The Stelter City Saga: Ultranatural (33 page)

Lotus nodded, “Speaking of Haileigh.” she
began, relieved to have a change in topic, “Do you want to say
hello to her? She’s been wondering who you are all day.”

Kasper froze. He stared blankly back at Lotus
as if she were a bear riding on a unicycle. The thought of seeing
her little sister had never even crossed his mind until then. “No,”
he declined, “not right now. I think… I think I’d like to meet her
in person. But I imagine she looks just like you.”

Once more the smile that consumed Lotus’s
entire face reappeared. “She does! It’s almost freaky, but that’s
how I know she’s my sister- do you think she’s like me?”

Kasper’s eyebrow arched quizzically.

“
I mean, do you think she
can do… what I can do? I want to ask, but you made me promise not
to tell anyone so…”

Kasper shrugged and rubbed
the grogginess from his eyes. “She’s your sister. I say go for it,
I mean it would only make sense
but
,”

Lotus cringed.

“
That’s only going to lead
into more questions; I can already see that happening.”

Lotus swatted at the screen as if she were
slapping Kasper’s arm playfully. “We’ll just have to add that to
the pile of unanswered questions.” Lotus opened her mouth to say
more, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of Kasper’s phone
ringing from the other end of the world.

“
Who’s calling me at
two-thirty in the morning?” he grumbled as he reached for his
phone. His eyes read the screen and his whole visage fell. “I’m
gunna have to take this one Lotus.”

“
That’s fine,” she replied,
“I haven’t finished getting ready for bed anyway. I’ll see you
soon?”

Kasper smiled weakly as he answered his
phone. “I’ll see you soon- Hello?” Then the screen went black, and
Lotus was staring at her reflection on the blank tablet.

“
I didn’t even get to say
goodnight.” She huffed to herself as she set the tablet on her
nightstand and marched straight for the bedroom door. If she wasn’t
going to say goodnight to Kasper, than she most definitely would
say goodnight to her sister.

She wasn’t sure where Lee was, and when she
cast her eyes down from the banister, she wasn’t surprised to find
the living room empty. But down the hall a little further the
sliver of light seemed to be the only thing illuminating the
space.

“
Lee?” Lotus called as she
nudged the door open.

At the sight of her sister, Lee sprang from
her seat on the bed and threw her arms around Lotus.

The heiress gave a slight gasp of surprise
but her arms slid around Lee’s back and they embraced for a long
moment. How wonderful it was that they had this opportunity. Never
in a million years had Lotus thought she would ever be hugging her
dead sister and wishing her goodnight.

When they finally slid apart, Lotus gazed at
her sister’s slightly pink face and big green eyes. They were so
familiar and looked as open and bright as she had remembered. “I
just wanted to say goodnight.” Lotus finally smiled.

Lee beamed at her sister. When standing side
by side, Lee seemed to be taller even though she was four years
younger. “Goodnight Lotus. I’ll see you in the morning.” She
replied. “Thanks for the pajamas by the way.”

“
No problem, what’s mine is
yours. We’re family.” Then she turned to glance around the room,
“Where’s your boy?”

Lee chuckled, “Ace? Oh, he said he’d go sleep
in that gym. He’s feeling a little awkward since this is the first
time he’s ever lived in a house that he hasn’t owned.”

“
Oh,” Lotus remarked with a
slightly relieved tone. She wasn’t too fond that her baby sister’s
boyfriend was spending the night anyway. “Well, I don’t think
Kasper’s going to be back for another week, so he’s more than
welcome to stay at the gym.”

Lee couldn’t stop smiling, “I’ll let him
know. Thanks again.”

“
No problem, Haileigh- or,
Lee. Sorry.” Lotus made to turn toward the door, but Lee brushed
her arm.

“
I like it when you call me
Haileigh.” She said quietly, “It makes everything real.”

Lotus stopped and stared at her. Come to
think of it, this was the first time they had been alone together
all day. Lotus had never been a night person, but having this time
just to be with Lee made her forget how sleepy she was getting.
Instead of marching out the room, Lotus turned around and sat on
the edge of Lee’s bed. “I can keep calling you that then.” She
remarked as Lee sat down beside her, “Actually, Lambert and I used
to call you Hails. Dad was the only one that ever called you by
your real name.”

