LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 14: Six Sisters
"Sister Zero, is this the place?" One asked me as we stopped in front of an old shack.
Dried blood stained the grass in front of it and with several destroyed trees behind us, signs of the fight that happened here in the past.
"Yes." I replied, opening the shack door and accidentally ripping it off the hinges due to my newly gained strength.
"Sister Zero, what have you done? The owners of this shack will be furious!" Four said worriedly, looking at what remained of the door in my hands.
"Don't worry, I know the owners, they won't mind." I replied, throwing the door away and entering the shack with my sisters following me.
"This place needs cleaning." Five said, dragging her finger across a table and frowning at the dirt on her finger.
"It looks haunted." Two spoke, looking around scared.
"I think we shouldn't be here, we broke into someone's house." Four spoke worriedly in the doorway.
I walked towards the bedroom, ignoring the girl's comments, and opened the door, finding a small room with a small bed and a chair beside it.
"Sister Zero, why are we here?" One asked, entering the room and stopping beside me.
"I just wanted to see something." I replied, approaching the bed and seeing the dried vomit stains on the floor and sheets. I frowned at the sight, but quickly shook my head, sending the thoughts away.
"What happened here?" One asked again.
"A sick person lived here a long time ago, she died."
"Who was that person?"
"It doesn't matter, that person died a long time ago. Come, we need to find the treasure."
One looked dissatisfied with my answer but followed me anyway. We found Three staring at us intensely as we walked out of the room
"Two souls bound together by fate, this was their place of death, but it led them to their place of rebirth." Three said emotionlessly.
Okay, I am scared now; I did not know kids could be so creepy.
"Right…" I said hesitantly.
"Three, what do you mean by that?" One asked confused.
Three stopped staring at me, walked towards me, and hugged my leg.
"Carry me, I'm tired." Three said as if nothing happened.
I shrugged, sighed, and sat Three on my left arm while she laid her head on my shoulder, wrapping her arms around my neck right after. I also noticed that One stared at Three angrily.
"What, are you jealous?" I smiled.
"N-no, of course not, I'm too old for that!" One said, looking away in shame.
"HAHA! If you say so, all of you come with me!" I called all the girls.
My sisters and I left the shack and went to its backyard where we saw a big apple tree.
"Listen, this is the spot." I said, pointing to the ground in front of the apple tree. The sisters' eyes widened and they jumped with excitement.
"Now all I need is your help digging…" I did not finish, as Two ran past me and dug with speed and strength a child should not have, throwing chunks of dirt everywhere.
"I found it!" Two screamed walking away covered in dirt while Five and Four ran towards the dug hole, pushing each other along with Two.
"I want to see it!/Where are the coins?/I dug the hole, so I'll see the treasure first!" The three screamed simultaneously.
"One, please hold your sister for a minute." I said, handing Three to One, who almost fell backward with her sister's weight.
"Excuse me." I said, walking past Five, Four, and Two.
Looking into the hole, I saw three bags full of bronze, silver, and gold coins, everything seemed to be there. Therefore, I walked away from the hole with the bags in my hands.
"So this is the treasure?" One asked.
"Yes, have a look." I said, crunching down and opening one of the bags for my sisters to see, and her eyes widened at the sight.
"This is a lot of money!/We are rich!-Think of all the things we can buy with it!" Five, Four, and Two said respectively, as One looked concerned.
"Sister Zero, are you sure we should take this money? It seems dangerous to walk around with all that."
"Don't worry One, if anyone tries to rob us, they'll end up with broken bones." I smiled smugly.
"Sister Zero!" One scolded me.
"Sister Zero doesn't need to worry, One, she has us to protect her after all." Four said proudly, putting her hands on her hips while puffing out her chest.
"That's right, if anyone tries to get their hands on our big sister, they'll have to face me first! YAH!" Two screamed, punching the apple tree.
To my surprise, the apple tree shook with the strength of Two's punch; apples fell to the ground as the imprint of her fist stood on the wood. They are not normal kids.
"Did you see that, Sister Zero? I can protect you!" Two said happily, flexing her arms.
"Sister Zero, I give you my word that I will protect you, I will not allow any harm to come to you." One said, approaching me with a determined look
"Thanks One, but you shouldn't worry about that kind of thing, you're just a kid." I said, petting her head. One pouted, flushing in embarrassment.
"I am not a child!" One exclaimed, crossing her arms and looking away.
"HA! Of course, you are not." I laughed, taking Three from One's arms.
"Sister Zero, where are we going now?" Five asked.
"Hm… Let me think."
This is a good question. Where should we go, to any of the Lands of Midgard? No, I am a criminal, even though they declared me dead. I will be in trouble if anyone sees my face, and the flower in my eye does not help.
