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 Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 8:41 am
Leander had not had a good night. He wished he could stop replaying it in his head, but the fact was that he needed to make sure he remembered everything clearly. He'd retreated to his car and drove as far away as he could, hiding from anyone and anything. He'd replayed everything in his head again, and again, and again on the way there--and then he'd written it all down, and then replayed again, and then read, and--and the story was still the same.
The pen was still in his pocket.
And he didn't know what to do.
He'd been investigating 'the supernatural', conspiracy theories, everything for years, but it wasn't ever supposed to be like this. He'd wanted answers, not to be a part of things.
There was a pit in his stomach and he was restless; he kept trying to text someone, anyone, but he didn't know what to say. Didn't know how to say it. He'd been skirting a panic attack all night, and finally he gave up--either he was going to have one or he wasn't, and he was going to do what he needed to to figure that out.
He was going home.
Not the home of his car, that he'd been living out of for too long, but the home he'd grown up in. It was late; all the lights in the house were out, except for Kelly's, and he breathed a sigh of relief. He'd parked a street away to be safe, but if his father was asleep, maybe it meant he could end this night on a better note.
He climbed up the tree by Kelly's room and knocked--quietly, but needily--on the window, praying that it was just her in there.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 3:37 pm
Kelly’s room was full of boxes, with the majority of her things in one of several piles. Her deadline for being out of the house was coming up fast and even though she knew she should be working to get it all finished…she just felt as though her head were constantly in a fog and so she was taking another break, sitting on her bed looking rather disdainfully at one of her many stuffed monstrosities.
They would all be going in the trash pile if she could work up the courage to do so…but right now they were all invading her bed.
She heard the tapping and froze, twisting to glance at her window, pulling aside the shade after a moment and managing what almost passed for a smile when she saw her brother.
Without hesitation she opened the window for him and held her hands out, dropping the alpacacorn onto the floor as she did so.
“Leander! I’m glad you came to see me ah…I’ve been meaning to get in contact with you.” The cold breeze made goosebumps break out all over the girl and as soon as her brother was in the room, she shut the window with a soft snap.
“How…are you?” Her eyes searched his face for a moment and she frowned, not used to seeing the expression that she saw. Honestly, not since he left home had she seen him looking like this. “…What’s wrong?”
…Hopefully it wasn’t because of the boxes. She hadn’t had the chance to tell him that she was being kicked out yet. But…him being here would make that easy.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 4:47 pm
It was hard for Leander to be taken by a lie; he was used to looking for people fibbing or stretching the truth--it was part of his job to look for those subtle ticks. He flashed a lie of a smile himself; he took her hands and let her help him into her room.
He was her older brother; he should have been able to tell something was wrong, he should have been able to comfort her. His mind was reeling. He was trembling, overcome with an emotion he wished he could name.
But how was he even supposed to tell her what had happen? She'd think he was crazy, she'd think he'd finally lost it. Maybe she'd see whatever their father saw in him and want him out of her life, too.
...
No.
No, not Kelly, not with the heart she had.
When he spoke, his voice was hoarse, and almost unrecognizable to him. "What's--" He had to clear his throat and try again, "What's going on, why are you packing?"
He didn't seem mad, just lost. "--Did something happen?" he asked, looking at her with a worried expression that completely overtook all other emotions on his face.
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:01 pm
Damn. Couldn’t he focus on himself for a moment and let her get a chance to collect her thoughts a little better before springing questions like that at her?
Her eyes slid over towards the piles of things and she shrugged half heartedly. “They just want me out by the end of January. I’ve just…been such a bother since I got back…and Dad wants me out of his life. Mom too. Lottie is a little upset but I keep telling her to keep her head down…they seem to still love her a lot though…”
She hoped that love didn’t wear off like it did for both herself and Leander…though she idly wondered where she would have ended up if she never had gone and met Altea…
…How much would have been different…
Her eyes landed on Charlie again and she reached down, idly picking up the alpacacorn and rubbing at his soft fur once again.
