Hilda Redberry

The following day, a warm summer morning, Cristina got dressed and looked for her study material. It didn't take her long to realize that such a routine no longer existed. Feeling somewhat depressed, she left her room for breakfast. Dolores was already preparing some eggs, and there was some fruit and juice on the table. Cristina sat down, discouraged.

"Here you go," Dolores said with a big smile as she placed a plate with two fried eggs and a piece of bread in the table.

Silently, she began to eat. Dolores got up and asked her what was wrong. Once she was able to calm down, Cristina was finally able to speak.

"He was always giving orders" she whispered, wiping her eyes. “All day was planned. Now I don’t know what to do.”

Dolores hugged Cristina, trying to stop her crying. Without saying a word, the woman simply stayed with her until she calmed down. When she finally was calm, Dolores said:

“Don’t worry," Dolores affirmed, quite cheerfully. "I already have plans for the day. We can spend the day playing and walking around."

Cristina didn’t say anything; she just nodded, still frightened. There they were again—those plans where she couldn't decide or voice an opinion; at the same time, she didn't know how to say something. After breakfast, they both got ready and went out for a stroll. That day was dedicated to buying clothes and shoes for Cristina.

For the first time, she was able to choose what she liked best; although Dolores picked out the clothes and shoes, Cristina could decide what she preferred from what the woman presented to her.

She looked at the display windows of every shop and had fun trying on all sorts of clothes and shoes. She even stopped at some jewelry and toy stores to observe the shelves. Everything was new to her. 

In the afternoon, both entered a café where the aroma of coffee mixed with the scent of fresh bread. For the first time, Cristina had chamomile tea, which she liked. Dolores noticed that every time she liked something, she would place her right hand, against her cheek and smile. Some people and even waiters noticed Cristina's happiness through some sparks and small lilac and soft orange sparkles.

The next day, they spent their time walking around the city. Once again, Dolores decided the activities, not realizing that Cristina didn't offer an opinion or complain; the woman was more focused on walking with the her.

In the morning they went to the park; in that place was a beautiful spot near the highway to Eastern Bird that served as an open space where people could camp, exercise, and kids could play.

They ate breakfast there, and Dolores invited Cristina to observe her surroundings and relax. Cristina decided to played for a while with some children on the playground and ran after them. Cristina got along well with children and laughed with them. When one of them fell and hurt himself, something caught Dolores's attention. Cristina began to recite poetry. She sang a melody that sounded like a lullaby.

"She likes to sing…” Dolores complain. That annoyed her. There were other ways to help a child calm down. But, why singing?

The children laughed and sang with her. Some mentioned between laughs that they saw small sparkles and stars dancing around Cristina while she sang. They called her the Fairy Illusions. Cristina thought they were just the children's daydreams.

Dolores's plan for that day was for Cristina to discover some new activities. The first thing they did was go to  horse riding. Although she was afraid at first, she was able to have fun and enjoy the ride. After that, they went to the theatre. A small play for children was being presented; although Cristina didn’t like it she was able to go to the theatre for the first time.

After lunch, Cristina and Dolores crossed into the west side of the city. Dolores wanted to go to a bookstore. It was to prepare Cristina for her new school. Classes will be beginning in a month, but it was proper to start preparing early.

The bookstore, which had three floors full of all kinds of books. For Cristina means nothing. Reading wasn’t an activity she enjoyed. She was more amazed with the architecture of the building. So neoclassic, the same style as the public buildings of Klein. She smiled a little when she saw the interactive section: there was a reading area for children, an activity table.

Dolores was a practical woman. She wasn't interested in browsing useless books like fairytale books or admiring the building. Immediately she search for the materials she needed for Cristina: the books she will be read for school.

Cristina only sat down in a desk, and wait. Books. Always books about themes she wasn’t interested. While Dolores were searching those school books, finally a book caught her attention: Was about a legend about a white deity and his sisters. The white deity of the day, the night deity of the moon and a liminal deity of the down.

“Let’s go” said Dolores interrupting the reading of Cristina. “Please, don’t waste your time with such useless books. If you want to read, do it with the school books. Cristina only sigh.

Upon leaving the place, while Dolores was putting everything in the car, Cristina explored the surroundings. The houses were unpainted, all in gray and sad image, the windows were somewhat dirty. There were no gardens. Some shops had awnings that were already somewhat gray and stained by Rigel. There was trash and dogs were resting and sleeping in places that have shadows.

"Cristina, we're leaving." Cristina ran to the car and climbed in.

As Dolores drive, Cristina watched with astonishment how different the houses were. Some houses were half-built. There were people sitting in the street drinking beer, even though it was almost three in the afternoon; the street was filled with loud music she had never heard before, stray dogs, and even other types of animals. There was a mechanical workshop with various car and motorcycle parts outside the premises.

After a while, they arrived at a huge parking lot. An imposing building loomed, which said: "Bus Station." There were many people entering with suitcases, bundles, bags, and boxes. The single-story building was elongated, and there were taxis and people entering and leaving. Dolores parked near the exit of the parking lot.

"My family is arriving today," Dolores said while paying for the car parking. The shadow of a tree kept the car from getting too hot. 

Cristina, intrigued, imagined the family. Javier as an eccentric man with a beard and smoking a cigar. Dressed elegantly and with gray hair. His daughter surely was dressed fashionably, with a tan and her hair pulled up in an elegant bun.

