I don't own Hadrian, Sheshona, Matteo, Wes, or Wen; Disney does. I do own Kane, Isabel, and Carina.
I also don't own Superman, Doomsday, and Apocalypse; they're owned by DC and Marvel respectively.
24: Just words
Sheshona was in a park with her sketchbook; she carried it all the time now. She sketched almost everything, almost all the time. She was sitting underneath a tree in a grassy area and letting her hand go where it pleased as she drew a shining lake in front of her. She pouted a bit as her hand was hit as Carina flopped down next to her.
"Sorry about that," Carina apologized softly as she noted her mistake. She then made herself comfortable close to her friend.
"It's okay …" Sheshona muttered as she took her eraser to the meandering line across her park sketch. She still had an almost shy personality around Carina when they were alone and it was peaceful around them. She often wondered if something was wrong with her, for acting what she was certain was stupid around her best friend, really her only friend. She hoped that eventually the bashfulness would go away.
"It's nice out today. I'm glad you invited me to the park with you," Carina said with a smile. Her hand brushed up against the pale girl's arm as she continued to move.
Sheshona blushed a little and then focused as hard as she could on her drawing while willing the heat in her cheeks to die down. She tried her best to ignore how soft Carina's fingertips were, but it was impossible. She always thought about how gentle Carina's touch was.
"That's what friends do," Sheshona said absently, concentrating on her work more than anything else.
Carina smiled again; her deep brown eyes seemed to shine. "Such a good little artist."
"Shut up," Sheshona grumbled. It was a tease that Carina picked up from Kane.
"What? Only your daddy can say that, Shona?" A mischievous smile curled onto the oval-shaped face and those brown eyes twinkled with impish delight. For a moment, Sheshona's little heart beat rapidly in her chest.
"Shut up," Sheshona huffed and she playfully shoved her friend.
Carina chuckled a bit as she righted herself and set herself back up next to the pale girl. During their time as friends, Carina had learned there were plenty of things that only Kane was allowed to say to Sheshona. Carina used such things to tease her best friend often, finding it funny to hear and watch Sheshona grumble.
They were quiet for a while. Carina just wanted Sheshona draw and Sheshona finished up her piece. They were pulled away as dark clouds rolled in and the sky cried out with a thunderous roar. They knew that they needed to get home quickly.
Sheshona packed her sketchbook into a bag and flung it over her shoulder. The friends then took off as small droplets descended from the sky and tapped them on the shoulders. Those droplets rapidly turned into a downpour and the pale girl feared her sketchbook might be ruined if the weather remained as it was on their journey. And then, they were rescued.
"I knew you two would be out here," Kane remarked as he pulled his car up on the street.
Sheshona and Carina wasted no time leaping into the warm, dry car. They did not care what Kane was doing there or how he knew where to find them; they were just happy to be some place dry. Kane drove off as soon as they were secure in the vehicle.
"I have to go get your brother or your mother is going to gut me like a fish," Kane explained as he turned the car around.
"Ew," Carina muttered with a disgusted face and that got a small chuckle out of Sheshona before she reprimanded her friend.
"Leave my big brother alone," Sheshona said in a slightly reprimanding tone.
Carina only smiled, like an angel to make things worse. Sheshona actually felt her insides melt from that look. She found it damned hard to stay mad at her best friend when she was looking so much like a cherub, even if her best friend was insulting her beloved big brother.
Carina found Hadrian to be a pain, especially after knowing him for so many months. There was something about him that just rubbed her the wrong way, which she could not really talk much about because she knew that Sheshona really loved Hadrian. Why? She could not figure out the answer. Hadrian did not seem to hold as much love for his sister as his sister did for him, in her opinion anyway.
Sheshona busied herself by going into her book bag to check on her sketchbook. Carina looked over to see what she was doing. Sheshona flipped the book at every angle and flipped through the well-worn, black-covered book to make sure that it was still in proper order. As soon as she seemed satisfied with its condition, Carina requested a chance to look through it.
