The three followed her lead as she started towards the sprawling white house that was theirs. Once the only dwelling on this part of the planet, it had been joined by a town of Anshan refugees that sprang up over the course of a month. They passed several other homes much smaller in size, where women were outside cooking or wrangling children. The day was warm and bright. Tarantula cats were everywhere, and Kiera shuddered at the sight of the harmless, six-legged creatures that survived off dirt and mold.
The four of them entered the house. The two oldest sisters broke off and went towards the atrium at its center, while Talal followed Kiera down the hallway lined with private quarters belonging to the family.
"I tried your art," Talal said and withdrew a piece of paper from her pocket.
Kiera took it, grimacing. An artist, she often missed the paintings and drawings that surrounded her in her home on Earth. Talal's attempt would've made her smile, even if rather rudimentary, if she hadn't chosen to draw a tarantula cat.
"I know you don't like them," the younger girl said with a giggle. "I thought it was good."
"It is good," Kiera agreed. "You'll get better with more practice."
Talal appeared pleased with the lukewarm praise. Kiera stopped at the wall outside the bedroom she shared with A'Ran. Her mural was growing daily. She'd carefully sketched then painted A'Ran, followed by Talal. Her current project was trying to imagine D'Ryn with something other than her usual scowl. D'Ryn's body was finished but her face blank.
Kiera wasn't certain what it'd take to make the eldest sister smile, and she didn't want to paint her with a frown.
"You need more of these," Talal said, stooping to retrieve a pencil from the ground. She held it out.
Kiera accepted it slowly. She'd spent a lot of time drawing the past few weeks, since returning from Earth to the Anshan moon. Part of it was how giddy it made her feel when A'Ran praised her work and watched her paint. He truly loved the colors and pictures she created, because Anshan art consisted of grey metal sculptures. She loved seeing him happy.
Drawing was also an outlet for her emotions, both positive and negative. She'd been working on dealing with the emotions of losing her best friend in the universe, Evelyn, when she started the mural.
It had taken her years to finally understand how selfish Evelyn was, but that did nothing to make it easier to lose her friendship. Evelyn had brought the pencils with her, a small sign of thoughtfulness from an otherwise self-indulgent woman. It hurt too much to dwell on what their friendship had been and what Kiera mistook it for being.