The trust of the innocent is the liar’s most efficient tool.
Milo was an innocent girl so Zane lied to her.
The dough was only enough for four wraps and since he wanted Milo to eat all of them, he didn’t touch them for himself.
She needed them more than him.
She had accepted his lie but just as she took the first bite, her expressions changed as she stared at Zane.
Zane felt the wrap getting cold on his hand as he gulped.
"What... happened?" He asked and he didn’t know how, but in an angry voice, Milo stated:
"You were lying about eating before, weren’t you?"
Zane coughed. He almost dropped the wrap.
"What are you talking about? I.. ate. I ate two of these."
Zane brought the plate that had three wraps and placed it in front of Milo along with the half eaten one.
"I am going to take a bath now. You finish them." He patted her head and got up.
But Milo held his hand.
"When did you eat?" She asked.
"When you were asleep." Zane replied, looking at her mouth.
"Did you eat this sa thing?" Milo asked, showing the wraps.
Zane nodded. "Yes. I did. I made six of them and ate two."
"So you made all six of them at the sa ti?" Milo asked.
"... Yes?"
"You liar!"
Zane’s brows shot up.
Milo shouted at him with conviction as if she knew she was right.
Zane didn’t know how as she couldn’t possibly know that he hadn’t eaten.
Not saying a word, Zane watched his sister who picked up the half eaten warp.
She brought it near his mouth.
"Open."
Zane didn’t fight and opened his mouth.
Milo placed the wrap between his teeth and Zane took a bite.
She watched her brother eat and as she watched his expressions change, she nodded.
"Exactly." She said.
Zane finally understood why his lie failed.
A laugh escaped his lips thinking about his stupidness and seeing him laugh, Milo laughed too.
"I forgot the salt."
"Yes."
Zane held his ears. "I am sorry for that. The food is bland as it is. I should have paid attention."
"I am not angry at the taste, brother. I am angry that you lied just so I could eat more. Why do you do this?"
Zane scratched his head.
"How did you know I lied?"
Milo sighed. "Because I know that if you had eaten it before , then there would have been salt present. You wouldn’t let eat sothing without taste. That’s how I know you didn’t eat."
"You are so smart."
Milo puffed her chest. "I am."
They shared laughter again and Zane went to the kitchen.
"Let fix them."
He took the plate with him and then grabbed a plastic jar, sticky from outside.
He was so engrossed in Milo’s condition and making food for her that he had forgotten about the salt.
He shook his head and twisted the lid of the jar.
The jar opened and the sight inside sank his heart to his stomach.
He smacked his forehead and closed his eyes.
It was empty.
I forgot to buy it.
It had ended in the morning and he had made a note that he would buy it when he would return from the Citadel.
But the things that went on with him today, salt was the last thing he would have in his mind.
And it’s not like he could just buy it from anywhere. With the money he had, he could only buy it from the shop right at the outskirts of Cinder Row.
But it was almost midnight when he had returned to the slums so the shop was long closed. Even if he had rembered it, he couldn’t have brought it.
But forget that, what would he tell Milo?
That she had to eat an already bland food with no salt over for even a little mirage of taste?
He closed the jar and ca back on the bed with the food.
Milo looked at him and Zane forced a smile.
She squinted her eyes, and then nodded to herself.
"Are you done?" She asked.
"... Er. Yes. The salt was less so I only poured a little."
"Okay." Milo smiled and picked up a piece.
She split it from middle and gave the other half to Zane.
Zane took it without any drama but he waited for Milo to eat it.
She took a bite and chewed it.
"It’s good. Less salt made it more tasty."
Zane let out a helpless smile and ate his half as well.
The siblings finished their dinner with no complaints and Milo praised Zane with each bite she took.
They laughed in between and after washing dishes and himself, both of them laid onto the bed.
"You motherfcker!"
"You son of a bitch!"
"I am going to a whore, bitch!"
Shouts ca from outside their house and both of them ignored it. It was a daily occurrence. A mother and son, living a few huts away from Zane’s, were fighting and they did it every night.
That gave another reason for Zane to move out from here with Milo. He didn’t want her to grow up in such an environnt.
And now that they were done with the day, it was the best ti to talk to her about the Citadel.
She was still awake, and lying beside Zane, hugging him.
"Milo," he said. "You rember I went to take powers today, right?"
"Yes."
"Why didn’t you ask about it?"
"I thought you didn’t get them so I didn’t ask to make you feel sad."
Zane kissed her forehead.
"I got them."
Milo’s eyes lit up.
"You got powers? Show . Show . My brother has powers!"
She sat up straight and shook Zane left and right.
Zane laughed all the way but then he rembered her condition.
"Don’t move so fast. Stay in bed. Don’t use strength."
He said and he deliberately used a rough tone to make her listen.
Milo also didn’t want to trouble her brother so she obliged and laid back down beside Zane.
"I will show them later. But first you have to know sothing."
"What?"
Zane sighed. "We will be living inside the Citadel now. The big building."
"Really?" Milo tried her best to not jump again.
Zane nodded. "Yes."
Milo hadn’t seen the world apart from the slums. She only knew the Citadel was a big building with things inside it.
But there was one thing she should know and Zane wanted to tell her now because he didn’t want her to suffer a shock tomorrow.
"The building also has sothing else, Milo."
"What?"
Zane turned serious.
"The bad soldiers."
Milo’s face went pale. More than ever.
Her palms turned wet as Zane felt them tightened around his chest.
"Don’t go there, brother. Cancel it. Give the powers back. Don’t go there."
She hid her head on Zane’s chest and in her ever low voice, she whispered:
"They killed mumma papa."
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