Traveling long distances is not an option, especially with five kids accompanying me. I think we will stay in the Cathedral City region, which is not ruled by any Lord, but in a border town. If something goes wrong, we can quickly flee to another Land.
"We'll travel a little, Five."
"We will travel, to where?" Five asked.
"Yes, we will search for a place to live. So come on, all of you, let's find a home!" I said, walking away from the shack with my sisters following me.
"Yes, that's right! We'll live in a big house!" Five said.
"We will live in a house with a big garden for us to play in!" Two continued.
"We will live in a house overlooking the sea!" Four finished.
Three still slept while One held my free hand.
"And you One? How would you like our home to be?" I asked the girl.
"I don't care as long as it's a quiet place." One replied.
"I see... A little bit of peace would be nice. You don't like noise, do you?"
One shook her head.
"Don't worry, we'll find a quiet place to live." I smiled at One and she returned the smile.
We walked through the forest towards the dirt road, a comfortable silence forming around us, while the girls observed with interest the forest and animals that occasionally passed by.
However, I noticed something wrong. One searched for something with a confused look on her face.
"One, is something wrong?"
"It's nothing, Sister Zero." One said, pretending everything was fine.
"One, you're not fooling anyone. What's wrong?"
"Well, Sister Zero, I don't know how to say this without worrying you, but…" One hesitated.
"But?"
"Don't you get the feeling someone is missing?" One asked.
"Someone missing, all of our sisters are here." I said, looking at Five, Four, and Two who accompanied us.
"I know, Sister Zero, they're not the ones I'm talking about. It's someone else who is missing." One exclaimed.
"Who is missing, exactly?"
"I don't know and that is the problem! We do not remember anything about our parents, and as if that was not enough, now I have the feeling that someone else is missing. What is happening?" One asked worriedly.
"I don't know One. I recommend that you do not pay attention to it. You may not remember these people, but I'm still here with you, am I not?" I smiled at One, trying to comfort her.
"I think you're right, thank you." One smiled back.
"You're welcome."
Therefore, we walked in silence again. Someone missing, the only person I can think of is... No, it must not be possible; they have never met him. They must be talking about someone else.
Probably a friend of their supposed parents, I do not think it is impossible, after all, they consider me their older sister for some reason.
These girls become a bigger mystery every day, but that does not matter now. What matters is finding a safe place for us to live, and maybe I can have a little normality in my life that way.
-XXXXXX-
We found a place to live, near the port town of Doveport. It was a two-story wooden house with a front porch, located away from the town and on a grassy plain overlooking the sea.
Someone abandoned the house, and it took some time, but we got it in better condition, going to Doveport just to buy food or essentials for everyday life.
The girls looked amazed when we went to the city for the first time; they asked one question after another about the city and its inhabitants.
Four wanted to see the ships in the harbor, Two wanted to play with the other children, Five wanted to visit all the restaurants and patisseries in town, and Three and One wanted to visit different shops and merchant stalls in search of books.
Three also asked me to buy her a doll; she clung to the thing as if the doll were her daughter.
All seemed fine for a while until a problem arose. Money, we could not live with our "treasure" forever, and the taxes increasing every day only worsened the situation, fucking Lords.
I got desperate until One came up with a suggestion.
"We could sing for the people." One said happily.
"Sing, since when can you sing?" I asked.
"Sister Zero, we always knew how to sing." Four replied.
"After all, it was you who taught us." Three said, hugging her doll.
"I don't remember teaching you that."
"Oh! Sister Zero, how forgetful you are, you always sang to us and taught us how to, when we grew up." Five said.
"How about we show you?" Two continued.
Then they did something that surprised me, they sang, they sang like it was something natural to them like they had sung for years, not one of them was out of tune.
They all sang in harmony, and I sang too for some reason. I do not know how it happened, but it felt right and natural to me.
Therefore, I put on my hooded robe and we went to Doveport together. We stopped in the town square and sang. People crowded in front of us immediately.
They threw coins into a small wooden box that I placed next to us. Everyone applauded and asked for more in the end. It worked like magic every day.
-XXXXXX-
Time passed and new challenges arose, the first being my increasing strength, speed, and senses. It was hard to do everyday chores, but I managed to control my strength after weeks of breaking doorknobs, cups, and plates.
The second challenge... Well, let us just say I learned how to take care of five children the hard way.
"Get in that bathtub now!" I screamed, forcing a mud-covered Two into the wooden bathtub.
It rained and Two thought it would be a good idea to jump in all the muddy puddles she found outside.
"I don't want to!" Two screamed, spreading her arms and legs and holding on to the edge of the bathtub, preventing herself from falling into the water.
"Come on!"
"No!"
That was not working, so I changed my strategy and tickled Two's sides.
"HAHAHA!" Two laughed, losing her grip and falling into the water.
