Don't need to see...

by Swift Swap

Listening

The concert. Of course. It seemed impossible to her that it slipped her mind. And yet, since the stage of the tour in Ponyville was announced, more or less three months before, in her house there was no other topic. Everyone was extremely excited at the thought of seeing Butter Belting again.

Everyone, except Anthea. Since they begun to talk about the concert, she said loud and clear that she didn't intend to go. Both Fluttershy and Bulk Biceps tried to make her change her mind, but it was useless. Indeed, they just got her to shut herself up in her room once again.

However, her stay in her room, this time, lasted only a couple of hours. She herself opened the door, when she heard, coming from the other side, the voice of Turquoise Blitz calling her.

“Hey, Annie!” he called through the door, “It's me, T! Can I come in?”

She opened the door, immediately. This time, she felt that it was useless to shut herself in there and refuse to face the facts, namely, that her sister was coming back, but as a rock star. A rude, dissolute, and tough rock star. Exactly what she didn't want to happen.

“What do you think I should do, T?” she asked to her coltfriend, “Should I go there? To meet my sister again, after what she told me, and after she's been away for a year ruining her life?”

He, before she could say anything else, wrapped her into his strong forelegs and said, “Listen, I know you don't like to think about your sister, and the thought of seeing her again doesn't excite you, but maybe you're forgetting something. She's still your sister, and, as such, you should at least give her the chance to be forgiven, for what she said you that night, and for being gone for such a long time!”

“She's not my true sister!” Anthea answered, “And still, she's not coming back to say sorry! On the contrary, you'll see that she will return all smug and proud, and, if she sees me, she will slam her success in my face, and she will humiliate me again, but this time in front of everypony! I can't go! I prefer to never see her again!”

At those words, Turquoise Blitz released her from his embrace, and put his face very close to her eyes, so close that her entire visual field was invaded by two bright and huge turquoise points, that were his eyes.

“Annie,” he said, “I understand that you don't want to see Butter Belting, the rock star who had blamed you for your blindness and abandoned you, again , but don't you think that maybe you'd like to see Butter Belting, your sweet sister, who once sang flying in the midst of the cicadas, again? Don't you think that, for her, it would be worth it to make a little effort, and go to that concert?”

She was tempted to tell him that the pony of whom he was talking no longer existed. She was tempted to tell him that now her sister was a completely different pony, a pony who didn't care about anyone's feelings, and who only cared about having a good time.

But then, without meaning to, she heard it, in her head. She heard again that song, the song that Butter Belting had improvised that day, in the midst of the Choristers Cicadas. And she remembered that, subsequently, she had taught it to her, and that sometimes they sang that song together, and many others. But they not only sang. Sometimes they went in search of adventures in the Everfree Forest, or they went at Sugarcube Corner to get a smoothie. And then they had played, laughed, had fun together. At that time, they were really bound together. At that time, they were really sisters.

And she understood. She understood that despite all that Butter Belting had done, nothing could erase those moments, those moments in which they were sisters for real. They were etched forever in her memory, and nothing could take them away.

And, as for her, maybe it was true. Maybe she deserved a second chance.

“Okay!” she said at last, “I'll go to her concert, but only if you come too!”

“But of course, I'm coming!” Turquoise Blitz replied, “I wouldn't miss, for anything in the world, the night then the little BB-Two sings in front of the whole city!”

And so, that day, the day of the concert finally arrived, catching her by surprise, like a guard takes aback the thief.

Although she had promised to Turquoise Blitz to go there, after their discussion, she had preferred to not dwell too much on that thought, because, although at first she was determined to give Butter Belting a second chance, later her decision was superimposed to the painful memories related to her, and she preferred to not think about it.

But anyway, she had promised him, and she didn't want to stand back from a promise made to him. Needless to say, however, that she had a sense of discomfort, there, in her room that afternoon, while she was preparing to go to the concert.

The day had been quite tiring, even though she was able to do the chores quickly thanks to some magic tricks Twilight had taught her. At that moment, however, she felt really tired, but not at a physical level. Throughout the day, as she helped her mother, she had done nothing but think about her.

She was extremely tense, about that evening. What would have happened? What she would do, when face to face with Butter Belting? Would she spit on her all the resentment she had felt for that year, or would she find the strength to forgive her? She didn't know. She was still angry at her, for her cruel words and for her escape, but, deep in her heart, she felt that she still loved her.

