Like a Hug From an Enemy

Frankie wished she could’ve looked more happy to see her. Everything had weighed her down so much that it was hard to even manage a smile. But that darkness made Umi standing there all the more the breath of fresh air it was after drowning for so long with her rusting sister.

“Umi… hi.” She bashfully waved, able to look her in those emerald eyes of hers now that she wasn’t so shy.

The lifeguard blinked. Didn’t take her long to notice something was up.

“Did you two switch bodies or something?”

Katie had only just recognized the woman, or even saw that she was there. She’d been disassociating so much it felt like waking up from one nightmare into another.

“Katie’s… well. She’s just… having a rough day. Sorry.”

“I said I’d always be your lifeguard. What’s up?”

The young woman was shocked to see the tall lady kneel right down in front of her, this time at her service instead of her sister’s. She never expected to be in this position. Watching Frankie during the time of her lowest depression after what happened at Berrytown, she could hardly even understand her. Or maybe, she realized… she just didn’t want to, back then.

“…I’m not feeling well.”

Desperate as she was, it wasn’t easy to drop that bomb on someone else. It teared herself apart so much she couldn’t imagine telling someone else about the coming end of their life like Frankie somehow had. If anyone could take it, it would be Umi, but… did she really deserve that?

“I can get that. Not like there’s always a reason.”

She was so earnest, despite the smile. In the past Frankie had always thought she was just lucky, that she’d had a good enough time in life that she could give that good to others. She saw something in her now that made her realize that couldn’t have been the case. Frankie imagined that someone like Umi must’ve had to have seen a lot of tragedy to come out as kind as that.

“…That was a lie.”

Katie didn’t want to tell her the specifics, but she couldn’t well lie to someone like Umi.

“It’s okay if you can’t tell me everything.”

“…I really, really can’t.”

“Can you walk?”

“…I can walk.”

“Then let’s go see something nice while we chat.”