Witching Hour

༺ 36 ༻

Marty says, ‘Open Sesame.’

Striding to the single window in the room, Kiki pushed the pane up, a chill breeze seeping in. As she stuck a hand out of the house, I wondered what she was doing. My confusion was doused when two birds gripped her arm, completely at home using it as a tree branch.

I marveled at the sight of the animals. Their all-black feathers were shaggy around the throat and reflected the light of the sun. They had a hooked beak, their thick neck and large feet on par with their massive size. Because I wasn't very good at identifying birds, I couldn't pin their specie, but they were beautiful. As Kiki pulled her arm back in, they didn't fidget or make to fly away. They knew her and she knew them.

    "Mickey and Vort are my eyes and ears around the city." She said on turning back to us. "Unfortunately, I've been dealing with a nasty headache since morning. We'll have to stay close if I'm to keep my connection with them."

From Kiki's statement, I got that she shared some sort of "connection" with these birds, which could be disrupted by unstable health. Before I could ask for an elaboration, however, she strode past us.

    "We'll walk."

Our small group had an additional member. Filing down the stairs, I couldn't help being reminded of the thriller shows I'd watched with my parents back in New York, on the rare occasions they weren't quarreling. Our gang was complete. Fabian, the attractive male lead; Claudine, the genius who did most of the mystery-solving; Kiki, the spy; and Stanley, the character who nobody understood why they were there, but accepted nonetheless.

As for myself, I hadn't quite figured out my role yet. I was probably the only one viewing things this way. To Fabian and Claudine, this was a quest to serve justice and find some closure. To Kiki and Stanley, it was about helping others. Granted, I had in mind to make things better, but that wasn't exactly happening. Fabian was growing worse, I could see it clearly, but no one else seemed to notice. Or were my expectations too unrealistic?

Crossing the blond woman Fabian had referred to as "Charlotte", she said "Hey, branch to Caleb's and—"

    "I'm broke!" Kiki yelled over her shoulder, gruffly exiting the parlor. I glimpsed Charlotte's glare before doing the same.

Now out in the open, Kiki flung her arm upward, giving her birds the boost they utilized to soar. I studied their slender figures in the sky, taking in their long wedge-shaped tails and narrow wings. From time to time, they made a call, which was mostly a gurgling croak that although pitchy, was quite musical. I watched till I could see them no more.

All five of us strolled the street, Kiki taking the lead. She had her gaze fixed on the pavement, her thumbs hanging off the pockets of her leather pants. Summoning courage and hastening my steps, I stopped beside her. That one-on-one chat was long overdue.

    "So... Charlotte is your sister?" I struck up a conversation.

Kiki glanced at me, appearing a bit surprised that I was speaking to her. I half expected to be ignored, but she replied eventually, "You mean the fake blondie with the tacky spray tan? Yup, that's her."

    "I wish I had a sister." It was true. Being the only child came with its perks, but it was often lonely. "Do you guys get along?"

She shrugged. "You could say that. I mean... I think she's thoughtless and she considers me the annoying little sister, but we get along just fine. I'd be worried if we don't. She pays my bills."

    "She pays your bills? What of your parents?"

Her posture stiffened and I immediately got that I had said something wrong. "I don't talk about them." She all but murmured.