Guardian Angels 7

Kalin breathed in the relatively warm air as she stepped out of the airport, ignoring the stink of exhaust filling her senses. She blinked, narrowing her eyes against the bright sunlight filtering down to the line of cars, buses, and taxis waiting to pick up their passengers. She scanned the long line for her parents’ car, finally spotting the old blue minivan towards the end of the line. She set off, dragging her suitcase behind her as she lifted her other arm to wave.

She crossed the first two lanes of waiting vehicles and handed her suitcase off to her father, throwing one arm around his neck for just a moment before tossing her backpack and purse through the open door and climbing into her sister’s arms.

“Hey,” she said, hugging Alyxia back. “It’s so good to see you.”

“Buckle up, hugs when we get home. It’s crazy out here.” Their mom, Dani, said, even as she reached around the back of her seat to gently touch Kalin’s cheek. Kalin grinned. It felt good to be home. To forget the craziness of the semester, like it had never happened.

Akarisa’s internal voice had grown fainter and fainter the farther away from the school she’d gotten. Somewhere over the ocean, without her noticing, it had disappeared completely. She was alone in her own head for the first time in months.

Alone. But she didn’t need Akarisa’s help or advice with her family. She was home.

Well, almost home. Kalin buckled up as her father climbed in the driver’s seat and put the car in gear, strapping his own seat belt in with one hand as he held the steering wheel with the other, ignoring the people behind him honking at him for loading up in the third lane.

“Precious cargo acquired. Returning home.” he said, grinning widely into the rearview mirror.

“We didn’t hear much from you this semester, is everything okay?” Alyxia asked.

“Yeah, it was just really busy, and a few of my classes turned out to be more difficult than I anticipated.” Kalin admitted, brushing a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. “I still have my scholarship.” she said quickly as her parents exchanged worried looks. “And I don’t need any more classes in those subjects to graduate.”

Her mom reached around and patted her knee. “Are you still managing to take care of yourself? You look tired.”

“My last final was what? A few days ago?” Kalin joked. “Of course I’m tired. I spent the rest of the time packing.” She hesitated. “I might have a new dorm when I get back—I’ll send you guys the new address as soon as I finalize things and get settled.”

“What happened with Anna?” Her mother turned to look at her. “You guys have been inseparable since freshman year.”

“I...” Kalin sighed. “She tried hitting on Aiden.”

“What?” Alyxia cried. “Why? How could she possibly think that would go over well.”

Kalin shrugged. “Nothing happened, obviously. He told me about it. But I guess I was so busy this semester I didn’t notice her changing...being influenced by some other guy.”

“Who are you going to end up rooming with?”

“Hopefully Brianna. If Julia passed all her finals, she’d get early graduation and I could fill her spot. We should know for certain by today at the latest.” Kalin opened her phone. Everyone in the car crossed their fingers, even her dad, though he kept both hands on the wheel. Kalin scanned her new messages as they loaded, before a wide grin spread across her face.

“She passed! I can have her spot. I should return a few days early to make sure the school signed off on everything and move in. Brianna’s really excited.”

“That’s good to hear. I’m sorry to hear about Anna, but at least you’ve got things sorted and have a plan for yourself.”

The next few hours passed in a blur of laughter and chatter about the last four months or so. Alyxia was a freshman at her university near where they'd grown up. She'd made some good friends and had a good time, all while passing her classes and maintaining her standing for her scholarship. Their parents exchanged a relieved look as both their daughters confirmed their continuing financial aid.

“It's been lonely at home.” Their mother said as the sky turned orange, then purple, and the street lights along the highway came on. Alyxia and Kalin exchanged a look.

“I'll come back to visit more often next semester.” Alyxia promised quickly.

Her mother smiled in the mirror. “No need. We're so proud of both you girls, making your own ways in the world."

Alyxia's hand found Kalin's, and she clasped it warmly as they grinned at each other, ignoring both sets of watery eyes.

They didn't reach the house until after dark, having stopped to pick up some pizza for dinner on their way through town. Kalin and Alyxia hopped out in the driveway and carried in the food and drinks. They met their parents in the kitchen and began handing out plates and cups as Dani turned on lights and took care of their dog and cat. David settled in front of the TV, flipping through streaming services.

“What do you girls want to watch?”

“Something like home.” Alyxia said after exchanging smiles with Kalin.

