Kali saw her brother rushing to her side just as her vision began to blur, her knees giving out from under her. He caught her before she could drop to the ground, helping to lower her carefully onto the sand. He reached out to press his hand against her back, desperately trying to feel an exit wound from the bullet that had hit her in the stomach but realised it had never left her body. Kali let out a choking gasp a second later, blood beginning to coat her lips as she grimaced with pain.
"Son of a bitch…was a good shot" Kali murmured, knowing full well what it meant that she was coughing up blood.
"Hey, it barely nicked you, don't be so dramatic" Ken replied, making Kali choke out a laugh.
"Look on the bright side…this is what you always wanted, right? Me…dying in your arms" Kali exclaimed, watching Ken's forehead wrinkle.
"Don't say shit like that. Not now" Ken shook his head, as Sawyer collapsed on his knees beside them.
"Is it…?" Sawyer trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.
Kali nodded, already knowing what he really wanted to ask. The bullet was going to kill her. She was going to die in front of him. Again. A wave of pain hit her a second later, as she coughed up more blood, spitting the red substance onto the sand beneath her. Sawyer reached out to grab her hand, intertwining their fingers, cursing under his breath.
"This is your fault" Ken muttered, glaring at Sawyer.
"I didn't ask her to save me" Sawyer retorted.
"She's not the type to need to be asked" Ken pointed out, anger laced into his words.
"Can you not argue as…I'm bleeding out?" Kali panted, not having the strength to roll her eyes.
"Sorry" Both men replied at the same time, watching Kali's breathing becoming more laboured.
"G-get me to the boat…more will be coming" Kali insisted, a moment later, earning a quick nod from Ken.
He hauled Kali up in his arms and began the walk a few metres away to the boat, where he carefully laid her down, his eyes flickering up to Alex for a moment, who had been watching the scene with a look of horror on her face. As Ken lowered his gaze, he realised that Kali had suddenly gone still, her eyes still open.
"Kal? Hey…no. Kali. Kal!" Ken cried, shaking her shoulder, but received no response.
His face scrunched up in pain a second later, covering his mouth with his hand as he bit back a sob. With a shaking hand, he reached out to close his sister's eyes, feeling bile rising in his throat.
"Jesus Christ…" He mumbled, collapsing on his knees beside the boat.
"She'll wake up soon. She will" Sawyer insisted from behind him, trying to convince himself more than Ken.
"She was right. We need to get going" Kate announced, shortly after.
"My sister just fucking died in front of me, you think you could give me a goddamn second?" Ken spat out, giving her an icy look.
"She's just scared. If the Other's catch up with you…she's right. You have to go. Now" Alex told him, her words making Ken frown.
"You mean we. We're all leaving this island" Ken replied, as Alex shook her head slowly.
"I can't. Ben won't let me go. It's too dangerous for me to follow you" Alex explained, as Ken pushed himself to his feet.
"Then why the fuck did you even ask me to help you?" Ken exclaimed, throwing his hands out in the air.
"I knew you'd help me save Karl. I…I was never planning on going with you" Alex admitted, as Ken ran a hand down his face.
"He'll kill you. One of these days, Ben is going to kill you, do you understand that?" Ken told her, watching Alex's strong façade crumble in front of him.
"…My dad. My responsibility, right?" Alex stated, as Ken's eyes softened a little.
"You keep your head down, okay? Don't antagonise him. Just do as he says" Ken warned her, stepping forward to place his hand on her shoulder.
"Be careful" Alex mumbled, her eyes tearing up a little.
"You too, kid" Ken exclaimed, pulling her into a quick hug, which she returned with a quiet sob.
"Tell her, Ken. Just tell her the truth before it's too late" Alex whispered, as she pulled away, just loud enough for Sawyer to hear, who frowned at the pair.
Ken gave a curt nod, sniffling loudly before he turned away and walked towards the boat, where Kate was beginning to push it towards the ocean. Alex quickly raced over to Karl, who was still unconscious and pressed a soft kiss to his head, making him stir slightly.
