reminiscing

I still remember the first time I met her. In fact, I remember it as if it were yesterday. We were only children, and yet I distinctly remember how different she looked. With her fair skin and clear eyes, she looked nothing like the other people I saw around the complex. She looked very much like her father, their eyes and hair the exact same shade. Perhaps there was something of her mother in her too, but about that I could not provide information, as it had always been the two of them, with no sign of a mother. Many years later I found out she had died during childbirth, but at that moment, all I knew about the two of them was that they were foreigners. I do not know how her father had come to work for us, but at first people were suspicious of him - after all, he was a foreigner, he could very well be siding with the enemy to attack us from the inside. Yet, time after time her father proved his allegiance to us - and his skills as a healer were far greater than any of the previous ones could atone for. And so, the two of them stayed. 

She was such a strange kid. Always following her father around and helping him. It was something we weren't accustomed to, and as such, it was regarded with suspicion. That small child, who didn't seem to be afraid of blood and gore in the least bit, was enough to scare grown men. Yet, her father was vehement about her presence. As his only child, she was his only hope to carry on the legacy, and as such, she had to learn. And if they were bothered by it, all they had to do was find someone else to heal their wounds. And so, the little girl grew up to be the fine healer she is today. 

That day, when the three of us first met, I remember that she was the one to approach us. Yet again, this was something we weren't used to and for a moment we just stared at the strange looking girl, with her defiant stance and her arms crossed over her chest. "Can I be your friend?" The question took us by surprise. Of all things we were expecting, that certainly wasn't one. I didn't know what to say, of course, but he, however, was quicker to regain his wit "Why?" of course he was curious. Leave it to him to be curious. "I don't like the other girls. They're mean. And annoying." we both laughed at this, of course. And she scowled. Though there was something more in that scowl... maybe, longing? "Father says I can't be without friends. And since I can't get along with the girls, I thought..." and now she was embarrassed. It was something she has maintained  throughout her life, she doesn't like admitting to things. Especially that she needs help. Yet, at that time, the look of embarrassment was quickly replaced by one of annoyance and she huffed, obviously displeased at the outcome of this situation. "Nevermind, I thought you guys were nicer. I was obviously wrong" And with that she was off, without allowing us to even reply.

It was a couple of days before we crossed paths again, and during we discussed whether or not that girl could be a friend. After all, one doesn't become friends just by asking, friendship is something that is build over time. However, he decided we could at least indulge the girl. Of course he was the one calling the shots.  So, when he met again, he was the one to step forward and speak to her. "Fine. You can hang with us if you wish. Just don't get in the way." If she had been happy about this news, she didn't not show it. Instead replying with a shrug and an uninterested voice. "Fine"

And so, our friendship begun.