Chapter 1
Vi could do nothing but stare at the small child on the Kiramman doorstep.
The little kid (Ayla?) blinked up at her with her big, amber eyes, paralysing Vi as she was hit with the thought that this kid looked so much like Powder. During their fight in the temple, the kid didn’t resemble her sister (Powder is dead. It’s Jinx now), but now, her dyed blue braids hit her with a wave of nostalgia. Memories of pillow fights, old jobs, and hushed stories whispered in the dark made Vi’s knees weak.
As she fought back tears, Vi somehow found the strength to ask, “Uhh. So kid. What’s going on?”
Vi prayed (Ida?) couldn’t hear the waver in her voice.
The kid perked up at the response, reaching into her pocket to pull out a note. Vi took it with a shaking hand, attempting to hold on to some semblance of composure. However, the rest of Vi’s defenses fell as soon as she saw her sister’s handwriting.
“Hey sis! Busy today :( Guess you’re babysitting today :P - Jinx”
Vi wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry tears of relief at the familiar handwriting or gawk at the sheer audacity. After the war, Vi was certain her sister had died with Warwick. Hell, she didn’t even have an official confirmation until now! It was only through sheer luck that she caught wind of the rumors that Jinx was alive. Though she quickly dismissed them as hearsay, she still held onto the hope that her sister was alive. She clung to any and all stories she heard about Jinx and her tiny protege causing mayhem in Zaun like a lifeline, praying that she can finally be with her sister again. But instead of a heartfelt reunion, she got a quickly-scrawled not. Not only did her sister decide to break the months of radio silence with a piece of paper, but she also decided to dump a kid on her doorstep (literally!).
“Vi?” She spun around at the sound of her girlfriend’s voice, “Vi, I heard the doorbell. What’s the matter?”
Vi honestly didn’t know how to respond. She knew what her girlfriend thought about her sister. Though it was a proxy of sorts, Vi knew she would feel badly about sneaking this kid in behind her back. “Cait. I think you’ll want to see this,” She managed to respond.
Cait turned into the hall, picking up her pace as she heard Vi’s tone. It was very infrequently that she heard the other girl sound so troubled, and usually it was due to a misfortune brought upon by herself (she tries to forget) or her aptly named sister.
As Cait peered over Vi’s shoulder, her eyes widened as she saw the little visitor. As she turned to Vi for confirmation that this wasn’t real, that she was just having a nightmare, Vi silently passed her the note, noting how Cait stiffened as she realized who the author was.
Her thoughts raced as she read, and reread the note. Cait didn’t want this kid to come inside of her house. She unconsciously crumpled the note in her hands as her anger kept simmering. How dare Jinx take everything from her. Her mother. Her life. And then turn around and request her to babysit this kid? Every muscle inside Cait urged her to close the door on the kid. The darker parts of her mind hissed at her to kidnap the kid. To dangle her over Jinx’s head only until Cait decided she’s had enough, and finally execute the criminal once and for all.
But she couldn’t do that. Not to Vi. For reasons unknown, she still cared for her sister. Besides, this was a kid. Not the monster she knew Jinx to be. She plastered on her best Kiramman smile, and bent down to the kid’s level.
“Hey kiddo,” She cooed at the unimpressed kid, “Would you like to come in? I’ll get you some juice.”
At the mention of juice, the kid was finally interested again, and nodded so vigorously that Cait was sure that her hat was about to fall off.
Ushering her inside, Cait mouthed to Vi, “We need to talk.” Vi simply nodded, and led the way to the kitchen to give the kid a drink.
Vi smiled to herself as she poured a glass of orange juice and slid it over the counter to where the kid was sitting. The kid was so excited she was practically vibrating in her seat. Vi let out a small laugh as the kid gripped the glass like it was a lifeline, chugging like a man who’s been lost in a desert for days. Her smile dropped as she felt Cait pull her sleeve.
“What are we going to do with her,” Cait hissed, “I can’t let Jinx dump whatever she wants in my house. You know what she’s done to me.”
“I get that Cait, I really do, but we can’t leave her. It’s just for the day. If my sister isn’t here to pick up the kid before the end of the day, I’ll personally take her down to Zaun.”
She could handle a day. Maybe. Cait chewed on her bottom lip, “What if my father sees her? What do I even tell him?”
“The truth. I’m babysitting for my sister.” Vi smiled when she saw that Cait was willing to keep the kid. Even if just for a day, Vi hoped to connect to this tiny Not Powder. Both girls look over the counter where Isha was sitting, only to see her staring at them with the widest eyes either one of them had ever seen.
Vi decided to take the initiative, and walked up to the kid. She wasn’t stupid. She knew this wasn’t Powder, and no matter what she did with this kid she couldn’t erase the past. But she still wanted to live in a world where she had her baby sister again. “So kiddo, what’s your name?” Vi hoped she came off as warm and inviting, but the kid’s silence caused her smile to become strained. There was a beat of quiet, before the kid’s face lit up with recognition, and began to move her hands. Making a peace sign with her fingers, the kid brought her hand to her forehead and wiggled her fingers.
Vi felt her heart fall through the floor. For a moment, she saw Powder sitting on that stool, smiling and wiggling her fingers after she came back from a long day. She didn’t want her inner turmoil to scare the kid, so she responded just as she would Powder, mirroring the gesture.
Apparently that was wrong and the kid huffed, and repeated the motion with a more emphatic look on her face.
“Uh. Sorry kid. I don’t really know what that means,” Vi admitted, as she inwardly cursed herself for ruining the relationship with Not Powder (Iva?) so soon. Not Powder slumped back into the chair, before sitting back up with a start. She began wildly moving her arms in the air, and Vi stared at her blankly for a few seconds before she understood one of the motions.
“Oh! Yeah, we can get you some paper.” Finally, she was getting somewhere. She turned to Cait, who nodded and set off to the office. The minute they waited for her to come back was long and awkward, with the older girl trying to figure out how to repair her already broken relationship with this kid.
The kid snatched the paper and pencil from Cait, before pausing and bringing her hand up to her chin and nodding at the girl. She made a face at the pencil, but still brought it to the paper and wrote out in large letters: I S H A
“Isha?” Vi whispered. (The kid) Isha finally seemed happy, nodding at her with a radiant smile. Vi seemingly ignored the kid’s emotion, only continuing in an almost meek voice, ”Did my sister name you?” Vi wasn’t sure she wanted to know the answer to that.
At the mention of Jinx, Isha became much more excited. Nodding almost as hard as she did at the juice. Vi stood up, taking in the name for a second. She shook her head to snap herself out of the state, she couldn’t let this kid hate her before they even got to know each other.
“So,” She begins, with the widest smile she can muster on her face, “What do you want to do today?”