"I love you. Remember that" Alex cried, wiping at her eyes as she took a step back.
After a few tugs, they were able to push the boat into the water, and all crawled into the small structure. Sawyer took a seat behind Kali's motionless body, while her brother took his place by her feet. Both kept a watchful eye on her for the rest of the journey, giving little attention to the other occupants on the boat.
"You actually care about that girl, then?" Sawyer couldn't help but ask, more suspicious than curious.
"That really so hard to believe?" Ken scoffed.
"Hell yes, seeing as you're a sociopath and all" Sawyer pointed out, making Ken roll his eyes.
"You know, you're really starting to make me regret saving your life" Ken muttered.
"…Why did you?" Sawyer asked, a few seconds later.
"I figured seeing as your probably my future brother-in-law, it might earn me some brownie points" Ken shrugged, watching Sawyer huff.
"Well, I don't think you've gotta' worry about that" Sawyer replied, running a hand through his hair.
"What, trouble in paradise? Oh boo fucking hoo, just grow up and apologise for whatever you've done" Ken told him.
"How come you seem a hell of a lot saner than the last time we saw you? That all an act or something?" Sawyer frowned.
Having an almost civilised conversation with Kali's brother wasn't something he thought would be possible. Nor would the fact he was actually giving him good advice. He remembered Alex's words earlier, about telling Kali the truth…what was Ken's game plan?
"Have you heard of a self-fulfilling prophecy?" Ken inquired.
"I read, dick. Yes, I know what it means" Sawyer replied.
"See, when the world decides you're nothing more than a murderous piece of shit…well, the best thing to do is to prove them right, don't you think?" Ken explained, watching confusion spread over Sawyer's features.
A loud gasp grabbed his attention a moment later, as Kali's eyes shot open, darting around in a panic. Sawyer instantly grabbed onto her shoulders, hoping to calm her down. He hated how hurt and confused she seemed every time she came back.
"Hey, it's okay. It's alright. Your safe" Sawyer soothed, rubbing his hands down her arms.
"You sure?" Kali mumbled, giving her brother a look, still feeling disorientated.
"Ouch" Ken scoffed, crossing his arms, childishly.
"How long was out?" Kali inquired, as Sawyer shook his head, not knowing the answer.
"About thirty minutes" They heard Kate reply from the other end of the boat.
"That's the longest it's been" Kali pointed out, feeling a shiver go down her spine.
"Your back now. That's all that matters" Sawyer stated, as Kali pulled away from his touch.
"We'll, its not supposed to matter to you, remember?" Kali scoffed, keeping her back to him, not caring about the harshness in her voice.
Ken gave Sawyer a look, his eyes gesturing towards Kali, jutting his head forward to usher him on to say something. Sawyer simply held his hands up in response, showing he wasn't sure what to say. Ken facepalmed a moment later, before turning around with a huff, deciding it best not to get involved.
By the time they made it to the shore and made camp, the light was fading, and the cold was setting in. Kate was quick to volunteer to look for firewood, clearly wanting to find something to keep her busy. To keep her mind off Jack, Kali thought. Karl was still unconscious, mumbling a few words here and there but nothing coherent. Kali had spent the last ten minutes staring at her brother, half not believing he was really there. It seemed so strange. It was sad that being around her brother had become such an impossible idea over the years.
"Can you go check on Kate?" Kali spoke up, turning her attention to Sawyer.
"I'm sure she can handle collecting some twigs" Sawyer muttered.
"I wasn't asking" Kali insisted, as Sawyer's eyes darted between her and Ken.
"If you think I'm leaving you alone with that freak—" Sawyer began, but she cut him off quickly.
"Please, James. This…it's a family matter" Kali explained, seeing Sawyer's eyes soften a little.
"…I ain't going far. And if you try anything, I'll kill you myself" Sawyer warned, before storming off in a huff, leaving the siblings alone.
Kali then picked herself up and went to sit in front of her brother, folding her legs underneath her as their eyes connected. He couldn't seem to hold her gaze for long.