"You've seen everything in it, though," Sheshona pointed out.
"So? I want to see it again," Carina answered plainly. She would have thought that by now her friend understood that she thoroughly enjoyed seeing her artwork.
Sheshona did not argue. She handed the book over to Carina, who quietly looked through it. Sheshona consumed time by glancing at her friend, just taking in the sight of her and silently hoping that she did not get caught doing it for the millionth time. She hated the way that her heart raced whenever Carina busted her staring.
Sheshona could not figure out why she enjoyed staring at her friend so much. She considered that it might just be because of how elegant Carina seemed, even at their age. There was just something about Carina that was graceful from the way that she stood and walked to the soft manner that she spoke. Everything about Carina seemed deliberate, but light and almost carefree, which was contrast to what Sheshona was used to seeing. Sheshona did suspect that the light movement of her friend was what fascinated her.
Carina did not glance over at Sheshona as she slowly flipped through the pages of the sketchbook. She lingered on pictures that she enjoyed and smiled softly to herself. Sheshona was such a good artist, she thought.
The friends hardly noticed the car stop, but they did note when Hadrian climbed into the vehicle. He took the front seat next to Kane, but spent his time turned around to look in the back. Sheshona greeted him, but his attention was on Carina rather than Sheshona. Carina did not acknowledge him until he started speaking to her.
"Carina, you should look at my sketchbook, too, when we get to the house. Mine's is better," Hadrian declared with a cocky grin.
Carina openly scoffed. "No, it's not. Shona is a better artist than you'll ever be," she boasted.
Hadrian frowned and scoffed, too. He was without a comeback for a few long moments. Carina smirked wickedly, enjoying to have put him in his place. It would teach him to stop trying to put down her friend's accomplishment, the brown-haired girl thought. She also hoped it would get him to stop speaking to her.
"What do you know about it, anyway? You're just a little girl," Hadrian proclaimed to dismiss her altogether. He had the nerve to have a haughty look on his face, as if his words meant something.
"Hey," Kane reprimanded the boy in a surprisingly stern tone. "What's this talk? Who are you picking up those kinds of things from?" he inquired.
"His stupid friends," Carina guessed with a tight expression on her face.
"Stupid Jason," Sheshona mumbled bitterness seeping out of her voice like sap from a tree. She noticed that her brother was allowed contact with that Jason guy again and her brother called him every now and then. Usually after being on the phone with Jason, Hadrian was standoffish for a little while.
"So, little prince, where are you getting these things from?" Kane demanded to know. He would be damned if he was going to let his son, Isabel's son, insult women just because Carina said something that he disliked.
"I was just kidding," Hadrian grumbled, having the nerve to look sour that he was being scolded. He huffed and folded his arms across his chest.
"Don't play like that," Kane ordered.
"Yes, sir," Hadrian practically hissed.
The ride to the house was tense after that, mostly because of Hadrian. Carina went to the Go home as it continued on raining. She made sure to pack up Sheshona's sketchbook with all the care that the pale girl would do on her own before exiting the car. She and Sheshona retreated to the girl's bedroom as soon as they got into the house.
"How come Carina can come in? My friends never come in," Hadrian huffed while watching the girls ascend the stairs.
"You never invite your friends in, doy," Matteo remarked as he walked through the foyer.
"He's got you there," Kane said, trying his best not to laugh. Matteo seemed to be picking up on his parents' wiseassery.
Hadrian only frowned; everyone around me is a goddamn smartass, he thought. He was tempted to go call Jason, as he did during times of frustration or anger, but he decided against that. Instead, he decided that he was going to go bother the girls since Carina was such a pain in the ass to him most of the time.
Sheshona had her door shut, which was not uncommon when Carina was around. Her brothers liked to barge in and most of the time she really did not mind, but every now and then, she liked having Carina to herself; Carina occasionally liked having Sheshona to herself. The door being closed was more to keep Hadrian out than her little brothers, though. None of her brothers really respected the closed door; hell, the twins did not even know what it meant.
