Declining Grace

Chapter Two

Maia's Way

            Delainia hurried inside her house.  She was running late.  She had expected to be home before Kaleen arrived, but Shawn had set her back.  Shawn.  He was so infuriating and she'd only had two delightful conversations with him.  She understood that it was hard to acclimate into society again.  But she was so sick of seeing these maladjusted 4400 returnees taking everything out on regular people.  They had had a hard time of it, she knew, possibly better than most.  Still, that didn't give Shawn a right to be cruel to her.  She wondered if part of her anger was that Shawn had caught her staring at him.  She had been slightly mortified when he had approached her due to his noticing.  She slammed the door behind her and her little sister came running in.  Her black hair flew behind her, but she had blue eyes, like their mother's. 

"Laini!"  She flung herself into Delainia's arms and she picked Kaleen up with a tight hug.

"I'm sorry I didn't make it home before you did, Sweets.  I tried, too, but I was stopped."

"By a boy?"
Delainia offered a bright smile before putting her back down to the floor.

"What makes you ask that?"
"Well, you're so pretty, Laini, that I thought a boy might stop you."

She ruffled Kaleen's hair and then knelt down to Kaleen's level.  She wouldn't answer Kaleen's question; that would only fuel her sister's rampant imagination.

"How was school, Kaleen?"

"Okay.  I don't like being new very much.  People stare."

Her accent was more obvious than Delainia's.  Delainia was a good actress, able to hide her British tone, but Kaleen sounded like she'd been raised in lower London.  They had been, close to it, until they had moved to New York.  After their father's return, they had had to leave to avoid the stares.
"Yes, they do.  But you know what?   You should just stare back and smile at them."
"I did.  I made one friend."
"That's wonderful."
"Her name is Maia.  She's only been going to school for three days."

"Well, there now.  You and she can get used to third grade together."

Kaleen smiled and nodded at her, her bangs falling into her eyes.  Delainia pushed the bangs out of her eyes.
"We need to get you a haircut."
Kaleen ignored Delainia's comment in a way that only sisters could. 

"Maia doesn't have a mum, either.  Or a daddy.  She lives with a woman named Diana."

"Diana?"

"Mhm.  Her mum and daddy died, but she says that she'll be able to live with Diana for a long time, even if she doesn't know it."

Delainia thought the comment was a bit odd, but didn't say anything about Diana and Maia's living situation. 

"That's sad, Sweetheart.  Speaking of daddies, how is ours?"

A pained expression hit Kaleen and Delainia immediately regretted bringing their father up.  Patrick Grace was hardly a good topic between the sisters.  Kaleen had grown up her eight years without her father.  Kaleen had never known him.  Patrick had disappeared before her mother had even gotten to tell him about Kaleen.  Coral Grace had been a strong woman and had raised both her daughters as best she could while her husband remained missing.  When Kaleen was 7, Delainia had only been 16, and Coral had been diagnosed with Leukemia.  Three weeks later, Coral had died, leaving her daughters apparent orphans.  Delainia had immediately filed for emancipation and received it, then adopted her own sister to keep them together.  It was a great responsibility for a sixteen-year-old, but she had accepted it.  Then a year later, the 4400 had returned her father was back.  Unfortunately, only in body. 

"He doesn't even talk to me.  He was here when I got home, but he just stared at the TV.  Why doesn't he like me?"

"He just misses Mummy a lot."
"I miss her, too, but I still talk."

Delainia walked into the living room with Kaleen tagging close behind.  Patrick looked up to see Delainia.

"Delainia, how was school?"

"It was lovely, Daddy.  I like Seattle.  It's nice here."
"Your mother likes it, too, I think.  Do you know where she went?  I haven't seen her since this morning."

Delainia bit her lip and leaned forward to hug him. 

"No, Daddy, I haven't seen her."

Kaleen watched her sister and father with confused eyes.  He was always like this.   Patrick seemed to notice her, then, so Kaleen smiled brightly.  Laini had always told her to smile if he did look at her.

"Did you bring a friend home from school, Delainia?"

"No, Daddy, that's Kaleen.  She's my sister, remember?  Your daughter.  I introduced you two when you came back."

Patrick focused back on the TV and Delainia knew she had lost his attention.  That was the other thing.  As far as Patrick was concerned, Delainia was still the seven-year-old girl and her mother was still with them.  Patrick hadn't aged, so in his mind, none of the others had either.  Delainia turned to Kaleen with a sympathetic smile.  

"Do you have a lot of homework, Sweet?"

"Some make up stuff to catch me up.  Maia's behind, too, so she told me to come over."

"She didn't ask her guardian, so I don't know."
"Maia said that Diana won't care when she does ask.  She wants Maia to have friends more than anything."

"How does Maia know that?"

"She knows everything, Laini."
"I'm glad she's smart, Kaleen." 

Kaleen rolled her eyes before tugging on her arm.  "Pretty please!"

"I'll drive you over tonight."

Kaleen brightened and Delainia knew that it would have been impossible to say no.  Kaleen had been through so much for being so young.  There was no resisting her.

