No. 13: Bonds start at the Open Heart

No. 13: Bonds start at the Open Heart

The Professor had seen the shock on both of the children's faces, and suggested they go outside and talk. Let everything sink in and work through things.
Brandon jumped up and headed to the door immediately, Kaleigh hesitated a moment before following him.
Professor Wallace let out a deep sigh after the door shut after the young girl.
"Dear Lord, please guide what they do, and don't let them wander away from you and the narrow path." He prayed as he saw the two figures out on the lawn through the window.

.:+++:.

Kaleigh was a few steps behind Brandon, who was kicking high grass and muttering to himself in an angry tone. She wasn't sure if she should interrupt, or let him carry on.
A chilly wind hit her back, sending a shiver down her spine, her teeth chattered with out her consent for just a moment, before she clamped down on them and rubbed her arms.
But the noise was enough to draw him out of his thoughts. He turned back at her, stopping and shoving his hands in his pockets.
For a moment all they did was stare at each other. A million thoughts passing through their minds.
Kaleigh was thinking about all the things the Professor had said about being partners, what it would be like to fight at Brandon's side, trusting someone that much seemed unrealistic, and scary.
Brandon was thinking along the same lines, but from a different perspective. He didn't want her to fight, but knew she had no choice. And not only would her life be in his hands, his would be in hers. Would she crack under the pressure? Or would she actually be strong enough, not only physically, but emotionally to be up to the challenge?
There was also something about her angelic face that wouldn't let him see her actually fighting anyone. She didn't seem to ever be mad at anyone, or let anyone in either.

Kaleigh shifted slightly, but not out of nervousness. For some reason she couldn't explain, neither of them found it uncomfortable to see that the other was starring at them.
But she took it upon her self to break the silence once she came to a decision.
"Can I show you something?" She asked. Brandon nodded and she took off across the dead lawn, heading to her house.

When she came to the guest house she didn't go through the front door like he expected, instead she went over to the window in the turret of the house.
Picking her way through the flower bed, she shoved open the window with a bit of strain, but she got it open.
"Uh...Kale what are you doing?" Brandon asked finally as she scrambled through the window.
"Cliff would probably love to get his hands around your neck so just wait there." She whispered over her shoulder as she moved into her room towards her desk.
"So, her brothers hate me, and I'm suppose to be their sister's Bonded partner. Marvelous." He muttered under his breath
Kaleigh emerged from the window and nearly fell out of the window she was in such a hurry.
"Geez girl!" Brandon muttered, rushing forward and catching her waist and lifting her up before she fell flat on her face.
Once she was back on her feet she moved away hastily. Moving her hair out of her eyes, her cheeks flushed.
"Well...that was just embarrassing." She stated plainly, turning back and closing the window.
He couldn't keep the chuckle from escaping as she grinned at him.
"Yeah, yeah laugh all you want. See if I care!" She cried as she took off across the dead grass but away from the school.
He was going to ask where they were going, when she stopped in front of a tree.
Kale plopped down under the dying branches and set something on her lap.
Brandon moved over to her slowly, glancing from her to the branches.
"Yeah, I'd usually climb it, but I don't want to ruin this." She explained, running her fingers across what he realized was a book, fondly.
He sat down next to her and she hesitated for a moment.
"These...these show how I see the world." She said slowly, not looking at him. "It's my vulnerable side." Gently, as if it would break, she handed the book over to him, who took it gingerly.
   The cover was pink, and tan canvases, with the words 'The Door to My Soul' sketched across the top by a Sharpie. He glanced over at her, asking her permission with out even realizing it.
"Go ahead." She encouraged. Still slightly hesitant, he flipped the cover open and plunged into the world of an innocent, shy, and sometimes scared, sixteen year old girl.

