“Ra!” She called back.
I was caught off by the nickname. It wasn’t what she used to call me; it’s what Amos’s youngest sister used to call me. She was a toddler when I last saw her. She couldn’t say my full name so she only said the last two letters. She was also a big girl now. My eyes stung.
Fale ran toward me and all awkwardness I expected was nowhere in sight. We collided and I squeezed her. When we separated, I smiled at her.
“You’re so grown!” I marveled.
“I know, right?” She laughed as she flicked her hair over her shoulder.
“How was the flight?” I asked, reaching for her suitcase.
“Ugh. It was long. It was a connecting flight so I got to explore the big island for a few hours,” Fale said with a shrug.
I put her suitcase in the back of the car. We both got in, and all of my nerves returned. Not because of Fale, but because she’d be staying with me until her next flight. She’d be with me for a few days since there was only one flight a week out to Alanksa. It was a land covered in snow and ice, but a lot of islanders moved there. That’s where Amos was. I slammed the door, shutting him out before buckling in.
“Are you tired? I can take you home if you want to get some sleep,” I said.
“No, I got some rest on the plane. Why? Do you have something in mind?” She asked as she leaned in, a glint in her eyes.
“Since we’re already here, I figured we could play around. There’s this arcade nearby called Full Tilt. It’s a vintage one where you can play some old games. They also have ice cream,” I sang.
Her almond-shaped eyes widened into saucers.Got her.Her parents weren’t well off, but it was her absolute favorite. I knew this because when I stayed with Amos’s family she would beg me to take her to get some. There was this shack near the village school, and I would buy her some for only a few cents. We’d hold hands as we walked home and tried to eat our ice cream before it could melt.
“Uh, yeah I’m down. Let’s go!” she squealed.
I laughed as someone behind me beeped. I pulled out into traffic and headed toward Full Tilt while she pulled out her phone. My phone dinged a few times but I ignored it. My littlesister was here, and I was going to spend it focused on her. Boys could wait until later.
A few minutes later I pulled into the little parking lot. Fale gave me the side eye.
“I know what it looks like. Trust me when I say it’s better inside.”
“Okay,” she said, sounding unsure.
Fale sounded skeptical, but that’s okay. I thought the same way when I first came here. It’s in the sketchy part of town but the ice cream flavors were out of this world and the games were so nostalgic. I put the car in park and hopped out. I stared up at the sign. ‘Full Tilt’ is in teal with yellow and red stars around the words. I looped my arm with hers and pulled her toward the front of the store.
Pushing the door open, the bell rang above our heads, and Fale gasped. I let a smug smile spread. It looked like you might get mugged outside, okay, not might. You would definitely get mugged outside if you hang around too long, but the inside?
Neon lights flashed and old rock music played. The ice cream display and counter dominated the left side of the room. A gothic chick wore an origami hat and watched us. Below the glass counter there were unique flavors and on top were spiked drinks. The wall on the right was littered with retro games. Fale jumped up and down like a kid in a candy shop.
“Let me get us some change and we can play,” I said as I walked toward the old coin machine. I grabbed two satchels and filled them. I walked toward her and threw her a bag. Her eyes lit up, the lights reflected in them as she stared at me mischievously. She looked just like the little girl I remembered like this.
“I’ll kick your ass at Pack Fighter!” She yelled as she ran toward the machine.
“We’ll see about that. I know you can’t tell from my youthful beauty, but I grew up playing these games,” I said as I pushed a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Bring it on, grandma!” She teased as we pushed our coins into the slots.
The theme song started as we picked our characters. I chose the Kraken, of course, because I’ve always had a thing for tentacles. Fale picked a dragon and I “ooh”ed as she stuck her tongue out at me.
“We’re mortal enemies,” Fale said ominously.
“Get ready to be dragged into the deep,” I taunted.
We both pressed start and were transported into our battlefield. I smiled as our characters appeared on an underwater street in Atlantis. I’d have the upper hand here. The countdown began and when it went off, I had Fale beat in 4 moves.
“K.O.! The Kraken wins!” The game announced.
I put my hand to my ear and she rolled her eyes. “You win, Ra. Rematch?”
