Vira entered through the window, her wings flapping tiredly, and crashed on Kai's bed. He poked his head out of the bathroom, his mouth full of toothpaste foam, and grunted in acknowledgment before returning to the sink to wash his mouth.
He went out a few moments later. "Good morning."
"Morning…"
"I've barely seen you over the past couple of weeks," he went to the closet and changed into his work clothes. "What have you been up to?"
"Sorry," she snuggled under the blanket. "There was some fairy business I needed to take care of."
"'Needed'—does that mean you're done?"
"Not exactly…"
What business could she possibly have? He grimaced as he buttoned his shirt. "It's about Maria, isn't it?"
She raised her head to look at him. "What?"
"Your fairy business… You kept quiet about Maria recently, but I know you still think she is a bad match for me. Were you looking for a replacement?"
She dropped her head back into the pillow with a sigh. She couldn't tell him what was really going on, firstly because she didn't have all the facts, and secondly, because this evil spellcaster was targeting her, not him. The less he knew, and the further away from her he was, the safer he would be.
And then there was the matter of his mother's death. As far as Vira could tell, her death was incidental to this sorcerer—or, sorceress more likely—but if Kai found out… he might get angry and seek revenge, or become fearful and shut himself in his room again… the fairy godmother couldn't decide which was worse.
"I don't think Maria is right for you," she said.
"Well, while you were out there flying around the city searching for her replacement," he said, "she was here with me, helping me get through… everything."
Vira sat up in his bed and frowned. "I'm… I'm glad to hear that, and I'm sorry I wasn't here for you…"
"Yeah, well…" he picked up his backpack. "I invited her to a family dinner next week, and I was hoping I could rely on your help to make sure it all goes smoothly." He made his way out of the room. "But on second thought, maybe it's better if you just stay out of it."
"That's not fair, Kai. I would never sabotage—"
He left the apartment and shut the door behind him.
Vira fell back into the bed and sighed deeply.
***
It was about a week later, on a weekend, that Kai and Maria left the cab and made their way to the door, holding hands. The old beach house had been in the Holloway family for several generations and was well maintained through the years, looking good as new.
Kai stopped at the threshold and took a long breath.
"Are you alright?" Maria stood beside him, wearing a plain red dress that clung tightly around her waist and opened wide at her cleavage. "You seem nervous."
"Yeah, sorry… Last time I was here…" he pulled at the neck of his shirt. "Well, it's been a while." He nodded to himself, deciding he was ready, and knocked on the door.
A few long moments passed before it opened.
"You came," Emi smiled and gave each of them a short hug. "You arrived just in time." She cleared the doorway for them to enter. "Dinner's ready."
They went in and followed Emi down the hallway. The smell of cooking threw Kai back to a different time… when he used to live here… when this house was a home… when his mom was alive…
As they entered the large dining room, a hired cook began setting down trays of food on the long table, with Dawson Holloway—Kai's father—sitting at the head. He got up to greet the two, a flat smile hidden beneath his thick mustache.
"Kind of you to finally show your face," he patted his son's shoulder, his voice deep. "You look well."
"Thanks, Dad," the Oathless could not recall the last time his father gave him a compliment, let alone smiled at him. "I've been working out."
Dawson gave a grunt of approval and turned his attention to Maria.
"Ah, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Maria. You might remember her; she has been to the house a few times while I was in high-school…"
"Yes, yes, of course," the edges of his mouth twitched in what Kai assumed was a mental effort to maintain his friendly smile.
He has no idea who she is, does he?
Dawson turned his head to the cook. "Greg?"
"Table is set, Mr. Holloway."
"Good," he returned his attention to Maria. "I hope you are hungry."
"I could eat."
"Let us sit, then," he gestured to the long table, and they all sat down: Dawson at the head, Emi to his right, and Kai and Maria to his left.
The food was a familiar menu—things Jun used to make for their family dinners: baked chicken, a large bowl of curried rice, and a long plate of fried vegetables.
"I'm glad to see you are doing better, son," the old man said as they began to eat. "I was worried you were going to become one of those worthless shut-ins who never amount to anything," he snickered in a derogatory way that made Kai's skin crawl. "How long were you stuck there? Two? Three years?"
"Four, I think," Emi smirked.
The Oathless frowned and chewed slowly on a mouthful of chicken, hoping that if he kept quiet long enough, they would forget the topic and move on to something else.
"Stuck where?" Maria asked.
"In his apartment," Emi's face shone. "Didn't he tell you? In the past four years, he had done nothing but play video games and eat pizza."
Kai swallowed. "Mom died… I was grieving."
"We were all grieving," she scowled. "And we dealt with it like adults—or do you think we didn't love her as much as you did?"
"I don't know, you two sure seemed to fight a lot."
His comment struck straight through her heart. He could see it on her face.
"Besides…" His hand curled into a tight fist around his fork. "I was there… I saw her die."
Maria made a sharp turn to face him, her eyes going wide.
"Yes… you were," Emi said, an unspoken accusation in her tone. It wasn't lost on Kai, and he glared at his sister.
"Enough," Dawson said, and they fell silent, returning to their eating.
"You were there? In the accident?" Maria whispered.
"I wasn't hurt," he answered. "I never get hurt," he muttered to himself.
"Kai…"
"Can we talk about this later?"
She let him be.
"Whatever the case may be, I am glad you found your footing, son," Dawson said. "Though I am curious: what got you out of your rut?"
The Oathless took a long moment to think of an answer. He told Maria about his godmother, but his father and sister didn't know about her, and that put him in an odd position.
