Far From Here
Laili had been barely 14 when she came. When she gave birth barely two weeks later, villagers in Dawnfaith doubted she could handle the child alone. But 15 years later, 10 years after the child's "death", the truth is revealed…
A/N: So? Whaddaya think? Wait, you have to read the fic first, don't you? Okay, then, read it and then review it.
DISCLAIMER: I own only Sebastien, Julien, Laili, Dak and all of Dawnfaith. Yup. It's true.
LYRICS: Reach, Gloria Estefan
Chapter 1: 1988
Some dreams live on in time forever.
Those dreams, you want with all your heart.
And I'll do whatever it takes,
Follow through with the promise I made,
Put it all on the line,
What I hope for at last would be mine.
14-year-old Laili leaned her head against the cool windowpane of the train. It was sweltering hot, and her baby was kicking in protest of the heat. She laid a gentle hand on her stomach and the baby settled down slightly for a second but then started to punch instead.
'You're going to be a fighter, I can say that safely,' Laili thought semi-fondly. 'And here I was thinking you wouldn't even live this long, not with… our current circumstances.' She sighed again. 'But I guess I have Julien to thank that we have somewhere to call home. And just in time too.'
As the train pulled into the station at Sunsrest, Laili disembarked to find a middle-aged woman with a son probably a year older than Laili, at the most.
"You Laili Hiwatari?" the woman asked kindly, eyes taking in the disheveled figure before her. Laili nodded. "All right. I'm Susanna Camden, this is my son David."
"Most people call me Dak." David interrupted, a small smile playing at the edge of his features. "Dunno why, but they do."
As Susanna loaded Laili's two small duffels into the trunk of her car, she mulled over it.
This Laili girl had been a looker before she had gotten pregnant, she could tell this right off. Glistening black hair with a hint of navy blue, pale skin, crimson eyes… she had probably turned a fair few heads in her day. That would be how she wound up in this state, anyhow.
If I could reach higher,
Just for one moment, touch the sky,
From that one moment in my life,
I'm gonna be stronger,
Know that I've tried my very best,
I'd put my spirit to the test,
If I could reach…
It took a few hours to get to Dawnfaith from Sunsrest. When they finally arrived, the rest of the Camdens, Susanna's husband Wilhelm and her 14-year-old daughter Daniela, were waiting at the tiny cabin that had been procured for Laili and her soon-arriving little one.
Laili managed a small smile at Daniela, who was gaping openly at her. "Hello." She said, speaking for the first time since she had gotten off the train. Her voice was a soft, cultured tone, betraying her high-class upbringing.
Over the next two weeks, Laili quickly charmed her way into the closely-knit community, with the help of Dak Camden, who was rumoured to be quite smitten with the girl.
Some days are meant to be remembered.
Those days we rise above the stars.
So, I'll go the distance this time,
Seeing more the higher I climb
That the more I believe,
All the more that this dream will be mine.
It was a cold December morning when Susanna was called out of her warm bed to the news that Laili had gone into labour.
When she arrived at the cabin, Laili was already in distress. She was really too young to understand that this happened to every woman in labour. She was convinced she was dying. A sheltered girl, no doubt.
"Laili, I want you to calm down," Susanna soothed as her assistant Alaena handed over the necessary tools. (A/N: Well, I dunno! I'm only 15! What do I look like, an obstetrician?!) "All right? Deep breaths, then I want you to push for ten seconds."
Obligingly, Laili took a few deep breaths and then pushed.
It took a few hours, but finally, it was done and Susanna told the tearful Laili, "It's a little boy, Laili. You did good."
"This was not how I envisioned my Christmas Day," Wilhelm complained later that evening.
"Babies don't care what holiday it is," Susanna said firmly. "They come when they want."
Susanna had taken Laili and her baby boy with her back to the Camden household for a few weeks, until she was sure that Laili could cope on her own.
Curiosity finally killed the cat later, as the three teens were sitting in front of the fireplace, the baby sleeping in a bassinet nearby. Daniela blurted out "So what's his name?"
Laili looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure, to tell you the truth. Do you have any ideas?" The two girls had become sort of acquaintance-type friends. They weren't tight, but they still considered each other confidants.
"I dunno." Daniela shrugged. "Maybe Ky—nah. Kyle Reimer's a drunk. Not a good name."
"No," Laili interrupted. "Maybe not Kyle but Kai has a sort of nice ring to it."
"She's got a point there," Dak input. "But what about a middle name?"
"Well," Laili hesitated. "In my family, it's customary to give a child the middle name of his father, both grandfathers and another family member, but I'm not too taken with that idea."
"So skip the pops and take somebody who doesn't upset you." Daniela suggested. "Like, I dunno, brother?"
"I don't have a brother," Laili admitted. "I do have a cousin though. He was the one who got me out here."
"Julien?" Dak asked.
"Yes, do you know him?"
"Yeah, he was my cabinmate every year I went to camp. Called me about a month back, asking me if there was any way to house a cousin of his. Obviously, I agreed." Dak flashed his signature grin.
"That still leaves one more name, though." Laili spoke up.
"David." Daniela blurted out. When both Dak and Laili looked at her, she mumbled, "Well, I dunno, thought it sounded cool."
"Try it out," Dak offered to Laili, who looked thoughtful.
"Kai Julien David Hiwatari."
"Mouthful," Dak commented.
"Maybe switching them around," Daniela suggested.
"Kai David Julien Hiwatari."
"Still a mouthful."
"I dunno, though, wasn't Julien a pyromaniac?" Daniela asked. Both Dak and Laili nodded. "So maybe cut out Julien."
"Kai David Hiwatari." Laili repeated.
"I like it,"
"That's 'cause you're in it."
"Maybe."
"Definitely. Hey, Laili, just out of curiosity, what would it have been if you'd followed your family's custom?"
Laili smiled wryly. "Kai Sebastien Maximilian Voltaire Julien Hiwatari."
"Ouch."
"Definitely ouch."
"I still say I like Kai David." Dak said decisively.
"Me too," Daniela agreed.
"I agree." Laili sighed.
"But why not two middle names any way, the second just a little name?" Daniela suggested.
"Like what?" Dak asked, exasperated.
"Like… Noel."
"For his birthday," Laili noted. "Very clever. Kai David Noel Hiwatari."
"I like it," Dak offered.
"So that's it." Laili said before Daniela could change her mind and reached for the white cover notebook that passed as her baby book. Picking up the light blue marker lying nearby, she wrote, in her careful script,
KAI DAVID NOEL HIWATARI
DECEMBER 25, 1988
If I could reach higher,
Just for one moment, touch the sky,
From that one moment in my life,
I'm gonna be stronger,
Know that I've tried my very best,
I'd put my spirit to the test,
If I could reach…