Wonders

Max woke up to everyone huddled around a couch. Confused and still a little groggy, he got up and walked to them, still holding the blanket in his arms.

"Hey, Max. Awake?" Dor greeted him from the huddle.

"Yeah. What's going on?" He rubbed his eyes.

"Kaia is getting hypnotized." He replied.

"What?!"

He was immediately shushed by the four girls. Their attention going back to the psychiatrist, watching his every movement. She laid on Caitlyn's lap holding onto Shia's one hand from above the couch. They had to be in this position because every time they tried to let her lay down alone, she would start panicking.

"What has this girl gone through? We haven't started and she's already so tensed." The psychiatrist looked around at them.

"Just do it, Doctor. I'm not paying you this much to ask us questions." Ran answered him, getting annoyed.

"Ok, young master." He replied going back to his work.

Kaia's other hand was on a computer that will help create images from what she types out.

"That's tech right there." Shia looked at it in admiration.

"Thank you, miss. I designed it myself. Since your friend can't talk, we'll have to rely on this. Hopefully, it'll work."

"You've never tried it yet?" Max was alarmed.

"Shush. We're beginning. Now, where am I taking her?" He looked at them.

"Try the day of her father's death," Aliya said.

"Ok. Kaia. We're going back to the day your father died. Can you tell me what happened? What are you seeing?"

She began typing frantically on the keyboard as it tried to create the images.

"There's something that keeps following me." She signed out while Caitlyn translated.

"Who is that person?"

"It's not a person. It-" She put her hand down and typed frantically again.

After typing, her eyes flew open as a scream tried to escape her lips. She started convulsing and shaking again.

"What's happening?" Shia asked him then looked at Kaia.

"It looks like something's not letting her talk. This is all in her head but she doesn't know it. If she lets it win, it'll kill her."

She looked hysterically around her, almost like she couldn't see anyone. They called to her and tried to do what they could to get her to see them.

What are you doing, Kaia? Do you think you've suffered enough? This isn't even half of it. Nothing's going to make me disappear from you. NOTHING.

Get out of my head. Please. Get out of my head.

NO! After everything you've ever done, do you think you're good enough for your friends? You're just fake. You deserted your mother, for happiness and you're going to desert everyone else.

Why not just die? They can live without you, right? Just like you lived happily without them. Just going on with your life like they never existed.

No. I-

You can't even remember whether you did or didn't do. Were they that insignificant?

I- Maybe that's for the best. I haven't been a g-

She felt something cold touch her cheeks. Slowly reaching up she touched it.

Water? Where did it come from?

It keeps splashing on her cheeks as the voices became quiet and some other voices came. Loud desperate voices calling her name.

She felt her mind clear a little bit listening to the other voices, memories flashing all around her.

My friends and people I care about will never say these things to me.

I'm not perfect. That's true enough. But I know that I trying my best for them and for me too. I keep making mistakes and they forgave for every one of them.

Me giving up now isn't going to change anything. I haven't finished one last thing. I can't go until I finished that.

I disappointed mum and I'm sorry about that. But even if what I did was wrong, I did it with the best intentions in mind. People hurt me and I hurt them, but I'll learn from that.

I'll make mistakes and keep making them, then I'll learn from them. I'll get hurt and I'll hurt, but I'll learn from that again.

I'll try my best not to disappoint anyone else anymore; like I disappointed you. I'm sorry.

She saw her with her old face sitting on top of her, crying her eyes out on the same field of white flowers. She reached up and touched her cheek.

You've been discarded all your life, even by me. That's why everyone started to look like I did and even worse wasn't it?

I-I just am so tired of being put in the corner. I don't want to be forgotten. I really don't. It hurt so much when you did that to me.

I'm sorry. I kept trying to help other people and forgot all about you. Will you please give me one more chance? Though I know I don't deserve it.

She stopped crying and looked at her with a small smile on her face.

Do you promise to never forget me?

You're me. A very, very important part of me. I never forgot about you. I just . . . ignored you. But how can I forget the strongest person I know?

Just then loud shouts filled the place. She couldn't make out what they were saying though.

What's that?

Old Kaia smiled at her, "Those are your friends. They want you back."

"Let's go back together then." She reached her hands out to her as a blinding white light covered her vision.

Slowly her vision cleared a little and she could make out red all around her as Caitlyn's tear-stained face came to view.

"Kaia! Kaia. Look at me. Look at me. It's me, Caitlyn." She kept begging, holding her hand to her face.

Ah. I really messed up, didn't I? I made the Caitlyn, who has never cried before cry this badly.

She reached her other hand up and wiped her tears. Caitlyn froze and looked at Kaia who was smiling back at her.

"Kaia!" She hugged her and cried even harder. "Kaia! You're alive! Kaia!"

The rest of them breathed a sigh of relief. Aliya, Shia, and Faith wiped the tears out of their faces as new one kept flowing.

Max rested his head in his hands, sniffling as his body shook from relief. While Dorran leaned against a wall and covered his face with his hands.

She really is a handful.

Yeah. But she's got everyone like pudding in her hands.

Are you complaining about that?

Not really. We're one of the puddings in her hand.

He looked at Caitlyn crying and laughing as she hugged Kaia. A wide smile came on his face.

Honestly, I would protect all of them with my life.

I didn't expect to hear that from you. Usually, I say that.

I guess, you just influence me.

You know it's not over yet right? There's still yours and Caitlyn's life at stake.

Yeah. But you know, I think I know why I committed suicide.

Because of Caitlyn?

Yeah. After having everything taken from me, all I had was Caitlyn and when I found out that she died, I couldn't see a reason to live and offed myself.

