Anomaly

My little sister's parents tracked my every movement with wary eyes. Even with my hands raised in an obvious gesture of surrender, they didn't seem even remotely convinced that I couldn't simply erase them from existence with a glance.

Their bodies remained tense, ready to react at the slightest sign of danger. Muscles rigid, breathing restrained, eyes locked on me as though looking away for even a single second would be a fatal mistake.

As far as I could tell, they genuinely believed that at any moment I might snap like a wild animal and turn this encounter into a senseless massacre. To be completely honest with myself, there was a certain irony to the situation.

I had just met my little sister's family, and my first impression wasn't that of a distant sibling trying to reconnect. It was that of a walking nuclear bomb trying to convince everyone that it had no intention of going off.

Put that way, it definitely wasn't the best way to introduce myself to the people who had raised and protected her until now. It didn't help that, in their eyes, any sudden movement on my part seemed to carry the destructive potential of a nuclear warhead.

Even so, thanks to my little sister mentioning me earlier, and her insistence that I wasn't an immediate threat, her parents seemed willing to consider the possibility of talking to me.

It was a small opening, fragile even, held together by an uncomfortable mixture of caution and hope, but it was still more than I'd expected to receive. At least to some extent, I had stopped being nothing more than a monster waiting for an excuse to attack.

Before I realized it, I concluded that I would have to be the first one to speak. My little sister's parents didn't exactly seem confident enough to start a conversation. Considering the current circumstances, I couldn't really blame them.

It wasn't hard to imagine what was going through their minds. Maybe they believed that saying the wrong thing at the wrong time might make me snap or trigger some kind of unpredictable reaction.

I took a breath out of habit, even though I wasn't entirely sure I still needed to: "Hello" My voice echoed through the room.

Naturally, all three of them jumped. It wasn't every day that you heard a voice emerge from absolutely nowhere, much less one that seemed to resonate directly inside your own mind. Ironically... that description wasn't entirely inaccurate.

My little sister's eyes widened, and she brought her hands to her chest, while her parents turned from side to side searching for the source of the sound. Their gazes swept across the room with growing caution, scanning the walls, the ceiling, and the darkest corners as though they expected to find someone hiding there.

I took advantage of the moment before panic could fully set in: "I'm the one talking" I explained, raising my transparent hands a little higher in an exaggerated attempt to appear harmless: "The transparent thing standing right in front of you. You know... the one who's had its hands up this entire time"

The three of them froze. Their gazes slowly lowered toward me. My little sister's mother blinked several times, clearly trying to process that information. Her father remained perfectly still, although the tension in his shoulders made it obvious that he was still prepared to throw himself in front of his daughter at the first sign of danger.

I decided to continue before they could draw their own conclusions: "Because that's what I am, you know? Harmless" I paused briefly before adding with automatic sincerity: "Well... harmless most of the time" Tilting my head slightly, I continued: "Unless someone's being a complete idiot. In those situations, I have to admit I get a little aggressive"

Having said everything I intended to say, I carefully observed the reactions of all three of them. My little sister's parents did exactly what I'd expected: they blinked a few times, as if they needed to confirm they'd heard me correctly. Disbelief spread across their expressions before their eyes returned to me: "You..." her father began, only to stop himself halfway through the sentence. He blinked again, clearly trying to reorganize his thoughts before continuing: "You can talk?"

There was more surprise than fear in the question. It was the reaction of someone who had just watched one of the world's most basic certainties crumble right in front of them. Her mother, on the other hand, despite being just as shocked as her husband, reacted differently.

She remained slightly positioned in front of her daughter in an almost instinctive gesture of protection. One arm stayed subtly closer to my little sister, as if she were ready to pull her back at the slightest hint of danger.

Honestly, I could respect that. They didn't know me. From their perspective, I was a strange creature that had appeared out of nowhere and suddenly started having a conversation as though that were the most natural thing in the world.

Protecting their daughter in a situation like this wasn't an overreaction. It was the bare minimum I'd expect from decent parents. I would do exactly the same thing for my little sisters... Not that they actually needed protecting.

If anything, the one who'd probably need protection would be the poor bastard foolish enough to mess with them. But that was just a minor detail. In the end, what truly mattered was the intention behind the gesture.

"Wow!" my little sister exclaimed, her eyes wide with surprise as she studied me with renewed interest: "This is... weird" A crooked smile filled with genuine amusement appeared on her lips: "Really cool..." She tilted her head slightly to one side before adding: "But definitely weird"

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Then, taking a step forward, she placed one hand on her mother's arm and the other on her father's shoulder in a calm but firm gesture: "It's okay, Mom, Dad. She doesn't want to hurt us" Her voice sounded surprisingly certain: She hesitated for a moment, frowning slightly: "I'm not sure how I know that... I just do"

The two of them looked at their daughter with obvious confusion. I could practically see the countless questions passing through their eyes. How could she be so certain? Why did she trust someone who had just appeared out of nowhere? Even so, after a brief exchange of silent glances, they chose to believe her.

Their tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and their defensive posture lost some of its rigidity. Even then, they instinctively remained positioned in front of their daughter as they turned their attention back to me. The message was clear: They trusted her judgment... Just not enough to lower their guard completely.

