(Keyi)
"You need to sped less time around Akiro when she's in a bad mood if you're going to start talking like her."
"Actually, I heard Uncle say that."
"When does Uncle talk like that?"
"When he thinks that nobody's listening."
"Excuse me a minute." Hai interrupted turning to me, "Keyi, may I ask why your mother is a 'scum-sucking toad-bellied pig?'"
"She ditched us, that's why."
"Stay away from me, monster!" Those words had haunted me every day for the past eight years and… I was starting to cry again.
Chase pushed himself off the bed again and wrapped his good arm around me guessing at where my thoughts had taken me, "It's all right, Keyi." He whispered, "It's all right."
"No it's not." My whisper is barely audible, "There's nothing right about it."
"Maybe we should switch to a more pleasant topic." Falcon dude mumbled to Hai.
"Why don't you tell us something of your home?" Hai asked sweetly trying to lighten the sullen mood that had fallen over the room.
I thought of the funniest thing I could, "Have you ever seen a hawk have to physically drag a cobra up onto a dais and then still not be able to get said cobra to dance?"
Hai smiled a bit, "Can't say I have."
"It happens everyday at home." Chase said with a slight smile recalling the many arguments between our aunt and uncle on that matter.
"May I ask what kind of cobra doesn't like to dance?" Hai asked.
"The grumpy kind." I replied, "Once, Miriam called him 'Mister Grumpy Pants.'"
"Then all the younger members of our home, Keyi included, called him that for the rest of the month." Chase added.
"And Aunt Aaron still calls him that."
"Why is he so grumpy?"
"Because his sister's a scum-sucking toad-bellied pig."
"Keyi!"
"What? He said it first."
Chase sighed.
"Keyi, why don't we let your brother rest tonight and we'll find a way to get the two of you home tomorrow?" Hai said holding her hand out to me.
"Why not now?" I asked impatiently.
"It's the middle of the night." Hai replied, "What's wrong with tomorrow?"
"Here we go again." Chase mumbled.
"Tomorrow will never be." I began, "It quite simply does not exist but for in our minds. The day after today is tomorrow and when tomorrow comes it will be today and the day thereafter will be tomorrow. Thus it never comes and is always out of reach. Tomorrow will never be just like yesterday is past and gone and will never be again." Hai and falcon dude were both staring at me and I was pretty sure that Chase was trying not to laugh, "What?"
"In the morning then." Hai said in response to my little rant.
I crossed my arms back over my chest, "Fine."