by K. J. McPike
Kai’s face melted into the ghost of a smile. “Thank you.”
“Just be careful,” I urged. “Please.”
“Of course. I’ll be right back.” He disappeared, and my heart dropped into my stomach. He’s going to be fine. There’s nothing to worry about. I exchanged glances with my brothers and sisters, the anticipation like a fog around us. It’ll be fine.
The next second, Kai showed up with his sister. He held onto her as she doubled over to grasp the knees of her yellow jumpsuit, and my jaw dropped open.
It was her.
Holy crap, it was really her.
Chapter 4
EASY
I couldn’t look away. Kala was here, in our house. After everything Kai had done and everything he put my family through to try and get his sister back, she now stood in the middle of our kitchen. Just like that. It didn’t seem possible.
“That was way too easy,” Ulyxses whispered.
I whirled around, my mouth still hanging open. “Why would you say that?”
“Yeah, Lyx.” Oxanna gave him a smack on the shoulder. “You’re going to jinx it.”
“Seriously,” Dixon scolded, shaking his head.
“She’s pretty.” Salaxia studied Kala, who was still doubled over and blinking wildly. I winced. I knew how it felt being blinded and disoriented from projecting with Kai.
“Arlo?” Kala called out weakly, making my heart sink. If Arlo was the one Kala looked for when she was scared, this was going to be a tough time for her.
Kai’s mouth opened and closed twice before he managed to say, “A-Arlo’s not here.” His voice came out thick with emotion as he gaped at his sister like he couldn’t believe she was here either. “But you’re safe.”
Kala turned toward him, her long ponytail dragging across her shoulders. “Who…are you?” She coughed between words and pulled out of his grasp. “I…cannot see.”
“My name is Kai. Sorry I scared you, but I swear I don’t wanna hurt you.” The words spilled out at full speed, as if he couldn’t control them any better than he could control his shaking hands. “Your vision will come back soon. Take a seat, and I’ll explain everything.” Placing an uneasy palm on her back, he guided her to one of the chairs at the table.
She sat down without a fuss, and Kai managed to pull out the seat next to hers, rotate it, and sit down facing his sister without taking his eyes off her.
I glanced back at my siblings. All of them now stood in a line along the wall, watching the reunion play out. It felt wrong encroaching on such a tender moment for Kai, and I didn’t want to overwhelm Kala with all of us standing here as she found out she’d just been pulled out of Alea by her long-lost brother.
“Do you two want to talk in private?” I asked softly. “You’re welcome to use my room.”
Kala finally stopped her furious blinking and her eyes doubled in size, telling me she’d regained her vision. “Where…am I?” She looked at each of us one by one, and I gave her the best smile I could manage given the numbness taking over my body. My brothers and sisters offered weak smiles of their own, with the exception of Salaxia’s enormous grin.
“Hi,” my baby sister called out, giving Kala a wave. “Don’t be scared. We’re semmies, too.”
A frown tugged at Kala’s sharp face. Like Kai, she had a strong brow and defined jawline. “Is this…a test?” she asked, conducting herself with much more grace than I could have managed in her position. She was so calm it was eerie. When Kai projected me out of my school against my will, I’d done everything I could to get away from him, including head-butting him and throwing sand in his face. Why wasn’t Kala fighting or trying to get away from him? Was she that brainwashed, or was something up?
“It’s not a test,” Kai assured her. “It’s actually kind of a long story, but I promise you’re safe.”
Kala scanned the table at her side before turning to the refrigerator, the sink, and the wooden cabinets above the counters. When her gaze caught on the open window, she gasped. Gottfried must have triggered the motion-sensor lights that shone on our driveway, illuminating the line of evergreen trees beside our house. Kala had been taken to Alea when she was a baby; I doubted she had been exposed to our realm or any of its plant life since. Pointy green trees covered in pine needles must have looked as alien to her as Alea’s enormous white trees with red and yellow leaves had looked to me. At least it was too dark for her to tell our sky was blue instead of orange.