Hadrian burst into the room to find the girls doing something he found boring and, surely, his little sister would have found it the same if only she was not brain-washed by Carina, he thought anyway. Carina was braiding Sheshona's flowing ebony mane while Sheshona was trying to finish up her sketch. They both turned their attention to the door as soon as it opened.
"What're you two doing in here with the door shut?" Hadrian demanded, trying to sound like an adult.
"Minding our business, like you should do," Carina replied. She wondered if the simpleton even knew what he was implying when he posed that question; she doubted he did … not that she totally understood it herself. Of course, she was not the one that said it.
"You should go home. Nobody wants you around here, anyway," Hadrian declared, folding his arms across his chest and standing as if he could not be knocked down with a bulldozer.
"Shona wants me around," Carina seemed to boast. She held her head high with pride and smiled.
"No, she doesn't. She doesn't like you," Hadrian stated.
"Hey! I can talk for myself, you know!" Sheshona barked, a furious fire in her eyes. "Get out of my room, Hadrian, or I'm going to tell Daddy!"
Hadrian made a mocking face, as if he did not care if she called Kane, but he did walk away. Sheshona huffed; she could not figure out why sometimes her brother did not want her around when she wanted to hang out with him and then he wanted to crowd her when she wanted to be with her friend. She wished that he stopped trying to bother her and Carina all of the time, too. Carina got up and shut the door before returning to braiding Sheshona's hair.
"Your brother is so annoying," Carina complained as her fingers skillfully wrapped around her friend's silky mane.
"He's not that bad. He's really fun to be around," Sheshona argued, voice sounding just a bit weaker than usual when she stood up for her brother.
Carina rolled her eyes, having yet to see this "fun Hadrian." She only saw that annoying boy that always tried to get in between her and her best friend. He was either always trying to get Sheshona away from her or get her away from Sheshona, usually by trying to get one of them to pay attention him. She did not see what his problem was, but then again, she did not see why Sheshona defended him either.
They remained sitting together peacefully until the twins barged in. They surprisingly had a purpose for making their appearance, although their wide grins implied otherwise. But then again, it seemed that they only knew how to grin.
"Mommy wants to know if you want snacks," Wes reported while Wen nodded vigorously, backing up his double's words. The twins were then caught staring, wondering what the hell was wrong with their sister's hair.
"What does she got?" Sheshona asked curiously. She chose to ignore the fact that the twins were looking at her as if she had twelve heads. They were not quick in answering her question either; she doubted that they heard her speak.
"Hell if we know," Wen managed to respond. "The hell is wrong with your head?" he decided to ask. Tact was just as a word as far as the twins were concerned. It was not entirely their fault; they were not old enough to know better and no one in their family was big on using tact.
"Shut up," Sheshona weakly barked at her rude brother. "Carina, you want to go eat?"
Carina nodded and the group started for downstairs. The twins charged off, wanting to make a race out of things. Usually, Sheshona would have been right there with her brothers, but Carina did not seem interested, so Sheshona held off, walking with her friend. They went and they had a snack, which consisted of fruits and juice. The rain continued to pour, but the day went on as it typically did.
Carina and Sheshona spent the day in her room. The boys busied themselves with running in and out of the room for various reasons. The parents checked on the girls and got the boys to stop bothering them every now and then. When the rain did not show signs of letting up, Carina was given the chance to spend the night, so no one had to go back outside in the downpour. She called her parents and they allowed her the chance to spend the night; it was almost a routine with the girls anyway.
The girls tended to sleepover each other's houses at least three times a week. Carina's parents welcomed Sheshona into their home just like Sheshona's parents did with Carina. Carina's house felt like a second home to Sheshona and the same could be said with Carina as far as the Go house went.
Carina and Sheshona did the same things at night as they did during the day. They did join the rest of the family in the living room to watch a movie and when it was over, it was bedtime for everyone under the age of twenty, according to Kane. Carina shared Sheshona's bed, which was large enough to fit five adults, so fitting two girls was easily done.