"Nice, now let's get on with your bath." I said, grabbing a soap bar and a brush.
"Damn it!" Two screamed.
"Language!" I said rubbing Two's back.
Eventually, the bath ended and I turned to get a towel, but there was no one there when I turned to the bathtub.
"Two?" I asked, looking around. I saw a series of wet footprints on the floor and the bathroom door opening and closing.
"TWO!" I screamed, running out of the bathroom, only to see a naked Two sticking her tongue out at the end of the hall.
"Come back here you brat!" I screamed, running after her with a towel in my hands.
However, Two was not the only one that gave me trouble.
-XXXXXX-
"Come on Five, open your mouth." I said, bringing a spoon with medicine toward Five's mouth, but she covered her mouth with both hands and shook her head.
"Come on, the medicine isn't that bad." I said, tasting it to show my point, but my face contorted in disgust. I tried to hide it from Five but she noticed and shook her head again.
"Fuck it!" I pinched Five's arm with my remaining hand.
"AH!" Five screamed and I immediately shoved the spoon into her mouth. Five's face contorted in an expression like the one I made before.
"See, it wasn't that bad." I smile sarcastically.
-XXXXXX-
"How did this happen?" I asked Four.
The kitchen was a mess, with pasta strewn all over the place and a horrible burning smell coming out of a pan.
"I tried to make a cake. I'm sorry sister Zero." Four said, looking away.
"The important thing is that you're okay. How about I teach you how to bake a cake?" I sighed.
"Seriously?" Four asked with sparkling eyes and I nodded.
Therefore, we spent the afternoon in the kitchen, making a cake for all of us. It was delicious, not bad for the first cake she made.
-XXXXXX-
"Sister Zero?" Three asked, opening my bedroom door.
"Yes Three?" I answered, closing the book I read.
Three entered my bedroom, looking nervous about something while she hid both hands behind her back. Three looked from side to side and slowly removed her hand from behind her back, revealing her doll in one hand and its button eye in the other.
"Did your doll's eye come loose?" I asked and Three nodded.
"Give me the doll." I said, holding out my hands. Three handed me the doll and the button eye.
I think I can sew it back. I went to a drawer in my bedroom and pulled out a ball of thread and a needle, what followed was one of the biggest challenges I have had in my life.
Getting the thread through the hole of the needle, since the flower in my eye sent my depth sense to hell. Two hours later, I sewed back the eye and returned the doll Three.
"Thank you, sister Zero!" Three smiled, hugging the doll and running out of my bedroom.
-XXXXXX-
One was the easiest to take care of. She was the one who helped me the most with the housework and taking care of our sisters.
That does not mean she did not give me work occasionally, but it was not due to the mess she made, but because One wanted to be by my side at all times.
While I prepared the food.
"Sister Zero, may I help?" One asked as I cooked lunch.
While I went to buy food.
"Sister Zero, I'll go with you!" One said, putting on her shoes and holding my hand as I prepared to leave the house.
While I used the bathroom.
"Sister Zero, do you need help?" One asked, knocking on the bathroom door.
"Get out of here!" I screamed.
"Okay, just call if you need me." One said as I heard her footsteps walking away.
One, like Three, was a curious child. Always asking questions and not liking when I did not know the answer.
Nevertheless, I taught my sisters some things, like reading, writing, and basic math. I taught One and One helped me to teach our sisters.
With that, time passed again.
-Spring-
"HAHAHA!" My sisters laughed, running in front of the house through the blooming flowers while I sat on a chair on the porch, watching them. Five then came towards me with something hidden behind her back.
"What do you have there Five?" I asked.
"It is a surprise! Close your eyes and lower your head!" Five said happily.
I did what she asked and felt something in my head. I saw Five smiling in front of me when I opened my eyes and touched the thing on my head. Was that what I thought?
"Is that a wreath?" I asked Five.
"Yes, did you like it?"
"If I liked it? Loved it." I smiled petting Five's head.
-Summer-
"Sister Zero, look at me!" Two screamed, swimming in the sea.
I took my sisters to the beach near Doveport due to the heat; Four, Five, and One built a sandcastle while Three rested beside me in the shade of a tree.
"I'm watching Two, you swim very well!" I yelled back.
-Fall-
We were at home due to the rain. I gave the girls some paper sheets and colored pencils to draw and pass the time. Four came towards me with a drawing in her hands.
"Sister Zero, look!" Four said, showing me the drawing.
It was a child's drawing, the six of us holding hands in front of our house with the sun in the corner and a blue sky with white clouds, green grass, and flowers on the ground.
However, there was something strange. A person stood under a tree at the back of the drawing, a black being with wings coming out of its back and two books floating beside it.
There are no more doubts now. Somehow, these girls know about him. However, many of my questions went unanswered despite the time we lived together.
