A lone tree sitting near the bridge connecting the road and the entrance to the nature park rustled. The moon illuminated the quiet bridge deck as Callisto landed on the deck with a thud.
The girl was contemplating hiding her tail and taking a slow walk back to the apartment. But in the end, she decided to enjoy every last second of the freedom she had for the night.
Callisto jumped to another tree ahead of her, then to the roof of a house, leaping from one house to another.
And then, as she was about to reach Langka Street, where the public market was, a loud siren wailed in her ears, gaining volume as it approached.
"Huh?"
The girl was confused. Why was a fire truck suddenly storming down the main street of Silangan? And then, from the corner of her golden eyes hidden under her mask, she caught a bright, orange light, brighter than the lights on the houses as far as the eyes could see.
A big fire was in the distance. And judging by the direction it was coming from, it wasn't coming from the woods surrounding the district but from the district itself.
Callisto took a deep breath, her body tensing at the thought that someone's house was on fire and there could be people inside it. She told herself that it was going to be fine, that the people inside the burning house probably managed to escape danger. Though it was just a probability.
The fire truck that passed by came to mind, calculating the distance from where she stood and where that fire was, as well as the current size of the flames. The fire truck should arrive any second now, but would that be enough to kill that fire and rescue the victims?
Callisto knew that it wouldn't do anything if she were to go there. If anything, going out there could put her in danger, like the people whose houses were burning at this very moment.
And so, the girl turned away, reminding herself that there would be curfew very soon, that she needed to head home or she would get scolded.
* * *
A long time ago, when Callisto was still small, she came out of her bedroom after reading a book she bought with Adela. Warm sunlight filtered through the glass doors leading to their family garden as Callisto made her way towards Adela's office.
Pushing her tiny feet up on their toes, Callisto reached for the door knob and twisted it open.
"Mama," Callisto called, her voice laced with excitement as her eyes landed on her mother's desk. "I finished reading the book we bought!"
Adela was nowhere. Callisto would normally see her mother whenever she would invite herself to the office. She looked around, thinking Adela probably was standing in front of the window and looking outside.
"She's not here."
Callisto was more curious about where Adela could be and what she was doing rather than feeling disappointed. She understood that her mother was a very busy person and also a hard worker. So rather than feeling down about her mother's absence, Callisto actually admired Adela's determination.
The girl left her mother's empty office and instead headed to the living room to watch some television. She pretty much dove onto the sofa and grabbed the remote control that was left on it and turned the TV on.
She went past multiple channels, trying to find a show that would interest her. But in the end, Callisto was at a channel broadcasting a news show talking about her father.
Her eyes lit up at her father's image shown on the TV.
"Papa!"
The news anchor was reporting about a fire that broke out in the middle of the night the day before yesterday, affecting multiple households and leaving many residents without a roof over their heads. While the local government had already relocated the displaced families to temporary housing, Raymond Mandjet himself offered treatment to the injured and severely wounded victims of the fire free of charge, earning a song of praises and gratitude from the affected families and the local government.
Absorbed into what was being broadcast on the TV, Callisto didn't notice Raymond enter the living room until he spoke.
"Oh, Calli. Are you done reading your book?"
"Yes. It was really good."
Raymond saw himself in the news, and he looked as though he were so embarrassed by it that he immediately avoided the TV and went to the refrigerator to grab a drink.
Right as he turned away from the fridge, Callisto appeared right in front of him with a wide smile, surprising Raymond.
"Can I have some, Papa?"
"Calli... You surprised me. Here."
Raymond passed the half-full carton of Moo Moo Choco Milk to Callisto, which she sipped all at once. A satisfied expression washed over the little Callisto's face.
"Papa, can I ask you something?"
Raymond raised a curious eyebrow at his youngest daughter, leaning down so his face was level with hers. "What is it, girl?"
"The person on the TV said you helped a lot of people after the incident."
Raymond glanced at the TV for a second and back to his daughter. "Yes."
Calli's head tilted to the side as she maintained eye contact with Raymond; genuine curiosity washed over her features as she asked:
"Why?"
Raymond was visibly taken aback by the question. He looked at his daughter, taking in her tiny frame, and thought to himself that, yes, Callisto was a kid. Kids were always full of curiosity. She wasn't like the people in front of cameras asking him why he was always willing to help those in need while thinking to themselves that Raymond was doing it for his own benefit.
A soft, small smile curving Raymond's lips as he answered little Callisto: "No particular reason."
"Really?"
Rather than answering another of his daughter's questions, Raymond hit the little Callisto with his own, drawing a shy grin from her.
"Why do you help your big sister when she asks for your help? Or when I or your mama asks you to do some chores around the house?"
"Hehehe... Obviously, because I want you all to be proud of me."
Raymond chuckled softly, opening his arms in invitation towards Callisto. Calli, well aware of the gesture, didn't need to second-guess herself and just dived into her father's gentle and warm embrace.
"And we are, Calli," Raymond answered, feeling the little Callisto nuzzling comfortably against his chest. "But you see, Calli, when it comes to helping people in need, you don't really need any reason to do so."
Callisto pulled back slightly to look at her father. "Is that so?"
"Yes. I help people not to earn their gratitude or praise but simply because I can and I want to."
"I see."
Raymond released his hold on Callisto as he let her step back further. He watched her look down to herself; he could see the gears in her head turning as she processed her father's words. And then, she looked up to meet her father's gaze once more, beaming a wide grin as she told him:
"I want to do the same. I want to help not because I want people to be proud of me, but because I can. Because I want to."
A fond smile played on Raymond's lips as he reached out to pat her head gently. "That's good."
* * *
The present Callisto stopped in her tracks. With a determined set of jaw, she looked back at the raging flames; frantic voices of people began to reach her ears.