8Compared to the silence of the living room, the dining room was deafening. A long, set table took up a majority of the space. There was room for at least ten people along it, including the top and bottom edges. Ruby and Monica sat together, heads bent. They looked to be arguing about something, and it was probably me. Toan was opposite Ruby, hunched over his sketchbook. His hands moved smoothly, rhythmically almost, across the paper. Blank spaces were quickly covered in lines that almost immediately became shapes and characters and panels.
I sat down by him, across from Monica. Best to be closest to people who had actually shown some semblance of kindness to me. Max sat beside me, giving me a small smile. But he angled himself away from me, almost as if he were afraid. Monica smiled at him gently, reaching across the table and caressing his hand. It was a small thing, but I couldn't help but notice. Goro sat down across from Max, grunting in acknowledgement. I saw a candy wrapper tucked hastily into his pocket and stifled a giggle.
"Xiao, what do you think of this?" Toan asked me suddenly. He slid the pad over to me. He had drawn me, and gotten me remarkably right. In his imagination, my body wasn't all hard lines from hunger and pain. Instead my features were softened, and my bright amber eyes had a protective shine in them, even through the black and white. My breath caught and I just barely resisted the urge to caress the paper.
"I'm beautiful…" I whispered in awe. Toan smiled at me.
"I'm glad you like her. I don't know what I want her to be yet. I have to get to know you a little more." He studied me earnestly for a moment, then went back to one of the panels he'd been working on previously. In it, Goro was head to head with a man who looked suspiciously like the soldier who had mocked me. I leaned over Toan's shoulder.
"Who is that?" I asked, gesturing to the man. Toan laughed derisively.
"That's-" he began, but was interrupted by Mikara as she came into the room.
"Toan, what have I told you about drawing at the table?" she asked firmly, though the kindness in her voice never left it. He shrugged sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Sorry Mom," he said, gently making sure his page was smudge-proof before closing it and setting it carefully on the floor under his seat. She smiled at him and ruffled his hair lovingly. I felt a pang in my heart.
"Hey Ma, what's for dinner?"Goro asked, leaning back in his seat. Ruby snickered.
"Does it matter even matter? You'll eat it anyway," she teased. Goro reached behind Monica and pushed Ruby, almost knocking her out of her chair.
"We're having chicken, now stop rough-housing. Xiao, what would you like to drink?" Mikara asked me. Suddenly, everyone's eyes were on me. I resisted the urge to flinch.
"W-" I started, then paused. A distant memory of cold, creamy milk came to me and I licked my lips, practically feeling it down my throat. "Well, um… Do you have milk?" I asked. Mikara nodded.
"Of course. I was just making sure I knew what you wanted before I brought you anything. The first night we had Ruby she threw a hissy fit when I tried to bring her the same juice that Toan and Monica were drinking." She laughed, and the sound filled me with warmth. "Do you want to help me serve dinner?"
"Sure," I said and I slid out of my chair, following her into the kitchen. Once we were inside and out of sight she smoothed my hair.
"How are you doing? I'm sure it's hard to adjust to such a big family."
"I'm… not good. But I'm far from bad." I scuffed the ground nervously. "I just… I really miss my mom." A tear snaked its way down my cheek and I wiped it away. Mikara wrapped her arms around me and before I could react she pulled me close. I stiffened immediately. Only my mother had ever held me before. I didn't know what to do. Sensing this, she let me go and settled for caressing my face with her thumbs once.
"I understand, sweetheart. But we've got you now. We'll protect you, and keep you safe. Everyone will come around." She paused for a moment. "Even Ruby. And I know I'll never be the mother you lost, but I hope you can still find a home here." She kissed my forehead then gave me a gigantic bowl of mashed potatoes. I had to wrap both arms around it to carry it.
She missed my tentative smile as she turns around.
I set the bowl out on the table and go back to help, only to crash into a tall, dark skinned man.
"Easy there, child." He straightened me out and then stepped aside so I could go through the door, but I was struck by how tall he was.
"Who are you?" I asked. He laughed, a rich throaty sound that felt like what I always imagined chocolate to taste like.
"My name's Ungaga. Although most of these guys out here call me dad." He smiled at me. "You must be Xiao. It's a pleasure to meet you awake and cared for. I'm blessed to have a wife who knows so well how to heal and help others. I'm sure you must have plenty of questions, but I have to help my beloved with dinner. Take your seat, I'm sure you must be hungry." He doesn't give me a chance to respond before he's inside and I have a plate of rolls I didn't even know he was carrying.
I set them down as well, and reclaimed my seat by Toan.
"Are you guys all really…?" I trailed off. Toan laughed.
"Nah. They took us in as well, though we all came from different places, different situations. They take care of us and we do our best to take care of them in return. We call them mom and dad because we love them. They've been parents to us more than anyone else ever has." He smiled and it was full of so much love and pride that I was easily captivated by it. I could feel the warmth of it as if I were standing in front of a barrel fire during the winter.
"You must really love them, huh?" I asked. Toan nodded.
