Pepsi wasn’t trying to be a siren. She knew how to lure in fish with flashy looking bobbers, throw them in a pretty tank and keep them entertained with food and books. Oh, did she think that last thing out loud? She didn’t know how to do that with people though- clearly not. 

Esther got everything she ever wanted while she was in Pepsi’s care. It was like a dream vacation, a welcome healing escape from her trauma. Pepsi viewed it as a noble deed. Esther needed her, and she would be around as long as it took her to prepare for her quest. It wasn’t that Pepsi needed somebody around, she was completely fine being on her own. All alone, every day, with no glittery princess showing up over the waves for a cup of tea. She repeated that mantra in her mind when she watched Esther paint her face under the moonlight, or when she laid quietly next to her in the bedroom, too afraid to move an inch closer.

Esther never knew how much fun reading could be. The Balanced Tribe was one of the few tribes in Oktero that still taught literacy in order to maintain an open mind and read the spiritual scrolls. However, she had never done it to this extent, or with such a collection as Pepsi had. After a few days of researching history, she moved on to skimming the fiction section, getting lost for hours at a time in stories of great battles, drama, even comedy to cheer herself up. 

“It’s like a whole new world in here!” She exclaimed brightly about a beautifully written novella in hand. 

Pepsi laughed and poured her another cup of tea in the quaint living room space. “Now you see how I manage to keep my sanity living here by myself for so long. I made plenty of friends in these stories. And you happen to be holding my favorite.”

Esther skipped through the pages as she spoke. “I wish I had time to read them all… can you summarize it for me?”

“Sure!” Pepsi beamed. She sat on the arm of the couch and peeked over Esther’s shoulder. She reached her arm around her to point to moments as she spoke. “Hera is a princess from a far off land. She sails away from her kingdom in search of her lost crown, and she meets a mermaid who lives in the swamp. The mermaid collects a bunch of stuff that gets lost in the sea. Hera goes with her to see what she can find, and guess what! She finds her lost crown, except she doesn’t care about it anymore, because now she has a mermaid. And they lived happily ever after, of course.”

“Huh,” Esther nodded slowly in approval. “They kind of sound like us don’t they? In a weird way.”

Pepsi sat back upwards, moving her hand slowly away from Esther’s shoulder. She laughed nervously and swung herself off the couch. “Oh yeah, I guess they do, a little bit.” She grabbed the teapot and brought it over to her seat across the room to fill her own cup. She curled up in the plush cushions and sipped it as she stared at Esther reading.

These golden days passed by faster than Pepsi could prepare for. In the morning light, Pepsi turned over expecting to see a wreath of curls beside her. This morning she wasn’t there. Pepsi jumped up and looked around like she had just lost a prized diamond. “Esther?” Her heart fluttered anxiously. 

She ran into the kitchen. Specks of dust floated through golden light against the window panes. Esther was glowing in it as she stood at the stove, fully dressed and packed, brewing a pot of tea. She turned and smiled at Pepsi, who was gripping the doorway uneasily. 

“A-are you going somewhere?” She choked.

Esther’s smile grew sad when she nodded. “I have to go, Pepsi, you understand. I have to find out more about this war, return the sword and free my family. They could be trained and on the front lines by now, or prisoners in Sestero.” She poured the tea into Pepsi’s favorite mug and held it out to her.

Pepsi swallowed hard, not taking the mug. “I’m not thirsty. Thank you.” She turned around and crossed her arms, looking out at the front door where Bero was guarding.

Esther sighed and placed the cup down. She stood behind Pepsi and began to stroke her long, silky hair. “Listen Pepsi. I really appreciate everything you’ve done to help me. I promise that as soon as I bring my family home, I’ll come visit you again.”

Pepsi wiped her tears away on her sleeves. She wanted to believe it. She was patient, she could wait forever if she had to. For Esther, she was certain. Believing that Esther would survive the journey? That was unlikely… unless. “I’ll come with you.”

Esther pulled back her hand in shock. “Come with me? But, your museum. You said somebody has to look after it.”

“I changed my mind!” Pepsi turned and grabbed Esther’s hands. “It’s too dangerous to go alone Esther! That’s what I said too and it’s true.”

“I’m not alone,” Esther protested, “I have a sand-fox.”

“Bero can’t protect you from danger! You need me!” Pepsi cried.

“You’re not much bigger than her.”