"Shona …" Carina said in a breath, showing that she close to falling asleep. Her eyes were halfway open … or halfway closed depending on who was asked.
"Yeah?" Sheshona replied. She was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It prevented her from outright gawking at her best friend.
"Let's go bike riding tomorrow."
"Sure," the pale girl agreed.
Carina smiled and then drifted off to sleep. The smile on her face never left. She dreamed of bike riding with her best friend; hopefully, the weather permitted the dream to become reality.
Sheshona decided to turn and watch her friend sleeping. She had weird thoughts about Carina, weird in her opinion anyway. She thought about things that she heard her father whispering to her mother; she thought these things about Carina. How beautiful the other girl was, how she looked like an angel, and how much she loved being with Carina. It was all so weird, but she thought that might be the way that friends were. After all, Carina was her first and only friend.
Sheshona had considered that she might ask Carina about it, but she did not want to embarrass herself anymore than she generally did when it came to her best friend. She sighed and guessed that she was just going to have to leave things be or talk to someone else about it. She ended up deciding on the latter and talking to her father one day when they were sitting in the yard. They were quietly sketching together.
"Daddy," Sheshona said, eyes on her paper, but her mind was far from the drawing.
"Hmm?" he replied, eyes focused on his paper as well. He was trying to do a portrait of his favorite ladies, but it was not coming out as well as he would have liked. The picture that he was drawing from was too light and it was making it hard for him to draw Isabel and Sheshona.
"You think Mommy's pretty, right?"
"Of course I do. In fact, I think she's the most gorgeous woman on the planet," he replied honestly.
"Why do you think Mommy's pretty?"
Kane was confused by that question. His forehead wrinkled as his eyebrows knitted together. "What do you mean?"
She arched an eyebrow in curiosity. "Do other people think Mommy's pretty?"
"I'm sure they do."
"Why?" Sheshona inquired. She was not sure if she was asking the right questions because she really did not understand where she was going with things. She was not sure what she wanted to know either.
"Well, because they think she's attractive, I guess," he replied. He knew that he damn sure thought that she was attractive.
"Oh, okay. What's attractive?" Sheshona asked curiously. She had heard about it in movies and things, but she did not really get it. She never really cared about it either until just now.
"Well, you know you like someone, like how I like your mommy," Kane explained as best he could. He was starting to wonder where the hell her mommy was, so Isabel could answer some of these questions.
"So, if you think someone's pretty you like that person like how you like Mommy?" Sheshona nodded to her own logic.
Kane suspected that he should correct that, but he really did not know how to go about it. Instead, he asked his own question. "You think someone's pretty?"
"Me?" Sheshona yelped and then she let out a little eep noise. "Uh … no!" She flailed her arms as if that made the denial more believable.
Kane took a moment to glance at Sheshona, who was now very interested in coloring her own picture with her nearby pencils. She was also blushing. He just could not let that go.
"You like somebody," he teased in a sing-song tone. "You like somebody!" He poked her in the side with his pencil.
"Hey! I don't fucking like anybody!" she barked while moving away from her irksome father. Sometimes, she could understand why her mother hit him.
"Shona likes somebody! So, who's the lucky boy?" he asked automatically, grinning like an idiot.
"I don't like anybody!"
"Shona's in love!"
Sheshona leaped on her father now, just hoping to shut him up. Kane laughed loudly, which attracted the other males of the house. The boys thought that Sheshona was just trying to beat up Kane, so they joined in. Isabel heard all of the noise, went to see what was going on, and turned to go back in the house when she saw that it was just the kids beating up their father.
-8-8-8-8-
"So, dearest, how badly do you want to go back home?" Isabel asked out of the blue as she suddenly climbed into Kane's lap. He was minding his own business, sitting on the couch, and trying to take a nap while there were no kids in the house.
