Kal watched as Cherry and Seth sat at a small table finishing up dinner. The sun had set maybe an hour ago. The night air was still hot, but a nice breeze blew through the patio.
"Have you seen her?" Seth asked, stretching.
"Nope," Cherry signed the receipt paper before standing.
Seth stood and stretched before following her onto the sidewalk. The conversation changed to work shifts and weekend plans. Kal watched them walk towards their car.
"Watching them again?" Devin's voice startled her. She hadn't been expecting him. She turned to face him, somewhat annoyed at the surprise.
"You could always go talk to them." He said.
She had a hard time believing he would suggest such a thing. Especially not after their trip to the bar last week. She wasn't sure whether he was testing her or teasing her.
"You know I can't." She couldn't trust herself to be in the same room as her brother. Not without trying to kill him. It was nice they were still worried. Still hoping she'd come home.
"I could go talk to them for you." He smiled playfully.
"You wouldn't dare," she frowned.
He shrugged and sat on the roof's edge, his feet swinging in front of the building. Leaning back slightly, he looked at the stars. "You look so miserable when you're watching them."
I look miserable? He's right.I feel miserable. Completely disconnected from her friends and family, she didn't hate this new life but missed parts of her old one. Stuff like going out to eat together or suffering through Cherry's terrible movie choices. Things she probably would never get to do again, that she'd taken for granted.
"Sometimes I feel lonely." She sat down next to Devin.
At times like this, when it seemed like he cared, she didn't feel as lonely. They sat silently for a long time, finding comfort in each other's presence—comfort in not being alone.
---
Kal landed quietly on the balcony. She knew she shouldn't have come here, but she was there all the same. I can't go inside unless invited, she told herself. He'd be safe. She hadn't been able to get him out of her thoughts as much as she had tried. Maybe she needed closure, to say goodbye.
She pressed her face against the sliding glass door, peering into the tiny efficiency apartment. The room flooded with harsh, yellow light briefly. Seth slid through the open doorway, carefully making as little noise as possible. He jumped when he saw the face still pressed against the glass.
His fear quickly turned to joy when he realized it was his sister peering through his window. He dropped his work bag and jogged across the room before pressing his face against the glass. The siblings were now only separated by an inch of glass. She took a step back and smiled, unsure what to say.
The lock clicked, his hand on the handle, ready to remove the only physical barrier separating them. Kal shook her head, but he didn't listen. Sighing, she placed her hand on the door and held it closed. He attempted to pull harder, throwing his weight into it. The door didn't budge. Finally, Seth threw his hands up in defeat and took a small step back. It would be funny if everything weren't so frustrating.
"Hi." He said.
"Hey," She replied.
"I've missed you."
"I know. I'm sorry. I've missed you too. I think about you every night." She was rambling. There were so many things she wanted to say. So many conversations she'd run through her mind. But, now that she was here, they didn't seem important.
"Where have you been? I thought you were—" His voice trailed off. He couldn't bring himself to say the word. Dead.
"I was. I am." She said.
He shook his head. He'd seen dead people and fought to prevent the inevitable. They all had the same thing in common.
"Dead people don't walk around," he said.
"You'd be surprised," She chuckled weakly.
He seemed completely confused as he ran one hand through his spikey hair. He didn't want to be surprised. It wasn't supposed to be like this, not when Kal finally came home. Everything was supposed to return to normal. He sighed.
"Why don't you come—" He started to say.
"No!" She cut him off. "Never invite me in. It's not safe for you to be near me."
"I don't understand." His brows knitted in frustration.
She smiled her fangs in full view. The color drained from Seth's face, and his pulse quickened. She turned away, leaning against the glass, thankful for the door between them. "Did you forget the last time we saw each other?"
He shook his head. He'd never be able to forget. The color of her eyes, the way she stared at him. He felt slightly defeated. "I guess I was hoping…."
"This is kind of a permanent thing," She said.
"What should I tell dad?"
She hadn't even thought about that. She'd been too busy trying to get from night to night. They hadn't spoken in a while. Not since his new girlfriend moved in. Even so, he must have been worried sick.
"I don't know. Maybe it's better if he thinks I'm dead." She shrugged.
"Kal!" He said.
She looked at him through the glass and placed her hand flat against it. Seth put his hand up to hers. She could feel his warmth. There was sadness in his eyes, and Kal could tell he was thinking about when she was gone. When everyone thought she was dead. The kind you don't come back from.
"That night you disappeared, I was on my way over to surprise you. Cherry thought it would be fun. Have some beers, play some kart racing. You know," He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "I'm still bummed you won the last game we played."
A smile crossed his face as he looked toward the tv in the corner of the room. He dashed to the tv table and pulled out a small, purple cube. Kal recognized the game system immediately.
"Rematch?" He asked.
She didn't reply. Curious, she watched. Seth placed the console as far from the tv as the cord would allow and attached the controllers. Then, he laid a wireless controller near the sliding door.
"Can you reach it? It's okay if I'm not close to the door, right?"
"I can't reach it if it's inside." She took a step away from the door.
I'm not sure if that's entirely true, but I don't want to test it here. Kal backed into the railing of the balcony and turned around. Waiting. Listening for the door to slide open, the soft noise of the plastic touching the concrete, and the door sliding closed.
"I'm not sure you're gonna fare much better in the rematch." She taunted.
"I've been practicing." He flashed a wide grin.
Kal sat on the concrete balcony, pressing her body into the cool plate-glass door so she could see the tv better. Seth sat about a foot away, leaning against the end of the bed. She focused completely on the game, her reaction time better than she remembered it being. Even so, the race was close, and she only managed to win with a well-timed shell.
"No fair," Seth grumbled.
"You're only saying that 'cause you lost." She stuck her tongue out.
"I'll win the next one," he said.
"Maybe, but not tonight. You have company." She said.
She placed the controller on the floor next to the slider and walked to the balcony's edge. There was a knock on the front door. Seth seemed a bit surprised. "How did you know that?"
"I heard the footsteps," She said. "Thanks for the game."
"Wait, you don't have to go." He said.
He was right, probably. But Kal wasn't ready to see Cherry. She was still pretty ashamed about the night in their apartment. But more than that, she was a little afraid. The more Kal thought about it, the more she was sure that the power that had saved her brother belonged to Cherry.
As Seth went to answer the door, Kal jumped the balcony railing and headed home.
For the first time in a long time, she felt content.