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Whispers. She can't make out exactly what they're saying, but as she walks past, they look at her and whisper. She's in a crowded room, but she feels so alone. All eyes are on her. Accusing eyes. Telling her she is different without saying a word. She sheds painful tears, but they take no pity on her.
"Keira, WAKE UP!" A sleepy Gohan tries his luck a third time.
She is huddled in a ball. She faintly hears her name. No, no one would bother remembering her real name. She is the Half Child, and always will be.
"I give up. YOU try."
Try what? It almost sounds like the whispers are forming real words. No. Don't listen. Any words spoken will only hurt you. Just don't listen.
"…Keira …"
She looks up. She definitely heard it that time. Tears stain her face. She feels something. An embrace. Is this a hug? Is someone hugging her? Who? It doesn't matter! Hug back! Embrace them before they leave you! The faces fade away. The room brightens.
"Shhh Keira."
She opens her eyes. She's in a different room, on a different planet. I'm on Earth, she thinks. She can still feel the embrace from her dream. She smiles and hugs tighter… Tighter? She's hugging someone. Keira moves back to face her father.
"Wh…Wh…What are you…What are you doing?" She stammers.
Vegeta wipes the last of her tears away. "You were crying."
Keira backs up to the head of her bed and wipes her sleeve on her face to remove any more tears. She stares at her father for a minute, neither of them talk.
Vegeta breaks the silence. "Bulma brought breakfast. Better come out before that fool Goku eats all the doughnuts."
Vegeta gets up from the bed and heads toward the door. He stops in the doorframe. He takes a deep breath.
"I…I'm…" he takes another deep breath. "I'm sorry." He walks out of the room, gently shutting the door behind him.
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Keira walks through the hallway and into the kitchen where a crowd is seated at the table. They seem to be having a good time, laughing and eating. Vegeta is sitting next to his son Trunks, talking to him about his training. Bulma is sitting next to Vegeta, talking to Goku and laughing. Gohan is sitting next to Videl and Goku. There is an empty seat wedged between Videl and Trunks. Vegeta looks up from his conversation and sees Keira standing in the doorway of the dining room. Trunks looks over to see what his father is staring at.
"Hey Keira! I made sure to put your seat next to me! Sit down! I even saved you a chocolate doughnut!" Trunks blurts out.
Hearing Trunks, everyone looks at Keira, who is reluctantly making her way to the table. She sits down and Trunks hands her a plate with a chocolate doughnut, glazed with more chocolate. She picks up a fork.
"No, you don't eat a doughnut with a fork! You just grab it and shove it in your mouth!" Trunks says as he demonstrates.
"Well if I use a fork then I won't look as disgusting as you do right now." Keira says, coldly.
Trunks looks a little discouraged, but tries his luck again. "Are you going to train with me and Dad today?"
Keira finishes her first doughnut and reaches for a new one, this time with colored sprinkles on it.
"Oh that one's the best! With all the cool colors on it!" Trunks observes her choice.
She stares at the doughnut, but doesn't start eating it. "So you think this one is special?"
"Umm… I guess so."
"It's special because it's colored and therefore beautiful?"
"Well… It's just a doughnut, but sure, I guess it's… beautiful."
"It's beautiful so it's better than the other unsprinkled doughnuts?"
The conversation has everyone's attention now.
"Umm…yes…"
"Because the other doughnuts are boring compared to this one, with its bright colored sprinkles? Is that what you're saying?"
Trunks thinks for a moment, a little confused. "…Yes?"
Keira sighs deeply. She then leaves the table. They all watch her go. Then their stares go to Trunks, who has started eating the sprinkled doughnut left behind.
"…What? We were just talking about doughnuts!"
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Keira is back in her bedroom, staring out the small window. She can see a bird feeder from there.
It looks almost exactly like this house she thinks to herself.
A blue bird, with red feathers on its tail lands on the feeder and starts chirping. Just then, there is a soft knocking on the door. She decides to ignore it.
"Keira? I brought some doughnuts… In case you were still hungry." Goku awkwardly explains to the door.