"Wha?" Kane asked in a daze while his hands automatically went around her waist. One hand rested firmly on her ass, feeling quite at home.
"How badly do you want to go back home?" she repeated.
"Why do you ask?" he countered while he started to caress the small of her back with his unoccupied hand.
"Because there is a deal in place that would allow us to go back home. It's rather ridiculous in my opinion, but I'm sure it would be something that you could enjoy if you put your warped mind to it," she vaguely explained while not bothering to discourage his hands.
"And what is this deal?"
"We will be under the protection of the government, if we do something for them in return."
"Like what?" he asked curiously as his face scrunched up in confusion. His hands even stopped roaming for a moment while trying to figure out what the hell his wife was going on about.
"That's up to you. Right now, my family is just trying to make it all right for us to come back into the country. They're not after me, though. They're after you and the kids. You have to figure out what you can do to get them to let us back into the country without having to worry about a million agencies trying to abduct you and the kids the moment we step off the plane."
Kane nodded. "Help me?" he implored her with a pathetic pout on his face.
"You're so pitiful," she teased, leaning down to give him a chaste peck on the lips.
He grinned. "You love me this way."
"Idiot."
His grin persisted; he truly had come to believe that was the best term of endearment because it was from her heart. It was more realistic than the other terms she used to, in his opinion anyway. He tried to think of something while the house was quiet, but it was not until the kids came in screaming about comic books did he get what he considered to be a brilliant idea.
"I know what to do," Kane said while dramatically punching his fist into his palm, earning very weird looks from his whole family and Carina.
"Daddy, stop being crazy," Matteo scolded the adult. He really would not have cared if only he did not have center stage with his argument that Superman was dead for good and Doomsday could definitely beat Apocalypse.
"You want me to stop being alive then?" Kane inquired with a happy grin.
"What?" the purple-haired boy countered. He did not get what his father was implying.
"You asked me to stop being crazy, so you must want me to just stop living. If I did that, I wouldn't fit in around here anymore either," the father stated.
The guys suddenly got into a discussion about who was crazy and who was not in the family. Carina breathed a sigh of relief for all of their short attention spans. She hated when they got into their comic talk because she did not know a thing about comics, except that Sheshona sometimes drew her own or drew characters from comic books. She also lost all of Sheshona's attention when the Go siblings started going on about comic books, which Carina was very much against.
"Come on, let's go upstairs," Sheshona said, taking Carina by the hand.
Carina looked at their hands before following her friend upstairs. Sheshona ignored the warm feeling that passed through their palms, having long ago dismissed it as a figment of her imagination. They disappeared upstairs into Sheshona's room, getting away unnoticed while the guys started a wrestling match just for the sake of fighting.
-8-8-8-8-
"Bella, I know what we can do in order to help, and keep the government off our backs, and I know the kids would love it!" Kane explained with excitement in his voice as he bounced around Isabel, who could barely see him because he was moving at such a high speed.
"Do you think you could tell me while standing still?" Isabel requested. They were in their bedroom and Kane was just circling her, making her almost dizzy.
"Sorry, Bella," he apologized while coming to a full stop and oddly bowing to her. He seemed so pleased with himself that she could not help chuckling and smiling in good spirits.
"Tell me what you wish to do."
"Be Superman!" Kane declared without a hint of humor in his voice. His eyes sparkled and his grin seemed to reach up to his hair.
Isabel nearly fell over. Her geeky husband had said many nerdy things in the time that she had known him, also many random things. Never had the two ever met in such an absurd way, though. Adding to that, the little idiot looked so proud of what he said, as if his words were completely brilliant! She scratched the side of her head while sighing as if she was exhausted.
"You want to be Superman? How are you planning that? You use your super-speed to learn how to have super-strength?" she teased. She had to admit that Kane's powers were useful, no matter how much he hated them. He read things faster and was able to actually hold much of the information, learning from books and through observation in ways that she could hardly imagine.