David chuckled and pulled up their digital family library. “More magic or more adventure?”

“Adventure.” Kalin said, settling into the couch next to him and balancing her plate on her knees. Alyxia sat on her other side, leaning against Kalin's shoulder. They quieted a little during the opening scenes, but by the time they had reached the idyllic village scenes, Dani had joined them and comfortable, lighthearted chatter filled the air.

Kalin leaned back, enjoying the taste of bacon and pineapple on her tongue, the swelling music of her childhood movie, and the voices of her parents and sister all melding into an overwhelming sense of home.

They passed their days quietly, full of gifts being exchanged, home cooked meals, board games and card games played late into the night, and lazy mornings with warm mugs on the couch with a book. Akarisa and the majine faded away, and the weight of the Karinean threat lifted from Kalin's shoulders gradually, carried in part by her mother's smiles, her father's laugh, and playful bickering exchanged with her sister.

Curled up on the couch under a blanket, with a steaming mug of tea on the side table, Kalin idly stroked Moonlight's fur as the cat purred happily in her lap. She only paused her petting to turn the pages of her book, caught up in a world of tricksters and careful compromises.

A gentle knock on the wall had her lifting her eyes from the page.

“Do you want to do all your laundry now or when I'm done?” Alyxia asked.

Kalin stretched her legs under the blanket. “I'm not in any hurry.”

“Have you even started packing yet?” Alyxia gave her a quizzical look.

Kalin stared at her, mentally counting the days. “No.” She groaned. “That went by too fast.”

“One more semester, then you're done.”

“Hopefully.” Kalin sighed, massaging her temples. “Go ahead and do yours first. I’ll check my flight and start getting my stuff together.” She sat up with a groan, reluctantly shooing Moonlight off her lap.

“If only we could spend all our days like this.” Alyxia sighed under her breath.

Kalin gave her a quizzical look. “You okay?”

“Yeah.” Alyxia said quickly. Too shortly. She turned the corner. “Don’t forget to pack your gifts, too.”

Kalin pulled a face, then frowned as her sister’s footsteps retreated across the house. Being stressed about their scholarships was one thing—but she had thought Alyxia had been genuinely enjoying her time at school. A heavy feeling in her chest formed as she thought of the reasons why she had enjoyed this break more than any other—her escape from balancing two worlds, two minds within her brain. Kalin shook her head. There was no way Alyxia could be dealing with anything like that...though her younger sister would have likely said the same about her.

She followed Alyxia’s footsteps across the house to their rooms, passing the first door, covered in pictures of Alyxia and her friends, which stood slightly ajar. She could hear rummaging coming from inside, but kept walking. Alyxia would find her when she was ready to talk.

She nudged the door to her own room open, her mind only faintly registering the plethora of posters and inspirational quotes plastered over the door and the walls inside. She had pictures of herself and her friends on display as well, hanging from strings and a display board along one wall. The familiar surroundings eased the weight from her chest, and she took a deep breath as she started gathering clothes, blankets, and towels into separate piles. Once she had her laundry sorted and in hampers, she set about laying out her luggage and gathering toiletries, books, and electronics to take back to school.

A part of her missed Akarisa’s uncanny ability to remember things she had forgotten—or offer advice that she hadn’t considered. “Guardian, huh.” she murmured. She looked around her childhood bedroom, imagining what Akarisa would have had to say about the posters and pictures artfully, but not exactly perfectly, strewn across the walls. She might have said it looked more like me than Anna. Kalin sighed, shook her head, and returned to her packing.

Kalin heaved her suitcase into the trunk of the van and leaned around the corner to take another look at her parents’ home. She wanted nothing more than to run back inside and bury herself in the blankets on the couch. Her mother would sit and play with her hair, and Kalin would be able to tell her anything—everything. Why she didn’t want to return to school. How Anna was acting weird, how Akarisa’s world and thoughts had taken over her own and drowned her out.

That’s not fair to her. Akarisa had always been kind to her. Kalin hadn’t known any better what would happen to her in those woods. She’d heard tell of monsters and escaped convicts and dismissed them all as rumors. None had been true.

Was the truth worse? Losing herself, being assimilated into a stronger, more capable being...but losing what made her Kalin. Everything that made her her parents’ daughter and Alyxia’s sister. Kalin chewed the inside of her lip.

