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Her ears perked up, but she had a hard time catching up. What exercise was Yu talking about?
"With the way she punched that girl…" Cisco whistled.
"She deserved it," Noelle suddenly spoke out, placing her hands firmly on the table and looking her brother in the eye.
Yu and Cisco stopped laughing when they noted her serious expression.
"No one was implying she didn't deserve it, Noelle," Yu was the first to speak, his hand covering hers in a warm, almost motherly gesture.
She bit her lip apprehensively. Better get it out in the open now than let herself enjoy an illusion and then watch it shutter.
"Did you bring me here to punish me?" She asked the question clearly, her tone even.
"What?" Cisco frowned. "Of course not," he replied, his eyes searching Yu's.
"We wanted you to take a break from the city. Maybe get a new perspective," Yu said carefully.
"A new perspective?" Noelle frowned, failing to understand what was happening.
A silent signal passed between Cisco and Yu as he got up to remove the dishes from the table.
"Why don't we go for a walk," Cisco suggested, getting up and extending his hand to Noelle.
Her gaze lingered on it apprehensively before she decided to put her trust in him—temporarily, of course.
Following him, Noelle was surprised to see him stop by the front wall that housed a collection of hunting rifles. She was even more baffled when he picked a big one, quickly checking the barrel before grabbing another, smaller one.
"Here," he said, handing her the smaller one.
Noelle could only accept the heavy object, confusion swirling in her mind.
Just what did her brother have in mind?
Saying a few words to Yu, he motioned Noelle to come with him. They exited the lodge, and Cisco led the way down a beaten path. All around, the forest was quiet, the fresh air helping ease her fears despite heading into the unknown.
"Why didn't Yu come with us?" She found her voice a while later as they went deeper into the forest.
"Because I wanted us to have a chat—just the two of us," Cisco answered.
"You're not going to kill me, are you?" Seeing the weapons, she had to ask.
She'd seen action movies and knew how deadly guns were.
"Do you want me to kill you?" He turned, a smile probing at his lips.
"No," she mumbled.
"What was that? I didn't hear you."
"I don't want to die," she repeated, louder.
"Good. Then that's exactly what I'm going to teach you. Hownotto die."
Noelle frowned.
Her brother didn't make much sense. But then again, she'd never spent much time in his presence to get acquainted with him. He was still a…stranger. Despite their blood ties, he was nothing more than a stranger.
They reached a small clearing, and Noelle heard the sound of water—a river.
