black bird
“Be good, Kalei. Be perfect. We’ll be back.”
“Yes, mother.”
“Stay safe, Kalei. But remember whatever you do, you must be the best. Don’t do anything you can’t succeed at.”
“Yes, father.”
———Age 6———
“Richard? How long have my parents been gone?”
“Seven months and six days, young master.”
“Will they ever come back?”
“I do not know, young master.”
“But they said they would be back for my birthday!”
“They always say that, young master.”
———Age 7———
“Gabriel, are my parents going to come home today?”
“I do not know, young master.”
“But it’s my birthday! I’m seven today!”
“I know, young master.”
“Do my parents know?”
“I do not know, young master.”
———Age 8———
“How long have they been gone this time, Nathaniel?”
“Eleven months, young master.”
“Do you know when they’re coming back?”
“No, young master.”
“Thank you, Nathaniel.”
“Happy birthday, young master.”
———Age 9———
“No sign of them?”
“No, young master.”
“Thank you, Jacob. You may leave.”
“Happy birthday, young master.”
“Leave.”
“As you wish, young master.”
———Age 10———
“Are they…?”
“No, young master.”
“As I thought.”
“Happy birthday, young master.”
“Thank you, Andrew.”
———Age 11———
“It is midnight, young master. You must sleep.”
“Alright.”
“Happy birthday, young master.”
“Thank you, Samuel.”
———Age 12———
“What do you want?”
“Happy birthday, young master.”
“Thank you, Edward.”
———Age 13———
“Happy birthday, young master.”
“Thank you, Elliot.”
———Age 14———
“Happy birthday, young master.”
———Age 15———
"It's my birthday today, Nicholas. Where have you been?"
“Is something wrong, Nicholas? You look pretty pale, and you smell like—” There was something wrong, Kalei could feel the hairs on his neck standing on an edge, “—blood, and—” But what? Nothing seemed out of place, his butler only looked sick, like he had an—
“—infected.”
—infection.
Kalei ran.
“Don’t do anything you can’t succeed at.”
Kalei couldn’t fight an infected, he was only fifteen—
—He had never encountered an infected before—
“You must be the best.”
But he couldn’t, this was impossible.
He couldn’t fight an infected—
“You must be the best."
—He could.
“Be perfect.”
He could do this, he was strong, he had been practicing all his life.
He could do this, he was the best, he was better than anyone else.
He could do this, he had to.
He had to be perfect.