“I’m just trying to organize everything into piles…I just…I can’t concentrate anymore I just…it all sucks. Everything sucks…” Kelly swallowed hard, fighting back the hot tears that had sprung into her eyes. Leander was here for a reason…not here to comfort her. Something was wrong with him…and he came to her for help.
She reached up and quickly scrubbed away her tears and looked at her brother once again. “…What’s wrong? What happened?”
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:09 pm
"What?" he asked sourly, for a split second completely forgetting the rest of his evening. A cold anger, frustration and disappointment flooded through him and his eyes jerked to the door of her room, as if for that single moment he was considering stomping out of the room and giving his parents a piece of his mind.
...But that wouldn't change anything. That didn't matter. He had to shove the anger down. His hands clenched into balls at his hands
He just shook his head at her question, too ruffled, too worried about her to even think about how he was supposed to tell her. He didn't try to pull her hands from her eyes, instead he just hugged her tightly. "In a minute," he said, assuring her that he wasn't ignoring her question.
Right now this was just so much more important.
"Do you have a place to stay? --Where are you going?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 5:55 pm
The hug was nice, and she pressed against him, beginning to tremble a little. “It…it’s fine. I’ll be fine…I don’t know where I’m going yet…but…but you said I’d always have a home in your passenger seat…”
The girl gulped down a sob and finally pulled away from her brother, just shaking her head. “…I have to find a job…and luckily I graduate soon enough…but I could always drop out and get my GED…that would work too, right? I could just…work instead of going to school…”
Kelly closed her eyes and rubbed at them once more, tugging on one of her braids and swallowing hard. “I don’t know. I’m scared. I don’t know what to do and I just feel like life has been unraveling for the past year…longer than the past year…I don’t know what to do anymore, Leander…”
She squeezed the stuffed animal in her hand and then let Charlie fall back to the floor, kicking him towards the trash pile with a huff of unhappiness. “Everything just sucks. Please. What’s going on with you…I would much rather focus on your issues than mine…everything has been my issues lately and I’m starting to go utterly crazy.”
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Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 6:33 pm
"Kelly," his voice was firm. He understood wanting to focus on someone else, understood how easy it was to just try and distract yourself. That was partially what he was doing now, except he really did care about what was going on in her life, what she was dealing with. He wanted to reach out and hold her again but respected the fact that she had pulled away.
"You're not dropping out of school, Kelly. And all of this isn't going to fit in my car."
He looked at the piles, looked at his sister, and came to a firm resolve.
"I've got enough saved up. You've got until the end of January? I'll find an apartment, I'll go out looking tomorrow. I'll get something two bedroom, we'll make it work. I've been saving up."
It wasn't anything impressive, but he had enough that he wasn't worried about putting a roof over her head. "--I'd offer to help pack, but I know Dad won't let me in the house. But I'll look around, find a few good places, and we'll take a day trip, you and me. We'll go pick one out together. If I need to pick up a different job for some extra income, I can do it. But I've got enough saved that we'll be fine, we'll have time to figure things out. Freelancing's been treating me real well. Maybe we'll find a three bedroom, something affordable, so Lottie can have a place too, just in case. So don't you cry. It's gonna be okay."
He leaned forward and kissed her temple. "I'll take care of you. We'll be okay."
His problems. Talk about his problems. Give her something else to focus on.
He tried to think of something tactful to say, some easy way to broach things--instead, he wound up just trying to soothe her by stroking down her back, and blurted, "I met a talking cat."
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 11:24 am
Kelly relaxed, nodding and swallowing hard. “…I wouldn’t mind if you snuck in here to help me…it would mean a lot to see you…I’ve missed you and I’ve been so lonely lately…everyone…everyone seems to be so busy…”
Her eyes flickered away, though snapped back to him with his last news, warning bells going off in her mind. “…A…talking cat? That’s…ah…that’s interesting…”
Her face had gone paler than normal and she swallowed hard. “…What kind of talking cat?” Oh no…was he a senshi? Was he on the other side? But…
She hesitated, biting her lip. If he was…she could do that. She could find a way to leave the Dark Mirror Court and go live with him and then nobody would ever know her again…right? Wasn’t that how it worked? Kelly sighed. “…And now you have magic powers?”
