A/N: It's kind of hard to edit with six toddlers raising hell behind you. And nine ducks. But we'll try.
Genetics Be Damned
She can't believe that she's travelled almost three thousand kilometres and she's about to be felled at the last few metres. It's frustrating beyond belief that Mackenzie wants to scream in rage, but all she can do is watch as the blonde haired woman, Kate, slips into the pub and out of view. Mackenzie groans, turning imploringly at the hulking man blocking her way. "I'm telling you, I don't want to drink. I just need to find someone who is in there. She just went in there and all I need to do is talk to her! You can hold my bag as collateral or whatever! I only need a minute!"
"And I told you, girly, I can't let you in. You're gonna have to call your Mum to come and get you." Mackenzie despises people who call her girly. The impulse to make a hell of a lot of noise grows. But of course she knows that getting into a fight would do her no good here. She's always been scrawny, and would have no chance against a ten year old, let alone a fully grown man.
She doesn't dignify his words with a response, and in any case she's not entirely sure what she would say, because the word Mum is repeating itself over and over in her head. Instead she settles on rolling her eyes and traipsing back down the road. Who employs a bouncer at a pub on a Tuesday afternoon?
"Great." She mutters darkly to herself, huffing as she scrapes her hair into a messy bun atop her head. "Brilliant, Zee."
She takes a seat across the road, leaning her back against a tree and closing her eyes for a moment, letting the cool breeze play on her face. Of course, she'd known this would be difficult. She'd known it wouldn't have been as simple as hitching to Cairns with a duffel bag and duct-taped sneakers. Had known that fate never favours her. But she'd been so hopeful. Or as hopeful as the circumstances could allow.
"I can do this." She whispers to herself. "I can do this."
She spends most of the evening pacing, too young to rent a hotel room and far too jumpy to sleep. She's not used to the city, to the sounds of cars and music and drunken laughter. Not used to the sound of the waves or the airplanes flying close overhead every few minutes.
"I can do this." She repeats.
Kate? Katie, are you there? I need you.
Zee squeezes her eyes shut, but it does nothing to stop the voice echoing in her head.
Katie, I'm sorry. Come back!
"Stop it!" She says out loud, actually clapping her hands over her ears, but as she blinks all she can see is broken glass and blood and someonecallanambulanceand-
When the panic attack ends, she's sitting on the cold ground alone, gasping desperately for breath. "It's over," she whispers to herself. "It's over."
They're nothing new, really, but this is the first of her attacks in public, and despite the cool air, her face burns with the shame of it all. She hates it, hates everything from her rapidly beating heart to the tears stinging her eyes. And then, just as she's impatiently wiping the wet from her eyes, she sees a familiar face. Not Kate, but one of the men she was standing with, and without hesitating, she runs up to him, because crying isn't going to help, but this just might.
"Excuse me?" She calls out, and he looks up. He's had a few drinks, she can tell, but he seems kind enough as he turns his gaze to her. She wonders vaguely whether he's friends with Kate, or whether they just work together. "I'm looking for Kate McGregor. It's really important I find her. Do you have a point of contact or something? You were with her before, right? At the boat?"
"I…" He seems genuinely bewildered.
"Look," Zee presses, "I know it's a weird thing to ask, what with me being some random outside a pub but… even if you could get her or… or take me to her? Please?"
"Uh, okay. Come with me. I'll… I'll bring you to her. She's just inside. I'm Dylan by the way. Dutchy."
"Zee." She greets back. "Uh, Mackenzie. Zee for short." The man leads her past the bouncer who nods stiffly and irritably, and Zee feels like flipping him off along the way out of spite, but resists. The pub is surprisingly busy for a midweek afternoon, and she's so intent on peering around at her surroundings that it takes her a few moments to recognise the woman they were walking towards until-
We've got the same eyes. The thought flickers in Zee's mind before she can stuff it aside, and she sets off mentally cataloguing any other similarities. Same stare. Same hair colour, even though mine's shorter. Guess we both got the short genes too.
"Kate!" The guy – Dylan – calls out, and she jerks her head away from her glass of wine in favour of glancing first at him, and then at Zee. Mackenzie wonders vaguely whether she is cataloguing those very same features in her mind, or whether she is just trying to figure out who she is. "Uh, this young lady was after you." And before Zee can do much more but take in the eyes narrowing in confusion all around her, Dylan disappeared from view. A complete stranger he might be, but his presence was somewhat comforting.
"Yes?" Kate stands up, taking a few steps towards her. And nervous as she is, Zee's eyes catch sight of a pair of spiky black boots and she instantly longs to try them on. "Do I know you?"
Do I know you?
The honest answer was no, but surely, somewhere there had to be something? Some sort of blood connection? And in another life, perhaps...
"No." Mackenzie begins. Now that she's here and now, the words are so much harder to get out. "I… uh…" She's very conscious of the curious looks they are getting. "I… um, is there somewhere we can talk?"
"I… uh…" She hesitates for a moment, glancing back at her friends behind her. "I really should…" There's something in her eyes. Fear, maybe?
"It's important." Zee presses. "Please!"
Kate nods stiffly, scoops up her wine and moves it to a smaller table nestled in the corner. When they're both seated she peers at Zee. "Uh, sorry, do you want some water or something?"
"No… thanks. I…" She fidgets for a moment with her fingers before shaking her head. "Look, this is all a bit crazy so I'm just going to say it."
"Say what?" She looks genuinely puzzled, and Zee can tell that she is not lying. She has no idea who Zee is either, and with the next three words, her life will be turned upside down too, just as Zee's had been days before.
"I'm your sister."
"What?" Kate's mouth doesn't fall open. She doesn't drop the wine glass she is holding, or faint, or spit out water or any other number of cliched reactions. She just stares at her, with that same stare Zee has observed her whole life in the mirror.
"I… I'm your sister. My name is Mackenzie McGregor. I… you're my sister."