“Please!” She begged, suddenly wrapping her arms around her. Esther could feel her heart beating strong. She hugged back, trying to come up with a way to convince her otherwise. 

Pepsi couldn’t be convinced. She had made up her mind at that moment, that if she would ever be ready to go anywhere, to do anything- it would be by Esther’s side. Something about her felt safe and comforting even if she was from Oktero. Her vibrations had pulled her in from the start, and she was not letting go until she got ‘yes’ as an answer.

“You can’t.”

A tighter squeeze.

“I’d never forgive myself if you got hurt.”

Her fingers gripped the shirt she’d given Esther for the journey, far too large for Pepsi’s stature. 

Esther realized there wasn’t a way around this. If she kept saying no, Pepsi would only put herself in more danger trying to follow. She let out a long, frustrated sigh. “You’re really making me take you.”

Pepsi’s eyes were filled with tears as she buried her face in Esther’s chest. She nodded and gulped. “You think I’m safer here but I’m not.” She was shaking now, terrified of the possibilities that lurked in those dark woods beyond. “The truth is Esther, I haven’t traveled off the same path I’ve walked every day for my entire life. And every day I see the same burned tree bark. Every year it grows a little greener, but it never goes away, and I know they’ll kill me if they ever come back.” 

“Who? The raiders?” Esther asked worriedly, holding Pepsi back closely now. She had grown fond of her during her stay.

Pepsi bit her lip and nodded sadly. “Esther, I want to show you something.”

In the basement archive, there was a pipe. It wasn’t like the other pipes used for keeping humidity away from the artifacts, or temperature control or anything like that. Pepsi approached it sadly and tugged on the hidden opening that unhinged it from the side. 

“A pipe?” Esther asked, confused.

Pepsi gazed up at her. “I slept in this pipe every night for a whole year.” Her voice was weak and painful. “When they came for my people, I was the only one small enough to fit. My gepatro stayed in the archive trying to protect his relics- and me.” The tears started to fall as she thought of him. Her wise old gepatro, the one who had taught her everything she knew. “He loved me so much, Esther. And I sat in the pipe for hours while they tortured him. They didn’t even have to, they just did it for fun. They asked him over and over again where the last one was hiding. They knew I was in the house, but they never found me. He was so strong through it all. He never gave me away.”

Esther was horrified. She went up to the pipe and looked inside. It was such a tight fit, there was no way she could have done it.

“And the worst part of it all was what they said when they were done. They could sense that I was somewhere, and they kept banging on everything to try and get me to come out. Then they said- be ready, Kvintero. We’ll come back for you.” She sniffed and shook her head quickly in fear. “I tried so hard to come up with a plan. I let my gepatro die because I couldn’t think of anything in time, and I was too afraid to sleep anywhere else for so long, just in case they came back and I wasn’t ready. I don’t want to be here all alone, Esther. If I have to die- I don’t- I don’t want to be all alone. And I- I need-”

Esther cupped her face in her hands and nodded. Pepsi didn’t have to say she needed her. “It’s okay Pepsi. It isn’t your fault. You can come with me, and I’ll keep you safe. Pack your things, I’ll wait in the kitchen.”

Pepsi loosened her grip cautiously. She kept looking back, just to be sure Esther wouldn’t disappear. She was relieved each time to see her waiting in the kitchen, sitting on the counter and drinking the tea she’d made. Pepsi got out the largest rolling basket she could find and began stuffing it with everything she needed to feel prepared. Several types of clothing, fishing pole and banjo, medical supplies, books and notepads and emergency food. She pressed hard on the lid of the basket in an attempt to make it close and contain her items. When she realized it was impossible to travel with everything she needed, she groaned and pulled on her hair. How did anyone go anywhere?!

Defeated, Pepsi stepped out of her room with a simple canvas bag and her fishing pole in hand. “Banjo wouldn’t fit,” she said sadly.

Esther bit her lip, but she couldn’t hide her amused grin fully. Her new friend’s quirks were quite lovable sometimes. Maybe a little too much. “What a shame, you could have sang some soldiers to death.”

Pepsi punched her arm. “You know I would have.” She threatened. “Okay, now if you just follow my map and my instructions carefully, you might survive in the swamp. What we need is a boat, but not a big boat or they’ll see us crossing the border, but not a small boat because we might get stuck in the weeds. And then we need to…”

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