April 1st - Noon
Local Gym
They'd gotten taller, just as Ani and I had; both Will and Charlie had matured, looked older, though it was clear that the six years apart had treated us all very differently. They had obviously both done well, even better than Ani and I had, from what I could tell; but Will had grown thick with hardened muscle while Charlie retained his nearly waif-like state from before. We had all changed somewhat. Ani, for instance was so much taller than me now that I had to practically climb on him to wrap my arms around his neck for a proper hug, though the six years hadn't done much for his personality. If anything it had made him more grumpy and protective than when we were locked up in the lab. And me? Besides getting a bit taller, how had I changed? I still hid behind Ani and my abilities, I still couldn't do anything for myself, and I was still the shortest of the family. Why did I feel so insecure? Of course they were happy to be reunited with Ani and I, and they weren't with Sirion so I had nothing to be afraid of.
I had to convince myself out of those feelings. The best way to do it was just to get it over with, and so I let my guard down, so they could see the puffy red cheeks, wet with tears that I tried my best to wipe away with my sleeves that were soaked from the rain. Instead I put on the biggest smile I could muster, pulling both of them in for a group hug, unsure of who I should pull in first; taking them both just seemed like the best alternative. I nuzzled each of them, squeezing as hard as my little arms could when wrapped around two people. "I don't care how this is possible; I'm just happy that you're both here."