She stood slowly, her legs shaky as she walked over to the window. Placing her hands on the sides of the frame, she peered outside. “Where am I?”
Kai slid out of his chair and moved to his sister’s side. “You’re home,” he said softly.
Kala gave him a blank stare. “This is not my home.”
“It was,” Kai whispered. “This is where you belong. If you come sit down again, I’ll tell you everything.”
“No.” Kala dropped her arms to her sides and lifted her chin defiantly. “This is an illusion. You will not break my loyalty to Arlo.” Though she spoke firmly, she maintained a serene air that only added to my growing uneasiness. I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but it wasn’t this peaceful acceptance of the situation.
Kai glanced at the rest of us as if to ask for help, but I was too busy trying to figure out why this all seemed wrong. I couldn’t help but feel like Kala was going to lash out suddenly. Maybe Ulyxses was right—getting Kala out of Alea had been too easy. Maybe we had jumped the gun by going after her without thinking it through. We didn’t know anything about her, or anything about her ability. What if she was a secret weapon or something?
My blood ran cold. What if she was in on Solstice’s scheme? Kala could be planning to lead her right to us. Suddenly, I wanted her as far away from my family as possible.
“I can show you Kai’s telling the truth,” Salaxia offered, making me cringe. “I can project with you into his mind and show you his thoughts.” She held out her hand with a smile, and my heart kicked into overdrive. For someone who could read minds, she certainly wasn’t picking up on my panic.
“I really think you should take her somewhere else to talk,” I said, doing my best not to give away that I suspected anything. “Our parents will be home soon.” I gave Kai a hard look that I hoped he could interpret. I wanted to share my concerns with him, too, but I couldn’t do it with Kala here. I would have to call him as soon as they left.
“Oh, right.” Kai looked at Salaxia, his face softening. “I appreciate the offer, but you’ve all done more than enough to help me.” He turned back to his sister, his expression a mix of awe and determination. “Can I take you somewhere else to talk?”
Kala sniffed and tossed her head. “Talk all you want. You cannot sway me.” She slid her palm into Kai’s, still weirdly compliant. Something was definitely off about her.
“If you close your eyes, it’ll help keep you from getting disoriented,” Kai told his sister, apparently oblivious to the red flags I was seeing.
“Can you come back later?” Salaxia asked.
My whole body tensed. “Sal, I’m sure they have a lot of catching up to do,” I tried. “They don’t need to feel obligated to come by here.”
“It’s okay.” Kai’s wounded expression told me he got the message that I wanted them to stay away. “I really appreciate you guys helping me. Seriously, I can’t thank you enough.” His eyes lingered on mine, and then he and Kala disappeared.
“Laliii,” Salaxia whined the instant they were gone. “Kai wanted me to help him prove he’s Kala’s brother. Why did you make them leave?”
“Because we might have bigger things to worry about,” I said. “There’s something weird about Kala.”
“No there’s not.” She stomped her foot. “You’re just mad at Kai, and now I can’t help him because you’re a big fat butthead!” She spun around, sending her short bob cut splaying out like a black propeller as she stormed out of the kitchen.
Ulyxses stared after h
er. “That was rude.”
I blew the air out of my cheeks. I would talk to Salaxia later. Right now, I needed to tell Kai to be careful around his sister.
“What do you mean we might have bigger things to worry about?” Oxanna asked as I dug my phone out of my pocket.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, my fingers itching to dial. “I kind of got a bad feeling. Did any of you guys think Kala was acting weird? Or too…relaxed?”
Dixon shrugged. “Maybe that’s what people are like in Alea.”
“Maybe,” I conceded. “But something felt off.” Shaking my head, I called Kai’s number. It went straight to voicemail.
After the outgoing message, I couldn’t get the words out fast enough. “Kai, call me as soon as you get this. Or just come over, but don’t bring Kala. I need to talk to you alone.” Flipping my phone shut, I dropped into the chair at the head of the table.
Dixon arched a bushy brow at me. “What was that about?”
“Seriously.” Oxanna sat down next to me as our brothers took the seats on the opposite side of the table. “Dramatic much?”