It wasn’t really a question…but she looked up at him anyway, eyes filled with a mixture of hope and worry. “…What color do you wear? Tell me everything.”
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Posted: Tue Jan 15, 2019 2:22 pm
Leander's eyes narrowed just slightly, not angrily but questioningly. "...Purple," he said after a few seconds. And black. There was a mirror. Kelly," his voice shifted to the same, stern, brotherly voice full of worry. "Why don't you sound surprised? Why aren't you calling me crazy? Why do you--how do you know these things?"
He had been researching for months, years, and he had only gotten scraps of information up until tonight. Now, his head felt like it might explode.
He hadn't wanted this, hadn't asked for this. He was content to be an observer on the outside, simply researching to solve life's mysteries. He hadn't wanted...
Hadn't wanted this.
But...
Kelly must have..she had to know something, there was no denying it.
So then...
What did she know?
...And had she wanted it?
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Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2019 7:42 pm
Mirror. There was a mirror. Kelly could have cried. Again.
But, instead she lunged herself at her brother and held him close…oh. No. There were the tears. And the sobbing. Great loud ones that shook her body. She pressed her face against him to try and stifle the noise…not that she worried about her parents coming in to check on her.
They were far too used to such sounds coming from her room.
When she calmed again, she drew away and sniffled, rubbing at her face. “…Show me. Please. Show me so I can see…I…I’ll explain what I can…but I have…I have to see…”
…To make sure…
Oh but if her brother was a part of this stupid court too…
…then she really wouldn’t have to be alone anymore. She could tell him everything. She could pour out everything to him…and she wouldn’t have to hold anything back…
…And maybe she’d start to feel better, finally.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:00 am
Startled, Leander drew her close, equally concerned about their parents hearing this and barging in. But, if they'd heard one of their daughters crying, would it really have been something they'd have bothered themselves with?
Leander just quietly tried to sooth his sister, murmuring soft, reassuring words and stroking down her back.
"I--yeah, okay," he said, when she spoke again. He wasn't quite confident in what he was doing, and honestly still didn't know what was really going on. "Just a second, don't judge me--I didn't pick any of this out, and I don't know what I'm doing."
He pulled the pen out of his pocket, swallowed, and said the words he needed to--transformed, in her room, and looked at her almost helplessly. His brows were knit and he was obviously stressed out but there was a hope in his eyes--hope that she knew something, hope that this was the right thing, that this wasn't as bad as it felt.
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 9:45 am
Oh…oh crap.
He just transformed in her room.
…Well. It was a good thing she was moving out soon.
Her eyes took in his outfit and she relaxed further, glad that he was in fact a dark mirror senshi. Quietly she grabbed her own pen and transformed, before grabbing his hand and taking him through the full length mirror that was on the back of her bedroom door, stopping in mirrorspace.
“Okay…you’re amazing, and I’m very excited…but you can’t just power up at home like that! Someone could feel you and know where you live…where I live…not that I’ll be living there for much longer but…”
Kibirev swallowed and sat down quickly, trying to keep track of her scattered thoughts and calm her startled heart. “…You’re a senshi too…part of our court…Leander…this is the best, and strangest news I have ever gotten…I…” She swallowed. “…I’m so glad that now I’ll have someone to talk to…”
She bit her lip. “I’ll tell you everything…if you want to listen…this…this place must seem strange I…”
Kibirev paused, looking around, the memories of being her before beginning to press in on her. Finally she took his hand again, and walked out one of the mirrors in the park, unable to bear being in that place any longer.
She just wasn’t ready.
“…Just…ask what you want to know…I…I’m not very good at what I do…but I’ve been doing it for a little while…I am stronger than you are, at least…”
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 12:22 pm
He seemed confused about the mirrorwalking, dizzied almost, even by it. He groaned when he was back in Mirrorspace, but it was short-lived when she started talking.
He nodded as he listened, following suit and sitting down next to her.
