#kalei

It wasn’t the worst place to die, Kalei thought.

Wasn’t that a thought? Lay here, beneath the trees, and wait to rot. They’d been searching through the forest before those videos came in. Those videos.

Those fucking videos.

Kalei hadn’t texted a many people since receiving them. Hadn’t made posts except to reply to the worried (or mocking) asks. What was there to say? Fia was dead. It didn’t seem possible- Kalei would have bet their soul that it wasn’t possible after every single way they watched something kill her, but of course. Of course, the only thing to destroy Fia was herself. How fucking poetic was that- that Fia, in a way, killed herself in the end? No, no, they didn’t blame Fia- god, Kalei could never.

They blamed just about everybody except Fia and Kat. Ray, for his aim that didn’t miss this time. The letter writer, for not leaving her a single warning. The DMS, for taking Fia in the first place. Crystal, for playing so kind with Kalei and then taking Fia in. Allaria, for enjoying the torture. Allaria. Allaria. Kalei wanted to be mad. They wanted to be so, so mad, because Fia wanted nothing more than choice, and she didn’t choose any of this.

She didn’t choose to have her hair cut. She didn’t choose to wear the revealing outfit to be studied. She didn’t choose the blood draws, the torture, the beatings. She didn’t choose to die. She didn’t want to die. Fia didn’t get to choose a goddamn thing, and Kalei couldn’t even be mad.

All Kalei could do was miss her. Rain sprinkled down from the sky, mostly stopped by the thick foliage above them. The woods were dense here, and it would be so, so easy for two people to disappear. They glanced at their other (only remaining? No, Fia could be their partner even in death, she chose to be their partner, never chose to end it) partner, who was pacing.

It would be. Overwhelmingly. Easy. For two people to disappear. They sniffled and wiped at their face aggressively, debating offering a hand to Kat before deciding it wouldn’t do much good anymore. Instead, Kalei tilted their face to the sky and closed their eyes.

They were going to see Fia again. Even if it meant sitting here and waiting until they rotted as much as her, and then taking her to dance in the ocean of heaven, they would see her again. It was the only train of thought that they could tolerate.

… Although Kalei did not blame Kat, she did. 

If she had used her powers properly, at the right time, Fia would be here right now. 

She couldn't help but feel empty. After using her powers to use her phone much too long, it had taken a toll on her. It turned her… Hollow. 

Fia had clearly been affected by the way Kat had spoken out of turn. She spoke with such hate for humanity that seemed wrong. False. Unlike her. 

And she had upset Fia. 

… 

Kat needed to see Fia again. With Kalei. Otherwise she wasn't sure if she could continue to keep her head held as high as she used to. 

The sound of wheels running over the branches and foliage on the ground would interrupt the two’s grieving. Pebbles and twigs broke and scattered under the pair of wheels heading their way. Was it a hallucination? A trick of their regretful minds? A random mountain biker? A few moments passed, and the figure came into view. A long sleeved shirt and pair of plain pants, a pair of beat-up running shoes on their feet. Short brown hair poked out from under their bike helmet, a purple face mask covered half their face, and dull purple eyes stared ahead unblinkingly at Kat and Kalei.

It may take a few moments to recognize them, but once she peeled off the face mask, it was absolutely unmistakable who it was.

Fia.

Fia. Bruised, battered, dried blood caking her face, exhausted, and soaked to the bone, but alive. Is this real? Or some cruel prank from the universe? She rode towards the two, right hand clutching a piece of folded paper. The handlebar wobbled along the way from both the bumpy terrain and the fact that Fia had never rode a bike before.She dropped the bike a few feet away from Kat and Kalei, letting it fall to the ground. Some snacks, a roll of bandages, and another paper fell out of the front basket and scattered across the dirt.

Fia stumbled towards the two, blinking hard. A gold necklace poked out on her neck, her pallid skin covered with patches of a blue and purple galaxy. She smelled like rot and death, and was very unsteady on her feet. So much that she wobbled as she walked towards them, ultimately unable to make it all the way. She stopped, opened her mouth as if to say something, then shut it. Fia trembled, a quiet sob choking out.

It was too much. Everything was just far too much for her to bear alone. She swayed on her feet for a moment, her knees then buckling under her weight, her rotting body collapsing forward. Goodness, she didn’t even care if nobody caught her—she just couldn’t bear it anymore.

She never thought she’d see the light of day again. Yet here she is, rain-soaked and barely awake, yes, but so very free and alive.

They lurched forward and crawled, Fia practically collapsing on top of them. Kalei leaned back with her in their trembling, red hands, sitting criss cross with her head cradled in their lap.