How did I come back to life? Why do I have this flower in my eye? Where did these girls come from? Why do they have false memories about me? Moreover, how do they know about him?
"Four, who is this person?" I asked, pointing to the figure under the tree.
"I don't know, I don't remember drawing that person. But did you like the drawing?" Four shrugged.
"Yes, I like it, do you mind if I keep it?" I asked.
"Of course, I do not mind, sister Zero." Four smiled, took another sheet of paper, and drew in it.
I walked among my sisters scattered around the room and looked at their drawings without them noticing.
In addition, there was that black figure hidden in some corners in all of them. I need to ask them about it at some point, and maybe find out what is going on here.
-Winter-
It snowed outside, One, Two, Four, and Five played in the snow, making snowmen, and throwing snowballs at each other. Except for Three, who stood in front of me as I put winter clothes on her.
"Sister Zero, I think that's enough." Three said, her voice muffled by the many layers of clothing I put on her, with only her eyes being visible through it.
"Just one more scarf." I replied, wrapping another scarf around Three's neck.
"Okay, you can go now."
Three walked slowly through the snow, only to immediately fall flat on her face.
"I can't move." Three spoke and I sweated nervously; I think it has better help her.
-XXXXXX-
This life was not that bad in the end,
It was night and I put my sisters to sleep. There were two beds in their room, a big one where Five, Four, and Three slept and a small one where One and Two slept.
"Very well, it is time for you to sleep." I said, placing each one on their bed.
"But we are not sleepy." Two said.
"Can you tell a story?" Three asked.
"Okay, what story?" I answered.
One then got out of her bed, grabbed a book under it, handed it to me, and went back to her place.
"That story." One said, covering herself.
"I hope you guys sleep after this one." I sighed, sitting down on a chair between my sisters' beds and reading the story.
-XXXXXX-
"…And the end. There, the story is over, time for you to sleep." I said, closing the book.
"What about our goodnight kisses?" Five asked.
Groaning, I kissed each of my sister's goodnights on the forehead and headed toward the door.
"Sister Zero?" Four asked.
"What?" I replied irritably.
"Did you look under the beds to see if there are any monsters?"
"Yes, I did." I responded, opening the door.
"And did you find any?" Four asked again.
I stopped for a second, half my body outside the bedroom. I turned toward Four and answered.
"Yes."
SLAM!
I closed the bedroom door behind me and waited outside.
"Three two one…" I counted.
"AAAHHH!" Screams came from inside the bedroom.
"HAHAHA!" I should probably apologize tomorrow, or maybe not, they gave me so much trouble, but I guess it does not hurt to have a little fun.
-XXXXXX-
Everything seemed fine until the day we discovered our power.
We were in Doveport; ending one of our performances. I talked to some of the adults who attended it while my sisters played with some children. Everything was quiet until I heard screaming.
"Let it go, you will break it!"
"Give me that!"
Looking at the source of the noise, I saw Three arguing with a boy. The boy tried to take Three's doll out of her hands and Three pulled it back.
"She is mine!" Three said, raising her fist.
My eyes widened at that. Three will kill the boy with her strength. I ran towards Three and grabbed her fist but with one last pull from the boy…
SNAP!
…The doll split in two. Tears formed in Three's eyes, she opened her mouth and suddenly.
"AAAHHH!" A deafening scream echoed throughout the square.
Windows shattered, the ground cracked, and people grabbed their ears trying to block out the noise, but soon they fell unconscious. It did not stop there, I saw One, Two, Four, and Five covering their mouths with their hands, but…
"AAAHHH!" Each of them let out a deafening scream. I felt something in my throat; it was as if something crawled up in it, so...
"AAAHHH!" I screamed too, a word popped into my mind during those screams, Intoners.
I do not know how much time passed, but my sisters fell unconscious, so I grabbed each one of them and ran towards our house. They seemed to be fine; I placed each of them on their beds and went to my room.
What the hell was that? That screams. Where did so much power come from? I wish I had continued my questions, but my vision darkened and I fell onto my bed.
-XXXXXX-
"Sister Zero!"
I woke up to someone calling me; I jumped back on my bed at what I saw as I got up. A small monster covered in purple hair and with arms and legs sticking out from the inside.
"Sister Zero, it's me, Three." The monster said.
"Three?" I asked, parting the monster's hair and seeing Three looking back at me.
"Sister Zero, something is wrong with us!" Three said again.
"With us?" Looking around, I saw that all the sisters were in my room and that something was wrong with them.
Four's fingernails were huge, Two held the doorknob of my destroyed door in her hands.
There did not seem to be anything wrong with One and Five. Well, In Five's case, let us just say a child should not develop that fast, I will need to buy her new clothes.
After seeing this, I could only say one thing.
"What the fuck?!?"
END OF CHAPTER