Notes that he hadn't exactly gotten--or maybe just hadn't heard--when he'd first awakened.
"I want to listen," he insisted, "But I'm surprised and--honestly, confused. Kel," he seemed like he was struggling where to begin. "How did you...What is this? I've been researching this--for years--and I still...I thought I had barely scratched the surface, and now I'm in over my head. And you're--you're part of it?"
He held her hand and swung it while they walked, apparently a little more paranoid about being seen than she was.
"What...what is this?" he asked, tugging at the clothes. "What's...why? Why us? What are we supposed to do?"
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 3:20 pm
She drew in a breath and sat down again on the grass, seeming almost thoughtful. “I guess us because we’re magical. I don’t know. It happened to me when I was…I was walking home with…ah. With Bea. You know, when we were still friends.”
Kibirev continued to hold his hand, wanting the comfort he provided. “…A talking cat came and started talking to us. And this lady came up. Her name is Lesath…and I’m sure I’ll be able to have you meet her sooner or later but…she told us we were special and had us go to mirrorspace, the place we were just at…and we went through a mirror and. Poof. We were no longer Kelly and Bea…we were Kibirev and Lovejoy.”
She wouldn’t look at him. Couldn’t look at him. In fact, her gaze was fixated on her overlay, tugging at it absentmindedly.
“That’s where I disappeared too. Why mom and dad started hating me. It wasn’t a party or me getting kidnapped…I uh. Got trapped in Mirrorspace. There were a bunch of us. There was an earthquake or something and we ended up falling…and this wonderful and amazing queen saved us. Her name was Altea and…she was perfect in every way.”
Kibirev broke off then and shrugged. “But I think I was the only one who thought so. Everyone else…they were cruel. And eventually, they destroyed her. Anyway. We got out. We came home.”
She was quiet for a long moment. “…I confessed to Bea that I liked her. While we were trapped? And I kissed her. And when she visited me the last time…I asked if we were dating and she didn’t answer and I never saw her again so. That’s the real reason I’ve been miserable for the past year and…since you’re like this now…I can tell you…so…”
Her cheeks were pink with a mixture of shame and embarrassment. “Hate me if you want. But. I don’t really go out much. I don’t like most of the others…because of what they did to Altea…but I’m so happy I can talk to someone now…”
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Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2019 7:44 pm
Laurence--Arnica--followed suit and sat next to his sister on the grass. He watched her carefully, cautiously, with curiosity and eagerness. He didn't want to seem too excited for answers, not when he was still worried about his sister, and so out of touch with what was actually going on around here.
He watched her as she spoke, taking in the subtle nuances. He didn't know why he was reading her so closely; he would have treated anyone he was gathering information from in this way, but he watched her closer because she was his sister, because he was worried about her.
Because she'd been able to hide this for so long.
"Kel," he said after a few seconds; his head hurt and he didn't seem to know what part of that to focus on, what part to ask questions about.
In the end, he couldn't think of anything to focus on except for her.
"Why would I hate you? How could I hate you? I'm your big brother. I don't have it in me. I didn't hate you when you flushed my favorite toy down the toilet. Didn't hate you when you ate the last piece of my birthday cake. Didn't hate you when you threw up on me and ruined my favorite shirt. You think I'm going to hate you over--well, to be honest, I don't know what you think you've said that I could even hate you over."
He scooted closer and wrapped an arm around her, drawing her close.
"I love you. I'm only mad that you kept this all bottled up for so long, and even then, I'm not mad at you. I wish I'd known. I wish you could have told me sooner. I wish I could have been there for you. But. But things are different now. You don't have to do this alone. I'm going to be here--and I'm going to take care of you. And you can help me figure all this out, and--and I'm going to take it slow, one step at a time. I'm confused, but you know what? If you've done this, if you know what's going on, I trust you. And we'll figure it out as we go. But I'm going to find a place for you, for us. And I'm going to take care of you. So no more crying, no more worrying about that, all right?"
He squeezed her tighter and kissed atop her head. "We'll make our own home. It's going to be okay--better than okay. It's going to be good, Kel. I promise."
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