"You've got mum's eyes, you know," Ken told her.
"That's what I kept thinking when I saw your picture in the newspaper. Bloody Sun, huh? I hope they got sued for everything they were worth for revealing your identity" Ken muttered, his hands fidgeting with a leaf he had picked off the ground.
"You said you wanted to tell me the truth. So, talk. I'm ready to listen" Kali replied.
"What do you remember about our childhood?" Ken asked, vaguely.
"We were dirt poor. Mum and Dad weren't around a lot. You were…intense" Kali exclaimed, hearing a scoff leave Ken's lips.
"Intense? Jesus, Kal. I did fucking everything for you. Fed you, washed your clothes, cleaned up your knees when you fell over. We were…we were so close once. And that's what you call it? Intense?" Ken huffed, running a hand down his face.
"You looked out for me. I know that but—" Kali started, but Ken cut her off.
"I raised you. And our sister. I did my best for both of you. Cause' let's face it, no one else was going to" Ken muttered.
"What does that mean?" Kali frowned.
"You're right, to a degree. Our parents weren't around much, thank God. And when they were…" Ken trailed off, with a shaky laugh.
"They weren't perfect. I know that" Kali mumbled.
"You know that burn you've got on the side of your hand? You got that when you were three. I was at school and they left you home. Alone. You had seen me cooking some soup, I guess you tried to do it for yourself. Fucking hell, they wouldn't even let me take you to the hospital, just bandaged up your hand like it never happened" Ken shook his head, watching Kali's gaze fall onto the faint scarring on her left hand.
"Lots of kids get left home alone. Neglected. It doesn't mean their kids turn around and kill them" Kali retorted, angrily.
She watched as Ken suddenly pulled down the collar of his shirt, pushing his hair away to reveal the nape of his neck. Kali grimaced as she saw row after row of tiny marks which littered the skin there, already thinking she knew what would have caused them.
"Our saint of a mother used me as her bloody ashtray since I was a toddler. She broke my arm three fucking times. She beat me so bad once I had to go to the hospital with a concussion. I ended up spending more time in those places than fucking school!" Ken cried.
"…No. No, that's not…I would remember that—" Kali began, but Ken immediately cut her off.
"She broke your hand when you were four. Slammed it in between a doorframe. Made me tell everyone I did it. Thank Christ she never started beating on…" Ken trailed off, with a sniff.
"This doesn't change anything. It doesn't make you any less of a killer" Kali told him.
"How'd you think I moved the bodies?" Ken questioned, making Kali frown.
"What?" Kali replied, confused.
"I weighed about a hundred and ten pounds soaking wet. So, tell me…how did I move bodies around twice my size when I was thirteen years old? You want to know the answer? I didn't" Ken exclaimed.
"Then who did?" Kali pointed out, as Ken quirked an eyebrow.
"Someone who had a car. Who was bigger than me. Stronger. And a hell of a lot more violent" Ken went on, as Kali shook her head, pushing herself to her feet.
"You're…you're saying that our parents knew what you were doing?" Kali gaped.
"No. They didn't just know what I was doing. They were the one's who started it" Ken informed her.
"Bullshit" Kali muttered, turning away from him.
"Mum was a sick, fucked up woman, Kal. She beat on us, until one day she realised she had more options. I don't know how it started, I don't want to know…but she was killing people before I was. I found out one day, and well…I didn't exactly feel motivated to stop her" Ken admitted, as Kali twisted around with a look of disbelief.
"What the hell does that mean?" She asked.
"As long as she was hurting other people…at least she wasn't hurting one of her kids. So yeah, I helped. Hell, I got into it. Let's just say, I had a lot of steam to blow off" Ken went on.
"And Dad? W-what about him?" Kali stuttered, making Ken scoff.
"Dad? That spineless prick? He didn't stop Mum from beating us, why do you think he'd do anything differently if she was hurting other people?" Ken explained.
