Lisa seemed to be more distant than she had been before. Riley and Sally stayed very close to her during the next few days. Riley would wake up in the middle of the night to hear Lisa and Jorden talking together. She would listen as they spoke and try to learn more about what had happened to Lisa. She had been a little vague on the details. What Riley found the most confusing was how un-angry Lisa seemed to be. There was no sign of rage or vengeance in Lisa’s expressions, even when she described the things that were done to her.
“It was like a small military base,” Lisa was saying. Riley crept down the stairs, straining her ears as she did so.
“I-I don’t understand. That is not how it was described to me! My friends wouldn’t lie to me like that!” Jorden’s voice sounded angry and frustrated. Lisa’s voice sounded faint and lifeless.
“Well, things may have changed. People have changed. If war is a possibility, it makes sense that the humans want to defend themselves,” said Lisa. She was defending the humans. Defending the people who had hurt her. Why was she like that? Lisa could be really hard to understand sometimes. The voices were growing closer now.
“So much has changed in such a short amount of time,” Jorden muttered. Riley turned and ran back up the stairs. Was Lisa okay? Her injuries had been healing very quickly, but was she really okay? Riley climbed back into bed. Sally was awake. She was drawing something on a piece of paper. Right, Lisa still didn’t know about their ability. She needed to show Lisa Sally’s comic. Riley leaned over her sister’s shoulder. Relief filled her. Plants and butterflies were what coated Sally’s paper. It wasn’t too important or serious. It was nice to see Sally enjoying her art for the sake of enjoying it.
Sally really did have a lot of talent as well as a distinct style. All of her drawings were cheerful, full of color and texture. The more you looked at the picture, the more you would notice the little hidden details and charms. Riley snuggled up next to Sally and closed her eyes. She would let her stay up late drawing, just this once. Riley tried to swallow the questions that filled her mind. She would explain everything to Lisa in the morning. But for now, Riley just wanted to sleep. She awakened extra early the next morning. Sally was lying asleep under a pile of drawings and crayons. Jorden was downstairs in the kitchen, making breakfast.
“We need to show Lisa the comic that Sally had made. It might help her understand things. She still doesn’t know that we can create copies of things,” said Riley. “Oh, also, good morning.” An especially sleepy-looking Jorden looked up at her.
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“Oh, yeah, so much to do. But you’re right. She needs to know. I hope she’ll believe us. Honestly, I still don’t fully believe it myself,” said Jorden.
“Is Lisa doing okay? Every time I ask her, she says she’s fine. But she’s been acting so different lately. I also don’t understand why she seems to feel bad for the people who hurt her. She has no reason to feel guilty!” Riley said. Jorden laughed.
“You haven’t known her for very long. One thing you need to understand about Lisa is that she is suicidally kind,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“She has seen a lot of suffering. Suffering can make people cruel and ruthless. It can also make people too soft. She understands suffering. That is a blessing and a curse. Lisa is the kind of person who wants to see the good in everyone. I think… I think she would rather pretend she is the problem than admit how evil people can be,” he said. What a strange way of looking at people. Lisa had lived through a war. But she denied the fact that evil existed. What a strange person Lisa was. Strange, but also wonderful. Riley gritted her teeth. How could anyone hurt someone like Lisa? How could humans hurt someone like Lisa?
“Are you two talking about me?” Lisa asked. Riley turned to see her walking in with Sally.
“Good morning!” Riley exclaimed, rushing over to give Lisa a good morning hug. “We have so many things to show you and tell you!” Sally was carrying her comic under one arm.
“Oh, Sally told me that she wanted to tell me something important. I didn’t know that she liked to draw so much. She’s really good at it too!” Lisa smiled down at Sally like a proud mother. “So, what did I miss while I was gone that’s so important?”
“We’ve learned more about Sally’s past!” Riley said.
“We don’t know much for sure yet. But things are slowly starting to make more sense,” said Jorden. Lisa’s eyes lit up. Riley smiled at her. It was nice to see Lisa feeling genuinely excited. She had been so distant and quiet lately.
“Yes! I would really love to know more about her past. Do you know who’s looking for them or why?” Lisa said.
“We don’t know who it is. But we may or may not have a rough sense of what they want,” said Jorden. He sat down at the table. “Sally’s really the only one who knows for sure.”
“Wait one moment. Let me grab my Spanish notes. They might help us understand more,” said Lisa. She ran back up the stairs. Lisa, what a strange person. How did she see the world? Maybe that was something that Riley would never be able to understand. It didn’t really matter. Riley was just thankful that she lived in a world where people like Lisa lived.