"I just don't think that she likes it very much," said Riley. Lisa was getting ready for work while the sisters ate their breakfast. "I think that's the main problem."
"Well, she needs to eat more," Lisa sighed and sat down next to Sally. The small girl was staring down at the plate of beans in front of her with a look of pure disinterest on her face. "Come on, Sally. You need your strength. It will help you get better. You're still recovering." Sally just shook her head and looked away.
It made sense that she didn't want it. Riley had only seen a small glimpse into Sally's past life. But she was clearly used to being fed extremely well. Fruits and puddings and anything else that she had asked for, her owners had brought. Sally got to her feet and headed back towards her room.
"Wait. Can you please just take one more bite?" Lisa asked. Sally simply shook her head.
"I can try. But I don't know if it'll help much," Riley offered. Lisa looked from her watch to Sally and back again.
"Alright. Please, make sure she eats the whole bowl this time," she said.
"Do you know what time you'll be back, Miss Lisa?" Riley asked.
"Probably around the same time. I'll miss you two!" Sally came sprinting back to the main room for Lisa's goodbye hug.
"See you girls later. Take care of yourselves and each other for me," Lisa called as she closed the door behind her. Sally ran over to the window and waved to Lisa with her good hand. A warmth always seemed to leave the house with Lisa. It would be hours before that warmth returned. Sally's shoulders slumped as Lisa's figure vanished from sight.
Would there ever be a time when Riley wouldn’t be left alone in silence? Would things ever get better? Lisa had only been gone for two minutes and already, Riley missed her. She wished that they could have had more time. She still had questions. How often had Lisa seen humans?
A soft whimpering sound from Sally pulled Riley out of her thoughts. Right, food, beans. Riley took Sally's hand and led her back to the table.
"Okay, you heard Miss Lisa. You need your strength. I know you probably couldn't understand her, but maybe I can help you understand." They sat down at the table and Riley edged the plate towards Sally. Sally returned this gesture with a shake of the head. Riley groaned.
"Come on! You must be hungry by now! Sally! You have to eat!" Riley burst out. Sally gave her sister a death glare that was far sharper than anything she could have said.
This wasn't working. Softening her voice, Riley leaned in closer to her sister.
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"Please. This will make everything easier for everyone. Please, it's not even that much food. This is for your own good." She fought to keep the anger out of her voice.
Sally hesitated. For a moment, she just stared at Riley with a frustrated look in her eyes.
"Please, Sally." Finally, Sally picked up her spoon and began to eat. Her face twisted into several different shapes of disgust as she ate. "Thank you!" Riley cried as she pulled her sister into a gentle hug. Sally ate very quickly. Upon finishing, she slammed the plate on the table, her eyes glowing with pride. She slowly looked up at Riley with delight on her face, as if asking, aren't you proud of me?
Riley was proud. It was a small thing, but it made Riley smile. Soon the table was cleared and the dishes had been put away. Riley sat down in her little corner with a soft groan. Now she would sit and wait for hours and hours and feel miserable until Miss Lisa came back.
"Mh!" Sally ran up to Riley and took her hand. "Mh!" she said again.
"What?" Riley sat up. "What is it?" Sally pulled her to her feet and began dragging Riley towards the door. "You want to go outside? Why?" Sally tapped the door.
"MH!!" She burst out.
"Okay. We can go out. It might be cold. We should get bundled up first.
To her surprise, it was far warmer outside than Riley had been expecting. Sally had never asked to go outside. In fact, she seemed nervous enough in the main room. What did this mean? Riley hoped that it was a good sign. Maybe Sally was recovering some of her courage. Sunshine poured down on the girls and lit up the world around them. Riley let out a soft gasp. It was ten times brighter and warmer than it had been in weeks. They just stood there in the doorway for a moment, taking deep breaths of the sweet warm air. The air still smelled dry and lifeless, but Riley no longer cared. Sally began skipping down the path with a smile on her face.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Riley called, chasing after her. Sally giggled as her sister sped after her. The girls raced down the path to Riley's makeshift garden. Dead plants surrounded them and the ruined city rose up in the distance. But the sky above them was bright blue and dotted with soft white clouds.
Sally paused at the entrance to the garden. Her eyes were glowing with more joy than Riley had ever seen before. There had been a garden in that big house, right? Maybe Riley wasn't remembering things correctly. Maybe that was the reason for her sister's joy. Maybe it reminded her of that garden. It was nice to think that her garden could bring some joy to the world, even if it was mostly dead.
What was going on in Sally's little world? Why the sudden change in mood? Had something happened? It probably didn't matter. Riley smiled. No, what mattered was that Sally was happy. Riley allowed herself to relax as Sally darted this way and that, pausing to examine each plant carefully. Maybe they could eat lunch out here. It was a lovely day. Besides, the house was so dark and silent. There was sunlight and color and the sound of wind out here
"MH!" Sally called once again. She was waving eagerly to Riley. The joy in her eyes made Riley's little heart swell up to the point of bursting. She leaned over Sally's shoulder. To Riley's delight, there was a tiny little flower. It was white as snow with soft ruffly, puffy leaves. No memory of this flower came to mind. Riley didn't even know what kind of flower it was. But it was her little flower in her little garden and it was alive. Sally rested her head on Riley's shoulder and closed her eyes. The flower's soft white color stood out in the dull dead world around it. It was tiny but beautiful. A tear trickled down Riley's cheek. But this was a happy tear.
"Thank you for finding that." Riley knew Sally couldn't understand her, but it didn't matter. She said it anyway. They spent the rest of the day there, admiring the tiny treasure.