"Sorry, got ahead of myself. What I meant was that we could be superheroes. The kids would love it and we would be doing a valuable service to the community," he explained as best he could in his excited state.
"What makes you think I would endanger our children in such a manner?" Isabel inquired, almost indignantly, which he knew was feigned.
"Our kids in danger? As in threatened by individuals or circumstances? Unless we're faced off with the devil himself with his army behind him, I don't think there's much danger that could come from our kids. And even then, I think the devil might want to think long and hard on the attack."
"I don't like it," she said bluntly. There was something so close to neglectful in her opinion to have her children out fighting crime as if it was some game. She supposed that it was hypocritical, maybe even a little bizarre, of her to think that way. She would eagerly allow her children into a deadly martial arts' battle in order to prove their merit and worthiness of their blood, yet this idea of Kane's bothered her.
"Why not? They'll get a kick out of it and we'll be there to watch over them," he pointed out.
"We?" He wants to include me this insane act of pure geekiness?
"Well, I figured you'd want to, you know, hang around and see how cool we are!" Kane pointed out.
"Heaven help me, I'm married to a simpleton," she muttered in disbelief, as if she did not know that the moment she took her vows. Well, maybe she had forgotten back then considering how drunk she was.
"And this surprises you? I'll keep a good eye on the kids if this really bothers you. I think the little prince and Shona will be fine, though. They'll like this and this should be enough to get us back into the country, right?" he asked, his eyes wide and watery, begging for confirmation.
"It should," she admitted. She then found herself a bit curious of something. "Why are you so eager to return to the States, Kane? This is your country and home. You should be happy here."
Kane shook his head. "I am contented here, but my happiness is in that house that your sister is caring for. That's where we started a family and where we made ourselves one. This house, it used to be my home. It's nice to be here, but I want to be home. I want to be in that house that we made together."
Isabel nodded and pulled her husband into a surprising embrace. He felt a familiar warmth pass from her to him, turning his insides into melted goo. She placed a gentle kiss to his head.
"Those have to be the sweetest words you've said in general," she remarked.
"I have my moments."
Isabel nodded in agreement and then returned to slowly lavish him with affection. There was one obstacle to the plan of returning to the United States, though. They took a family vote, where four members agreed that they should go back to the States, two, the twins, were quite neutral since they could bug out in any country, and one vehement vote for staying in Italy.
"I'm not leaving Carina," Sheshona stated soundly, voice hard, eyes similar, and her stance indicated that she was ready to fight over the issue. The living room was about to become a battleground if they wished to take her from her best friend, who was not in their company that day due to a prior appointment.
"Shona, you wouldn't be leaving Carina," Kane said in a soft voice, trying to throw her off her game in her opinion. She was not about to be fooled by that.
"I know I wouldn't because I'm not going anywhere," she replied with a determined look that was so much like her mother that her father was quieted by it.
"Now, now, you're getting ahead of your own conviction, firefly. If you have been outvoted and we will all leave, what will you do?" Isabel inquired, hoping to cut her daughter off with logic.
"I'll ask Carina's parents if I can live with them," she replied smugly.
"And if they say no?" Isabel pressed.
"I'll ask family. We've got aunts, uncles, and cousins here," the girl pointed out.
"And if they say no?"
"I will find a way," Sheshona said with determination. There was no way in hell that she would allow them to take her from her best friend, her only friend.
"Why? Carina's annoying as hell, so stop making a big deal about moving. You should be happy to get away from her," Hadrian stated with a scoff.
"Shut up!" Sheshona roared, turning to glare her brother with a fire that made him shrink in her wake.
Hadrian gulped while their younger brothers all huddled together in fear mixed with excitement. They thought that they might see a fight. Even Kane was in a bit of shock; dear lord, his Shona was damn near a carbon copy of his Bella in the right circumstances.
"Calm down," Hadrian somewhat pled, but tried to make it sound like an order.
"Fuck you! I'm not leaving!" Sheshona hollered and then she stormed out of the house. Her parents watched her go, even though they were both capable to stopping her.
