“Hi.”

Summer, in Loch Cliff, eight years ago.

Merette bolts through the small living room to the kitchen, slipping out of the backdoor before her three year old sister could catch up with her. She slams her back onto the wall, letting out a long deep breath. Merette's sure Kenaila wouldn't start to pick up on her absence not before at least ten minutes—

"Gochya." (Gotcha)

A scream almost flew out of Merette's mouth at the sudden interruption. Whipping her head to the side, she clenches a hand around the plaid white top over her chest. There stands by the now, open kitchen door, Kenaila. Her little brows furrowed and a evil smile etched on her lips

"Oh my god, I told you to not follow me everywhere, Kenny." Merette let out, pulling herself back from the wall where she had glued herself on not more than a minute ago.

"Uh-huh." She watches as her little sister waddle toward her, her chopped short white blond hair swaying in the late after noon, summer breeze. "I wunna go widyu"

There's no way in the hell Merette would take her to the lake. No way at all. "Get in back young lady. I'm just going to get the chickens in."

"I come widh you!"

"No need." Merette rolls her eyes, reaching down to take Kenaila's little hand in her's. "I heard Nana is looking for you. Why don't you go check her?" Merette starts walking back inside, not minding Kenaila's loud wails and writhing.

"What is it, May? Why are you making her cry like this?" Marianne, the Desmond's oldest child, looks up from where she's sloches on the couch in living room, hands halting midway in sewing.

"I wun go widh her! Merry!" Kenaila screams, tears already wetting her chubby, pink cheeks.

"And I don't wanna take her."

Merianne's eyes narrow, "You were sneaking to the lake, weren't you?". She rises on her feet, throwing the half done sweater on the couch and strolling toward them in quick steps. Kenaila swats her hand out of Merette's hold with a grunt, throwing her tiny arms up for her big sister to lift her up.

"I was— not!" Merette gasps, head hunging low the moment the words leave her lips, but she is fact to held it back up high, because that's only a form of weakness that will help her sister to realise she's lying. "I weren't. I— I, uh, was going to— uh, Theresa's."

"I've know you too much to not know you're lying, Merette." Marianne says, wiping the tears off Kenaila's cheeks. "And no, you aren't going anywhere."

Anger rose from the pit of Merette's stomach burning her mouth as the words stumble out of her mouth in a scream. "You don't get to choose for me!"

"And you don't yell at my face." Marianne tells, all calm as she turn from Merette and starts walking toward the front door.

The twist of anger that has rooted in her stomach fades away just to be replaced with gloom, shoulder arching in despair. "Merry, please."

"No. Today's not in your five days lake permits. So you know it's a no."

"Merry, please, why does it have to be a five day permit when you clearly know I love lake?" Merette whine, hoping with all her heart that maybe if she plead enough to her sister that Marianne would let her go. She follows the older to the courtyard.

"Now you're being over dramatic, May. I'm not the one, it's Mom who made the rule. And also you know clear as well why there's five day rule. The lake so far from here!"

"It's only twenty minutes walk!"

Marianne is so cool with Merette's outburst that it strikes every snappy nerve inside her. She watches as her sister makes Kenaila wear her chapel, telling her about how they're going to get the chicks and lamps inside their little home in an annoying sweet voice. "I don't have a say in it. Call mom. Or not, I don't think there's any chance she's going let you go this late in the evening."

Okay, Marianne succeeds at stepping on the last of her nerve. This is it. Merette let the lava of anger bubbling up insider her to pour out, "Who do you think you are, Marianne? You're only two years older than me. Don't act like my mom!" Even though her words punctuate with a sharpness that could compete with the sharpest of swords, the tears that wells up in her brilliant blue eyes gives her away completely.

Before her sister could come with a remark about it, which of course is on it's way seeing the sudden softness gracing her same blue eyes, Merette lets out, "I'm going to ask, Nana!"

"Nana and Papa went to the market, if you'd forgot."

"Then I'm going to the market!" She declares, stomping out of the courtyard after the quick slip into the chapel.

"Merette!" Marianne's voice rings in her ear as a dull background noise, blurring into the frantic beat of her heart that invades her ears, hot flush of anger and sorrow rising up her chest and neck.

Even the grassy path is blurred at the edges by the tears keeps betraying her. Her legs are jittery, hands sweaty and clumsy as she keeps on running.

Just as she reaches the front gate, it's pulls open with a creak. Merette stops, head shooting up to the source. Her eyes land on her Nana, big grocery bags dangling in her pliant hands, before she gets the time to glance at her Papa, she's sprinting and crashing to her Nana. "Nana…"

"Oh my! That was quite a surprise." Georgia, her Nana, lets out a breathy laugh. Hands too full to hold her lithe body close. Merette hears her Papa chuckles, it's muffled by her ear being pressed to her Nana's chest.

"Look May, look who we got here." Georgia says, urging her to look up. Merette back up from her chest, wiping her tear stained cheeks with the back of her hand before gazing up.

All the blood in Merette's body decides to rush to her face in a whoosh like a wave to the shore the moment her eyes lands on the boy standing beside her Papa.

"Hi." He utters, sheepishly. Maybe being caught off guard by the tears staining Merette's cheeks.

"Merette, meet Kaiser." Papa's voice is muted by the pounding of her heart.

"Oh my god, were you crying, May?" Her Nana screaches. "Why, do you miss your Mom?"

Embarrassment crawls under Merette's skin like some creepy insect, shame coloring her cheeks. She couldn't have helped when her legs decided to shut off her brain and force her to run.

The last thing Merette hears as she runs off to the confines of her home is the worried voice of her Papa calling out for her.