Agent BlueBird

Chapter 16-Connecting

Rebecca's mother and father decide to head home once they put all their gear away and got cleaned up. Rebecca's father tells Rebecca and Kyan that they can have celebratory burgers on their own if they want. Kyan immediately turns the offer away, but Rebecca accepts it gladly. Kyan looks at her with a confused expression. She explains that they weren't finished with their conversion from before and she still wants to talk to him.

Her father gives her money and they head from the training room to The Grill. The whole way to the restaurant Kyan thinks, "This is so weird. What is she going to ask me? This is so weird. What are people going to think when it is just the two of us at a table? "

They go to a booth close to the door and sit across from each other. Sally comes to give them their menus and takes out her pencil and pad.
"Can I get you something to drink?" She says, hovering the pencil over the pad as she waits for an answer.

"I'll have a coke," Rebecca says.

"Um, I'll have a banana milkshake." Sally scribbles the orders down and lowers her hands next to her sides.

"So, where are your parents Rebecca? It is unusual for you two to be alone together. Usually you try to rip each others' throats out," she says in a joking manner.

"Yeah, my parents went home. My mother didn't feel to well so they took off and said we could have dinner here."

"Oh. Still, I'm not used to you two being civil around each other." Rebecca and Kyan look at each other with questioning looks.
"I'll go get your drinks?" She turns on get heel and speed walks over to the kitchen.

"That was weird," Rebecca says with a shrug of her shoulders. Kyan gives her a nervous smile in return.
"So, about the fact that you feel 'neglected'..." She starts like a psychologist start in a session.

"I didn't really mean that you know," he interrupts her. "It was a moment of weakness. I was stressed and I didn't think what I was saying," he says quickly in defense.

"But you do feel neglected otherwise you wouldn't have said that," she says simply, folding her hands and resting them on the table.

"I do not feel neglected. Or at least I wouldn't call it neglected. Just a little left out." Rebecca gives him a questioning look, telling him to elaborate. He sighs and says,"Fine. I guess I have to tell you the whole story from the beginning." Rebecca frowns at his words, surprised at the fact that there is a whole story behind this problem she only found out about that day.

"I didn't know there was a story to tell."

"It's a very short story," he says shaking his head. Their drinks arrive and they thank Sally.

"Can I get you something to eat?" She asks as she takes out her pencil and pad again.

"Um, I'll just have the usual. Road house burger," Rebecca says, offering her a smile.

"I'll have the same." Kyan looks at Rebecca and back to Sally who gives them a sly smile and leaves with their menus.

"Please carry on," Rebecca says with a gesture of her hand. Kyan sighs and looks down, trying to scrape enough courage together to open up and share something so personal.
"You don't have to feel shy you know. Even though we met on not so ideal circumstances and we sometimes say mean things or taunt each other, we are still stuck with each other as long as my parents have a say in it." Kyan chuckles at her speech. The deep tone sounding warm yet sad. "And what I'm about to say may sound stupid  but I think we should just accept that we will have to do certain things together and share things that bother us."

"But we still aren't friends. Just not enemies," he points out, concerned to lose the dynamic they have.

"Acquaintances." She sticks out her hand and so does he. They shake hands and it is as if a huge weight is lifted off Rebecca's shoulders.

"Now tell me your 'very short' story", she says and takes a sip of her coke.

"Do I have to?" He slumps his shoulders, hoping she might feel sorry for him and drop it.

"Yes. I want to understand you better and you can't just say something like that and pretend it didn't happen," her tone was a little more harsh and urgent, but she tried to mask it with playfulness.

"Okay okay." He sighs once more and mumbles,"This feels so stupid." He then starts with the story, "When I was born I was one of twins, obviously. My mother always really wanted a daughter, not saying that she didn't want me, it's just that she just wanted Melody more. My father wasn't really at home a lot, when I was growing up. Still isn't really. He is a workaholic. I know that my parents love me, but I am always aware that they don't have as long a fuse with me as with her, you know? On top of that, I am the only metahuman in three generations and I have a unique ability that nobody has seen before. I am completely misunderstood in my family," he pauses and hangs his head again.

Rebecca looks at him expectantly and he continues on, "My parents didn't understand what was happening to me when I first got my power. They took me to see all kinds of doctors but nobody could figure out what it was. I lived an entire year thinking that I was some kind of freak and people were afraid of me. I believed that my parents didn't want me. And that there was this thing inside of me that makes me a freak and I can't get it out. I hated myself and what I was. Until your parents found me. They took me in and explained what was happening to me and introduced me to others like me. They celebrated that I was different. It is an amazing to feel that you belong." He smiles at the memory. "I worked for the agency for a year and a half, until you came along. It was like being rejected all over again. Which is why I was mean to you. And now that you have multiple abilities they pay even more attention to you."

"Wow. Kyan, that was... I'm so sorry I didn't know. That must have been awful, to be treated like that as a child ." She frowns, trying to take everything he said in. Her heart was breaking for him.

"Yeah well, I'm fine now so whatever," he says stubbornly as leans back and puts his arms on the headrest of the booth.

"But you're not. You obviously still have problems with rejection," Rebecca insists.

"Rebecca just drop it! Okay?" He yells as he leans forward with his hands on the table.
He sees something next to the table out of the corner of his eye. Sally is standing with their burgers on her tray. She has a look of shock on her face and her eyes move from Kyan to Rebecca, who is just as shocked about his outburst as Sally, and back to Kyan.

"Your orders," she says awkwardly and places their plates in front of them.  "Will there be anything else?" Kyan is still looking at Rebecca, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed.

"I don't think so, thank you Aunt Sally," Rebecca says politely but with a shaky voice. Sally nods her head and walks back to the kitchen, looking over her shoulder at Rebecca and Kyan one last time before she opens the door.

"You know, I feel very sorry for you and the fact that you have suffered so much. But that does not give you the right to talk to me like that. Especially in a public place. There are people who have suffered more and they still have some self-control." Rebecca talks fast and sharp, scowling at Kyan.

He scowls back at her and says,"I can't believe you. I just told you my biggest secret which I haven't told anybody except your parents and you just keep pushing! Now this is how you treat me? Like a child? I knew I shouldn't have trusted you."

"Are you kidding me?" Rebecca shouts. "You were the one who yelled at me first. You know what? Come and talk to me when you have some manners and you are willing to have civil conversation." She pushes herself up angrily and storms out of the door.

Kyan watches her walk away, still furious. But soon the feeling of rage is replaced by regret as he sits alone at the booth.

Hey all my people! This chapter wasn't really planned, but I sort of just started writing and loved the idea. Tell me what you think about this chapter and Kyan's past.
-Riftwielder