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“It’s fine. The view is beautiful and it’s fun to try something new. The plastic seat and sitting with my legs tucked up, on the other hand, is definitely not my thing.” Xander took a seat beside Maisy on the giant root.
“You should do yoga.”
“Do you?”
“Yes, when I have time. Which means not every day. But whenever I make time to do it, I feel way better. And yoga is why I can still touch my toes and balance on one foot.”
“I feel the same way about the gym.” Xander leaned back against another root. “I try to go every day but, like you, I don’t always make it. Something about working out helps settle my mind, though. It makes me feel ready for the day ahead.”
“I guess you haven’t been able to hit the gym since we got to Kanalea.”
“No, but all the hiking and kayaking and swimming has certainly helped. And I’ve been doing a few push-ups and squats when I have a couple of minutes. Have you been doing yoga?”
“A little.” Maisy wobbled her hand from side to side. “I try to do some in my room before breakfast. You might have seen through the giant hole in my door.”
“No way.” Xander shook his head. “I would never look into your room. That would be such an invasion of your privacy.”
“Thanks.” Maisy smiled. “I feel bad for taking the only bedroom, you know. Is the couch comfortable?”
“It’s not bad.” Xander hesitated. “It’s a little bad. But I don’t mind. You should have the room.”
“Thanks. If you’re sure. But hey, maybe we can make both our lives easier in another way. Maybe in the mornings we can do our exercises together in the living room. There’s a bit more space, and that way we can take all the time we need.”
“I’d like that. As long as you don’t expect me to touch my toes or balance on one foot.”
“Scout’s honor, there will be no toe-touching or one-foot-balancing. As long as you don’t make me do push-ups.”
“Scout’s honor,” Xander repeated. “What does that mean, anyway? Were you a Scout?”
“I was. I was a Girl Scout for about… three years?”
“Really?” Xander looked delighted. “Did you have one of those little vests with all the patches? Did you sell cookies? Did you help old people cross the road?”
Maisy giggled and held up her hands. “That’s a lot of questions.”
“Sorry.” Xander grinned. “I’ve only seen Girl Scouts in movies, so it’s fun to meet a real one. It’s like seeing a celebrity.”
“I wouldn’t go that far. But let’s see. Yes, I had a little vest with patches. Two, actually. Yes, I sold cookies, though mostly in my parents’ company, which in retrospect was probably cheating. And yes, I did help old people cross the road, but that’s because I’m a considerate person, not because I was a Girl Scout.”
“It’s just like I imagined.” Xander grinned again. “I can totally see you as a kid in a little vest with a giant box of cookies.”
“I was adorable, of course. Lily was also a Girl Scout, but we didn’t have much overlap since I’m so much older.”
“What was that like? I can’t imagine growing up with a sibling half a decade younger than you.”
“I don’t know.” Maisy shrugged. “It was normal for me. Sometimes I felt like a big sister and sometimes I felt more like a babysitter. But I always loved Lily, and I always knew she loved me. We have a very special relationship. What’s it like having a sibling who’s exactly the same age?”
“We’re not the exact same age,” Xander pointed out. “Niko is a highly consequential two minutes older than I am. But I see your point.” He considered. “When we were young, we were best friends and companions in everything. We got into trouble together, and lied our way out of the trouble together. But as we became preteens, we started experiencing rivalry. It seemed like everything one of us could do, the other could do better — and it was mostly Niko who did better. Suddenly we were competing in school and extracurriculars and everything.”
“That sounds hard.”
“It was. After a few years, I realized that it was time for me to step back. There was no way I could compete with Niko in our royal training, since it was his birthright. I needed to find my own things. That’s when I started strength training and running instead of playing soccer. That’s when I became adventurous and started trying new things instead of focusing on lessons and school. I think it made us closer, in the end, when we each did our own thing, but it made it harder to understand each other, too. It’s hard for me to understand why Niko always has to do the right thing and why he always has his royal personality on. And I think it’s hard for him to understand why I don’t get involved in politics and why I spend so much of my time away from the palace.”
Maisy bit her lip. She’d heard a little about the relationship between the twins, but she hadn’t realized that it was so difficult for both of them. It made her glad of the close relationship she had with Lily.
“Lily and I never really had rivalry — or at least, I never felt it. I think, because I’m so much older, we were more friends than competitors. And we’re such different people — she’s outgoing and a people person, and I’m more withdrawn and dreamier. But the age difference creates problems, too. She was still worrying about first crushes and lip gloss when I was moving out to go to college.”
“I suppose siblings can always be difficult, no matter how close or far apart you are in age,” Xander said. He leaned back. “Do you ever wish you had more siblings?”
