Kalani wished they would hurry up, because he was growing impatient with having to sit here His legs were cramped from squatting for so long, and his eyes were growing sore from squinting through the leaves of the bush he was hidden behind. Max, from his spot beside him, looked one hundred percent at ease, as he gazed lazily at the house across the road.
The house was cute, made of brick, and placed on the top of a small hill. Most people wouldn't be able to see the house in detail from their place behind the bushes, but Kalani and Max are not exactly normal people. Far from it, actually.
The door of the house creaked open, and a small handful of girls walked out, all dressed casually. Kalani scanned the herd of children with disinterest, not really concerned with the mission at hand. After a few minutes of inactivity, Kalani turned his head to glance at Max. Max was obviously much more concerned about doing well than Kalani was, despite his nonchalant behavior. Kalani observed his indirect shift in posture, the way his back had stiffened and his muscles had coiled beneath his skin, as though ready to pounce at any given moment. His jaw was clenched, the pupil of his eyes expanding into his brown iris, leaving no trace of the original color. Two pools of ink in his pale face. Max looked deadly, but that's only because Max is deadly.
Kalani could be deadly, as well, but they were looking at a group of little girls, not anything relevantly close to dangerous. After facing all the perils Kalani had faced in the span of his lifetime, he felt no threat from watching the little girls, even if one of them was rumored to have the Power. As long as nothing triggered it, they would be safe. But Max was still young, in Kalani's eyes. Being kn a mission with him was more like hours (or sometimes years) of unpaid babysitting. How bleak.
After a few minutes, Max emitted a low growl, and lifted a finger to point at the meek little girl that stood in the center of the group. The “birthday girl” as the humans would say. “Her,” he growled. “She's the one.”
Kalani raised a skeptical eyebrow, and turned his violet gaze to the young girl in the center of the group. While there was nothing potentially threatening about her, Max had always had a keen gaze for those with Powers. The girl was shorter than all the others, with a long mane of caramel colored hair, humongous nerd glasses they covered the majority of her thin face, and braces on her teeth, that flashed in the sunlight every time she talked.
Kalani closed his eyes and searched for a brain wave, as they called it. After a few minutes of searching, he found one connected to her, and followed it until he infiltrated her thought barrier, trying to push his way in. Only to feel her push back.
Jolted, he was sent spiraling back into his own head. What was that? He thought angrily, pushing his hands through his hair in frustration. He kept his head down, his eyes closed, refusing to look up and admit defeat.
Scientists believe it best to not just go with the first results you receive on an experiment; just because you get one response one way, doesn't mean you will get that result again. So, throwing his mind from his body once again, he searched for her brainwave once more. He found the golden ribbon of thought, and latched on, riding it until he reached her mind once more. He stopped before pushing his way past the barrier, realizing that was what gave him away last time.
How can I be so foolish?
Slyly, Kalani searched the protective membrane around her thoughts, looking for a kink in the armor that he could slip through unnoticed, only to find there wasn't one. What is this girl? He thought angrily, feeling his frustration grow. I've been outsmarted by a ten-year-old human child!
Only...maybe she isn't human...
In defeat, Kalani sullenly followed the path to his own brain, and once there again, he looked over at Max.
“What did you find out, bro?” Max asked, wanting to know what Kalani had discovered.
Kalani felt a sudden wave of protectiveness for the little girl, more all consuming than anything he had ever felt. He had never been impulsive, never truly relied solely on gut instinct, but this feeling was so strong, he couldn't push it aside. That little girl had a reason to live, and he had to protect her, so she could live out her destiny. This is so stupid, he thought, shaking his head. But, not able to shake the feeling in his gut, he did something he had been a natural at for centuries. Kalani lied.
“I didn't sense anything unnatural about her, man. Just thinking about all her presents and stupid stuff like that. You know how little girls are,” Kalani said, shrugging nonchalantly.
“Awe man. She just radiated Power...are you sure you didn't hear anything unusual?” Max whined, drowning in his crushed self-confidence.
“No...I couldn't get a super strong connection from over here. I could've missed something, but she seemed pretty innocent to me,” Kalani said, but then, to keep himself from looking suspicious, he said “Maybe we should keep an eye on her for the next couple of years. If she doesn't show any signs of the Power by the time she turns fifteen, we will know I was right.” He smirked smugly, but felt guilty on the inside. Not for lying, but for not protecting her better. I will protect her, Kalani thought, and felt immediately taken aback by his vehemence.
"Yes, we will definitely have to keep an eye on her,” a feminine voice said. Both boys jumped, and turned around to see one of the ten-year-olds from the party walking towards them, but this was no normal ten-year-old. As she approached, she changed, seeming to transform before their eyes. It was normal to them by now.
Her limbs grew longer, her face became more angular, more adult, and her figure filled out just a tad more, making her look closer to sixteen than ten. She reached up, and pulled the rubber bands from her pigtails, allowing her blond hair to cascade down over her shoulders.
“Welcome back, Kelly,” Max said, embellishing his words with a wink. Kelly giggled, and Kalani rolled his eyes at them both.
Kalani was just glad to finally be able to stand up and stretch out his sore limbs. As the three of them walked away, Kalani spared a glance over his shoulder, back to the house on the hill, and vowed to himself that he would keep that little girl safe, even at the risk of his own life.