“You okay, little spark?” David asked, heaving Alyxia’s suitcase in beside Kalin’s. Little spark. His nickname for her since she was a small child. Ever since that time she had beat up a boy on the playground for tormenting her smaller friend. When he had sat down with her to scold her, to tell her that violence wasn’t the answer, he’d asked her why she’d resorted to hitting.

Because the small strength became big and it burned. ‘The small strength’, her inner willpower. When things got tough, Dani encouraged them to reach deep inside themselves and find a small piece of strength, to draw on it and nurture it, and never forget it was there.

No one can ever take that away from me. Not even Akarisa.

“I’m fine.” Kalin heard herself say. “I just really needed this break.” She gave her father a smile.

“You’ve been so quiet. We were worried about you.” he said, reaching out and pulling her into a hug. “No matter what happens, you’ll always have a home to return to. Never forget that. We will be here.” He kissed the top of her head.

“Thanks, Dad.” Kalin mumbled against his shirt, breathing in deeply the same smell from when she’d fallen asleep as he read bedtime stories, her on one knee and Alyxia on the other. She squeezed him tighter for a moment before letting go. “Next time I come back, I’ll have a degree.” She grinned.

“And we’ll have a huuuge party!” Alyxia exclaimed, throwing her arms around Kalin from behind. “Here’s the last of it.” She said after releasing her sister, indicating two bags on the ground beside the car.

“Everyone ready?” Dani called. “Locking the door!”

“I got these, go give your mother a hug, girls. Drop off will have to be quick.” David told them, scooping up the bags and making space in the trunk. Alyxia stayed to give him a goodbye hug, while Kalin made her way over to their mother.

“Are you going to be all right?” Dani asked, cradling her eldest daughter’s face between her hands.

“I’ll be fine, Mom.” Kalin said. “Thank you. I needed the rest.”

“I bet you did.” Dani squeezed her tightly. “You deserve some time off after graduation. You’ve been working so hard. You looked like a zombie when you first came home.”

“I can’t take too much time off, Mom.” Kalin laughed. “If I wait too long, all the good jobs will be gone.”

“Two weeks? We’ll have a party.”

“A two week long party?” Kalin laughed nervously.

“No, no. A party and time to rest. You need it.”

“Alright. Two weeks off after graduation.” Kalin promised.

They spent the car ride alternating between comfortable, contemplative silence and chatter about their plans for the summer. Kalin swallowed her unease--What would summer look like with Akarisa?--and participated as much as she could before her voice faltered. “I don't know...what's going to be available.” She said simply, before falling silent again.

“It'll be okay.” Dani said, reaching around to give Kalin's knee a squeeze.

“Get ready to jump and run, girls. Have a good semester--message us when you get--”

“To the gate, before takeoff, after landing, and when we reach our dorms.” Kalin and Alyxia finished together.

“Drive safe on the way home.” Alyxia said quickly as they stopped and the doors opened to let them out. She and Kalin scrambled out of the car, grabbed their luggage, and closed the trunk before running towards the doors, out of the exhaust fumes.

Kalin paused between the terminals for domestic and international flights. “Be safe.” She told her sister, embracing her tightly. “Don't forget to text, even if I don't have signal all the time.”

“I will.” Alyxia promised. “Reply when you can--you can talk to us when you're stressed, you know.”

Kalin winced slightly. I didn't last semester because...well, where would I even start?

“I'll do better this time.” she promised her sister, feeling guilt settling onto her shoulders. She straightened her back. “Be safe, but have some fun too.” She said as they separated and Alyxia took off sprinting for the domestic flights. Her plane left hours before Kalin's, but their parents had to be at work and it was far easier and more affordable to drop them both off at once.

Kalin didn't mind waiting at the gate, and being there early ensured that she had time to react should her flight get changed at all.

She checked in, checked her larger suitcase, and made her way through security as her head swam with thoughts of the chaos she was returning to. She wondered if Akarisa had been able to relax at all over break. Surely Kieran would have taken care of her. Akarisa's memories of his parents carried a vivid positive impression that left warmth in Kalin's chest and a small smile on her lips.

She curled up with her laptop plugged into the outlet between seats at the gate and lost herself in her projects, keeping one ear open for the announcements coming over the speaker system.

Somewhere midway across the ocean, Kalin started to feel a buzzing in her head. Akarisa must have been quite a busy bee. She groaned softly to herself as she prepared to endure the onslaught of thoughts that were not her own, even as her heart raced with excitement.