It was all so difficult, and, for a moment, she was tempted to refuse to go. But she knew she couldn't. She owed it to Turquoise Blitz. And anyway, she knew that, sooner or later, she would still have to deal with her sister, and the sooner she did it, the better it would be.

Looking for consolation, she took one of the few objects on her bedside table. It was a framed photograph of her, Fluttershy, Bulk Biceps and Butter Belting. They were all gathered in front of their house, and they were smiling, cheerful. She knew all this just because the picture had been described to her, otherwise the photo would have been for her only a confused mass of colors, like her whole world.

The photo was taken when she was ten years old, and Butter Belting six, the day of her adoption anniversary and BB-Two birthday. The day on which they had given her the radio. The day when things had started to change, for her.

She didn't even know why, next to her bed, she wanted that photograph. It made no sense, since she couldn't see it. But perhaps, that was the point. Maybe it wasn't there to be looked at. It was there because, even though she couldn't see it, it reminded her that she had a family. It wasn't necessary for her to distinguish her image within the picture. It was enough to see her pink spot, surrounded by the yellow blobs and the white stain that represented her family, to know she had one.

She lifted that picture with magic, and brought it close to her face, trying, as she had done for the last year, to distinguish the face of her sister in the midst of that confusion of colors. She wanted to see her again as she had learned to love her: Innocent, carefree, enthusiastic and dynamic.

But again, like every other time, she was unsuccessful.

Frustrated, she put the photo back on the nightstand, and walked out of her room. She had hoped to be able to go deal with the current, true Butter Belting, bringing into her heart the power of her memories, in the form of the face of her sister as a young filly, in the period when they were happy together.

But, once again, her stupid eyes had prevented her from doing so.

But it did not matter. She had the power of her memory. And she was ready to face her sister.

That evening, in the usually quiet Windy Plains, there was a crazy hubbub. A huge and chaotic group of ponies was massed there, that night, in front of a simple steel stage, mounted in a few hours for the occasion.

In fact, it seemed a rather modest location for one of the bands of the moment. But anyway, the stage at Ponyville was one of the last of the Rampant Rhythm's tour, so there was a huge, screaming crowd, waiting to get to see their idols.

Fluttershy, who didn't like too much confusion, the noise and the spotlight, was in the rear of the audience, where there was a little more quiet, and Bulk Biceps, to keep her company, had remained with her, even if staying ahead for him wouldn't be a problem.

Anthea instead found herself, somehow, almost at the foot of the stage. She didn't even know how she managed to get so far forward in the midst of that crowd. Probably because she had let herself be led by Turquoise Blitz, who had made his way through the crowd without much effort.

But there wasn't just him, with her. Even some of her friends had come, and now stood near her.

For example, Prism Bolt was talking with Whirlwind about the leader of the band, Powerchord, and as he was skillful in using the feathers of his wings to play the guitar without the need of a plectrum.

A little farther on, there were Golden Delicious and her cousin Red June, which actually seemed a little lost, in that place so noisy, but still looking forward to seeing the show begin.

Instead, seeming perfectly at ease, the little Pixel Bit, which, perched on the top of her father Button Mash's head, screamed like a banshee, prompting the band to come out. Sweetie Belle, her mom, was also there, but unlike her daughter or her husband she wasn't shouting, even though, at the sight of their enthusiasm, she giggled, amused.

But above all, to her left, there was one of her best friends, Cotton Candy. And she was almost about to explode with excitement, also because she had helped to organize that concert.

“YES! BEST NIGHT EVER!” she shouted, “Not only is our little town going to host a concert of one of the best bands of all time, but among them there's also one of our friends. And can say that I still remember when the little BB-Two came to all the parties that I organized, and sang and danced until sunset! And now, she's a world famous rock star!”

Then, suddenly, she grabbed Anthea by the shoulders, and said, “Hey, Annie! Aren't you nervilled about the return of your sister?”

Nervilled. Nervous and thrilled. Actually, she was nervous, a lot, about meeting Butter Belting again. Thrilled? Not really. Perhaps, the most appropriate word to define her state of mind at that moment, was torn. Torn between the resentment towards her sister and the willingness to make peace with her.

She was beginning to seriously regret coming, and she was about to tell him that she wanted go away, when the spotlights on the stage lit up, and on it appeared a dark blue stain, which was greeted by a mighty ovation.