“
Haileigh Grace?”

Lotus shook her head, “Just Haileigh.” A
moment lingered and Lotus laid back on Lee’s soft white comforter.
“It’s so weird,” Lotus exhaled, “Thinking that you don’t remember
the things I do.”

Lee too laid down and rolled on her side so
she could stare at Lotus’s blank ceiling-bound gaze.

“
Maybe we could go back to
Tarrillian.” Continued Lotus, “We could go back to our home. I
don’t know if they ever cleaned it up. But we could. Just for old
time’s sake.”

“
I’d like that.” Muttered
Lee, “Maybe seeing something will spark my memory. That’s what
happened with Ace when he saw that picture of the
garden.”

Lotus made a face as if suddenly a light bulb
illuminated in her mind. “Didn’t you say Mirage gave him that
picture?”

Lee nodded as Lotus rolled over to be more
involved in the conversation. “Do you think she knew then?” she
asked eagerly.

“
Knew what?”

“
Why you can’t remember your
childhood and why I can’t remember certain people of the
past..?”

Lee stared at her sister’s blue eyes. At
first, she had thought that they looked far too identical. Now,
after being with her for a day, she was beginning to notice the
slight differences. “But she can see into the future.” Lee
answered. “I think that’s how she knew. Besides, there’s no way we
could ever know for sure now.”

Lotus sighed, “I guess you’re right.”

Lee wasn’t able to infer anything from her
sister’s tone. She wasn’t sure if she had hit a sore spot since
Lotus and Mirage had been close friends but Lotus only seemed to
stare blankly back at Lee as thoughts churned inside her mind.

“
I know things are
complicated now.” Began Lotus almost hesitantly. “But there’s one
thing I still haven’t told you.”

Lee raised her eyebrow not sure if she should
be excited or nervous. “What is it?”

Lotus sat up slowly, “I can’t tell you. I’m
going to have to show you.” And with that Lotus marched around
Lee’s bed to enter the bathroom. “Just a heads up though, what you
see is only going to complicate things even more.”

“
I don’t get it.” Lee
confessed as Lotus flicked on the lights. Instantly the image of
two sisters reflected in the mirror came to view. But Lee had no
time to admire the red fading from her skin. “Lotus you’re actually
kinda freaking me out.”

The older sibling shook her head and reached
to turn on the sink. “It’s just a little something Kasper made me
swear never to tell anyone.” She spoke over the rush of falling
water. “But I’m showing you because you’re my sister.”

Lee took a hesitant step back as she watched
Lotus extend a hand to the cascading water. “Oh my,” she gasped
piecing the pieces together before Lotus even did anything, “You’re
a supernatural!”

“
Not quite,” as Lotus spoke
the water, instead of falling down in straight lines, began to
wobble. “I’m only half.” Then the water began to fall upward as if
gravity had suddenly moved for the ceiling. The small stream of
clear liquid looped around the room as Lee watched with her mouth
open. It was as if an artist had taken a paint brush to midair, the
water whirled around until Lotus turned off the spigot.

“
That’s incredible.” Lee
marveled. She had never seen water so pure before and she reached
out a hand to touch it. The sensation was like running her fingers
through a gardening hose except this water was immobile like a
puddle.

“
A supernatural has super
strength and speed.” Lotus began. When she whirled her hands, the
water began to spin and collect into a ball in the air between just
under the ceiling vent. “I’m not strong, and I’m not fast. I’m one
of a kind.” She said as Lee watched the water turn into a globe of
liquid. “As far as I know,” continued Lotus, “I’m the only
half-natural. But you’re my sister.”

Lee’s eyes tore from the perfect sphere and
fell on Lotus’s. There was a light spark about her gaze as if she
were edging Lee on; trying to get her to confess that she was a
half-natural too.

“
How did you do that?” asked
Lee bewildered.

Lotus shrugged as she glanced back up at the
levitating ball of water. “I think of it as an extended limb. It
took me some time to figure it out, but if I imagine it’s a part of
my body… it just kinda,” she pointed at the ball that was now
rotating playfully. “Does that.”

