Knees drawn up to her chest, arms hugging a brown box, and window open completely wide, Karen ignored the cold air penetrating her entire room. She wanted it to be a lie. She wanted to see her guardian angel appear before her, sitting on her window sill, and come into her room to comfort her about her older brother's death. That's all she wanted.
Mysterion.
Her guardian angel.
Want Kyle, Cartman, Stan, and all of Kenny's other shitty friends to be pulling some elaborate and cruel prank.
For Mysterion and Kenny to not be the same person.
But in all honesty, she knew she was just denying the truth. In fact, she was surprised that she had not put the pieces together sooner. After all, how else would Kenny know secrets that she only told Mysterion? She was always closer to Kenny than Kevin, but this somehow brought her to long having Kenny there even more. To think, she had someone as kind and understanding in her family as Mysterion. Someone who could have been there to always lift her spirits when she was down.
She couldn't get over it. Seeing Kenny's corpse in the hospital after only two days. He had been so terribly ill. So hot. His fever hadn't gone down at all. He was too warm to keep his parka on. His blonde hair had stuck to his sweat beaded forehead, and whatever words he ended up speaking were no longer muffled. They were clear as day. And the day he had passed, his hand falling limp in her own, it had been like watching a horror movie unfold in slow motion.
God, how horrible she had felt. She had never felt as heart broken in her life. Never. The first night with him no longer in their home, she just watched her window, awaiting Mysterion's arrival.
But he never came.
She had been confused and even more heartbroken with this, but the longer he stayed away, the more depressed she became. And it hadn't been until the day of his funeral, that she had been told that Mysterion wasn't ever coming back.
But she didn't believe Kyle. She cried heavier, calling him a liar. And even when Eric and Stan tried to back him up and tell her that he wasn't lying, she didn't believe a word that any of them said.
If Kenny wasn't going to be here for anymore, she at least needed Mysterion.
He was all she had left, after all.
But the more nights she had stayed up, the more she began to believe Kyle. And the more she realized that, the more she realized how alone she really was. Sure, Kevin was still alive, but even if he was a good big brother, he had already moved out and didn't visit often. Which, if she were Kevin, she wouldn't visit either. Especially with how bad their parents continued to fight after Kenny's tragic death.
Sighing, Karen dug out a cell phone that Kyle's mother had supplied her with. It was a nice phone, perhaps the nicest thing she had ever received as far as condition went. As far as value to herself, it was pretty low on the list. Of course, at number one, the doll Kenny had gotten her when she was still small. And right up there at number two, the Mysterion costume that sat in the box within her arms. She placed Kyle's number into the dial, her parents' screaming beginning to get on her nerves.
She nearly thought twice, but nonetheless hit the green button and placed the phone up to her ear, waiting for her brother's Jewish friend to pick up. She doubted that he would answer, however, for the clock in the corner of her phone read 1:03am. She listened to the phone ring.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice.
"Karen?"
The voice startled her, and out of instinct, she immediately replied, "What are you doing up?"
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?" Kyle asked, confusion, and a bit of a smirk obvious through his tone.
"Not really," She stated. "I don't need anyone to worry about me."
"Karen..." Kyle said sadly, "lots of people care and worry about you. Stan and I included. Hell, even Cartman."
"Don't use that word," Karen reprimanded while stiffening. Curse words always brought up bad memories. "Those are the words Mommy and Daddy use."
"Right, my bad." Kyle apologized, regret in his voice.
Karen took a deep breath before looking out her window, envisioning her guardian angel bursting through and cheering her up. "What are you doing awake anyways?"
She could hear Kyle sigh over the line. "Haven't been able to sleep well ever since Kenny's death, honestly," He admitted. "Right now, we would all normally be out fighting crime, and he would sneak away at random intervals to come and help you or check on you. We would be fighting over whose franchise was cooler, Coon and Friends or Freedom Pals. We would be helping those who needed it. I miss that."
"I miss it, too," Karen responded, even though she couldn't relate to the playing superheros level. But she had lost two things the day Kenny had died. Her big brother, and her guardian angel. "I miss when he would let me hold his arm when I was scared, or let me sleep in his bed when Mom and Dad were arguing. I miss him warding off all of the bullies at school. I miss him in general."
There was a brief pause on the other side of the line, and she awaited the elder's response. "You know, Karen," He began, "if you ever need us to, I know that Stan, Eric and I are all more than willing to go kick the bullies' ass-I mean, butts for you. We're all here for you."
Karen felt a very faint smile touch her lips. "Thanks, Kyle," But her smile soon faded. "I miss when Mysterion would help me through things like that."
"Well, Karen, don't forget, Mysterion was Kenny and Kenny was Mysterion. So everything that Mysterion told you and did for you was Kenny telling you that as well."
She looked away from the window and back to the box, looking at the lavender colored jumpsuit with the green 'M' on the abdomen along with his dark purple hoodie that had the springy question mark on it. Not only that but as well as his green gloves and underwear.
God, how she missed seeing that outfit on her brother.
I've been exploring more shows and animes, and this somehow withered its way to my fan girl of a heart. This started off as a one shot, but turned into a story too long for just a single chapter. More chapters are to come.