"More than anything. Mom, dad, and then all of us here at the table? They're my family. I don't know what I'd do without them."
"You're such a sap, Toan," Monica teased from across the table. I felt Toan kick across the table at her.
"Yeah yeah but look at you and Max. You're just as sappy as I am."
"Am not," she said, kicking him back. I giggled quietly to myself. Mikara and Ungaga came in, Mikara carrying a salad bowl and Ungaga carrying a tray with two chickens on it. My eyes widened at the sight of so much food.
I may have drooled a little.
"Ungaga, love, I forgot the gravy. Do you mind running and getting it?" Mikara asked. He kissed her forehead and set the chickens down before returning to the kitchen. When he came back out, he took a seat at the foot of the table. Mikara remained standing.
"Xiao, sweetie, help yourself first while I get the drinks. Then the rest of you may make your plates." She vanished into the other room again.
"Is dinner always this complicated?" I pondered. Max laughed softly next to me.
"No, usually we just make ourselves plates and drinks in the kitchen then come out here to eat. Sometimes, we don't even eat the same things. Mama likes to have more formal meals on special occasions though." He smiled at me.
"Who cares? Are you going to make a plate or not? You're not the only one who's hungry, and we've actually worked for our meals." Ruby scowled at me, her green eyes cold and hard.
"I-I'm sorry-" I stuttered, drawing back.
"No. Ruby should be sorry." Ungaga said sharply. "Apologize to her, Ruby."
"...No. I don't think I will. Tell mother I'm not hungry." Ruby stood abruptly and stormed out of the room. Monica rolled her eyes.
"Forgive her. She's…. territorial at best." Monica shrugged, running her tongue across her lower lip and fiddling with her piercings.
"What did I even do?" I asked, wrapping my arms around myself.
"Nothing. You have done nothing wrong. Ruby has things in her past and she has yet to learn how to work past them." Ungaga kindly smiled at her. "Everything will work out."
"I've been told that my whole life. Forgive me if I'm not quick to believe you." I fiddled with the hem of my skirt. I could feel them exchanging looks around me, but thankfully Mikara brought the drinks in at that moment, and we all settled back in to eat.
"Where's Ruby?" Mikara asked Monica quietly. I pretended not to hear as I helped myself. Once I was finished everyone else started passing and serving. I pushed the food around my plate.
"She went upstairs. She's probably sulking in her room with her headphones in," Monica answered. Mikara sighed then sat at the head of the table, next to Ruby's painfully obviously empty chair.
"I'd like to propose a toast to Xiao and her new life here," Mikara said. The others raised their glasses and I blushed, looking down at my cup. It was filled to the brim with cold milk. When everyone took their cups I carefully stuck my tongue in mine to taste. It was just as I'd remembered. I greedily drank the whole cup then paused. Toan laughed.
"Milk mustache," he said, tossing a napkin at me. I wiped my face clean, grinning happily. He picked up my cup.
"More milk?" he asked teasingly. I nodded, but Mikara stopped him.
"She should probably have more water, help hydrate her."
"Yeah, you're right," he said and it was in that moment that I could feel exactly how hungry, thirsty, and tired I was, no longer distracted by the newness of the world. I flinched slightly.
"Yeah," I agreed. He ruffled my hair then slipped off to refill my cup. I looked down at my plate. It was nothing short of glorious. I dug into the chicken with my bare hands, barely suppressing a moan of pleasure. In less than a minute the pile on my plate was gone and I picked up a spoon in my shaking hand. I struggled with it to scoop mashed potatoes swimming in gravy into my mouth.
"Mmmm," I groaned, unable to stop myself.
"Ma, how come she gets to eat like that?" Goro asked. Mikara laughed.
"I raised you better," she teased. They continued to eat around me and it blew my mind that these people had food like this all the time. I shoveled food into my mouth until my plate was clean, then stopped. My stomach growled insistently, but before I could even say anything Mikara scooped some more mashed potatoes onto my plate.
"Only soft things now. And not too much. We need to get you adjusted to eating regularly. Don't want you to get sick," she explained gently. "When we first took in Monica she gorged herself on pizza until she threw up. We don't want that to happen to you."
"Pizza?" I asked.
"You don't know what pizza is?" Monica asked. I shook my head and Monica laughed.
"Oh yeah we're definitely doing pizza soon," she declared. Mikara shook her head, smiling to herself.
"Let Xiao eat in peace," she said. I felt an unfamiliar stretch across my face and realized that I was smiling. Actually, properly smiling. The thought made me smile more, but then I instantly felt guilty.
"Um.. Can I be excused? I'm tired all of a sudden," I asked softly. Mikara frowned, but nodded.
"Go ahead dear. If you want to come down in a while we'll save you some dessert."
I nodded, and my stomach rumbled in agreement but I forced myself away from the food and upstairs to what was going to be my room. I threw myself on my bed, crying quietly into it.
"I'm sorry mom… I'm so sorry. I haven't forgotten! But it's warm here and there's food and I don't wanna go home! I'm sorry!" I sobbed.
And that's how I passed out.
