cascade | kotlc

3. Unforeseen Consequences

 June flopped onto the bed, entirely exhausted. She looked oddly like salmon fillet, in her coral-pink hoodie and metallic silver pants. Faye shook her head, realizing the simile made her hungry. She certainly wouldn't want to eat her sister.

"That was not a good idea," June deadpanned, her head lolling over and onto her fluffy pillow. "I have officially taken crash a plane into a ski resort out of my bucket list."

"No shit!" Faye exclaimed, snatching a pillow and slamming it into the bedsheets. "Why would that be on your bucket list?"

"Well, rappel down a tilted iceberg in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, jet ski off a waterfall and into a base jump, and detonate a nuke over a bay are on it too. Is that an issue?"

"Yes, it absolutely is! I can see why Sophie's so tired all the time." Faye strided over to a deck chair and sprawled out over the soft cushions. "I can't imagine having to deal with your overly reckless sister."

June snorted. "Me, reckless?"

"You, reckless!"

"Fair enough," she conceded. "Get me my Imparter."

Faye crossed her arms. "Just because I'm now your sister doesn't mean you get to control me at your beck and call."

"Get me my Imparter, sis."

"What's the magic word, hmm?"

"I'll count from three. Get me my Imparter. Three-"

"The magic word, damnit!"

"Two."

"Oh my fucking god," Faye breathed.

"One."

"Just say please!" Faye cried out. "It's not that hard."

"One half."

"Fineeee. I despise you."

June smiled sweetly as she trudged over to the desk and picked up the Imparter, examining the soft silver square in her hands.

"While you're there, can you pick up my mallowmelt too?"

"What more do you want?" But Faye still picked up the platter of mallowmelt, not without taking a bite, of course.

"Also my pen, thank you!"

"At least you said thank you," Faye conceded, reluctantly picking up the pen and plodding back to the bed. She handed June her items and leaned into her sister's lap tiredly. "I'm too nice to you."

"That's expected of you," June replied loftily, setting down the plate of mallowmelt and scrolling through her Imparter before she frowned.

"Faye?"

"Mmh?"

"Why do I have fourty-seven missed calls from Elwin?"

"What?"

"Check your Imparter."

She dug out the silver square and tapped the screen, lighting the touchpad up. Like June had said, she also had missed calls from Elwin -- thirty-four, in fact.

"He knows we had the mission, right?" Faye said slowly, her finger hovering above the Redial button.

"He should know... but why would he be hailing us..."

Faye clicked Redial, holding her breath as her familiar ringtone started to blare, eerie with the whistling of the wind through the curtains.

"Do you think... anything went wrong?"