Lee nodded as she glanced down at her own
fingertips. “This makes so much sense.”

“
You can do it too!”
exclaimed Lotus as she sent the rubber-less water balloon down the
sink.

“
Well not exactly.” answered
Lee, “Sometimes, things just happen around me and electricity. Ace
likes to joke around and say I’m a supernatural, and I just don’t
know it. But this makes sense. Half-natural.” Lee glanced up at
Lotus. “I’m not gunna lie, that’s really cool.”

“
What happens around you and
electricity?” asked Lotus curiously.

Lee shrugged as she glanced back down at her
fingers. As she spoke, she imagined a lightning storm on the tips
of her fingers. “I get shocked all the time, and I know when
thunderstorms are coming…”

“
And your hair is always
frizzy?” asked Lotus as she reached out to flatten it. Just before
her hand touched Lee’s silvery hair, Lee caught sight of a narrow
strip of lightning strike Lotus’s hand.

“
Ouch!” both girls exclaimed
recoiling. Lotus massaged her fingers as Lee patted her
scalp.

“
See what I mean?!”
exclaimed Lee. “Stuff like that happens all the time! Help me
figure out how to work this! Oh my gosh- Ace! He’s going to freak
out when I tell him- or, I can tell him, right?”

Lotus’s brows folded, “I suppose. I mean,
Kasper didn’t want me showing anyone, but you’re my sister. Now
that the cat’s out of the bag…”

“
I won’t tell him if you
don’t want me to.” Lee offered, “I’m way better at keeping secrets
than Ace is.”

Lotus massaged her temples. Normally doing
things against Kasper’s will set a terrible feeling in Lotus’s
stomach. But with Lee in the picture, and the picture still missing
many pieces, Lotus felt that exposing who she was- who they were,
was just one way to bring the answers to them. Like bate on a hook,
maybe if she could get this new information out, something would
get lured in. “No, go ahead.” Lotus answered, “You can tell him in
the morning. I’m sure he’s asleep by now. What time is it?”

Lee spun around and poked her head out the
bathroom door. On her nightstand sat the time. “It’s past midnight.
I’m not tired though.” She finished, “Help me figure this out!”

Needless to say, that was how the Stelter
girls spent their first night.

Chapter 9 Ithaca

~Above the wall of mirrors lining the yoga
studio, the first ray of Heleow sun beamed through a small window.
Its golden light plastered against the pale blue wall like a
spotlight and with each passing moment, slowly began to sink until
it rested over Ace’s eyes. The boy sat up with groggy hast and was
yawning before he could even remember where he was.

Pressed into the corner of the studio was
Kasper’s queen sized bed, and along the mirrored wall rested his
assortment of bedroom furniture. A clock ticked against the far
wall echoing across the empty space like a rhythmic hammer. Ace
didn’t want to glance at the time. He had slept horribly last night
with so many thoughts tumbling around in his brain; his night had
consisted of brief napping intervals in between half-dreaming,
half-pondering states.

Lee of course, had been the root of his
thoughts. As he sat there rubbing the restlessness off his face, he
remembered pondering how out of his league she was. With her kind
heart and his rouge past, they were a contradictory pair. But to
stretch that contradiction to the point that they were on opposite
ends of the universe, Ace had found out she was the daughter to the
richest man in the world. Out of his league? More like out of his
millennium.

Then again, what if he wasn’t as big a slum
as he thought he was? The one memory in his pool of darkness had
been in the Stelter garden with a faceless friend named Grace. Not
to mention, in his earliest twelve year old recollection, he had
been wearing an expensive shirt and tie. Who was he really? Street
rat, or the child of a corporate boss like Lee?

Ace groaned as he swung his feet off the bed.
Surely by now someone had invented a drug for the removal of
sledgehammering headaches. At that moment, his was so bad it felt
like someone was in his brain, pounding on his skull. And there was
a pounding, just not in his head.

Someone was knocking frantically on the front
door and Ace removed the fingers from his face to glance out the
studio doorway. Down the hall, Lee’s silhouette shone through the
glass door. Without thinking twice, Ace was on his feet and
marching past the unused gym equipment. As his hand reached for the
door, he couldn’t help but wonder why she was up so early.