Reincarnation

41

Sean sped down the hallways, clinging onto Kaycee's sleeve as they ran for dear life to find his sisters.

'Hurry, Kayc'

She nodded in acknowledgement and followed his grueling pace without complaint. The warm humidity of the mansion made her feel sticky and suffocated. Her clothes and hair, slick with perspiration, clung to her skin. She swatted a fly that flew over her face. Sweat rolled down her skin in thick, salty beads. She could feel her heart throbbing inside her chest. Her skin felt like it was roasting. She began bouncing slightly as she jogged, which wore her out quickly. She settled to stumbling along behind him as fast as she could. 

Sean skid down the hallway, letting his grip on Kaycee go as he reached the bedroom door. Without thinking, without hesitation, he pushed it open, hunched over as he caught his breath.

'Sean?' The familiar voice caught Sean off guard, causing him to stumble backwards onto Kaycee.

'Sean? Brother! What are you doing here? I didn't know you came back. I thought you were missing!' Sarah lied, scratching the back of her neck.

Kaycee tried holding Sean up, but she was caught off guard just as much as him, and she ended up falling down, with him on top of her. He quickly picked himself up, aplogising to her with his eyes as he helped her to her feet.

'Son, what are you doing here?' The voice resurfaced again, and Sean's eyes immediately bulged wide.

'M-mom' he whispered, forgetting about why they were her in the first place.

Miya approached him, laying a hand on his shoulder before she pulled him into her chest. He let his body sag, his muscles became loose. Miya cradled him like a cherished child. In that embrace he felt his worries loose their keen sting and his optimism raise its head from the dirt. Perhaps the hope had been there all along, but without some love it was trapped, like crystals in a stone. He felt his mom brush his at the back of his hair with her long fingers.

'I didn't think I'd ever see you' Miya whispered, breaking away from the hug and looking at her son. 'You're taller than me at this point.'

Sean chuckled, patting his mom's head.

'What are you doing here?' Sarah questioned, blowing off excess powder from her cotton pad.

'Oh-right um. Kayc?' Sean coughed. 'This is Kaycee'

'Oh, who's this? Your friend?' Miya giggled, approaching the girl and embracing her for no reason at all. It felt warm and Kaycee melted into the hug right away. A mother's embrace could never be compared to one of someone else's...Unless that someone else was a certain Sean Lew then they might have some competition.

'More like girlfriend' Sarah teased, making kissy faces at her younger sibling.

'Oh, lovely. Is Sean good to you? Does he-'

'Stop! Stop! Stop! She's not my girlfriend' Sean groaned, holding onto her wrist and pulling her back beside him. 'We just need hel-'

'Not your girlfriend, yet. I saw you too.' Sarah interrupted, sending Sean a wink. Sean flushed beet red down to his toes, trying to croak something out to say.

'What did you see?' Serris appeared out of the closet, her hair hanging in curls past her shoulders, parts of it clipped back with a gemmmed hair clip. She was dressed in a satin, red ball gown. It was a fairly simple dress apart from the gold stitching running down the sides. 'What are you guys doing here?'

Sean dragged a hand down his face, groaning audibly as he used his eyes too tell Sarah to shut up, unfortunately for him, Sarah never listens and went ahead anyways.