Revamped!

[Most of you already seem to know who the mystery girl is but she's revealed here anyways for the plot and in case there are some who didn't guess it.]

Kai-nd of a Legacy: Part Six

"Dad, I'm home!" Kai exclaims as he walks through the front door.

Kai closes the door behind him and throws his keys on the door side table. He walks up the stairs and sees his dad standing by the window with his mother's journal in his hands. Kai leans against the wall until Rikan looks at him and closes the journal. He's smiling brightly and Kai thinks it's because of his mother's writing.

"Selene," Rikan says.

"What?" Kai questions.

"The girl," Rikan responds. "Her name is Selene."

Kai's jaw and heart drop as he walks closer to his dad. A part of him wants to scream excitedly and the other hugs his dad. For what felt like the longest time, he finally has a name for the girl within the journal. Now, it should be easier to find her and put a face to the name.

"She's a Lunar," Rikan tells him. "I remember a bit more now. Sorry, Son, but the medications have made my mind foggy and I needed time to think this over. Your mother studied in Luna as a part of her exchange program. There, she met Selene's mother, Channary, and the two of them bonded before your mother came back here. Channary was actually president when she had Selene and reports have said that she had a sperm donor but rumours and conspiracies believe otherwise. She died about a year after Selene was born."

"Where is she now?"

"Selene?"

Kai nods and Rikan shrugs. Kai leans against the wall, thinking for a second. Everything about that story seems so complex that it could be fictional, but it feels so real and so right. It just intrigues him even more, especially mow that he knows more.

"Selene what?"

Rikan holds back from answering for a moment. He places both his hands on Kai's shoulders and smirks as he shakes his head disgracefully. Kai starts feeling more anxious, wanting the answer already.

"Blackburn."

Kai's jaw drops in disbelief. Out of all the names… He takes a step back, needing to know if he heard that right because he can't wrap his head around that. He keeps asking for his dad to verify that Blackburn is her name. It can't be Selene Blackburn but Rikan keeps on confirming it. Kai laughs a little out of hysteria and puts his hands on his hips.

"I can't believe I didn't realize that sooner," Rikan says. "Quite a coincidence."

"Alright then…" Kai mutters. "Selene Blackburn it is. I have to go ask the Blackburns I do know about her."

"Go ahead."

Kai runs out of the room, almost crashing into Torin who sidesteps him right on time. Torin enters the room and after seeing Rikan chuckling and Kai running out, he wonders what their conversation was about. Torin looks back to where Kai left and points behind him while looking at Rikan.

"I heard a bit while coming up here," Torin says. "Is Kai is looking for Selene Blackburn?"

Rikan nods, barely believing it himself. "Believe it or not. He read Mariko's journal and, apparently, she and former President Blackburn of Luna fantasized about Kai and Selene getting married one day."

"That's undeniably adorable but you've heard the horror stories that came from the Blackburn era of Luna and I doubt they're just exaggerated rumours," Torin says seriously. "President Blackburn was a monster and Selene was never seen after her mother died. People assumed the baby got murdered by a radical rebel, sold off somewhere, or hiding with her biological father. They're not spoken about much now since the smoke is finally fading and the country is almost fixed. The Blackburns were a dynasty which is why I'm surprised you got Levana to work for you when she came directly from the fiery craters of that disaster and why you think it's okay for Kai to go find Selene."

Rikan takes Torin's words into consideration. He knows about the dark times Luna went through about two decades ago when President Blackburn was in charge of Luna. She had a strict presidency that most would consider a dictatorship. People would say that she was a cruel woman whose beauty and wickedly hypnotizing charm got her and the Blackburn family their high status. Still, if Mariko liked her for whatever reason and trusted that Selene would be a fit for Kai, despite it all being a fantasy they made together as excited mothers, he was for it.

"I'm aware, yes," Rikan says while nodding his head, "but I would never question Mariko and am happy that Kai isn't dwelling on me. I don't like to see him worrying."

-o-

Kai had no time to tell anyone what he learned. He needed to get there quickly. Although he could probably look all this up on the Internet at his fingertips, he ran. It feels like a sudden release of energy was leading him to his mysterious and seemingly missing Selene.

It seems wrong and he feels guilty for it but at the same time, it's like he's fulfilling a legacy he was destined to have. Although this was some written fairytale his mom dreamt, finding Selene was an ode to her, and Cinder would understand (which was what his wishful thinking hoped for).