I sighed. “I don’t know how to explain it. I just…I can’t help but feel like that whole thing was strange. And Lyx did say it seemed too easy to get Kala out of Alea. What if she’s working for Solstice or something? We don’t even know what her power is. She could be dangerous.”
“That wasn’t exactly what I meant,” Ulyxses clarified. “She didn’t seem evil to me. And if she was planning to kill us, don’t you think she would have tried something?”
I bit my lip. Was I being overly suspicious? Even if I was, I had every right to be after everything that had happened in the last few months. I’d already mistakenly trusted the wrong person once. I wasn’t about to do it again.
“Would Solstice even know we had a way to get to Kala?” Dixon asked. “We didn’t even know we had a way to her until like fifteen minutes ago.”
“I don’t know anything for sure.” I took a deep breath, deciding it wasn’t worth it to freak them out more than I had already. Whether or not Kala was some secret assassin, she was gone now. That was all that mattered.
“There’s a reason they say ‘better safe than sorry,’ right?” Oxanna said. “At least Lali’s trying to keep us safe.” Before I could thank her for being on my side, she added, “Even if she is being a paranoid freak.”
I scoffed. “Whatever. There’s nothing wrong with trying to look out for you guys. It’s what big sisters do.”
“Well, little brothers do their homework before Dad gets home and pops a blood vessel.” Ulyxses reached for his stack of books, sliding them across the table so they were in front of him.
“Good plan,” Dixon agreed, reaching for his own collection of school stuff.
While I was glad my siblings didn’t seem bothered by my wild theories, I still wasn’t totally convinced that we had nothing to worry about. “I’m going to see what’s going on with Kai and Kala.” I stood up and headed for the door before anyone could call me paranoid again. I didn’t have the luxury of wearing the necklace Kai used to get in and out of our house, so I had to go outside to move past the range of the block.
My shoes crunched the gravel, and Gottfried howled. The motion light turned on, illuminating the little dog as he tore across the driveway. He lowered his racket to a whine once he realized it was me. I leaned down to pet him between his droopy ears, thankful that at least our furry family member understood the concept of being on guard first and relaxing once he was sure things were safe. That was all I was doing when it came to Kala. It didn’t mean I was crazy; it meant I was cautious.
Letting out a sigh, I stood up and projected to Kai. He and Kala were sitting on the beach in Lanai that Kai had taken me to countless times. Waves broke against the familiar shore a few yards away from where they sat, and the sun reflected in white sparkles along the clear water. There was no denying the beauty of this place, but it felt tainted somehow, like an acute reminder of all the hurt Kai had caused my family. All of it was to get to this moment, and now that the moment was here, he looked lost as he stared at his sister.
“Kala,” he said softly. “I swear, I’m telling you the truth. I am your brother. Can’t you see the resemblance between us?”
“Illusions are not hard to create.” She gazed around the beach with tight eyes, and the next second, the water and the palm trees had been replaced with a forest of enormous white trees like the ones I’d seen in Alea.
I did a double take. Could she project images?
The next second, the beach was back to normal, and Kala shrugged as if that was something she did every day. “I have been creating illusions since I was a child.”
“Huh?” Kai blinked at her. “Solstice said they just awakened your ability.”
“Arlo saved me when I was a baby and awakened my ability so I could be useful. I will always be grateful that he let me live despite what I am.” The placid look on Kala’s face didn’t budge, but Kai’s expression sank deeper into despair. Despite his lies and betrayal, I couldn’t help but feel for him listening to Kala glorify one of the Astralii responsible for murdering their parents and destroying their family—her real family.
She stared out at the ocean, but her curiosity about the landscape in this realm seemed to be gone. Had she really convinced herself that this was only a test? If she truly believed that Arlo saved her, maybe growing up in the lab had warped her more than I anticipated. Maybe she was more delusional than dangerous.
Something jolted me out of my projection, and Gottfried’s barking tore into my consciousness. I realized his leash had hit me mid-calf as he raced toward the van pulling into our driveway.