"So..." my little sister's father began. His voice carried cautious curiosity, like someone trying to understand a threat without revealing just how uneasy he really was. His eyes remained fixed on me, attentive to every small movement: "What exactly do you want from us?"

The question plunged the room into a brief silence. The two adults stared at me, their gazes filled with tension and anticipation, while the girl between them continued watching me with the same curious distraction as before. I had no reason to lie or hide why I had come here.

Then I simply told them the truth: "I felt something familiar coming from this place" My gaze shifted toward the little girl sheltered between her parents.

She was staring at me too, her eyes slightly widened, but without the same fear etched across the adults' faces. There was something different in her expression, a strange flicker of recognition, as though some part of her was trying to remember something.

"I can tell when my sisters are nearby" I paused briefly before continuing, confident in the words leaving my mouth: "It was the same feeling I had here..." I kept my eyes fixed on my little sister: "Actually..." My voice came out softer, almost contemplative: "I can still feel it"

Maybe I was imagining things. Even so, I had the distinct impression that both the father and the mother had gone rigid the exact moment they heard my words. It was subtle enough that anyone not paying close attention would have missed it.

The woman's shoulders tensed, her fingers tightening around her daughter's arm before discreetly pulling her farther behind her. At the same time, the man casually shifted to the side, as though he were simply trying to find a more comfortable position.

But the movement had purpose. Without making a scene, he practically blocked the girl from my line of sight. Naturally, I noticed how strange it was: "I don't know what you mean by that" the father replied after a brief silence.

His voice was steady enough to sound controlled, but tension lurked beneath every word: "We're all human here. I'm sure we'd notice if there were anything even remotely similar to..."

He cut himself off and looked me up and down. His gaze traveled slowly over my figure, lingering a second longer than necessary, as though he were searching for an appropriate word and couldn't find one. Confused. Uncomfortable. Maybe even a little frightened: "Well... similar to you"

It became obvious to me that the two of them were hiding something. The way they avoided my gaze, the tension written across their faces, and the almost instinctive way they kept themselves between me and the girl made it painfully clear.

That said... what exactly could I do about it? Force them to talk? That would be an excellent way to make my little sister hate me before I even had the chance to truly know her. Scaring her parents, pressuring them, or resorting to intimidation seemed like the worst possible approach.

Besides, I was a peaceful anomaly. Well... relatively peaceful. Unless the world was ending or something managed to make me very, very angry, I wouldn't usually say that solving everything with brute force was the best option.

Although, if I were being completely honest, I had to admit it was often the most efficient one. Problems stopped being problems remarkably quickly when there was no one left willing to create more complications. Still, efficiency and common sense didn't always go hand in hand.

In the end, I needed to try a different approach. Something less invasive. Less frightening. Preferably a method that didn't involve potentially traumatizing two adults and turning my first meeting with my sister into the kind of memory nightmares were made of.

"I don't intend to..." I started to speak, but the exact moment my voice broke the silence, the father reacted again. Without hesitation, he stepped forward, placing himself even more firmly in front of his wife and daughter. His shoulders were rigid, his jaw clenched, his arms slightly spread in a desperate attempt to shield them with his own body.

"... I don't intend to force you or hurt you" I continued, making a conscious effort to keep my voice low and calm, avoiding any sudden movements: "I know this must seem strange... terrifying, even"

The man didn't respond. His eyes remained fixed on me, tracking every tiny movement as though waiting for the exact moment I would reveal my true intentions: "But even being... like this..." I hesitated for a brief moment, glancing down at my own body before looking back at them: "...I still have a reasonably human sense of morality"

Even to me, the words sounded fragile. I let out a quiet breath through my nose, a futile attempt to ease the suffocating tension hanging in the air: "Trust me... I know asking that is absurd" A humorless smile threatened to surface before vanishing just as quickly: "But I know killing people and hurting them is wrong. I'm not here to harm you"

I genuinely hoped my words would be enough to make them less guarded and a little more at ease. Well... they definitely gave them something to think about, but they weren't even remotely less cautious around me, which, honestly, was starting to get on my nerves.

I'd already done everything I could to appear less threatening. I kept my distance, lowered my posture, controlled every movement, and chose my words as carefully as possible. Even so, none of it worked. Their bodies remained tense, their expressions wary, and their hands ready to react at the slightest sign of danger.

Then, finally having a bit of luck after months of one misfortune after another, the gate connecting directly to the place where my sisters and I had been living opened. Laura, Emily, Rupert, and Victor emerged through the passageway. All four wore mildly tense expressions, probably prepared to deal with yet another unexpected problem.

However, the moment their eyes landed on me and the family standing in front of me, the tension on their faces gave way to silent exhaustion. Rupert ran a hand down his face. Victor let out a heavy sigh.

Laura closed her eyes for a brief moment, while Emily looked as though she were reconsidering every decision that had led her to this point. Taking deep breaths, like people accepting an unavoidable fate, they simply seemed... Tired.

(So...) I began, my voice sounding embarrassed even to myself: (...Sorry?) It was the only thing I managed to convey to them mentally in that moment.

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