Revamped!

[Last night, I stayed up till about 1 AM continuously planning this story. I'm so far ahead. This is the first story arc and I'm on the sixth one]. [2020: It's almost 1 AM and I still have to finish planning the season. That AN gave me so much nostalgia].

Winter's Melting: Part Nine

At the Blackburn mansion, Levana wishes her work guests a farewell as they conclude their meeting. Levana opens the front door for them and Cinder runs through. Levana gasps in shock, not even aware that Cinder left the house or concerned that she's being chased by a possible predator. Levana's colleagues look at her for an explanation she doesn't have.

"Cinder!" Levana calls, but her niece is already running up the stairs. She looks at her colleagues. "I'm so sorry about her."

Levana's about to close the door but Kai pops in, surprising Levana and his father. Kai shuffles in, squeezing through the slightly opened door. He faces the adults and gives his best smile while panting and slightly sweating.

"Man, Cinder sure runs fast," Kai says, trying to lighten the mood.

None of the adults say anything although Kai wanted at least one of them to comment to make this all feel less awkward. Maybe it was the fact that he was holding one of Cinder's sneakers that left them speechless.

"I should give this back to her," Kai says, waving the shoe and heading up the stairwell.

-o-

Cinder runs into her room and swan dives onto her bed that became more like a belly-flop once she hit the mattress. She throws her pillows on the floor to pick up her phone which she originally left underneath. She quickly dials a number she had no idea was memorized and doesn't care about the seven-hour time difference between whom she's calling and how much she'll be charged for the long distance. Wait, would anyone be there to take the call? Cinder pushes her bangs from her face once she hears the dial tone silence.

Secretary: Andromeda Academy, how may I be of service?

Cinder quickly clears her throat to sound confident and unquestionable. She would've called Jacin's number directly but this is an emergency and this would get him out of bed faster than if she directly called his phone. "I need to speak to Cadet Jacin Clay."

Silence. As Cinder waits, she finds herself chewing on her thumbnail.

Secretary: I'm sorry to inform you that Cadet Clay is unavailable.

"What do you mean he's unavailable?" Cinder questions, sounding harsher than intended.

Secretary: That means he's unable to answer your call.

"I got that but it's an emergency!"

Secretary: So is his reason for not being available.

"Can I know why?"

Secretary: Are you his family?

Cinder pauses. "Maybe one day."

Secretary: That isn't a valid reason. If you would -

Cinder hangs up the phone without saying thanks or a goodbye. Any argument she could've made from that point would've resulted in a response with the word "unavailable" in it. Stars, she hates that word now more than ever. Cinder screams a little into her mattress in frustration as Kai awkwardly knocks on her already-opened door before slowly inviting himself in. He wasn't sure if he should be in here but Cinder doesn't kick him out so that's a good sign. He puts her missing shoe on the floor as Cinder raises her head and looks at him, wondering how much of that she heard from the phone call to her mini outburst.

Then it hits her that she ditched him in the junkyard without reason and owes him an explanation for running after mentioning another boy's name. She has little experience with boys but even she knows that wasn't a good thing.

"Jacin is Winter's boyfriend from back home," Cinder explains to Kai. "He's a cadet in a military school and I know he's fast asleep but I figured that being summoned by the higher-ups would get him to answer me right away. I didn't message Jacin back when he asked about to move and Winter because I forgot and didn't know what to say. I don't think Winter's contacted him yet either. She isn't exactly happy and I don't want to make him feel like he can't do anything. Back in Artemisia, Jacin always helped Winter when she became like this since no therapist or meds could. I don't know how it works but it just does."

Kai nods, rubbing Cinder's arm. Cinder puts a hand on top of his, appreciating him for his unasked support. She gave him more of an explanation than he expected and didn't know what to say which was good because sometimes it was better not to say anything. Asking about what happened in Artemisia was a topic not to be discussed, at least not now.

"You were trying to call Jacin?"

Cinder and Kai turn to her bedroom door and see Winter standing there, her face down as if it wants to cry but there are no tears left. Winter's voice cracked by the second syllable of his name which only made Cinder feel guiltier for failing to reach him. If he was on the line, she could hear his voice. Kai thinks that he should leave the room to give the girls some privacy but Cinder's grip on his hand tightens a little, as if it was telling him to stay.

"Why would you call Jacin?" Winter asks, repeating her first question.

Cinder takes a breath. "I was supposed to and I forgot with all this happening and because I didn't know what to say. I thought I finally got a way to make you happy here. I was running home from the junkyard with Kai and it all made sense in my head. I would've paid for Jacin's flight and hotel room with the money my mom left me if Levana wouldn't let him stay here with us, but he wasn't available for some reason."

Winter shrugs. "Andromeda Academy is strict. Thank the stars we didn't go there."

Cinder changes the topic. "Winter, be honest with me, are you okay?"

Winter thinks back to when Levana got mad at her for going to school when she was ordered to do other tasks that required her to stay home. She told Levana that she couldn't stand it here or in Artemisia because like in both places, there was and is nothing she could do which further led to her not being okay and eventually deemed by most as crazy.

"I know I'm not crazy," Winter says, looking Cinder right in the eye. "Not really, at least. Dr. Darnel said that I'm traumatized and confused. I was hurt in both my body and my soul by what happened in Artemisia and I'll be better someday. I believed him because that's what every doctor back home said, just with different words to make it sound like a different diagnosis. I'm supposed to say yes and pretend that I'm fine but I'm not and everyone knows that. I want to be tough and I thought that moving here might help but it's not exactly working so far. I'm trying to be happy on my own. Cinder, this isn't your fault."

"I know," Cinder replies. "It's just felt like I've been watching and not supporting you. I want to help because we're cousins, we're family - we're basically sisters."

Winter feels herself soften up as she sits on the bed next to Kai, the corners of her mouth lifting a little in a smile.

"You called me your cousin, your sister and not step-cousin," Winter points out. "That's helped on its own."

Cinder realizes that she's been telling people that Winter's her step-cousin when in reality, it didn't matter whether or not they were cousins strictly by blood. And in that same sentence, Cinder called Winter her sister. With that, Cinder sits back up and throws the upper half of her body on top of Kai to hug Winter. Winter hugs back tightly. While that happens, Kai finds himself to be the meat of a Blackburn sandwich. Kai doesn't want to interrupt their embrace but he couldn't breathe.

Kai coughs a little to get their attention. "I'd hate to ruin the moment but I'm being squished."

The two girls laugh. Instead of getting off of him, they include him in the hug but extending their arms around his back and softening their wrap.

"Kai," Cinder says, "I'm not sure if you two have formally met but this is my cousin Winter. Winter, Kai."

"We've met for about a brief second before," Kai says, remembering the bewildered girl at the party who kept on making a scene whenever she reached the bottom of the staircase.

"A horrible first meeting if you ask me," Winter mutters, embarrassed by how she acted that night.

Kai smiles in a friendly manner, holding out a hand for Winter once he managed to get it out of the Blackburn sandwich.

"I'm Kai," he introduces. "Kai Rikan."

Winter daintily shakes his hand. "Winter Hayle-Blackburn."

"Well, Winter Hayle-Blackburn and Cinder Blackburn, I welcome you both to my town of Commonwealth."

[*cries because it's cute*]