“C’mon, Mena,” Colin whined, “spar with me!”

“Colin, stop. I’m not a fighter,” she replied, her voice laid back… for now.

“You used to be!” He’d chosen a bad time to pop out of nowhere and bug her to spar. She spun on her heel and walked away at the pace that shows one is angry.

“You know, things change!” she yelled. He followed her and put a hand on her shoulder, only to have her push it off quite harshly.

“Mena, what happened to you? You’re a completely different girl.”

“Yeah. I am. My parents, siblings… my whole family is dead! That changes a person!”

“Oh, Mena….” he said quietly. “I’m so sorry… I—I didn’t know…”

“No. You didn’t. You never bother to check on me. You just disappear for four years and don’t check on me, and then you show back up expecting to everything to just be fine? No, Colin. Life doesn’t work that way!”