Chapter Text
The first thing Barry Mahiyana saw when he dashed into the principal's office was his step-sister, all bandaged up, sitting in a chair that was too big for her size.
The girl with teal hair glanced at him and looked back at the floor. Beside her sat a student and two people whom Barry assumed were her parents. Said student had bandages and dressings all over herself as well.
Frankly, Barry was panicking like crazy . Their parents were out of town today, so he was supposed to be picking Enver up at her pre-school, and go to their neighbor Granny Nolly's house. Yet, instead of spending awkward but peaceful time with Enver, he was taken by a teacher to the principal's office. It was as terrifying as walking into a lion’s den.
Barry really thought he was going to have a heart attack right there and then, but Dad and Mom said he had to be strong for his new sister, so he had to.
With his hands shaking, Barry signed I'm E N V E R's brother . Everyone in the room only stared at him in confusion, so he put his bag down to fish out his writing book, which was prepared in case the people he was communicating with could not understand ESL. However, when he was doing that, a childish voice spoke:
“See? I'm right! Your brother's broken! ”
Barry froze. The voices of adults could be heard to chastise the child, but it did not help him feel better. Then Enver said:
“You’re dumb.”
“Ms. Mahiyana!” Exclaimed the principal. Then the man started to apologize profusely to the other student’s family.
Barry felt like he was going to throw up.
-
“This is Enver, your new sister. Enver, meet Barry!”
The girl lifted her head to look at him, and he waved tentatively. The girl only stared.
All the way back home, Barry could not help peeking at his new sister. The booster seat almost engulfed her entirely. She was so, so tiny, even for a three-year-old.
And too polite for a three-year-old. They had met before Enver finally moved in with them, but even so, every time the girl needed something, she always asked “Mrs. Mahiyana, may I please……?”, “Mr. Mahiyana, could I please……?” Barry knew he was always a quiet and respectful child, but he bet he never was this courteous. And that was just for necessities. Enver never told them what she “wanted”.
There was this time when Barry caught her eyeing his plushie collection, so he asked her if she wanted to hold them. He could see stars twinkling in the girl's eyes for a second, but in a blink, they were gone and Enver declined him politely.
Barry only knew about Enver’s biological family a little. His parents only told him that Enver’s house was too small for the nine children in their household so she had to move out. Barry knew there was more but did not think too much into it; he did admire Enver though, for her courage and generosity to move out for her siblings. He would really love to get along with Enver, but with his social anxiety and Enver’s invisible barrier in the way, he did not really dare to take much initiative.
Presently he had given the contact of Granny Nolly to a teacher to let him inform the woman about their situation. Granny Nolly was old, but she could run three blocks carrying a Trader Joe’s bag in each hand without breaking a sweat. As expected, she arrived shortly and took the siblings home.
Granny Nolly made them tea and cookies, and they sat on the sofa nibbling on it. Because it had been the other student who provoked Enver, she was not punished severely, just a firmer scolding and no play time the next day. The other kid had apologized as well, though reluctantly, so Barry did not really let the incident take up his mind much.
He did notice Enver being quiet and not touching the cookies after her first one, so he offered her a second—Granny Nolly always liked them to finish the cookies; they were really good, anyways—but Enver shook her head and went back to staring mindlessly at the photos hanging on Granny Nolly's wall.
Then she blurted out, “Why you say nothing?”
Barry was confused, but then he understood what Enver meant and tensed. He took his pen and paper and wrote: I’m used to it.
“But that’s not true!” This was the first time Barry heard Enver argue.
Barry covered his ears, shocked at her volume. “Oh,” Enver put her hands over her mouth, looking guilty and scared. “Sorry.”
Shaking his head, Barry offered her a small smile. I would really love to talk like you, he wrote. Only I can’t. I’m afraid of people. Enver stared at the paper quietly.
“What is af-‘afraid’?” She asked. Barry thought for a bit and started drawing.
On the paper, he drew one person, and the other person was about to hit him.
This person, he wrote under the one who was about to be hit, is afraid.
“Oh……” Enver seemed to be deep in thought. Barry realized this had been the longest time they ever conversed.
Then Enver said, “When they say bad things about you, I’m ‘afraid’?”
Barry raised his eyebrows in surprise. Are you?
“Hitting is bad,” Enver said. “Saying bad things about you is bad, too.”
I think you’re angry, Barry remarked. Enver said no.
“I know angry,” she said. “But I’m angry and ‘afraid’.”
That made her brother confused. You’re afraid of them hitting you back?
Enver said "No" again. “I’m afraid of them hitting you. ”
There was a long silence between them. Barry stared at her wide-eyed, and Enver started to look uncomfortable. That was when Barry took her hand.
“Thank you,” he said. Enver looked at him in amazement. “Woah,” she said, “your voice is so cute.”
Batty whined and pulled the strings of his hoodie to hide behind its hood. Then he heard Enver giggle.
Mr. and Mrs. Mahiyana came to pick them up at around seven. To their surprise, Enver seemed to lose the shyness in her when talking to Barry. She was still awfully respectful to them, but it seemed that something had brightened in her a little.
Barry and Enver started to share with each other their plushies. They drew together dresses for princesses, and played house with toy cups pretending to be fancy royalties. The stars Barry had once seen in Enver’s eyes sparkled brighter and brighter. Two months later, Enver asked for the first time ever for a plushie she wanted, and Barry heard their parents shed tears of joy when Enver had gone to bed.
They never really talked about Enver’s biological family, but Barry knew Enver missed them more than he could ever imagine. It must have been hard, even though she looked happier now. He sometimes thought back to Enver’s fight at pre-school and wondered if she had done it out of fear of losing another family. However, he would quickly deny himself, knowing Enver had only come into their family for less than half a year and he was just flattering himself. Despite that, Barry saw Enver as a sister, and he hoped Enver could see him as her brother one day, too.
Unbeknownst to him, he already was.