Kai approaches the Blackburn mansion and catches his breath before walking up the driveway. He's anxious and shaky, about to fall over. It's weird to show up and ask about some possible long-lost relative for his respective reasons. They would think he was insane due to the lack of oxygen in his brain from the running. But he figures that if anyone knew about Selene Blackburn, it would be an actual Blackburn.

Kai knocks on the front door and waits for a response. When the door opens, his heart stops for a moment when he sees Cinder there. She's almost as surprised to see him there as he is.

"Hi," Cinder greets since Kai hasn't said a word and is just staring at her like a deer-in-headlights. "Kai, are you okay? Do you need some water or something?"

"Right," Kai says, taking a quick breath. "Is Winter here?"

Cinder is taken aback. "You came here for Winter?"

Kai realizes how odd that sounds to the ears of his girlfriend, especially since Winter is her stepcousin. That means the whole Selene story would make Cinder go ballistic.

"Well," Cinder continues, "she left a while ago squealing like a piglet for some odd reason and now she's ignoring my calls. So, you're stuck with me. Is that a problem?"

"No," Kai states, "not at all." He takes a deep breath. "Actually, I need to tell you something. It's about why I have been feeling so weird about and towards you."

Cinder pulls Kai inside the house and she closes the front door. She leans against it and makes sure that their conversation stays right where they currently are. Kai sits on the bench by the doorway and encourages Cinder to sit next to him but she remains standing where she is.

"It's because of my mom," Kai tells her.

"What does that mean?" She questions.

"Cinder, I'm so mad at myself for not explaining the situation. This isn't an excuse but my dad's illness and my mom's words got to me. I barely slept because I had to figure out exactly what my mom wanted. It was like connecting with her again"

"What was it?"

"You might not like it."

Cinder opens her arms. "I'm not some kind of cyborg. How could anyone feel good about any of this?"

"This will sound weird but my mom had a dream about me marrying a girl and -"

"What the stars?!" Cinder exclaims. "That's ridiculous. You could've told me!"

"I didn't feel right about doing that at first! How would you feel if you were in my shoes about all this?"

Cinder pauses, tapping her foot. "You win there. Go on."

Kai smiles a little from the corner of his mouth. "The thing about this girl is that she's currently missing in action since her mother - who was the former president of Luna - died. I was coming for Winter to avoid this conversation but since you're here and know my story, maybe you could help me."

Suddenly, Kai notices something odd about Cinder's reaction. She stops being defensive: her entire face drops as her posture straightens and tightens erectly. Her arms wrap around her chest, acting as a shield for herself. And if Kai isn't mistaken, her breathing is quicker and she's subtly shaking as if she's about to have a panic attack or worse, exploding.

"Kai…" Cinder mutters.

Tears seem to be forming in her eyes which Kai wasn't prepared for. If there was something he learned about Cinder, it was that she doesn't cry and now she is. Kai stands to try and calm her but Cinder shudders back which scares him. But then, it seems as if she's winding up to erupt.

"You're not allowed to leave this house until you tell me who that girl is!" Cinder exclaims.

Before Kai could get the name out, Levana walks down the stairwell. She stops halfway with a hand to her forehead as she looks down at Kai and Cinder with an expression that's both agitated and extremely tired and stressed.

"What are you two yapping about?" Levana asks. "I'm in the middle of a conference call."

Both Cinder and Kai mutter apologies. Levana sighs and shakes it off with a small eye roll as she crosses her arms and starts heading back upstairs.

"Selene, take it outside," Levana says.

And the bomb has blown… That name hits both Cinder and Kai like a slap in the face, feeling as if their entire lives just flashed before their eyes.

Cinder closes her eyes and feels a single tear fall out. She inhales and exhales, trying to see if she can understand what just happened. She doesn't need her eyes to know what's happening but she forces herself to look at Kai and his face is contorted. To others, Kai may not look shocked, but Cinder knows the face he's making. This is the face he makes when he's incredulous. It's a numb expression with a direct stare, and it's terrifying. It's weird how much people can know about someone without knowing everything.

Kai can't help but just stare at the girl in front of him. Now it makes sense why Cinder lives with her aunt and why her parents aren't around. Sometimes, myths come with gorgeous brown eyes, a perfect smile, and the kindest touch. A deadly Blackburn masterpiece indeed.

"You're - you're her…" Kai mutters, his voice shaking and cracking. "You're Selene Blackburn. You're the girl in my mother's journal - you're the missing daughter of the late former President Channary Blackburn of Luna."

Cinder nods, her face solemn with regret as another tear falls from her face. "I am."