First Day: P3 (IV)

While the MIB trainees around slowly dispersed in their own way, Alex was counting forward and backward to calm himself down.

Although he had expected it, and he had anticipated his no-good sister and traitorous good friend would make it difficult for him to avoid Isaura … he had not imagined just how shameless both of them were.

Not to mention the little monkey that was wrapped around him right now.

He wouldn't mind if it was Ariel, but Isaura?

Who was such a big girl by now?

Despite her just being one year younger than him, she acted even more baby-ish as compared to Ariel – who was four years younger!

Perhaps Isaura didn't get enough love and attention at home?

Or was this just the way she is?

Alex couldn't really get angry at Isaura because for the length of time he had known her, he knew that she acted purely on instinct and emotions. She would say what she thought, and did what she felt. There was pureness in her actions and eyes, and that was perhaps part of the reason why he could not bear to be too strict or cold with her.

Though Aurora said he basked in her 'worship' of him.

He had snorted in contempt when Aurora had said that to him but right now, as this human monkey was pasted on him, the fleeting thought that passed through his mind that his sister may actually be right …

Was immediately crushed and dismissed by him.

"Isaura," he said through gritted teeth as he moved his head aside to at least avoid her face, "Get off."

However, it seemed like she didn't hear him or even mind him turning his face away – for she simply just moved along with him, happily rubbing her head on his cheek that was exposed to her.

"I missed you sooooo much, Alex!!" Isaura replied, her smile wide as she hugged him tighter.

He smelled so nice.

He was also so steady, holding her up.

She felt like he was strong and steady, and would never let her fall. He was just that wonderful and she had absolute faith in him.

While Isaura was lost in her own thoughts, Alex found that taking deep breaths were not really helping at this moment.

He sighed, rolled his eyes, then closed them and thought that it was really, really, lucky that Ariel didn't come today. Though it had been their 'tradition' (if you could call it having her send them twice on their first day is tradition), she could not today.

The guilt that had hit Alex when he had to see her sad face waving at them as they left the house dissipated at this moment. Ariel would not have been happy to see this koala.

Then again, perhaps if Ariel had been around, the koala would not have been successful.

"Isaura," Alex called out again, this time making his voice firmer, "Get down."

Aurora, hearing the tone of voice her brother was using now, patted Isaura's back and lightly squeezed her shoulder.

Teasing him is fine, but when he starts getting impatient, Alex was a handful.

Not that he isn't a handful normally, but he would be even more so.

Aurora knew just how to push his buttons – and when to stop.

She gave Ziad a glance and then gave a slight jerk of her chin towards Isaura's hands. Ziad understood and nodded.

Both of them grabbed one hand each and slowly unclasped her grip on Alex. With another hand under her armpit, they lifted her up while Alex placed his hands under her knees.

The tacit cooperation between the three enabled them to detangle the koala. The moment he had freed the clinging legs around him, Alex let go and Isaura was gently placed on the ground.

Isaura blinked, looking at the three of them as if getting out of a daze.

Her gaze then fixed on Alex's face, and she noted that he was glaring at her slightly. She pursed her lips, started swaying a bit as she played with her fingers, and then said tentatively while biting her lower lips, "I'm sorry?"

Alex gave a loud sigh, his shoulders slumped down, and patting her on the head, said firmly, "Don't do that again, okay?"

Isaura, feeling like she had been given amnesty, smiled brightly and nodded vehemently.

Patting herself on the chest several times and then she made a peace sign with her fingers, saying, "Okay! Okay! I promise!"

Alex looked at her fingers, and shook his head but didn't say a thing about it. Saying anything would simply have her run her spiel about why it was an appropriate sign when making a promise.

The 'peace' sign that Isaura put up didn't mean 'peace' to her.

The hand gesture, which has the index and middle fingers raised and parted to make a 'V' shape (while the other three fingers are held down by the thumb) was initially used to signal victory by Allied nations during World War II. Anti-war activists later adopted it as a symbol of peace, and today, the gesture is known as the 'peace sign'.

To Isaura, however, the original meaning was kept.

The 'V' symbol meant 'Victory', success in achieving something. She did not agree with it being 'peace' – it was a V, not a P!

Irrespective of that, the bottom line was – it still wasn't an appropriate sign when making a promise. After all, she hadn't achieved anything yet.

Isaura always had the desire but she wasn't necessarily successful. But Alex didn't have the heart to pierce her bubble, as she was looking so happy and confident.

As he walked away, he felt his hand being held and sighed again.

He had been so distracted thinking about Isaura's inappropriate behaviour earlier that he had forgotten this other habit of hers.

"Isaura, aren't you old enough to walk by yourself now?" Alex asked her as he continued his walk, yet not taking her hand off his.

Isaura pursed her lips and shook her head, "I still get lost."

Alex thought back to the previous year and couldn't refute her statement.

With a shrug, he patiently led her to the Assembly Hall.

Aurora was sniggering at the back as she followed him and thought that despite his prickly behaviour, he still was extremely patient with Isaura.

"How long do you think he'll last?" Ziad asked, looking at the straight back of Alex and the girl who was now practically sticking on his arm.

"As long as she needs him," Aurora replied.

Ziad was quiet for a while, continuing to look at them, then asked, "Why do you say that? I mean, needs him?"

Aurora rubbed her chin, like some ancient old man on television who was thinking deeply, "Isaura seems to have developed a dependency thing on Alex, while Alex seems to feed off her dependency. He feels useful, I think."

Aurora had been observing her twin and came to that conclusion after almost a year of seeing how he interacted with Isaura.

As his twin, she knew better than anyone how sensitive Alex really is – even if he had this hard exterior. In fact, he hid that soft part of his deep down and she suspected that even he, himself, was not aware of it.

This part could be seen in the way he treated Ariel but people tended to think it was only natural as Ariel was his younger sister.

Yet, now, he was also being kind and attentive to Isaura – a total stranger – though he was not being obvious about it. He was still grumpy, scolds her, and doesn't really smile but he also indulged her, didn't reject her too blatantly, and was attentive to her needs.

Perhaps the two of them gave each other what they needed, though they didn't realise it themselves.

Aurora shook her head and for good measure, hit her head a few times.

What the heck was she thinking?

Just because Alex was nicer to Isaura, and Isaura seemed to be clinging onto Alex – she came up with all of these thoughts?

Sometimes, she felt her imagination was really too much. Perhaps reading all those books had made her view on reality warped.

There could be nothing to it, and just something as simple as Alex being nice, and Isaura liking Alex being nice to her.

Ziad noticed Aurora knocking her head while having this grimace on her face. He raised his eyebrows in surprise, but did not ask.

He learned that at times, it is better not to ask.

His gaze landed on Isaura's back.

Truthfully, he was worried about her.

He was wary about anyone who came into their 'circle' and he wished he had this magic ball that could tell him whether the person was 'good' or not.

Just thinking of how his father would always tell him to keep an open mind but be careful just gave him a headache. He would tell stories about how people can just suddenly betray another.

But how can anyone tell if another person harboured bad intentions?

It wasn't that he felt she posed a danger to them … on the contrary, he kinda liked her. Plus, she brought out the 'human' in Alex.

But just because she's fine now … would she be in the future?