"And Katie? Our little sister…what the fuck did she do to deserve being killed, Ken?" Kali spat out, shoving him in the chest.
"I would have never hurt her! She was just a kid, how could you…you really think I killed her? Still?!" Ken yelled, as Kali flinched backwards.
"…No. Don't…she wouldn't have…" Kali stuttered, with wide eyes.
"They made me promise to never tell you what we were doing. And then you found out…fuck, Kali. Every time I threatened you not to tell them, I was just trying to protect you. And when we had our fight, I knew I couldn't hide it. So, I went home. I told Mum everything and she…she lost it. Started hitting me, and Katie saw and…she tried to stop her. So Mum lashed out, shoved her away and Katie hit her head on the table. She was bleeding and…fuck, there was nothing I could do. I tried, I swear I did, but she was gone. And Mum, she didn't care. Just pulled out a smoke, like nothing had happened. I saw red. I just wanted it to stop, so I-I made it stop. All of it" Ken told her, watching Kali's bottom lip wobble.
"You killed her? And Dad?" Kali questioned, tears beginning to well in her eyes.
"Yes. And I'd do it again. I'd fucking do it in a heartbeat" Ken confessed, as a tear rolled down Kali's cheek.
"…Do you believe me?" Ken asked, with wide eyes, watching Kali slowly nod.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Kali questioned, earning a harsh laugh in response.
"I ran. I ran so far after what I did. I figured I'd bide my time, come back to get you once the heat had died down. And then the trial started. And you threw me under the bus. Talking about how I was violent, that I scared you…that you blamed me for everything" Ken muttered.
"You could have come back. You could have told the truth!" Kali exclaimed, as Ken shook his head.
"And who would believe me? You didn't" Ken pointed out.
"I…I was traumatised. I didn't know what I was saying. I was so scared. I thought you had killed them. After what I thought you did to our sister—" Kali began, but Ken quickly cut her off.
"You were my sister too!" Ken cried, his voice breaking.
"…And you shot me" Kali retorted, a sob leaving her own lips.
"Yeah. Yeah, I did. Cause' I hated you. I hated you more than anything. For a long time. I hated everything. The whole stinking world. People are all the same, they're all monsters. So, I kept killing. It didn't really make me feel better but…it made me feel something. Then, I met Billy. And…I don't know, he was different. Made me realise that maybe there are some good people in the world. And it got me thinking about you. I sent him to find you and well, the rest is history, ain't it?" Ken sighed.
"You still hate me, then?" Kali asked, sadly.
"No. And I know I can never make it right. What I did to you. It's just…when I realised you and Billy were together, I thought you had taken away the last good thing I had in my life. I thought you were just like Mum. I wanted you gone. But after I…after I shot you, I didn't feel better. I felt worse. So much fucking worse. It was the worst thing I've ever done. And I wish I could take it back" Ken explained, his face contorted in pain.
"You can't. No matter what you do, nothing is ever going to make that right" Kali reasoned, watching him nod a few times.
"I know. But saving you…well, I figure that means something" Ken replied.
"I think you may have your work cut out for you with that one, brother" Kali scoffed, as Ken gave her a small smile.
"We'll see" Ken mumbled, a strange look of determination in his eyes.
Kali then went to sit down on a nearby tree trunk, running her hand through her hair, as she tried to collect her thoughts. She had never had fond memories exactly of her parents but hearing what they had done…it felt like something had been taken from her. A new hole in her heart. But maybe it could give her some room to let her brother back in eventually?
"I'm gonna' need some time. It's too much right now" Kali exclaimed.
"You know, you're taking this better than Billy said you would. He figured there be a lot of throwing things, more swearing" Ken said, with a laugh as he came to sit beside her.
"…Were you and him ever…you know?" Kali asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I thought one time…but no. He loved you, not me" Ken mumbled, looking down at his feet.
"You're wrong, Ken. Everything he's done, it was never for me. It was for you" Kali exclaimed.
"He might be dead now for all we know" Ken admitted, his voice a little shaky.
