of recognition sparked her gaze. "You look familiar," she mumbled.
Amitola gushed. "Oh, Lai! I have found you!" she swooped in to catch Lai into a hug, leaving Lai a little startled at the sudden gesture.
"Who are you again?" she asked in Amitola's ear.
Amitola immediately pulled away. Her words stung worse than a splinter. "I am your sister. Well, I was...on the island. You do not remember me?"
Lai shook her head slightly. "I don't know..."
Amitola felt disappointment ooze through her bloodstream. She glanced at Amarissa, who had her arms folded and a face of stone. She seemed to be evaluating Amitola, and it made her skin prickle.
"Well, then, I guess we better get started on dinner. Right, Julio?" Bonita turned to the man with sandy hair, which Amitola soon figured out to be her father. Julio briefly connected his gaze with Amitola's, before fleeing the room. Bonita followed, murmuring, "Excuse me," as she passed Amitola. Daniel had planted himself onto the couch, grabbing the remote to change the channel, Ricardo by his side. This left the three girls standing, staring at each other.
"Actually," Lai perked up, stepping closer to Amitola until she practically invaded her personal space. It was then that Amitola could see how beautiful Lai had grown, how mature and independent she was. Leotie would be so proud.
"I do know you. Well, I did, a very long time ago. But you were younger, of course" Lai babbled. "You sang to me," she said softly, the memory flitting across her delicate features. "You sang me to sleep."
"Yes, yes, that was me," Amitola nodded enthusiastically, feeling a swell of hope rise within her. Lai was remembering! "I also played with you, and took care of you, until..." Amitola trailed off.
"Until the day she was taken," Amarissa finished for her. "What happened?"
Guilt cut deep into Amitola's heart. She should've been looking after Lai. She should've been watching her. But the duties of a princess always came first. The boys had promised to keep her safe...they had failed. She had failed. "I failed," Amitola muttered miserably.
"Well, I'm here now!" Lai said cheerfully. "And I'm a little overwhelmed." She turned to Amarissa. "So are you really my sister?" Amarissa nodded. "I've always wanted a sister!" Lai jumped into Amarissa's arms, leaving Amitola a little envious. That was what she had imagined Lai doing to her, leaping at her like a lost child who had found her mother, or in this case, her sister. But who was Amitola to Lai now? Just some vaguely familiar stranger who happened to be here, looking for someone who had almost forgotten her. But Amitola would never forget.
"Dinner's ready!" Bonita called, sticking her head through the door. Ricardo climbed over the couch and was the first to get there, followed by Daniel, who glanced over his shoulder at the girls. Amitola tagged along with him, wanting to get away from the scene with Amarissa and Lai. It upset her that they were close; she had hoped to become close with Lai, and maybe bring her back to her real family. For now, she must dine with her real family.
Bonita hugged her as soon as she stepped into the brightly lit dining room, murmuring into her hair, "I should've done this when I first saw you, mija."
Amitola returned the hug, feeling something inside her heart melt. She hadn't been hugged like this in a very long time, and it made her miss home. And home was where her mother was. For now, though, this was her mother, so this was her new home. "Mom," Amitola tried out the new word on her tongue.
Bonita smiled through her tears as she held Amitola at arms' length, studying her beautiful daughter for a moment before ushering her into a seat in between Bonita and Ricardo.
Daniel sat across from her, with Julio on his right. Lai and Amarissa took the last two seats of the eight chair dining set. The chair on the end was empty, and Amitola couldn't help thinking that chair would have seated Kahana, if she had found him here in this city. But she still hadn't, which meant her mission wasn't complete, and finding Lai didn't make her feel like she had achieved anything. She had just achieved more heartache.
"Yes, my favorite!" Amarissa exclaimed heartily as Bonita served a platter of steaming food.
"I love lasagna!" Lai smiled as she scooped some onto her plate. Amitola found she loved it too; its melted cheese reminded her of pizza, but it was layered with sheets of soft pasta and in between stuffed with minced beef and potato discs. The atmosphere was lively as Daniel struck up a conversation about his travels, describing his experience on Amitola's island. Every once in a while he would turn to Amitola for confirmation on a certain detail, like how they escaped the volcanic eruption. Lai gaped at Amitola in awe as she described their heroics.
"You could've died!" Lai said incredulously. "You're like, my new hero!"
Amitola smiled modestly. "It was hard, yes, but I'm no hero." She remembered clambering up that tree across from Chip and Boo, and not being able to reach out to them and save them. Once again, she had failed. What kind of hero was she? She would've happily died right there on that island if it meant saving her monkey brother.
"Oh, so modest!" Bonita grinned, slapping her arm teasingly.