That's a plausible reason. Now to avoid it.

Yeah. If Caitlyn is alive then so will I be.

♣

"How are you feeling?"

"Do you want more water?"

"Blankets?"

Max and Dorran have been squeezed together onto a couch by the girls to make room for Kaia to breath. But they laughed.

The panic of the girls had to Kaia was entertaining to watch, to say the least.

"You can relax now, Max. Kaia looks like she is back to normal." Dor said, hitting Max's back. They were in a very uncomfortable position, with their hands and legs splayed everywhere.

"Ouch. Thing is, we still have a lot to do. Kaia kept talking about how big Caitlyn's disaster has on every one of us that were still alive. So I still can't relax."

"Just for now?"

"Well. Just for today, I can relax."

"Excuse me." The psychiatrist called to them.

"That's the guy Shia approved?" Max whispered to Dorran.

"Yeah. He was useless though."

"Agreed. Kaia had to do everything herself."

Kaia walked up to the man and gave him a bow as Caitlyn smiled gratefully at him.

"He doesn't deserve that bow," Max complained.

"He doesn't even deserve that smile." They both stared and pointed at each other.

"You like her?" They asked at the same time, one looking blankly at the other.

"I can't believe I didn't notice. Now it makes sense." Max laughed.

"Yeah. Me neither." Dorran laughed with him.

Their laughter faded awkwardly, sounding as fake as the psychiatrist's compliments to the girls.

"I'll not speak of this if you don't," Dorran whispered.

"Agreed. This is the bond between us men." Max and Dorran shook hands and nodded to each other.

"What are you guys doing?" Aliya and Faith appeared in front of them with smiles on their faces.

"Nothing!" Dor exclaimed a little too excitedly.

"What about you girls? What are you doing? You look so excited." Max tried to redirect their attention.

"We're just happy that Kaia is back to herself." Faith said with a wide grin.

"She gave us a scare back there but we're just glad she's ok." Aliya continued.

"That's good, right?" Max patted Aliya's head and smiled at her. "You've been brave, Aliya. Good job."

"I know that. You don't have to tell me." Aliya stuck her tongue out at him and ran away.

"You're a good brother," Dor said, watching Max watch Aliya.

"Maybe one day I'll call myself her brother. But not now. Still, thanks."

"No problem man." He leaned back against the couch. "We have a good couple of months before the next disaster. We can relax for a while."

"Maybe."

"Excuse me. Does your name happen to be 'Kaia Marschall'?" The psychiatrist asked, grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Yes." Caitlyn translated but looked suspiciously at him.

"I knew it. You look so much like your mother."

"You knew my mother?"

"Yeah. I was there when she gave birth to you. I felt like throwing up when I first saw you. You made a good decision." He meant it to be a compliment but he only invoked the anger of everyone in the room. They all glared at him, waiting for him to make another wrong move.

"Listen here!" Faith shouted from the other side of the room as she made her way to him. "No matter what Kaia looks like, she'll always be beautiful to us. Whether it's with her old face or her new one. She's still Kaia and if you have a problem with it then we suggest you keep those thoughts to yourself. Don't just throw words like that around however you want just because you can!" She was out of breath by the time she finished talking, earning the respect of everyone else there.

"Yes! Tell him." Shia shouted from the couch while the others smiled at her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like I'm insulting you or anything. I meant it as a compliment."

"Those types of compliments, you can keep them to yourself," Aliya shouted too.

Kaia tapped on Caitlyn, asking her to translate for the psychiatrist. Caitlyn was more than ready.

"Thank you for your compliment, I know you mean well but it isn't the most encouraging way. Because of compliments like this, I questioned myself so much. Believing that I was never enough, no matter what I did. Even after changing my face, those insecurities still followed me and I neglected who I was, refusing to even acknowledge her. I learned that I had no reason to do that. I can't help people if I'm my own worst enemy. I don't regret anything because I knew it had to be done. But I'm still me and I need to accept that. However, I'll take this one as a harmless compliment so thank you." She walked away from him and sat beside Shia.

"Kaia is still really nice even after you said that. But I'm not. You need to know what happens when you say things like that to people." Caitlyn faced the psychiatrist, ready to give him a lecture.

"Ah! but I'm getting paid by the hour. Young master wouldn't want to pay extra if I say here another minute, right?" He looked at Dorran who gave an uncaring smile.

"Dor-Ran," Caitlyn called to him.

"You can do whatever you want, Caitlyn. He's going to get fired anyway."

"What? But, just over a compliment, I made? She should be grateful I even came and helped her. She should learn to not be so sensitive and blow things out of proportion."

Ran stood from the couch; Max fell backwards on the couch, head on the armrest, and held out his hands. "Let's see here. You couldn't do your work properly. You sent Kaia into a panic attack that almost killed her. Your gadget was completely useless. You insulted my family. Should I go on?"

"No, young master." He hung his head.

"Then take whatever she says to you. And try to take it as gracefully as Kaia did."

"Yes, young master."

When he turned from the man he saw everyone stare at him in shock.

"What?"

"Kaia's your family now? Only Kaia?" Max asked, smiling from his position.

"You're all my family." He sneered at him, trying to hide his blush when he saw them all smiling at him.

"Family." Kaia signed at him, a grateful smile on her face.

"Yeah." He signed 'family' back at her.

"Soo~ Family, I need to borrow some money for cigarettes." Max got up and put his arm around him.

"Absolutely not. No smoking."

"Hey, come on. That's how I relax."

"I don't care."

Kaia looked at the scene in front of her, everything feels like a dream she could wake up any time from. For now, she'll just enjoy it.