I arrived at Kyra's door and knocked lightly, not wanting to make a disturbance.
At first I assumed she wouldn't open it, but she did, pulling it wide enough for me to see her room. A small bed, a closet, a study space.
That was it.
I hadn't seen it before. Thought there'd be more.
"See anything you like? Why don't you come in?" she asked, noticing me scanning the room.
I saw toiletries on the bed. She was about to freshen up. "Sorry for intru—"
"No. It's okay, you can start by telling me why you're here," she said, waving me inside.
I stepped inside. "Since when is checking on my sister wrong?"
"You're not the type to worry about another person's well-being. What do you really want?"
She'd seen through me. I didn't expect it to last though. Didn't panic either. I went straight to the point. "Tell me everything you know about my mother and our family. Don't leave anything out."
She rejected me with a firm, "No."
My eyes widened. I hadn't expected rejection. I thought her resentment toward my father would get me answers. But I was…
Kyra snickered, interrupting my thoughts. "No. Is what I would've said if Wilbur hadn't pissed me off," she said.
"So you're disobeying him?"
"Of course I am. Giving you the truth would piss him off. And that's what I want," she said.
Her casual tone cut through the seriousness of the situation. Strange, that she thought of this as a fair trade, even though it would get her into serious trouble. I'm not amazed. This is who she is.
After noticing her prolonged silence, I asked, "Why aren't you saying anything?"
She unexpectedly got closer to me in an instant. Her face inches away from mine, close enough for me to feel her breath.
I raised a brow. "What are you—"
"Take a good look at me, Ty," she cut in, soft and a bit embarrassed.
"Seriously, what're you—"
"I said look at me, goddammit!" she snapped.
My eyes narrowed. Caught off guard. She'd never snapped at me.
So I did as she asked.
She was uncomfortable. I could see it in the faint redness of her melanin skin, pursed lips, the way she'd forced her eyes wide open. She tried her hardest to maintain a serious expression.
"What's the point of this?" I asked, tired of staring.
"Just wanted you to see her through my face. I mean, you've never seen her before," she said, pulling back and adjusting her braids.
That made sense. If she looked like my mother, it would explain why my father was hard on her. He missed her. He missed my mother.
Suddenly, I smiled, thinking of my mother. I didn't understand why I felt this way.
"Tyler," Kyra said, smirking, "You weren't having lewd thoughts just now, were you?"
I gave her a cold look and shifted focus. "You know what I want. Now tell me."
She sighed, disappointed. "Fine. You're not going to believe me." She paused. "We come from a different space called the Nexarion Realm. A nation called Nestral. Full of super humans. That's how I understand it anyway."
She was right. I didn't believe it. Though Uncle Elroy's reaction to 'planet' earlier made it a bit believable. But I couldn't buy it yet.
"Show me proof," I said.
She folded her arms. "Sorry, no can do. Elroy has sharp senses for energy. If I did something now, even for an instant. He'd pick it up."
She couldn't provide proof. So I stood, ready to leave.
"You don't believe me." She lowered her head. "I understand."
I looked back at her and nodded.
Then—
The windows burst open with a loud creak behind Kyra. I looked up.
"Tasha?" I said, shocked.
She sat on the windowsill, no sign of how she'd gotten there. Expressionless, she looked at me.
"Kyra," she said.
Kyra turned to face her, unbothered, as if she'd been expecting her. I didn't understand what was going on.
"Day…. X…" Tasha said. Her voice got distant, fading. "…is here."
Day X?
Then it went dark. Day X was the last thing I heard.