It was full of pictures, sometimes there were notes or scribbling next to a picture. A lot of it was of scenery, but a few were of people. Brandon had to smile when he saw the goofy pictures of her brothers, knowing that they weren't always angry. Just at him. He was, however, shocked when he found himself in the book.
"Why am I in here?" He asked, his tone purely curious.
Kaleigh smiled and looked down at her fidgeting hands.
"Because, whether you like it or not, you happen to be a very important thing in my life. Besides I like that picture."
"Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?" He asked, gazing down at the note she had scribbled next to his picture that said 'pistachio ice cream, I have found is the best!', a smile crossed his face. At least she had had a good time before he dumped everything on her small shoulders.
"Um...I haven't decided yet." She answered. He nodded.
"Diplomatic answer. Huh..." He continued looking through the album but was bothered by something, all the pictures she had of herself were distorted. A shadow fell across her face, or she was just a silhouette.
"Why don't you ever show your face?"
Kale sighed and leaned her head back against the tree, her eyes wandering the sky.
"I guess...because I feel as if I don't belong."
"Yeah but every teenager feels that way." She was already shaking her head when he spoke up.
"No, my kind of 'don't belong' is different than everyone elses. Everyone else was at least born and raised in this world."
Brandon's brow furled as he heard the way she had said that sentence.
"The weird thing about you is that you talk as if you were raised on Mars by little green aliens. I don't get it."
Kaleigh hesitated. In side her head a turmoil was going on. She couldn't decide whether to tell him, or not too. And she also had to think of whether her brothers would like her telling him or not. They weren't exactly fond of him.
But in the end it boiled down to the fact that they would have to trust each other with everything, and that included her past.
"Well...not exactly." She said slowly. Brandon got the sense she was going to tell him something important, so he closed the photo album and gave her his full attention.
Kaleigh sighed, but kept looking up at the sky.
"I don't remember my parents...well except for one memory. But when I was six, my brothers and I were taken away from them. It was probably because of all this Guardian business but I didn't know that then.
We were taken here to the Professor. He put us into a comas in a strange glass tank full of blue gel, hooking us up to scuba gear to give us our oxygen."
She took a steady breath, careful not to look at him because she didn't want to see his expression. Which probably would told her he thought she was insane.
"For ten years our minds were locked in this...alternate reality. It was like another world, but yet, looked exactly the same as this one. Only that one was controlled by a team of scientists in white lab coats from a horror film.
In that life, I was an orphan as well, moving from foster home to foster home. While my brothers had rich parents that could give them everything they wanted. But I never resented them for it. I did wonder why the scientists would let that happen to me in particular..." Her voice trailed off, hitching slightly as she pushed down a sob. Getting a hold of herself she continued. "Well, when we finally found each other, we were taken out of the simulation and woke up in the real world. This world. We've lived here ever since, wondering who we really were. Was that person back there different? Or the same? Were the hobbies we had enjoyed then, still enjoyable now? Were we any good at them? Which apparently we are since Cliff is still writing, and I still know how to take a good photo. But...it's left me..."
"Shaken."
For the first time since she began to tell her story, she met Brandon's bright, sky blue eyes.
Shock filled her face and mind when she saw that he wasn't looking at her with a look of disbelief, but a look of complete trust.
"Yeah. Shaken. That's why when you told me the whole Elemental thing would rip the seam of the fabric that made up my reality, I said that ship's already sailed. Because it has in a must surreal way."
Brandon nodded for a minute.
"I'm shocked by your story." He admitted. "But I believe you."
Her eyebrows rose.
"Why?" Was her simple question.
"Because, I have to. If Professor Wallace has anything to say about it, the two of us are going to be doing everything - but sleeping and several other duh things - together. And he wont let us be apart for more then a night. And even then he'll probably make me bunk down in your living room."
Kaleigh's jaw dropped in shock and horror.
"Yeah, it's going to be tough, but it's all about making sure we trust each other with everything we say and do. We can't afforded not to believe each other. I know it'll take some time, but that's why the Professor is going to make us do all that."
"Oh..." She said in a small quiet voice.
"Come on, we've got to get back to the Professor, he wasn't through with us we've still got to get you started in your training." He said, pushing himself off the ground after grabbing the album. He offered Kaleigh a hand, who took it and hauled her to her feet.
"Well, I guess we'll just have to keep an open mind huh?" She asked, walking beside him as quiet as ever.
He smiled at her. "And open hearts." He added, making her laugh.
"Yeah, that too."