"I saw him" Kali spoke up, as Ken's eyes snapped up to hers.
"What?" He frowned.
"Back at the cages. He wanted me to do Ben's surgery. There was something wrong with him…he wasn't acting like himself—" Kali started, but Ken cut her off.
"What do you mean?" Ken pushed.
"He just…didn't seem like himself. Even the way he was talking was off. I think something happened to him when we lost him in the jungle" Kali informed him.
"…No. No. Fuck, not him. He can't fucking have him" Ken shook his head, pushing himself to his feet.
"Him? What are you talking about?" Kali insisted.
"I have to find him. It might not be too late" Ken mumbled, a panicked look in his eye.
"You're not making sense, Ken. Too late for what?" Kali pushed, as he turned to her, placing his hands on her shoulders.
"If you see Billy again, you run. You hear me? You run" Ken told her, as she gave him a confused look.
"What? Why? You just said you were gonna' look for him!" Kali pointed out.
"I'm just speeding up my fate. Jacob will just have to suck it up" Ken mumbled under his breath.
"You can't go! Not now. I…I still need you" Kali admitted, as Ken let out a long sigh.
"You haven't needed me since you were nine years old, Kal. And besides, you're not alone. Not anymore…isn't that right, Sawyer?" Ken called out, as they heard a groan from the bushes.
"…How long have you known I was here?" Sawyer asked, a guilty tone in his voice, as he came out of the shadows.
"Long enough. Now, you take care of my little sister, alright? Anything happens to her while I'm gone, I'm holding you responsible" Ken warned, as Sawyer gave a curt nod.
"Understood" He nodded, coming to stand beside her.
"Here. Take this" Ken announced, pulling something out of his pack, making Kali's eyes widened.
She gladly took the walkie talkie from his hand, seeing the one he still had stuffed in his bag. She felt a little better knowing her brother wasn't just going to fall of the face of the Earth. Not this time.
"You need me, just call. I'll be there. I promise" Ken told her, as she nodded, blinking away new tears forming in her eyes.
"Don't die" She insisted, making him huff out a laugh.
"Yes, Ma'am" He replied, giving her a sad smile, before turning away, rubbing away at tears that threatened to fall down his own cheeks.
"You know you still can't trust him" Sawyer stated, as they watched Ken disappear into the shadows.
"Maybe not. But he's all the family I've got left. And that…that still means something" Kali told him.
When Kali awoke the next morning, her back ached from lying on the hard forest floor, but she felt surprisingly warm. She looked down to see an arm laying haphazardly over her waist, eyes snapping to where Sawyer was sleeping beside her. She closed her eyes for a moment, allowing herself to enjoy the feeling, before pulling herself away. She looked around to find Kate lying against a tree, her heart panging when she remembered her brother wouldn't be there. Her eyes widened when she realised someone else wasn't there.
"Karl? Karl!" Kali exclaimed, waking up the others, as she pushed herself to her feet.
"He's gone. Karl's gone" Kali announced, searching around the nearby area, but finding no sign of the boy.
"He went this way!" Kate told them, picking up his trial a few metres away, as they began rushing forward.
"Hold up…" Sawyer trailed off, after less than a minute, hearing something strange nearby.
Crying. Karl was sobbing in a clearing nearby, hiding his face in the crook of his shoulder. Poor kid, Kali couldn't help but think. She went to approach him, but Sawyer held a hand up, stopping her in her tracks.
"I got it" Sawyer suggested, making Kali quirk an eyebrow.
"Because you're Mr Sensitive?" Kali huffed, as Sawyer gave her a look.
"I got it - boys only" Sawyer insisted, as Kali held her hands up in defeat.
The two women watched as Sawyer slowly sauntered over to the young boy, who was quickly wiping at his eyes, clearly embarrassed. Sawyer then punched him roughly in the arm, as Karl let out a cry of pain, earning a snort from Kali.
"Men" Kali and Kate said at the same time, before walking away in the other direction, leaving them to it.
"What the hell was that for?!" Karl gaped.