Keira half smiles. She gets up and opens the door. Goku is standing there alone, with a plate piled with a variety of doughnuts (none sprinkled). They both sit on the bed Indian style across from each other with the plate between them. Keira picks up two, one in each hand, and alternates every bite. Goku chuckles.
"So… You know... it may not be such a bad idea training with Vegeta." Goku starts. He quickly adds, "I know you don't want anything to do with him, but he is looking out for your best interests. Sayians need to channel out their energies through fighting. And no one trains more than Vegeta."
Keira pauses from her breakfast. "You know he only trains that much so he can be stronger than you. So that he can beat you." And she starts eating again.
Goku looks down at the bed. "Yeah I know… Your dad and I have… history… Well, are you going to train with him today?"
"I rather not physically train today, Goku. Anglicans typically use more power attacks then martial arts. We're taught basic techniques, but it's more of a lesson in martial arts theory."
"Oh. I didn't know that. I suppose I should have, but your mother didn't like talking about her home planet." Goku looks at Keira, who is finishing the last bit of food on the plate. "You look a lot like her, you know?" He adds sadly. He snaps out of it. "Well! I'll go tell the others you won't be training today… However, you're going to miss an awful lot of fun!"
After many pleads and sad puppy dog faces, Keira agrees to come along with the group. They reach a small-unpopulated island, where she meets an old man named Mater Roshi. There, they break off in small groups. Vegeta begins basic combat fighting with Trunks, as Goku and Gohan do the same, and Videl is off to the side receiving help from Master Roshi to fly. Bulma searches through her purse until she finds a small tablet. She pushes a button on it, and instantly a blanket is spread out in the sun, complete with a radio, pillow, sunglasses, and timer.
"Bulma, what's all this for?" Keira asks.
"Oh it's to tan. I'm much to pale... You should try tanning too dear."
"You mean you actually WANT to get burned by the sun?"
Keira shakes her head and walks off to be by herself. She reaches the other side of the island, on the beachfront. She wades out into the shallow water. Keira closes her eyes as the waves rush towards her. The waves become higher and higher, until they completely wash over her head. Keira does not move however. She focuses harder as the next huge wave approaches. She then opens her huge, now burning red eyes. As the wave comes crashing down over her head, the water splits into two parts, completely missing her. A small circle around her feet has been cleared away so that only dry sand is there. The circle become larger as the waves become bigger. The sky is black, as the wind is picking up force. Still her surrounding circle grows larger until she reaches her hands over her head, palms facing the open ocean. The water tints darker. Keira releases a scream, long and loud. It holds sorrow, pain, suffering, but most of all, POWER. The sea becomes calm, and the skies return blue, as the ocean loses its deep color. Keira walks back to shore.
Everyone has gathered to her side of the island. They have witnessed it all. A palm tree has fallen from the storm Keira has just conjured up. She looks at the crowd of astonished faces, then the tree. She walks up the master Roshi and slightly bows before him.
"My deepest apologies for the tree."
"Th…That's… That's okay!" He stammers.
Keira excuses herself and walks back to the small shack alone.
The rest of the group stands on the shore, dumbfounded.
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Over the next month, a monotonous series of events happen. Keira disappears during the night to walk alone to school. She does considerably well, even in her science class. She doesn't talk to the other students, not even Gohan during school hours. Gohan figures it's because she doesn't want to be in any more trouble. He doesn't push the subject matter much, because he can't afford another occurrence like on the first day of school to go on his permanent record.
Keira continues to have as little contact with her father, and Trunks, as much as possible. She refuses to give either one of them a chance.
One Sunday afternoon, Vegeta stops over to talk with Keira.
"I want you to know that there is more than enough room in mine and Bulma's house for you to stay there. It's closer to your school, so you wouldn't have to walk as far."
Keira looks up from her book. It's red worn leather, with flaking golden writing on it. The title on the front is in Anglican, but underneath, in small flaking silver lettering, reads "Earth- The English Language".
"…I'm content where I am for right now… But…Umm… Thank you." And returns to her book.
For the next three weeks, that is the only words exchanged between Keira and her father, Vegeta.