Rising Shards

When 09’s energy beam hit at Chumblerosa, Kalei ended up in a tiny holding cell of sorts with her mom. She assumed Ko and Risa were in their own, which would probably be an entertaining conversation. But having escape, well, escape her so easily again was overwhelming, so imagining what Ko and Risa would talk about did not have priority in her mind. After she tried to smash her way out of the crystalline prison she found herself in, barely bigger than a dinner table, Kalei sighed deeply and sat down, then fell on her back. It felt like she was sort of moving even lying down, probably a power 09 had bringing them to Ovie. She couldn’t hear anything on the outside, and could only see fuzzy images through the walls surrounding them.

“Ma, I quit. I’m done.” Kalei said.

“We’re not a family of quitters.” Mahina said, trying to do another Cani energy charged kick to the wall in front of her, which of course had no effect. A regular kick without powers also didn't help.

“No, like. Mom,” Kalei said. She hated feeling her face contort the way it did, warm tears streaking down immediately. “No, like. What’s the point?”

Kalei’s mother sat down beside her. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what’s the point of any of this?” Kalei asked. “Mom, I asked Nikki out, right? She’s already seeing someone. I’m so stupid I didn’t even, I dunno, notice. Like she was all I’ve been thinking about the last month. And that’s done. Just like that. And now we got captured over and over and we’re stuck in this endless loop of void BS and like. Is this just it?”

“Hey, girl…” Kalei’s mother’s voice quivered. “It’s OK.”

“Ma, it hurts…” Kalei said. “Like…I got stood up, I get stuck with Ovie and 09 for a day, and like. Laenie and Aira. And they have me tied up. Like that’s messed up. Then someone comes to help, and it’s Risa. Risa. I didn’t want to ever talk to her again. And now I feel like I’m betraying myself for talking to her again? And we get captured over and over, and I can barely follow what for? Like what the hell? Sharai Daggers or some BS? And it’s just like. What’s the point of any of this? I barely have time to figure out this Nikki thing, and I have to deal with all this now? I’m a mess. I’m such a mess that, ugh. I’m doing so bad, Ma. Isn’t that so dumb? It’s not like anybody cares.”

“I care.” Mahina said. “Lots of people care about you.”

Kalei didn’t want to see her mom’s face, because she could hear the concern in her tone. Her mom very rarely showed concern in her voice. Usually she’d just laugh things off or crack a joke. Only when it was a real moment would her voice go soft and simultaneously stern like that.

“Lots of people care about you,” Mahina repeated. “You should have seen your friends when they rushed to help. None of them hesitated.”

Kalei didn’t have a good answer to it. While it was nice her friends were there for her, her sadness felt like a brick weighing down her insides.

“It’s OK to be doing bad. It’s not a crime to be hurting.”

Kalei hated the whimper that escaped her lips. She was above this. Crying out like this was just… “This is so stupid. I’m crying to my mom about this…”

“Shush, it’s not stupid,” Mahina said, patting her daughter’s shoulders. “Crying to your mom is one of the best things you can do when you need it.”

“Ma…” Kalei said. She sighed again, her tears still streaking down her face.

“Even if you didn’t have any of your friends coming to bat for you,” Mahina said. “You always have me. Got it?”

Kalei nodded. Mahina wasn’t the “there, there” comfort type, and Kalei could scarcely remember the last time she bawled in front of her mom like this. But the words of encouragement as Kalei let it out helped a great deal. Despite the terrible day, the worst part of the weekend loomed in her mind, the redhead heartbreak that wouldn’t leave her thoughts.

“I really liked her,” Kalei said. “I don’t get it. Why didn’t…what’d I do wrong?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Mahina said. “Heartbreaks happen, and I wish they were easier to face, but they don’t come with a forecast most of the time. The suddenness and shock isn’t something anyone is ever ready for. Now that I said forecast, that does remind me, I did have the hots for this weather person once, I thought that was going really well until it wasn’t. Which is strange because you’d think that would be a go to example for having a forecast for heartbreak, but. Still.”

“Mom, you can be so…a lot sometimes.” Kalei said.

“So can you.”

“OK, since—” Kalei sniffed. “Since it’s just us here. And since you told me you’re like kinda gay too.”

“Bisexual isn’t ‘kinda gay’!” Mahina said. “That’s like saying a Kanibari is only kind of a Cani.”

“Right, fine, whatever,” Kalei said. “I don’t mean whatever as in like. Invalidating. I mean, yes, I agree, I’m whatevering like to like, continue.”

“To continue without invalidating my sexuality.”

“Yeah, that’s what I mean,” Kalei said. “All I’m saying is you can say if it was a weather lady instead of weather person. Because I have a feeling I know who this was about.”

“Fine, it was,” Mahina said. “That channel twelve beauty absolutely broke my heart. I was getting ready to introduce you to her.”

“She broke your heart?” Kalei asked.

“Oh, yeah, I didn’t want to bog you down with it, but I was so, so beat up about that one.” Mahina said. “We were chatting, we had a good back and forth, I fell hard. I was so excited to date a celebrity!”

“A local weather lady is barely a celebrity, Ma.” Kalei said.

“Still. She felt like one.” Mahina said. “What tipped you off about me and her? Or the heartbreak of that mess?”

“In hindsight, that week you got really quiet and wouldn’t let me look up the weather.” Kalei said.

“Damn, you’re good.” Mahina said.

“Mom, it was so obvious you were bummed about something, it’s not tough.” Kalei said. “Still super weird to think about you crushing on ladies. Is it weird for you that I do?”

“Not at all.” Mahina said. “Still. You put up with my heartbreak well and didn’t try to sneak weather forecast time in. Empathy’s a good trait, you know?”

“I guess.” Kalei said.

The two felt a thud.

“Guess our trip’s almost over,” Mahina said. “I wish we had just a bit more time there.”

“Same here,” Kalei said. “Thanks for letting me…let all that out.”

“Anytime,” Mahina said. “When we’re home, we need to have a huge ice cream party. Because I don’t know about you, but I need something sweet after this.”

“That sounds good to me,” Kalei said. “We should probably think of a plan or something too, quick, yeah?”

“They’re probably going to tie us up again,” Mahina said. “I’d say we should try fighting them off again but that Clybrid girl is just gonna do whatever the hell this is.” She gestured to the crystal surrounding them.

“Maybe just like last time, wait for the perfect moment to strike?” Kalei said. “But I get to pick the code word this time.”

“Of course,” Mahina said. “As long as you pick a good one.”