            Maia was perched on the bar stool in the kitchen, her feet dangling.  Diana tossed her keys on the entry table before hurrying into the kitchen.  She still held out hope that one of the kids would make friends with Maia.  The kids seemed to avoid her, as if they could tell she was special just by looking at her.  Who knew eight-year-olds were so judgmental?

"How was school, Maia?"

"I made a friend, Diana, so you don't have to worry anymore."

"I wasn't-"  Diana cut off, knowing it was useful to protest.  Maia seemed more peaceful at that moment, so Diana decided to cut her losses and just listen to her.

"What's her name?"

"Kaleen Grace.  She just moved her from London."
"Wow."

"Actually, New York, but before that, it was London."
"That's exciting."
"She lives with her sister."
"And her mother?"

"Died last year.  She didn't say anything about her dad, though."
"But you know, don't you?"

Maia shrugged as if to dismiss the topic and Diana didn't push.  Maia may know, but she never told anything she thought she shouldn't.  Diana respected the boundaries that Maia seemed to have set, as long as it didn't hurt anyone.

"I asked her to come here tonight, Diana.  Is that okay?"

Diana paused.  She was hardly used to having one little girl in the house, much less two of them.  But how could she say no to Maia?  Maia was finally making friends.

"It is."

As if on cue, the doorbell rang.  Diana raised her eyebrow at Maia before going to answer the door.  Maia offered a sparkling, charming smile as if proving her innocence.  Diana opened the door and found two girls, obviously sisters, standing on her doorstep.  Diana was surprised to see that the sister was so young.  She had expected someone in her twenties, not a teenager.  Diana didn't have much time to think about it because Maia peeked her head around and saw Kaleen.  The two seemed delighted to see each other, as if they both were desperate for the companionship.  The two adults seemed to realize how lonely the girls' lives had been at the same instant.  Maia looked up at Delainia and tilted her head.

"You have to forgive him.  He's so lost and sad.  You're going to help him through it."

Delainia seemed to be taken off guard as Diana observed her.

"Who do I have to forgive?"

Maia smiled at her.  "Shawn Farrell.  He's nice.  I knew him a long time ago."

Delainia's eyes widened.  "You're a-"

Maia took Kaleen's arm and tugged her in the direction of her new bedroom.  Delainia watched her go before turning to Diana.
"She's a 4400?"
Diana seemed shocked at Delainia's deduction.  How could she have come to that conclusion so quickly?  And how did this girl know Tom's nephew?

"Let me introduce myself first.  I'm Diana Skouris."

"I'm sorry.  I'm Delainia Grace."

"You don't sound British."
"I hide it pretty well.  It makes me seem inconspicuous without the accent.  Kaleen doesn't hide it so well.  Now is Maia a 4400?"

"Does it matter?"  Diana felt a surge of protectiveness of Maia. That little girl had been hurt so many times, she couldn't let it happen again.
"No, not really.  But how did she know about my fight with Shawn Farrell today?  How does she even know Shawn if she's not a 4400?"

"How do you know Shawn?"  Diana's defenses were up.  There was something suspicious about this girl. 

"He's in a couple classes at my school.  We had a bit of an argument today.  That's how I found out he was one.  And if Maia knows him…"

"Shawn is my partner's nephew."

"Your partner?"

"Tom Baldwin.  We work for Homeland Security."
"That blasted organization?"  Delainia flushed as the accent came out more strongly. 

"How do you know us?"

"My father is one.  Patrick Grace.  He disappeared in 1995, before Kaleen was born."

"That's why Maia didn't talk about your father.  She told me about your mother, but not him."

"Must be.  How does she know, Ms. Skouris?"

"Maia is clairvoyant.  That must be how she knew about your fight.  We try to keep Maia's real identity a secret.  I don't even know if Kaleen knows about it.  She might.  Maia has trouble making friends because she tells them what's going to happen."

Delainia felt a twinge of sorrow as she thought of Shawn.  Was it as hard for him to make friends as it was for Maia?  He had stayed with those other two, a girl and guy, so he had friends.  Unlike this poor little girl.

"That's a pity about Maia.  She seems like a sweet girl.  Maybe she and Kaleen will do each other some good."
"I certainly hope so.  Maybe that's why they found each other.  They knew they had a connection."

"Maybe."  Delainia sighed.  Now she was lost in these thoughts of Shawn and her father and Maia and the others.  She hated it when she started thinking about the 4400, where they've been, why they were back.  She couldn't ever turn these thoughts off, once she got started.  She'd never be able to focus on her homework.

"I'll pick her up in a couple hours, if that's okay, Ms. Skouris."

"I'll drop her off.  That only seems fair.  And if you don't mind my saying, you look like your probably have your own homework to work on."

"I do.  First day of my senior year here.  Got stuff to do."

"I'll bring her home by nine."

"Great.  Thank you."

Diana smiled at her, no longer feeling suspicious.  She was obviously just a girl under a lot of pressure and laden with responsibility.  Diana watched her leave before shutting the door.  She listened to the quiet of the house, and then two girlish giggles.