It would be more normal for Kalei to deny the reality of this. Fia should, by all reasoning, be dead. They had seen her get shot. They had seen the DMS reports. And Fia… Kalei’s hands brushed over the patchwork of growth on (beneath?) her skin, the darkened hues mixing together beneath a shaking grasp. Fia did not appear how Kalei remembered her from a month ago. Her hair was cut short, her skin was mottled, and her mannerisms weakened.

Not a single part of that mattered, because the impossible was what always seemed to happen to them. The impossible, the improbable, the unfortunate, and the tragic. She was not breathing. She seemed cold beneath their hands. Fia should, by all means, be considered death.

Kalei prayed. They were not a religious person, but they prayed to whatever might listen. Doubling over, and their lips pressed against her forehead to whisper the pleads into her skin. She smelled like death. She felt like death. But Fia wasn’t lucky enough to die. “I have you,” Kalei whispered. “I have you. I have you, I have you, I have you.”

If Fia was alive, they would help her. If Fia was really dead after all, they could become hollowed out carcasses together. Either way, there was not a future where Kalei would let go anytime soon.

Of course, Kat joined the embrace soon after. Her shock did not take over her sense of relief, weighing gently on her soul like an untangled hope of meeting again. 

… Although she wished they had never parted to begin with. 

“Fia…” Kat didn't know where to start, so she shut down her attempts at starting any conversation. She just embraced the people she cared for the most and closed her eyes to let the moment sink in. 

Fia shook in Kalei and Kat’s arms, dazed. She grabbed gently onto a corner of Kalei’s shirt, not letting go, and reached to hold onto Kat’s hand. Neither could hear Fia’s breathing, nor feel a pulse. Discolouration mottles her skin, likely from blood pooling during the livor mortis stage of death, her muscles stiff and cold. She had died and come back to life, truly a dead girl walking this time. No amount of care would fix that fact. Still, Fia is relieved that her partners are safe and unharmed.

“...Sorry…” her voice is nothing more than a raspy whisper. Even this simple apology took great effort. Flakes of blood, a purple so dark that it appeared black, fell onto Kalei’s lap. The hand that was holding onto Kalei’s shirt only tightened, the letter in her hand bunching up.

In the distance, smoke rose far above the trees, and sirens could faintly be heard.

Responsive. Considering Fia alive or dead was pointless now, Kalei knew, but she was responsive. That was better than expected. They shook their head, brushing gentle hands through what remained of Fia’s hair. “No, no, do not apologize. Never apologize.”

The sirens were concerning. Who knew how long it had taken Fia to bike to them (how had she managed to do it? It must have hurt terribly), and the DMS could very likely have noticed that a very important corpse was missing. Loathe as they were to admit it, Kalei spoke up. “We cannot stay here. We need to flee D.C., at least. Kat, can you carry her? I’ll open the back of the van and sit with her and try to… ah, keep her comfortable while you drive.”

Pretending they could do anything to help Fia would be ridiculous. Most likely the only help she could receive was their company. “I’ll try to- to see how much I can know about their movements towards us, if it does come to that. But right now, we need to get her out of the rain.”

Pressing a warm hand to Fia’s cheek, Kalei spoke just a touch slower. “Fia, I’m so glad you’re here with us. We’re going to take you with us now, okay?”

Kat got up. “...Yeah, I can carry her. If we need to get moving, I can fly you both to wherever we need to go.”

She outstretched her wings, tiredly letting them hang from her back. 

“We can talk more later. We need to get out of here first.”

“Mm… where…?” Fia struggled to try to sit up, ultimately failing. She turned her head towards the direction of the fallen bike, pointing weakly.

“Ah.. can’t leave… evi.. Evidence…” she mumbled, attempting to sit up again futilely. She winced sharply, hand dropping the letter and going to her forehead. The helmet she was wearing had fallen off at some point (she didn’t have the strength to click the clasp closed), exposing the dark half-healed bullet hole through her forehead. Blood didn’t drip from it anymore, but it still stung and probably needed treatment.

“Mmmm… they… they’re… busy…” Fia mustered up half a smile, falling over again into Kalei’s arms, struggling to stay awake. Darkness threatened to overtake her vision now that the initial adrenaline of returning to life was fading.

Kalei kept a tight grip on Fia with one hand, and used the other to pick up and pocket the letter. It had to mean something if Fia had made it all the way here holding it, right? “We’ll take care of the bike,” Kalei reassured her. As for where to go…

The van was close enough. They could get inside and flee. Yes, it was excruciatingly obvious, but they could abandon it and trade off for... Something. Fuck. At least Fia said they were distracted. “We’re going to take the Van and leave DC, and then head away from Ness Anne for a bit. We will abandon the van then, and find… something else to drive. Most of our belongings can be left behind. Then, we’re returning to Ness Anne.”