“HOW GOES IT, PONYVILLE!” he shouted, and received in reply a shout even louder, by the entire audience. He had to be Powerchord, the leader of the Rampant Rhythm.

“I hope you feel like screaming, tonight, 'cause we're gonna keep the city up all night!” he continued, receiving more and more screaming and shouting from his fans.

It was just what Anthea didn't like about the rock stars. They didn't care about the consequences of their unscrupulous actions, but not only on stage. She had heard that even in everyday life, some rock stars succumbed to every kind of excess. And sometimes they ended up in the hospital, or even in prison. And now, she had to see her sister, who she had once loved very much, and for which even now she was concerned about, in spite of everything, make that end.

She didn't resist anymore, and started to leave, but Turquoise Blitz stopped her, gently, but firmly at the same time.

“Let me go, T!” she begged him, “I can't take it! I won't have the strength to deal with her. Who knows in what state she's been reduced!”

“NO!” he said, with decision, but still gently, “There's one thing you have to hear. It's three months that I've waited for this moment, that we all waited, and I won't let your doubts ruin our plan!”

“What are you saying?” she asked, confused, “Your plan? What are you talking about!”

But immediately her words were lost in a roar of the crowd, stronger than all the previous ones, when the rest of the band made their entrance on the stage. She had heard of them, and now she was hearing the crowd screaming their names, strong enough to shake the ground beneath her hooves.

There was Grey Cadency, the bass player, that up to a year before was the only female member of the group, and then Ivory, who played the electronic keyboard, and with Powerchord and Mighty Din, the drummer, had given rise to the band. And then, of course, there was that yellow dot, a little smaller than the others, by the name of.......

“BUTTER BELTING!” Cotton Candy shouted, as soon as she saw her appear on the stage, “IT'S HER! IT'S HER! HEY, BB-TWO! WE'RE HERE! CAN YOU HEAR ME!”

But, even though she had shouted very loudly, not even her voice managed to overpower the screaming crowd that surrounded them.

Thus, each of the musicians took his instrument, and took his position. All except Butter Belting, who, initially, remained a little aloof, leaving Powerchord at the microphone.

Anthea knew why. He was going to sing their usual opening song, "Black Hoof”, and, in that song, Butter Belting was only a chorister, as, indeed, in many of their songs. At the thought that she had thrown away her life just to have a small corner on the stage, she became even more angry.

But she was left stunned when he said, “Okay, I know you're expecting "Black Hoof”, for starters, but today it's a special day, and we decided to make an outside program! Yeah! So, Ladies and Badcolts, please welcome our youngest recruit, with a song that she herself wrote for the occasion, Butter Belting!”

At that point, he stepped aside, and made some gestures that she couldn't understand, but which evidently were an invitation to Butter Belting to come forward. In fact, she came forward, greeted by a shout of encouragement of the public. Then, she approached the microphone and spoke.

Anthea was surprised of how sweet her voice was. For some reason, when she recalled the voice of her sister, to her mind mainly came the sadistic and angry tone that she had that night, a year ago, when she had shouted at her. She hardly looked back at the sweet voice she had when they were young, and they were happy together. And, in that moment, her voice reminded her the old days.

“Wow, guys!” she said, “Thank you, thank you all for your support. I’ve been doing this for barely a year, but with you, and with your cheering, I managed to get so far! Thanks, everypony! You rock!”

There was another standing ovation, but this time it lasted much less, because she immediately asked for a bit of silence.

“But of course, I would never have made it if it weren't for these wonderful artists that you see behind me. Thanks to them, and the trust they gave me, I'm here today, ready to sing for you all! And above all, if I'm here, I owe it, more than anypony else, to another pony, of which, on the contrary to my friends back here, just a few of you might know by name. And yet, if it wasn't for her, I would never found have my calling. And I, instead of thanking her, insulted and humiliated her!”

Those words hit Anthea like a thunderbolt. She was talking about her. And she was apologizing. She was publicly apologizing to her.

But she didn't even have time to be moved that Butter Belting continued, “Tonight, I'm gonna say what I think and what I feel. And I'm gonna do it in the only way I know. This, is my first rock song, 'Don't need to see...'! Ivory, give me the beat!”

At her request, all the spotlights on the stage went dark, except for two. One was illuminating her, and the other illuminated the silver stain that Anthea knew was Ivory. And, immediately, she heard a gentle piano melody come out from the speakers, a sign that he had started playing. It was a slow and melancholic melody, which didn't seem at all part of a rock song.