I groaned. It was too late to run back into the house; I was sure Mom and Dad had already seen me. I’d just have to pretend I was out here to let the dog off the leash. I wasn’t thrilled about lying to my parents, but I didn’t want to give Dad more reasons to be upset. It was hard enough for him to deal with the truth—I didn’t want him worrying about Kala if I was wrong. I needed to get answers on my own before I alerted them.
The van came to a stop well out of Gottfried’s reach with his leash, but he continued straining in vain. Somehow, he still managed to bark despite the collar that must have been digging into his neck.
Dad climbed out of the driver’s side, the motion-sensing light reflecting off the shiny part of his head where his hair had thinned. “Hey, Lalisaurus.” He pushed his square-framed glasses higher on his nose and pasted a smile on his face. It was a flimsy knockoff of his old smile; the real thing died just after Mom disappeared. I thought for sure it would make a comeback now that she was in our lives again, but unfortunately, that hadn’t been the case.
Still, I took comfort in my dinosaur nickname; it hinted that his playful side was in there somewhere. He worked as a Stratigraphy and Paleontology professor, and his love for ancient lizards wasn’t something he could leave at the office. Ever since I could remember, he’d called me Lalisaurus, and the others Oxydactyl, D-Rex, Ulyxa Raptor, and Salceratops.
“Hey, Dad.” I glanced over to where Mom still sat in the van, fidgeting with something.
“What are you doing outside in the dark?” Dad asked.
“I just came out to let Gotty back in the house,” I lied, tugging the dog toward me.
Dad frowned. “Didn’t your sister walk him? He needs real exercise, not just a twenty-foot rope to work with.”
“She did walk him.” At least I could be truthful about that. “He was just barking and distracting us from our homework.”
“Oh. What was he barking at?”
“He must have heard an animal out here or something. But we’re pretty much done with our homework now, so…” I unhooked the dog and opened the door to let him into the house. Thankfully, Oxanna and our brothers were still at the table working on their assignments. I hoped that meant Dad would buy my story.
Mom finally got out of the van, pasting on a fake smile of he
r own when we made eye contact. “Hi, sweetie.” She came over to kiss me on top of the head, and I had to give her credit for hiding that she’d been crying. Her fair skin meant every blotch practically glowed, but she and Dad must have waited for the evidence to fade before coming home. Still, I could see the traces of mascara smudged at the corner of her eyes and the white flecks of tissue remnants across her cheekbones. “How’s homework going?”
“Great. We’re just about done.” I turned to follow Dad inside before my face could give me away. I hadn’t had a reason to be dishonest for the last few weeks—the last few Kai-free weeks—and I was out of practice. Not that I was ever all that great at lying in the first place.
“Hi, kids,” Mom said once we were all in the kitchen. “Where’s Salaxia? If everyone’s done with their homework, we can all watch a movie.”
“It’s getting late for a movie.” Dad looked pointedly at the stove clock. It was just after ten.
“It’s Friday, Yoseph. They can stay up a little later.”
He shot Mom a look that could have stopped a charging rhino. “I spent three months parenting on my own. I don’t need tips.”
The rest of us tensed, but Mom just inhaled slowly. “I thought it would be nice to do something as a family,” she said in a falsely pleasant tone.
Dixon slammed his binder shut. “I’m tired. I think I’m gonna go to bed.” He had a habit of trying to avoid being around our parents as much as possible, and I couldn’t blame him. The animosity between them was suffocating sometimes.
“Me, too.” Ulyxses gathered up his stuff and followed his twin.
Oxanna and I exchanged glances. “Rain check?” she said.
Mom sighed. “Sure, honey.” She looked between us. “You never answered my question. Where is your little sister?”
“She’s upstairs.” I left out the part about her calling me a butthead and storming off. “I think I’m going to head up, too,” I added before Mom could ask why Salaxia wasn’t with the rest of us. I’d already lied enough tonight. I needed to save up some of my deception for when I figured out how I was going to explain everything to Nelson.