Amitola noticed Amarissa looking a little tense across the table. She kept glancing down at something on her lap, looking distracted. Next to Amitola, Lai and Ricardo joked around. They seemed to get along very well. Even surrounded by six other people, Amitola felt incredibly lonely.
"Hey, Amitola, how you liking the food?" Julio asked kindly, speaking to her for the first time. "Your mother is a good cook, no?"
Amitola's eyes widened. He was actually referring to Bonita as her mother. Did this mean they accepted her? Amitola turned to Bonita and forced a smile, nodding, "Yes, it is very delicious."
"It's your first time trying lasagna, right?" Daniel asked her. Amitola nodded again. "It's just astounding to meet people like you, who have been cut off from the rest of the world all their lives, discover the things we take for granted here. Right, everyone?"
"Huh?" Amarissa looked up from her lap, face stricken and a little bemused.
"Get off your phone, Amarissa!" Bonita scolded.
"Yeah, get off your phone!" Ricardo taunted. "I swear, she doesn't deserve an iPhone 6..."
"Hey, what's that? You want me to take away your iPhone 4?" Julio threatened.
Ricardo shook his head. "No, no. don't do that. I'll be good."
"Excuse me," Amarissa got out from her seat, causing a grating sound to cut across the utensil clattering silence. "I got to take this call." She held up a shiny gold rectangular device to her ear and fled the room, Julio calling after her pointlessly.
"Leave her, Julio. She's a teenager, let her go," Bonita said softly, touching a hand to Julio's muscular arm.
"She hasn't exactly been welcoming, has she? What's up with her tonight?" Julio muttered.
"Maybe she is having a hard time adjusting to the fact that Amitola is..." Daniel didn't finish his sentence on purpose, glancing at Amitola.
"I think she's on her period or something," Ricardo piped up.
Bonita glared at her son. "Hey, watch your mouth, travieso!"
"Hard to do when it's under my nose," Ricardo retorted, making Lai laugh. Her laugh was infectious, and soon Amitola began to laugh while Bonita just looked flustered, muttering in a foreign language.
"Good one," Julio grinned amusingly.
Daniel shook his head at Ricardo. "Do you really disrespect your mother like this, Ricky?"
Ricardo shrugged. "She doesn't mind."
Bonita reached behind Amitola to smack Ricardo on the back of the head. "Mind this, cheeky!"
"Ow! Not in front of Lai!" he moaned, rubbing his head. Lai just laughed.
"You deserved it, Ricky," she tittered.
Ricardo turned to Amitola with pleading eyes. "You're my sister, aren't you? Do something!"
Amitola grinned mischievously, reminded of the days when she would tease Maru and Kahana at dinnertime. So she obeyed his order and did something. But it might not have been what he had wanted...
"Oi! Why'd you throw food at me?" Ricardo cried, peeling off the piece of potato from his cheek as the whole table burst into laughter. Even Bonita was laughing.
"I'm so gonna get you for that!" Ricardo wreaked his revenge by flicking some lasagna at Amitola, but it only landed in her lap, staining her dress.
Amitola gasped. "You are so dead!"
Daniel chuckled. "You'd think they had been siblings all their lives. Look at them go." He said it like he was proud of the food fight that had just started. Everyone joined in, including Lai and Julio and Bonita. Most of what flew through the air was leftovers from what they hadn't eaten yet, but nevertheless Amitola felt satisfaction from flinging food at others. It was like a stress-releaser after so many days of keeping it bottled up, and even though they had created a mess, they were having fun.
"What is going on here?" a voice bellowed.
Everyone froze, covered in bits and pieces of food, turning toward the source of the voice. Standing in the doorway was Amarissa looking livid as she surveyed the scene before her. Immediately, Amitola bowed her head with shame. This was her doing, and now she had upset the one girl she had wanted to get along with, other than Lai.
"Have you all turned into a zoo of animals? Who started this? Was it you, Ricardo?" Amarissa pointed an accusing finger at Ricardo, but he shook his head.
"No, it wasn't me," he said in a small voice. Then, to Amitola's horror, he lifted a finger towards her. "It was her. She started it all."
Amitola trembled under Amarissa's penetrating gaze. Her dark eyes were like two black holes that sucked her into a void of anger. Amitola had never witnessed such anger burning in one's eyes like coal. "I am sorry. It was my fault."
Amarissa strode up to Amitola, who had begun to rise from her seat, but Amarissa pushed her back down, towering over her. "Do you think you can just come into my family and start a food fight like we're a bunch of wild monkeys? Just because you came from the wild, doesn't mean you have to go and turn everyone else into what you are. And you want to know what that is?"
Amitola didn't want to know, but Amarissa told her anyway.
"A savage."