She was beginning to wonder what was going on, when Butter Belting began to sing. And her voice, on that occasion, it was more beautiful and sweet as ever. It was even more beautiful than her mom's voice.

And then, suddenly, all the stage lights lit up, and Powerchord began to play the guitar in a rough solo that, still, mated well with the sweet sounds of the keyboard. Grey Cadency soon added the rhythm of her bass to the music, as Mighty Din began to play his drums, creating an explosive sound that seemed to accentuate even more the rhythm of the song.

What a moment before seemed like a classical song, now had become a rock piece worthy of that name. But, anyway, despite the violence of the sounds, the apparent frenzy of the rhythm and the high volume of music, the song, as a whole, was still something of a melodic, harmonious. It was as if, through the noise of a jackhammer, someone had composed a symphony.

It seemed absurd, impossible, but true. Her sister was successful in an unthinkable undertaking: create a rock song that had also grace and sweetness in it. It was something unique, something that Anthea had never heard before, in spite of all the songs she had heard on the radio, when her sister used it to listen to the rock bands.

The crowd, which at the beginning of the song was left a little confused, now was ecstatic, and urged the musicians with shouting and cheering. All of her friends were cheering too, including Turquoise Blitz and Cotton Candy. Anthea, however, remained quiet, in the middle of those two that were unleashing.

But then, something totally unexpected happened.

Anthea, suddenly, and without any warning, was blinded by a light, an extremely bright light, that came from the stage.

Shocked and terrified, she tightly clung to Turquoise Blitz's strong chest, while the light intensity decreased a little, and everyone around her turned to her, curious, wondering who she was and why they had illuminated her.

It was then that she realized that, apparently, someone had aimed a spotlight at maximum intensity upon her by mistake.

However, despite the light now was less intense and no longer dazzling, it was still pointed at her, and she was already beginning to wonder why, when her sister went back to sing.

Those words hit Anthea even more than the previous confession, and the spotlight. It was for her. The song was dedicated to her. And her astonishment increased even further when she went on to sing the refrain.

She didn't know what to think anymore. A song. Her sister had wanted to make amends by writing a song for her. And what a song! Although she had never liked rock songs, this one, this one was just beautiful. Maybe because there was a touch of sweetness and innocence that her sister had when she was little.

Touched to the soul, Anthea was about to join the cheering, when Turquoise Blitz, to whom she was still holding on, lifted her up, laid her on his rump, and went flying toward the stage.

“Wait, T!” she shouted, “What are you doing!”

“Didn't you hear her?” he replied, with a mischievous tone, a tone that he often had when he was about to give her a big surprise that she wasn't expecting, “Jump on stage! Your sister is dying to see you again!”

And before she could react in any way, she was on the stage, in front of her.

Butter Belting.

For her, she was always the same, faded stain of the color of butter. It seemed that she wasn't even grown up. For what she could see, she was identical to the day when she was gone.

But still, she felt that something had changed. She felt that her sister was now more mature, more responsible. What was saying this to her, she didn't know. It was as if, although she couldn't see her face, she could still see her expression. Or maybe it wasn't so much the fact of seeing her, but of hearing her. Her voice, though sweet and melodious, had a bitter taste, which called endless depths of sorrow, regrets and fears. The same abyss into which she had sunk after her departure. That suffering, that accompanied Anthea for a year, had also accompanied Butter Belting.

All these reflections that she was doing had lasted just a blink of an eye, and she didn't have time to think about anything else. Then immediately something else happened. Once again, almost all of the lights on the stage went out, except for three. One illuminating Butter Belting, one that illuminated Ivory, and a last light pointed on Anthea. All the instruments fell silent, except for Ivory's keyboard, which resumed the sweet melody that had started the song. And, to the sweet melody that replicated a piano, she quickly added her voice, sweeter than ever, as she approached Anthea and looked into her eyes.

And then the lights came on, the others resumed to play with vigor, and she, very fast, positioned herself alongside her sister, turned her toward the audience and shouted, “With me, now, sis!”

“What?” Anthea replied, terrified, “I-I-I can't-”

Without even realizing it, Anthea found herself out of breath.

She had sung.

He had sung the second part of the refrain along with her sister.