It was really their only option. Fia was unwell, there was no way she could tolerate the lifestyle Kat and Kalei had adopted recently. (It was unsustainable anyhow, so that didn’t matter much.) Moving away from Ness Anne might throw potential pursuers off their trail, and a return to Ness Anne would most definitely be unexpected.

Pressing soft lips to Fia’s cheek, Kalei shifted out from under her and began to stand, before hooking their arms under her armpits to lift her. It was not smooth and it was not as pretty as if Kat had done it, but Kalei knew it had to be done. “Get the bike,” they told their other friend. “We’ll dispose of it outside DC. I’ll get her in the van.”

Kat nodded. “Okay. I'll put it in the back, then… Do we need anything before we get out of here? Gas, maybe?”

It seemed she wanted to get down to business. It almost seemed insincere to be so straightforward, but Kat just wanted them to both be safe. 

Fia kicked the ground slightly, trying to stand up and help Kalei out so her weight wasn’t entirely on them, to no avail. In fact, it probably made their job more difficult. Just staying conscious was a struggle.

“Mm…” Fia twitched, gritting her teeth. Goodness, she was pathetic. “I can w-walk…” No, no she could not, as evidenced by her poor attempt to stand on her own again, flailing and falling. “Agh… sorry…” she muttered, dizziness washing over her again. No, can’t pass out yet. Not safe, and you’ll just be more of a burden than you are now.

How in the world did she end up here again? She didn’t recall much of the trip over, other than the creaking pain in her legs, but clearly if she could follow instructions and make it all the way over here, she can stand up, right? Nope. The adrenaline of escape long faded, and she was painfully aware of her rotting flesh again. It would be easy to just let go of consciousness and just let Kat and Kalei take care of her, but she can’t do that to them. They risked their lives and safety for her. She had to repay them somehow, starting with not being nothing but dead weight.

Kat’s dedication to getting shit figured out was extremely relieving. “We need gas. Bandages. Food, for yourself and myself, something light for her if she wants it.” They seriously doubted Fia needed it. “Then we need to get the fu- Fia, sweetheart, don’t walk.”

She ended up dragging them halfway down to the ground before Kalei decided to take a risk and accept that they were going to be sore for the next week. With great effort, they managed to get the woman in a princess carry in their arms, her bloodied head lolling against their shoulder. “Hold onto me, if you can,” Kalei said. She seemed like she wanted to help, maybe simple instructions would reassure her.

The walk to the van was slower than it should’ve been for such a short distance, but they managed to get over and get Fia laid on the mattress. Her hair was so short… it made them ill. They remembered how much she adored that hair. Kalei ran their fingers through it gently (so oily and tangled, the DMS hadn’t been bothered to care for it) before reaching for a blanket to cover Fia’s body and grabbing a first aid kid.

Speak. “Fia, you’re somewhere safe now. Once Kat gets the evidence here- so they won’t know where you went- we’re going to go somewhere to trick them. Just in case they try to follow us. And then we’re going to go home, okay? All three of us.”

The bullet hole in her head was a concern for sure. Kalei gently lifted her head and, with a whispered apology, began to search for an exit wound. They’d need to lean into the madness for a desperate grasp at knowledge, and that might fuck them over, but that was something they were completely okay with.

Kat lifted up the bike, and the helmet left behind. She flew over to the van, chucking everything in the back. 

After that she immediately grabbed a water bottle and a cloth from inside the van and started cleaning off any blood on the road from the discarded helmet. 

“Should be clear. Do you need anything, Fia?”

Fia’s hair was not only short and horribly taken care of, but patches of her bare scalp could be seen from tearing out of her hair. Small droplets of dried blood caked those areas too, but they were small and clearly not splashes from the gunshot wound. She gingerly turned her head to the side. It was more accurate to say that the bullet entered from the back of her head, but honestly? Fia could barely move at all. Hopefully the half-healed wound was obvious enough even in the dark.

“You… you guys… found me…” she said, delirium settling in, voice quiet and raspy but clearly audible to both. “Tha… thank you…” was the last thing she said before darkness overtook her vision and her consciousness slipped away to oblivion.

“She’s out,” Kalei said numbly. “Just drive.”

They lifted some antiseptic and gauze from the kit with a held breath before inviting their pressing headache deeper.

Time to pack the wound.

The winged woman sighed, glamoring the wings away and preparing the van for a long trip. 

….All that mattered was that Fia was back with them.