The night had been warm, far too warm to actually sleep. Keira tossed in her bed as she tried to get comfortable. Not too far off she could hear the familiar snores of Avient. As a child these had been comforting, a reminder that she was not alone. But tonight it was nothing more than an agitation. Keira sat up and reached both hands up to her hair. Deft, slender fingers quickly pulled ever strand up into a loose bun. Those same hands reached out to her night stand and patted the wood down until what she wanted was in her hands. Keira pulled the little carton to herself and shook it skyward, loosing one of her bad habits. She popped the joint into her mouth and fumbled in the darkness for her lighter. With one thumb the exhausted girl flicked open the lid and rolled down the wheel, catching the flint and causing a spark. Her face was illuminated by the flame, queer shadows giving her the look of a haunted being. And in truth she was. It was these nights where the moon shined bright enough to be mistaken for day time. The days were no matter where you stood, you basked in its light. Keira hated these days. They reminded her of her mom.
Before she raised the lighter to her mouth Keira remembered Avient saying something to her. "If I ever catch you smoking inside of my house again I'll roll you up in paper and smoke you myself." The memory brought a faint smile to her face. She swung her legs over the bed and gasped at how cold the wood was. Keira slid the cigarette behind her ear and the lighter into the band of her shorts. With foot falls softer than a mouse's Keira walked through the dark household. She knew when to step sideways and avoid a table and when to turn a corner. In no time at all she was at the back door. Keira wormed her fingers into the handle and slid the wood and paper door sideways, just enough to let herself out. Very slowly Keira pushed it back into place, stopping when she heard it click. Waves rolling and crashing onto the shore seemed to beckon to the restless one.
Keira walked off of the porch and onto the warm sand, feeling it between her toes and under her feet. She headed towards the water, reaching up and finally lightning her joint. Before taking the first drag she sat down and pulled her knees up towards her chest. That first inhale was like a dream to her. It washed over her body and wrapped around her mind, cushioning it from her own harassing thoughts. A few hits later and Keira was laying on her back, gazing up at the stars and trying to count them. She could hardly get up to ten before losing her place and trying to start again. Before long Keira found herself staring up at the great big disc in the sky. It was so massive and everpresent on this little island. Keira could never seem to catch a break. The silver of the room only brought the silver of her hair to mind. With a sigh Keira sat up, pushing her legs through the sand and stretching out. She looked out over the black waters and suddenly felt the urge to dive right in. Keira reached her hands down to her waist and hooked her thumbs into the lining of her barly existent shorts. She wiggled her hips and wormed her way out of the skin tight pants. Once those were gone Keira pushed herself up to her feet and walked towards the water. She grasped the bottom of her shirt with crossed hands and lifted the material clean over her head. The cover fell to the ground discarded and unloved.
A gasp found its way out of Keira's mouth when the water washed over her feet. It was cool, not as warm as she had anticipated. Bumps rose on her flesh and a chill ran through her body. The temperature of the water did not deter her though, Keira pushed forth as if it were not an issue. The deeper she went the higher the water rose, and Keira did not stop till the water was just at her navel. The girl closed her eyes and held her hands out, letting her palms rest on the top of the ocean waves. Keira thought on how she must look from the beach. Perhaps some young and naive boy would spot her from the beach and think her a mermaid. That brought a smirk to her face. Supple lips, soft skin, and a voluptuous body made for quite the catch. "Is this something you normally do?" The voice startled Keira, making her flinch and turn around. Her eyes flicked back and forth across the beach yet beheld nothing. She wrapped her arms around herself and turned back, muttering quietly as she did so. "Great, now I'm a flipping nutter." Keira figured it was just the high hitting her in a weird way. Maybe it had been a bad batch. She would definitely need to find a new supplier. "No, you definitely are not crazy." Once again Keira whirled around, but this time there was someone there.
The woman, the one from her nightmares. There she was in the water, standing at Keira's level. Her skin was a rich brown color, one that almost seemed to shimmer in the moonlight. Silver hair cascaded down her back and despite being held in a pony tail it hung low enough to be caught in the water. Keira couldn't stop herself from taking in her body and she certainly noticed the stark nakedness of the woman. Suddenly she did not feel so confident in herself. Cold blue eyes traveled upward from the woman's body and met her molten gold ones. Keira's mouth fell open as she watched those eyes swim and swirl. The woman closed the distance between them and reached a hand up. When she touched Keira's face with it another shiver rolled through her body. A bolt of anger accompanied it, and before Keira could stop herself she slapped away the hand. The woman looked hurt, but not shocked. "You don't have the right. mother." Keira spat out poisonously, being sure to be absolutely sardonic and rude. The woman merely stared back at her before scofifng and laughing. "I am not sure what I expected, but you are quite the little fireball. You take after me." Keira slapped at the water in annoyance and burst out, this time louder and more fervently. The fury was evident in her voice, but pain was as well. "Hard to take after someone when they are never there." Keira said, refusing to meet the woman's eyes.