She didn't know how it happened. At first, she was paralyzed by fear. There, in front of all those ponies, some of them known, but for the most part completely unknown, with thousands and thousands of eyes upon herself, that she couldn't see, but which nevertheless conveyed on her a feeling of extreme unease.

Anthea, at that moment, had felt crushed, completely annihilated by the pressure, and she ardently desired to disappear.

But then, listening to the voice of her sister, so sure, so determined, and feeling the reassuring warmth of her foreleg around her shoulders, she felt invaded by a strength and determination that she had never felt before. That evening, in front of hundreds of ponies, she had felt stronger than ever before.

All thanks to Butter Belting. She, that evening, with her words, her presence, and her boldness, had given her all her courage, and had wiped out all of hers anxieties.

She had helped her to forget her pain, and to shine. Just like her song said.

And then, finally, someone turned up the volume to the public, and she heard their thunderous cheering. They were all ecstatic, and screamed and cheered relentlessly.

“Anthea, Ladies and Badcolts!” cried her sister, moving a little to the side and pointing at her.

And the cheering became even more powerful, and, among the many things she heard, she managed to hear many who were calling her name. Her friends were among those who invoked her name, urging and encouraging her.

Anthea, not knowing what else to do, smiled. And that wasn't just a forced smile. In that she smile poured all the emotions she was feeling at that moment. And among these, the joy was the main feeling.

Butter Belting, at that point, turned to her and embraced her, while whispering in her ear, “I'm sorry for what I said that night! I thought you were scolding me because you were jealous of me! I thought you wanted me to give up on my dream because you couldn't do what you wanted! But I was the blind one! You just wanted to protect me from myself...”

Anthea, touched by those words, returned the hug of her sister, whispering, “It's okay. I was also wrong. I didn't have to come between you and your dream. Nopony has the right to deprive somepony else of his secret dream! But the fact is that I was afraid. Afraid that you, making the wrong choices, could be scarred for life, and that you would never again be as you once were. I was afraid of losing my only, sweet sister!”

“But you were right!” she replied, “You were totally right! It's just that-”

“Ehm, Butter!” they heard suddenly calling, “Sorry to interrupt your heart to heart, but this is a rock concert! I think our crowd is kinda sick of these sloppy scenes!”

They turned together, and they saw Powerchord. He had been the one who had spoken.

“Yeah,” she said, in a slightly embarrassed voice, “You're right! Sorry, Power!”

That said, she accompanied Anthea to the backstage, and once there, she told her, “Wait for me here! I promise I'll explain everything as soon as the concert ends, okay?”

Anthea, without hesitation, nodded. After all, she had waited a year to know what her sister was feeling. She could easily wait for a couple of hours.

“Cool! So wait for me. And above all, enjoy the show!” she said, before returning to the stage, where he was greeted by the usual ovation.

The rest of the concert was amazing. She hated to admit it, but the “Rampant Rhythm” was really good. They had a style that combined the harshness and violence of sounds with a harmonic rhythm, which gave a really nice effect. And then, they were really good at playing their instruments. No one was ever out of time, and the execution was nothing short of masterful. Powerchord, also, had an amazing voice, powerful but never out of tune.

Now she understood why they were, since she knew rock, the favorite band of her sister.

She wondered why, until that moment, she hated that kind of music so much. Maybe because, along with the music, she automatically associated the misdeeds that the musicians were making. Or maybe because for her it was a source of painful memories, for her sister had slowly been consumed, up to escape.

But now it was no longer important. It was enough to hear her voice, so happy, so strong, to understand that, regardless of all, that was her true destiny.

At the end of the concert, she was joined in the backstage by the whole band. But not only them. With them there were also her parents and Turquoise Blitz.

As soon as she saw him, she stood at an inch from his nose and said, “You have to give me some explanations!”

In spite of her eyes, she distinctly saw the red hue that his face took. And, even more telling was the nervous laugh that he did before saying, “Wha-what do you mean, Annie?”

“Before, when the concert was about to begin, you said that you had a plan! What you were talking about, and who was involved in it? Was it perhaps a plan to make us meet again?

For a moment, it seemed that everyone present was uncomfortable, but then, suddenly, Butter Belting began to giggle and then said, “Guys, I think we are all busted! By now we can explain everything!”

“Everything what?” asked Anthea.

“You see, the fact is that this stage of our tour, the stage here in Ponyville.... It was me, along with our family and the rest of the band, that convinced our agent to organize it! And everything just to see you and to give you my apologies!”