"So you'd cowboy up. Crying in the jungle - I thought you people were supposed to be tough" Sawyer shook his head, as he went to sit beside the teenager.
"I am tough" Karl insisted, giving Sawyer a hard shove, making him smirk.
"That's more like it" Sawyer congratulated, as the boy sniffed.
"Look, Karl, I've been with a lot of girls, some of them worth the trouble, some not. Every now and again there's one…one you name dumb stars with. One you can't live without. So this girl, Sally Slingshot—" Sawyer began, but Karl cut him off.
"Alex" Karl interjected.
"Yeah. Do you love her?" Sawyer asked.
"More than anything" Karl replied, not having to think twice.
"Then go and get her back" Sawyer pointed out.
"If I get caught, they'll kill me this time" Karl stated.
"Well, at least it'll be worth it" Sawyer sighed, pushing himself to his feet.
"…You can't trust Ben. I know he's offered you something and that's why you're fighting with your girl" Karl announced, making Sawyer frown.
"She's not my girl" Sawyer exclaimed, as a smile grew on Karl's lips.
"Now, who's lying" Karl scoffed, smugly.
With a roll of his eyes, Sawyer stormed back towards their makeshift camp, where Kali was waiting with her arms crossed.
"He's all yours, blue eyes" Sawyer mumbled.
"Room 23. What was that place?" Kali inquired, a few minutes later, having approached the teenager by herself.
"The compliance room. It speaks for itself" Karl muttered, seeing the look of horror on her face.
"And I'm guessing you're not the first to go in there?" Kali suggested, earning a quick nod.
"The ones they took from the plane, even the kids…they put them all in there" Karl confessed.
"And when people come out that room?" Kali pushed.
"They're different. Talking about how special the island is, how it needs to be protected. It always scared the hell out of me" Karl shivered, as Kali placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, you got out. You're safe now" Kali stated, as Karl let out a mocking laugh.
"No one is ever safe in this place. But…I have to go back. For Alex. Ben's dangerous, I can't let anything happen to her" Karl explained.
"She's lucky to have you. And vice versa" Kali mumbled, as a smile pulled on Karl's lips.
"You won't stop me from leaving?" Karl asked.
"We've all got our own paths, Karl. Just…take care of yourself, yeah?" Kali exclaimed.
"I will. And thank you. For all of this" Karl smiled, receiving a pleased nod in return.
To say Kate was pissed when she found out they had cut Karl loose, was an understatement. As petty revenge, she forced them to trudge through the jungle with practically no stops the rest of the day, even when the sun went down that night. They had nothing more than the clothes on their back to keep them warm, and by sunup, Kali's feet ached so bad she thought they were going to fall off.
"If we are where I think we are, the beach should be just past those trees. We'll be back home in five minutes" Kate announced, rushing ahead of the pair.
"Jesus, can we slow down a bit then? I did get shot yesterday" Kali grumbled, the fatigue starting to hit her.
"The sooner we get back to the beach, the sooner we can recruit people to go get Jack" Kate muttered, as Sawyer and Kali shared a look.
Kali let out a long sigh as Kate disappeared into the bushes ahead of them, clearly not waiting for them to catch up. She had a one-track mind for Jack it seemed.
"How'd you think they're going to react? If Hurley's told them about my past…" Kali trailed off, not wanting to finish her sentence.
"They'll understand, and if they don't I'll—ah!" Sawyer cried, suddenly falling to the ground, clutching at his foot.
"What happened?" Kali exclaimed, racing to his side and crouching down in front of him.
"Stepped on something. Son of a bitch" Sawyer complained, as Kali reached out to touch his foot.
"It's a dart. Looks pretty bent out of shape" Kali told him, placing the object between her thumb and forefinger.
"Relax your foot, okay? I'm gonna pull it out. On the count of three—" Kali cut herself off, as she ripped the dart out, not bothering to even start the countdown.
"Ow! I thought you said three!" Sawyer yelped, as Kali had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.