"Why did that actually go better than I thought?" Kane wondered aloud.
"There was no plasma involved," Isabel answered. Her husband nodded in agreement.
-8-8-8-8-
Sheshona eventually ran to Carina's home, which was expected; she had wandered for a while before ending up on her friend's doorstep. By that time, Carina was home and Sheshona engulfed her in a tight hug as soon as she saw the other girl. Carina was shocked by the behavior, not used to embraces from her gruff, boyish friend.
"Shona, what's wrong?" Carina asked softly, holding her friend with care.
"They want to move back to America!" Sheshona shouted in distress. Despite her sorrow, she was not crying. It would never occur to her to cry; her first instinct was to be outraged.
"Why?" Carina inquired, shock and confusing almost choking her voice. Her grip instantly tightened around the taller girl. She was about to be without her best friend. Why would Sheshona's parents do this to us?
"I don't know. They want to go back to our old house and we've got a lot of family in America. But, that's stupid. We've got a lot of family here, too, and a lot of other places all over the world!" the pale girl huffed.
"You don't want to see your family in America?" Carina asked curiously. She was aware that Sheshona had some rather loving family in the States. She was used to watching Sheshona light up when on the phone with her grandmother and aunt.
Sheshona was silent for a long moment, implying the answer to that question rather bluntly. Sheshona's hug than became more distressing, more desperate. Carina hugged back and patted her friend gently on the shoulder.
"You're my only friend, Carina. When everyone else looks at me like I'm crazy or weird and even when my own big brother doesn't want me around, you're always here for me. I don't want to leave you," Sheshona stated soundly in a brokenhearted whisper.
"I don't want you to leave either," Carina replied.
"Then run away with me," Sheshona suggested quite seriously. She pulled away to allow her friend to see the fire in her eyes.
"Run away? Silly girl, where would we go?" Carina asked, pouting sorrowfully despite her words. It would be so tempting, if only it was not impossible.
"I would take you all over the world. I've been through much of it already. We could see so many things and we'll always be together." Sheshona seemed so insistent, as if she alone could take complete care of her friend if they were off on their own, as if they were not so young.
Carina smiled; her own heart breaking and shattering because of her dearest friend's sweet and desperate words. She reached out her hand and tenderly touched Sheshona's cheek. Emerald eyes closed and a sigh escaped soft lips.
"I must be the bad one here, Shona. We would not survive on our own, alone in this world. Yes, you have seen much of it, but with safe arms wrapped around you. We're two little girls with illusions of being grown," Carina remarked with an elegance that Sheshona was certain she was born with.
"Then what is it I should do?" Sheshona begged and her voice sounded like she was ready to sob.
"Stay with me tonight and go back home tomorrow. If your family wants to leave, then you must go with them, just as I would have to leave if my parents decided to move. No amount of distance takes away from the fact that you are my best friend," Carina stated with fervor that no twelve-year-old girl should possess.
Sheshona nodded, even though she was not in favor of that plan. She just did not have the strength in her to protest. Besides, Carina's voice was so soothing and reassuring that it seemed to hypnotize Sheshona sometimes, especially now.
-*-(Next day)-*-
Sheshona returned her home on her own, believing that she needed to face her family alone. She steeled herself as she walked into the dining room while breakfast was going on. All eyes turned to her as soon as she entered the room.
"Good morning, firefly," Isabel remarked with a bland look on her face, as if everything was normal. "There's breakfast if you like."
Sheshona moved wordlessly and noiselessly across the room to collect her food. She then sat at the table with the rest of her family, silently eating. She knew it was up to her to make the first move and it took her a while to defuse her anger before she could trust her mouth to work.
"I don't agree with this move. I don't want to leave here," Sheshona said after several long minutes.
"We gathered that much," Hadrian remarked.
"I want to leave!" Matteo declared loudly, as if suddenly it was his show. He was quieted by a biting glare from his sister. He shrank in his seat. "I was just saying is all …" he mumbled under his breath.
