"I don't want to leave," Rena replied, her quiet tone matching Thomas's, if only because of the lump in her throat at the kind sincerity of his words. "This is my home, my livelihood, the only place I've ever really felt at home. And, goodness, Bridget, I could never hurt her." Rena blinked, trying very hard to ignore the sting in her eyes. She wasn't going to cry, she told herself.
Rena fidgeted slightly at Thomas's discomfort, at the fact that she was causing everyone discomfort despite her wish not to. "I was awful to her when she first arrived, Thomas," she confessed. "I didn't mean to, I was fearful and irrational but I tried to make amends, I really did. But how can we be a family if we can't all get along? I feel like I can't spend time with Bridget without her feeling resentful and that's not what I want." Rena bit her lip, knowing that it sounded terrible but that it had to be said.
"I feel like a little kid whining about my sister," she admitted sheepishly, unable to prevent the nervous smile at the thought. Though it had been a long time ago, Rena remembered all too well the sort of rivalry that could develop between sisters.