How could the venerable and great Jade Shihoin decide to pop into her forgotten daughter's life after so many years? Never before had she so much as lifted a finger to help Keira out. Not even when Keira was scraping the bottom of barrels for a shot at eating that day. For a moment there was silence but Keira knew the woman was still there. This time, when Jade reached up to touch her face Keira did not slap it away. Keira allowed Jade to turn her face, and after a beat Keira even met her eyes. She was shocked to see there were tears welling up. What surprised her even more was to feel the warm trails of tears spilling down her own face. "Keira." Jade said, stepping closer and tentatively wrapping her arms around her daughter. Keira did not respond, only, stared hard into the distance trying to keep herself from bawling her eyes out. "I never meant to bring you so much pain. If I had known...if I had known I would hurt you so much..." There was nothing more to be said. Keira's life had already happened the way it did and there was no way to change it. No matter if Jade said sorry, no matter if she wished things were different, they were not. Keira's stony posture gave off that much. Jade released her hold on her daughter and stepped away. "I want you to know that I was there for you, whenever I could." That earned an incredulous look from Keira, one that had Jade resisting the urge to bite her lip and smile. She saw so much of herself in this girl. "I knew your father would take care of you, I had to trust in him. There were...things I had to take care of but I knew." Jade said to Keira, almost pleading. Keira met her mother's gaze again, a wary and hard look set on her face. "When I heard your father past away I was...I sent help." Jade turned and motioned with her hand to the beach house behind her. Realization struck Keira like a wrecking ball. Avient. He had been a gift to her, a guiding light in the murky darkness that had been her life. It was he who brought her out of the slums and taught her everything she knew. Avient had brought out the power hidden inside of her and even taught her how to use it. Keira had never asked and he had never offered an answer. She closed her eyes tightly and took in a shuddering breath. When she opened her eyes, there was no one standing before her. Keira's breath caught in her throat and she reached out into the thin air. Panicked, she turned around and tried to find her mother. "J-Jade! Jade!" Keira shouted into the night, frantically searching for the woman. "Mother!" She screamed one last time before blacking out.
Keira came too when something suddenly hit her face. She sat up with a start and gazed squinted her eyes in the harsh sunlight. "Bloody hell, what gives?" Keira exclaimed in annoyance. When she removed the thing from her face she realized it was her shirt. "Get your damn clothes back on, what's wrong with you? Sleeping outside like you're some type of hobo." Avient's rough voice was harsh so early in the morning but Keira obeyed. She slipped on her shirt without a word and then her shorts right after. She had no worry about changing in front of her mentor. He had seen her body enough times when stitching her up from the wounds and healing her of the damage she had taken. Not once had he looked at her in desire, and Keira was sure it wouldn't start now. When she sat up Keira saw Avient's hand reaching out to her, offering her a little carton and her lighter. "I hope pancakes are next." The cold silence from her mentor made Keira smirk and shake her head. She knew there wouldn't be any. For awhile Avient just stood there with her as she smoked, taking in the morning sun and relaxing in a comfortable silence. Keira knew he was waiting for her to offer an explanation, though she did not intend to give one. "Sometimes I wonder if she'll be coming back." Avient said in a knowing voice. Keira scoffed and shook her head once again. Of course he knew. Avient sat on the sand next to her, a loose white shirt and pants protecting him from the cool breeze. "I heard you screaming last night, you said her name." Keira answered by releasing a plume of smoke from her mouth slowly, letting it drift into the air and watching it get carried away with the wind. "Now I won't ask why you were causing such a racket that late at night, nor where you got that joint from. But I just want you to know that she did care, and still does." Avient said in a soft voice, a tone he hardly ever used with Keira. The girl just sat there, rocking slowly back and forth and letting her cigarette burn down to the quick. Keira tamped it out on the sand and stood, stretching out her body and turning back to their house. "How about some pancakes, yeah?"