"Everything isn't about what you were saying," Sheshona hissed. Usually, she was fine with Matteo wanting everyone to look at him and she would give him the spotlight if he was saying something important, but right now, it was her time.
"Fine," Matteo grumbled with a deep frown. He was not too thrilled with his beloved sister being cross with him.
"I know that we're leaving and no matter how pissed I am, that's not going to change anything. I just want to remind you that you're taking me away from not only my best friend, but my only friend," Sheshona said to everyone.
"Shona, we're not doing this to mean or spiteful toward you. We know Carina's important to you," Kane replied in a gentle tone.
"We respect and acknowledge that fact, but we belong back home," Isabel added on.
"Why? Why the hell do we belong in America? Why don't we belong here?" Sheshona demanded. She wanted reasons for being ripped away from her best friend. She was forcing herself not to cry, feeling like she would not give her family the satisfaction of seeing the pain that they were causing her. The way that her organs felt like they were dissolved in bitter acid while her bones were being torn from her muscles bit by bit.
"That's where our lives are," Isabel replied.
"My life is right here with Carina!" Sheshona declared in a heated tone. "This is where I belong!"
"So, you never want to see Grandma or Auntie again? You never want to see your other cousins again? You never want to pick up everything that you left back in America? You want to run for the rest of your life? You want to run away?" Isabel challenged her daughter with a firm tone and glare to match. She dared that little girl to confirm that accusation.
Sheshona met her mother's gaze and felt as if whatever was in her dropped out of her chest. Ever since the children were born, they were told to never submit, never give ground to those that were against them. They were to always control their destinies. They had been running, giving ground, and now she was suggesting that she would prefer to continue doing that. She might as well renounce her name if she continued that path, she told herself.
"I run from nothing," Sheshona stated soundly. "I am a Han. I am a Go. I am me," she replied.
"Then you will handle this business and, later on, walk another path of your choosing," her mother said.
Sheshona nodded and just like that, she was agreeing to return to the United States. Her heart did sink and she wept internally, but showed her strongest face until the day that she would face Carina for the last time. The girls were allotted private time at the airport for their final farewell; Sheshona was the only one with a friend to see her off. Hadrian and Matteo knew plenty of people, but did not seem particular close to them while Sheshona only had Carina and watching them part was enough to break anyone's heart.
"I'll call everyday," Sheshona promised as she and her best friend held each other in a tight embrace.
"I'll write often," Carina vowed.
"We'll always be best friends."
"Always."
The embrace was so tight now that it appeared as if the girls were trying to merge. Carina wept on Sheshona's shoulder, knowing that her pale friend would be too macho to do the same. Sheshona gently rubbed her friend's shoulder and caressed her head. Carina bawled loudly from the tender touch.
"How can I continue my day without you?" Carina begged, voice cracking in despair.
"I'll be strong for both of us. I'll visit whenever I get the chance and you know you're always welcomed at our house. Just don't forget me," Sheshona pled. She knew that someone like Carina, someone so charming and charismatic, could have easily made dozens of friends, yet remained with her exclusively for whatever reason.
"How could I forget you? You're the most amazing person I've ever met. You don't forget me," Carina ordered in a firm tone.
Sheshona laughed a little, forcing the sound. The pair pulled away and Sheshona found herself gripped by a strange, strong urge as she looked into Carina's shattered, brown-red eyes; the eyes were a reflection of all of Carina's emotions. Sheshona's brain implored her to act oddly: to kiss her friend. She did not even kiss her own parents, why should she kiss her friend? Instead, she settled for one last hug, holding her distressed friend close, feeling the overwrought heart beating against her own chest, which was being assault by her own ruined organ.
"We'll always be best friends," Sheshona vowed once again.
"Always."
-8-8-8-8-
Next time: back in the States, the family fights crime, gets back to their lives, and Sheshona laments being away from Carina while taking up an odd hobby.