"I… met a mentor, an older woman who helped me pick myself up and put my life together," he gave his girlfriend a look, hoping she would get the hint. She was confused, though she seemed to get the idea.
"Interesting," Dawson's brow rose as he wiped sauce from his mustache. "And how much did you pay her?"
"Nothing… She didn't ask for money or anything."
"Emi told me you also found a job. Did your… mentor help you with that, too?"
"Yeah."
"You should be careful, son," the old man frowned. "You don't want to become too dependent on her. In fact, in the interest of getting you out on your own, I think it is time that I cut you loose."
Kai shifted in his seat. "What do you mean?"
"I won't be paying for your apartment anymore or giving you an allowance. It is time you made it on your own. Think you can handle that with your new job… oh, what was it?"
"Digital art," he said.
"Ah, yes, that. Does it pay well?"
"Well enough," Kai grimaced. He could make do without his father's money, though losing that security net did make him a bit worried.
"Enough to put you through college?"
"Ah…" The Oathless stared at the old man.
"Don't you worry," his father chuckled. "I will still pay for what's left of that… When did you think of going back?"
Kai gulped. "I-I don't… I didn't…"
"He doesn't plan on going back, Daddy."
"Nonsense, of course he is…" Dawson smiled at his son, but as Kai lowered his head, his smile turned into a frown.
"I'm sorry, Dad, but I like what I am doing now, and I think I can make a career out of it."
There was a long silence as the cook re-entered the room with a tray of steaks, placed it down, then turned to leave back the way he had come.
Violently, the old man forked a steak onto his plate, then began cutting into the succulent meat. "I did not spend a small fortune on your education and fund your four years of 'grieving', so you could sit in front of a computer and draw cartoons all day."
Kai shrank, a pit growing in his stomach.
"You needed time to recover, and you've had it. Now you must fulfill your duty and become a member of this family once again."
The Oathless shut his eyes.
"Is that clear?" The old man held up the diced steak, awaiting his son's response.
The pit in his stomach kept growing deeper and deeper, but what could he do? He couldn't refuse his father, could he? What would Lance do? What would Vira have advised in this situation? He wished she were here.
"I…" he started, but stopped as a lump rose in his throat. "I don't want…"
Maria shifted uncomfortably in her seat beside him. What was he thinking, bringing her here? He should have come alone first, tested the waters, then invited her to another get-together once he knew it was safe. His sister made it seem like it was going to be a nice family dinner, that his father would be happy to see him… He supposed that much was true, but he did not expect that happiness to come with all those strings attached.
"Are you crying?" Emi scoffed.
He scowled at her. His eyes were misting, but he had it under control. He swallowed the lump in his throat. "Where's your husband, Emi?"
That wiped the smirk off her face. "He had an important business trip, so he couldn't make it."
"Business trip?" he scoffed, letting out some of his frustration. "Is that what he tells you when he goes out with other women?"
"Order!" Dawson slammed his fist on the table, rattling the silverware. "You will not speak to your sister that way."
Kai pursed his lips. She started it,but of course, somehow, this is entirely my fault.
Maria cleared her throat, wiped her lips with a napkin, and got up. "Maybe it's better if I leave."
The Oathless covered his face. He couldn't blame her, not after this disaster of a dinner, and a part of him worried that if he let her go now, it would be the last time he ever saw her.
"Thank you for the meal, Mr. Holloway," she flashed a forced smile at the old man.
Kai rose from his seat too, wiping his mouth with a napkin and discarding it on the plate. "Yes, Dad, our compliments to the chef." He felt the pressure of their gazes as he walked, his hand gently laid on his girlfriend's back, leading her out of the room. She cast him a nervous glance.
"Where do you think you're going, son?"
"Home."
"We are not done here," Dawson rose, but Kai ignored him, reaching the doorway. "You hear me? Sit back down!"
The Oathless paused.
Vira and Lance, their advice always centered around one thing: be yourself. Be your best self. And though he didn't know what his best self would do in a time like this, he was sure that he wouldn't back down. He wouldn't let other people control his life.
He glanced at his father, his jaw tight, his eyes stern. "Or what?"
The old man grimaced. "You are either a part of this family, or you're not."
"Family?!" His face contorted with a mixture of contempt and sadness. "The only person who ever gave a shit about me in this family died four years ago."
"How dare you?!" Dawson slammed the table again, his face red and his hand shaking with rage. "You ungrateful-ungrateful—" His fist came down again, his breath heaving as he began to stammer.
"Dad?" Emi said, alert.
"Ungrateful—" he collapsed to his knees, clutching his heart.
"Dad!" She lunged to his side instantly, supporting him so he wouldn't fall.
Kai stared in shock.
"Look! Look what you've done to him!" she cried.
"I…" he mumbled, his bitterness giving way to a strange sense of ambivalence. He wanted to be angry with his conniving older sister and tyrannical father, but now… how was he supposed to feel? How could he reconcile his worry and his anger? "I-I didn't…"
"Don't just stand there! Call the ambulance!"
He froze. Couldn't move even if he wanted to.
"Kai," Maria pulled on his arm. She had panic in her eyes. But still, he couldn't move.
"I-I am fine," Dawson heaved, short of breath, then winced, clutching at his chest again.
"No, you are not. We need to take you to the hospital," Emi said, then glanced back at the two of them. "Maria, please!"
"What's wrong?" The cook came out of the kitchen.
"Greg, please, you have to call—"
"I'm calling right now." Maria took out her phone, sparing Kai a disappointed glance, and dialed.
"It's not…" He shook his head slowly. "It's not my fault…"