Ellen and I had always been close.
The moment I was told that I would be getting a little sister, I had promised our mother that I would be a wonderful brother to her. And I kept to that word: it was me who taught her how to ride a bicycle; I was there to defend her when she was bullied by her classmates in middle school; When her hamster, Dolly, died, it was my shoulder she wept against until my shirt was drenched by her tears and snot. I was always there for my sweet Ellen.
Then she got accepted in that fancy bilingual school in British Columbia.
She was still only 10 years old when she moved to live with our Aunt Karen. Our parents always assured me that we would eventually all move over, but my father failed to find a position in the town her school was in. In the end, it was simply more convenient to stay put.
I was already starting high school when she moved away. With the Rockies between us, we only saw each other for the major holidays. That is, if her outgoing personality didn't get her invited to go skiing with friends and their families.
While I loved Ellen, I knew it would be an amazing opportunity for her. So when she was gone, I redirected my longing into my studies. There were a few meaningless romances as well but nothing that stuck.
I went on to work in a consulting firm and moved to Vancouver. There wasn't much in Calgary holding me back so when I was offered a transfer, I took it without a second thought.
Then one day without a warning, I got a call at my desk at work.
"Hello, Andy Michaels speaking," I muttered in my boredom.
"Hey, it's Tris from the reception."
"Oh, hi..." It was unusual. I was merely part of a team and was seldom required to interact with the client in person.
"There's a young lady over here who's come to see you. Her name is Ellen Byrne, says she's your sister?"
My heart skipped a beat. She must surely be mistaken. What would Ellen be doing here?
An "Oh" escaped my mouth for the lack of a better word.
Tris was kind enough to go on. "She's here in the lobby. Would you have a minute to come greet her here?"
"The lobby. Sure."
I knew I couldn't take her upstairs. Too many of our papers were filled with confidential information. Even so, it's not like I had my own office to take her into.
I thanked Tris and quietly put down the receiver.
I hadn't seen Ellen for over eight months. Sure, we had kept in contact, just like a brother and sister always do. But there's a difference in talking with her face-to-face and jokingly wagging a finger at her drunken party pics on Snapchat.
I took the elevator down, checking myself in the lift mirror. I thought I was smartly dressed. Brown trousers and black pullover with a white-collar peaking under. I was maybe paler than usually but that's Canada in January for you. One of the side effects of the job was that I had begun to use hair products to look sleek at work and my brown hair was neatly pulled back. The brown leather shoes were also a necessary investment that I might've never worn at home. Would Ellen even recognize me like this?
As the elevator doors opened, I saw her immediately. She was standing right there in front of me, as if she had been anticipating the lift to come down. There she was with a wide grin on her lips, her hazelnut eyes shining merrily.
Somehow the sight of her made me feel happy... and relieved for I knew there was no tragic reason for her sudden appearance.
She still looked very much like a pixie. Her hair was slightly shorter than shoulder length, smooth and silky. Her breasts have gotten bigger, I thought, and the school girl's skirt she was wearing hid poorly her mermaid thighs. She always felt insecure about those; I thought they just made her look more adorable.
"Andy!" she squealed joyfully as she saw me, running to hug me.
"Hey Ellie," I smiled, hugging her back stiffly. Her hair smelled fruity, like freshly sliced peach.
"Happy to see me?" she beamed.
"Well, of course," I was aware I probably looked a bit taken back. "Just this was a bit of a surprise, that's all."
"Yeah, I'm skipping school," she said nonchalantly.
The smile froze on my lips.
"You're what?"
She looked into my eyes, fake-stretching as she usually does when something shouldn't be a big deal.
"Skipping school."
"Are you serious, Ellie?" Anger dripped into my voice. Our parents weren't particularly wealthy and I know they were paying themselves sick to have her in that school.
But then a mischievous grin appeared on her lips.
"It's a joke, Andy, geez. It's just I'm only finished with the exams," she tilted her head like an observing cocker spaniel. "Probably a row of A's anyway. I just seized the opportunity to see my loving darling Andy before heading home. Boy, aren't you wearing that collar a bit too tight, all grown-up."
Jokingly she pulled my collar, laughing
"Seriously, chill. I'm through with school. We have the exam period which is basically a week off save for the exams and I'm already finished with mine. I just wanted a break from playing the perfect daughter, so I thought I'd stay with you for a couple of days instead."
She smacked her lips. They looked soft as velvet. I wasn't quite sure if she was being serious. Sometimes it was hard to say with Ellen.
"Alright," I said, carefully.
"So," she began, "Would you be cool with that? Could I crash at your place for a few of nights before I must go back?" She fluttered her pretty, long eye-lashes.
Somehow the idea of her coming to my flat troubled me. Maybe it was the fact that it was my place, my world. Maybe it was the porn on my computer. I do not know. Nonetheless, there was no excuse.
"Of course, you're welcome, Ellie," I sighed. "You will always be. But why don't you want to go see mom and pops?"
She shrugged. "I only just saw them for Christmas. It's you I haven't seen in a while."
"Fair enough." I looked around a bit hesitantly. Where was I to put her for now? "You had lunch already?"
"Nope," she said swinging her arms absent-mindedly to the elevator music that was playing in the lobby.
"You should definitely do that. There's a nice sushi place around the corner with a lunch offer. I'd join you but I literally just came back from a break."
"Sure. Or you could just give me the keys to your apartment with an address."
I looked at her queerly. "But you don't know where I live."
"It's the 21st Century, bro. I'll find it," she replied confidently.
"I don't want you getting lost, wandering in the odd parts of city. Better we go together when I'm finished in a few hours."
She groaned. "I found my way here, didn't I?"
"You probably just walked around the town, saw a building with the company's name and just waltzed right in."
"That's... exactly how it happened," she admitted nonchalantly.
I smiled. She really hadn't changed at all.
Still this created a bit of a problem. I lived in a cheap apartment in Grandview and I was worried of having her get lost on her way here. I thought she might've liked to visit MOA but that was even further away. As for a stroll in Stanley Park, the weather was too atrocious.
She looked at me there thinking, her arms crossed with a sympathetic smile on her lips.
"How about," I said slowly, "you start with that lunch and then go catch a film at the cinema nearby?"
"Fine."