"You must have misheard me" Kali grinned, pushing his foot away from her.
"You enjoyed that way too much, blue eyes" Sawyer insisted, as her grin got wider.
"Are you judging my bedside manner, Mr Ford?" Kali teased, twisting around to sit beside him.
"Never, Nurse Dixon" Sawyer smirked, as the two shared a look for a moment.
"…I know Ben said something…did something to you. That's why you suddenly don't want to know me anymore. But if you just tell me what happened, we can start over, okay? Clean slate" Kali insisted, her blue eyes boring into his.
"There's nothing to tell" Sawyer muttered, pushing himself to his feet.
"I don't believe you—" Kali started, but Sawyer cut her off with a wave of her hand.
"When Kate goes after the Doc, you're going with her. You're getting that damn cure and leaving this island" Sawyer told her, making Kali frown.
"Is that what this is about? You've made some deal to get this magical cure for me?" Kali scoffed.
"I don't do anything that doesn't benefit me. I want you gone. That's it" Sawyer retorted, as Kali shook her head, vehemently.
"You want me gone? Okay, you stay on your side of camp, and I'll stay on mine" Kali huffed, shoving past him roughly.
"Sounds good to me!" Sawyer called after her.
"Fine!" Kali responded.
"Fine!" Sawyer agreed, childishly.
Kate was already being greeted by the rest of the group when they arrived on the beach. Kali purposedly hid behind Sawyer's tall frame as they approached, only coming into view at the last moment. She watched as everyone stilled for a moment. A few of them even backed up a step, as if she was about to lunge at them. She had seen those looks before. She had her whole life. Kali's eyes found Claire's first, who clutched at Aaron a little tighter when she saw where Kali's eyes lay. Her gaze then flickered to Charlie, who looked to the sand below their feet, not even being able to meet her eyes. Kali frowned when she saw the angry expression on Sun's face, but found instead of looking at Kali, she was staring at Sawyer. Kali panicked for a moment, wondering if Sun knew the truth about her 'attack'. Surely if she did, everyone would know, wouldn't they?
"Kali. I think we're all a little…surprised you'd come back here" Locke was the first to speak, as Kali bit at the inside of her cheek.
"Are you gonna' throw me out?" Kali asked, in a quiet voice.
"If she goes, so do I" Sawyer interjected.
"…Me too" Kate added, after a few moments.
"I doubt we'll need to do anything so extreme. But you've lied to us all for months. It's going to take some time" Locke pointed out, as Kali nodded slowly, cursing the way she felt close to tears again.
On the island, it was the first time she ever felt acceptable. It was as if she had finally found her people. And now they were all scared of her. Somehow, losing that hurt more than never having it at all.
"Look, I'm sorry—" Kali was suddenly cut off as a body collided with her own.
She was taken aback for a moment, holding her hands in the air, expecting to be attacked. It slowly dawned on her that was being hugged, and who was hugging her. She found her arms wrapping around the person on their own accord.
"Hello to you too, Des" Kali exclaimed, her tone full of amusement, as the older man pulled back.
He reached out to cup her face for a moment, a clear look of relief on his face. It was strange. She had only met him recently, but it seemed so much longer than that.
"Sorry. Sorry, I'm just…I'm glad you're alright" Desmond chuckled, dropping his hands.
"Well, I'm happy someone is" Kali replied, giving him a small smile.
"Oh bloody hell, are you hurt?" Desmond questioned, his eyes drifting to the blood on her shirt.
"It's a long story" Kali sighed, as Desmond started to usher her away.
"Luckily for you, I've got all the time in the world" Desmond told her, as they started to walk towards his makeshift tent.
Sawyer watched the pair walk away, gritting his teeth, having to bite back his words. He shook his head, looking away from them as Kate approached him, a knowing look on her face.
"Who the hell does Prince Charming think he is?" Sawyer grumbled, as Kate let out a snort.
"Careful, Sawyer. Jealousy is a very unattractive trait in a man your age" Kate teased, patting him on the shoulder.