"They're here," Dolores said happily and excitedly as she got out of the car. On impulse, Cristina did the same.

When she saw them for the first time, she saw that they were different from her imagination. Javier was tall, with hair dyed black and a little bit of a beard. He dressed casually, combining a polo shirt with jeans and gray-and-black tennis shoes that were already somewhat worn. His hair was a bit messy, and his tan skin stood out.

Hilda looked quite good. She was dressed fashionably, wearing a white skirt above the knee, made of lace and fully pleated. She was using espadrilles and a black strapless top that left her navel exposed. Her straight, loose hair was dyed orange from the tips up to at least 5cm.

After the greetings and formalities, the four of them got into the car. Hilda didn't say much; she was tired and wanted to get home as soon as possible. She looked to be in a bad mood, and Cristina knew it wasn't a good idea to talk to her. Javier commented that they had been in Neige for the promotion of a teen clothing brand where Hilda was one of the main models.

"Being a model must… be exciting," Cristina commented, feeling happy. Hilda didn't respond; she just changed her position to avoid Cristina's conversation, which made her feel sad. She believed she could be friends with Hilda.

After several minutes, the family arrived home. Hilda took her room, which was next to Cristina's, and slaming the door without speaking to anyone. Javier sighed. Her suitcase and bag remained in the living room, and he calmly just put them outside his daughter's room.

Dolores made dinner, and the three of them sat down to eat. During the meal, Javier talked with Cristina, who, despite being somewhat afraid, felt comfortable with the conversation; she smiled and talked about what she would like to experience now that she had arrived in Espliego.

Javier told her about his work, about how he himself tried to become a painter but never could. He also commented that he preferred being an art critic and, if she wanted, he could show her some prints of drawings he had bought.

Both talked about art for a while, so much so that Dolores, who didn't like the subject very much, remained silent, while at the same, time feeling happy that her whole family was finally reunited.

After dinner, Cristina was in her room reviewing hers new books. Hilda opened the door, this startled Cristina, who was unable to speak from the shock. Hilda looked around the room and observed her new "sister." There was nothing on the walls, and the bed sheets were a boring color—a violet color that wasn't fashionable. The walls were empty, and her desk had nothing but new notebooks.

Hilda had an imposing presence. Although she had already changed into comfortable clothes —some somewhat old pants, slippers, and a faded t-shirt—she still looked good. She sat on the bed, throwing aside some notebooks and books.

"Well... what if we put on some music?" Hilda looked around the room. There was no stereo, not even an MP3 player. "Come on, let's go to my room."

Cristina followed her sister to her room. It was painted light brown and beige. There were some stuffed animals and a television was on a cabinet. The walls were decorated with some posters and photographs of trendy bands and artists. There was a desk full of jewelry and makeup.

On the television cabinet, there was a shelf with several music CDs and horror and action movie DVDs. There were also a lot of fashion and teen magazines.

"Choose," Hilda ordered, pointing to the CD shelf. There were quite a few artists, some were repeated. Five with the name The Blueberry Boys, two with the name Fortuna Alcazar, four with the name Sakhir.

She chose one with the name Danya de Alnilam, which annoyed Hilda a little. The singer was a vocalist that sings romantic pop group that used too much piano and violin. It had been a gift from the Harpers for her past birthday. In her songs, the singer spoke about magic, princesses, and dreams.

At the end of the day, Hilda was able to discover that her new sister has old-fashioned clothes. She didn't know many of the trendy artists, her hygiene was basic, she didn't wear makeup and didn't know most of the television shows people talked about. She was just a person with nothing to offer. Cristina didn't understand what she had done wrong when Hilda started to reproach her for all this.

"You'll be the objective for bullies at school with that style of clothes," Hilda commented while looking her up and down. "You don't know anything. What will you say when they ask you what you like to do?"

"Well... I..." Cristina wiped away a few tears. Tired with the music, Hilda turned off her small stereo.

"Stop crying already! It annoys me," An annoyed Hilda sat on her bed. She was getting tired of her new sister. "I hate crybabies like you."

"Can you help me?" Cristina asked, trying to sound normal. After thinking about it for a long time, Hilda accepted the proposal quite reluctantly.

"I'll be embarrassed if they see us together at school," Hilda said without a hint of shame. "And I'd be even more embarrassed if they called you my sister. I will help you."

With a shy smile, Cristina thanked her. Although Hilda tried to give her new sister time, it was difficult. Her cell phone was always ringing, between friends and work. Only half an hour had passed since Hilda had decided to help Cristina.

"Here," Hilda said while giving Cristina something small. She was leaving for a date with a suitor. "It's the key to my room. You can come in to listen to music. The magazines will help you get to know the trends. Just don't touch my makeup and my clothes. Understood?"

"Yes... understood," Cristina said, somewhat nervous but happy.

"For nothing in the world leave my room open when you leave," Hilda ordered her sister. "And only you can enter."

Cristina took some magazines and her sister's MP3 player and went to her room. She had learned that the trendy group was The Blueberry Boys, a group of five teens from Eastern Bird. Although the electronic genre pleased Cristina, at the same time, she didn't much like listening to them. The magazines talked about gossip concerning people she didn't know, and the clothes shown in the photos were too flashy.