“Really?” she said, incredulously, looking around, trying to focus on the faces of all those around her, “You did all this...Just for me?”

“Yup!” said the silver stain that was Ivory, “You know, your sister can be quite convincing. But anyway, she didn't need to insist too much. As soon as we heard your story, we felt compelled to do something!”

“You bet!” said a gray spot, that was Grey Cadency, “After all, we are way more than friends. We're almost a family. And of course, helping each other is the least we can do!”

“And you too,” Anthea resumed, looking at her family, “you too knew everything, and you have kept it hidden all this time!”

“I'm sorry that you had felt deceived, dear,” Fluttershy answered, “But the fact is that you weren't listening! You were refusing to listen! Every time your sister was on the radio, you turned it off, and every time a letter from her arrived, you tore it apart before we could read it. You were even refusing to think about her.”

“So,” Butter Belting interjected “one day, I sent a letter directly to Turquoise Blitz, where I explained my intentions: apologize in a big way, in front of the whole city, in the best way I knew. With a song!”

“It wasn't easy to convince our agent to do this stage,” Powerchord said, “but in the end, we succeeded. The easiest part of all was to create a song dedicated to you! Your sister really has a special talent for writing songs!”

Anthea turned to him, and looked at the confused, multicolored mass who were the “Rampant Rhythm”. They had done all this, they had been working on it for months. For her. And also for herself, who refused to listen to her sister who was trying to ask for forgiveness. And just because she wanted to continue to wallow in her sorrow.

But they had helped her. They, the rock stars, who she believed were only troublemakers or even worse.

“Thank you!” she said, “Thank you for helping my sister, and for helping me to understand how limited my vision was about you. I think I was wrong about you, guys!”

“Yeah, on the stage we pretend to be 'bad boys',” replied Powerchord, “but, deep down, we are 'nice guys'! But please, don't go and say that around! We have a reputation to uphold!”

On that line, all those present burst into laughter. The atmosphere, that was so tense at first, was now relaxed and happy.

But then, when everyone had stopped laughing, Butter Belting said, “Anyway, jokes aside, you were right! During our tour, I got to know several rock stars. And there was hardly anypony who wasn't exactly as you described the rock stars to me! Almost all of them are addicted to various vices, or make reckless actions, even risking jail! And say that I was becoming loose as some of them! I was lucky that my idols were unrelated to all that!”

“It's okay, BB-Two!” Anthea said, “The important thing is that everything went well. Now is your chance to live your dream, and I'll be at peace, because I know that you will be in good hooves.”

At that point, she felt that her sister was smiling. That everyone was smiling. She had no idea how she knew it, but, as it had happened in her dream, she felt that their faces were smiling. And so, she smiled back.

“So,” she started to say, “what will you do now?”

“Well, for the first thing, we'll end the tour. By now, there are only a few stages left. And then, I think I'll continue to sing. Here, with these guys, I feel I've finally found what I should do. I feel this is the place for me!”

But then, raising her eyes, she saw that her sister was getting sad, and immediately added, “Hey, don't worry, sis! I'll come back to you whenever I get the chance! And I'll write you letters every week. Just try to not rip them, okay! And you,” she said, turning to Turquoise Blitz, “stay close to her, and try to make her happy. When I'll come back, I want to see her in a good mood, got it?”

“But certainly, BB-Two!” he replied, “After all, how could I leave her alone? Otherwise, who could read to her your letters? And, most importantly, how would I do anything without my better half?”

She, at those words, smiled sweetly, came up to him, found to the touch his face and gave him a sweet kiss on his cheek. After which, she giggled, followed by all the others.

“GROUP HUG!” Bulk Biceps shouted suddenly, enveloping Anthea, Butter Belting, Turquoise Blitz and Fluttershy, all together in a powerful embrace, which nearly broke the bones of someone, while the band still chuckled at the scene.

And while they were there, all crushed together in the strong grip of her father's forelegs, Anthea finally felt complete. It was true. That night, a year ago, something had really come out of her life. The serenity of having a family. This because she believed, for her birth defect, that she had broken her family forever. But now they were all together again.

Her mom.

Her dad.

Her coltfriend.

Her sister.

Gently, while they were still wrapped in Bulk Biceps embrace, she whispered, “Happy birthday, sis!”

And, just as gently, came the reply, “Happy anniversary, sis!”