By a Thread

Daylight hit the crowded hub of guilty-pleasure dirty tourism.

Frankie heard Katie’s phone ring before she did. Within the bag they’d carried everywhere from the start of their journey to out in Japan, she reached in and pulled it out without asking.

Cheryl.

“Hey-!”

Frankie stared at the screen blankly for a split second before her sister tried snatching it back. She deftly whipped it away from her reach, leaving her only to negotiate as Frankie’s finger hovered over the button to pick up.

“Frankie… not yet. We aren’t done yet.”

“What does it matter? They’re probably all worried about us, Kate! Didn’t you think about that? Here, I’ll tell her we’re-“

“No.”

“Katie.” She sighed exasperatedly like a mother. “We can’t cut off all ties to the house just ‘cause you had to go on another adventure. I’m just gonna tell her we’re-“

“NO!”

Katie slapped her own phone from her sister’s hands so fast as to send it flying towards the friend where it smashed apart.

Panting, she saw her little sister stare at the device’s remains like some obvious sign.

Frankie resumed her eye contact with the frenzied woman. When Katie saw just how pitiful those eyes were, how barren and sad and disappointed, her stomach churned and her body quivered.

What scared her most was the acceptance in them. From then on, Frankie wouldn’t ever deny what she was seeing in her sister again.

“Come on, then.”

“W-wait…”

Like a stray puppy, Katie was now the one following Frankie.

“I get to choose the next park.”

The recent recluse’s eyes hit the ground. For the first time she could remember, she’d let someone down.

“…Thank you.”

Frankie somehow knew she’d say that.