Angels and Swords

"I spy with my little eye," Emmett says, searching across the quiet forest that me, Emmett, and Kaylen lie in. The green grass tickles my ear as I stare at the canopy of trees, golden light peaking through the cracks.

"Something green," he finishes, plopping up onto his elbows to watch us as we debate our answer.

"The grass," Kaylen blurts out with a sort of confidence I wish I could muster. Her brown hair is spread out around her head, the subtle curls now frizzy and loose.

"Nope," he says with a mischievous smile, his green eyes shimmering.

"Leaves?" I ask him as a bird chirps a beautiful melody in the morning light. The trees seem to dance along, branches swaying and leaves rustling.

"Close," is all he responds with, and in the corner of my eye, I see Kaylen sit up on her elbows to look at Emmett, the grass that once was below her now crushed.

"I got it. Your socks," Kaylen says to him, and I silently wait for his response as a smile forms along my face.

"Nice try, but no." To this, I sit up on my elbows, making us all eye level. I search the forest for any sign of something green besides the leaves and grass.

"Please tell me you did not pick that tiny piece of moss over on that tree," I say, pointing at the tree that sits a few feet away from us.

"How did you know?" he asks me, his eyebrows scrunched together with confusion. It almost makes me laugh before I realize Kaylen is also awaiting my response.

I cough before answering, "If you read more, maybe you would have an eye for stuff like that. Your poor souls can barely comprehend how the planets revolve around the sun."

Kaylen's face shows a hint of shock before she replies, "Just because my nose isn't buried in a book half the time doesn't mean I can't understand basic science."

"You say it like it's a bad thing to read," I say, watching as she stands up from the patch of grass she was resting on. Pink and orange start to glow overhead as the sun rises, casting a colorful glow onto the back of her head.

Emmett and I stand at the same time as Kaylen responds with, "I'm not saying it's a bad thing to read, just," she says, thinking wisely of her next words. "Just that maybe you should see the world around you. You know, explore some career options, or maybe... Meet someone."

I think about her words, but the silence is broken by Emmett as he cuts in. "She's right, Jacklynn. The house could be on fire and I would be screaming 'Where is Jacky!' and everyone would be panicking, running around the house to find you. And guess what you would be doing?"

We walk through the forest, and I debate whether I should answer his ridiculous 'what if' story. I pick my foot up over a large branch as I say, "What?"

"You would be somewhere outside, reading your book. Or tending to Mom and Dad's garden." He says the last part like it's a crime, but I ignore his cruel words. I know they mean well, and maybe I should start doing something other than helping Mom and Dad's planting business at home.

"You're right," I say, contemplating my next words. "I will do better about becoming more active and a part of the community if you both promise that you will do it with me. I think it will be fun for all of us."

"Easy," Emmett says, wiping away the dirt that was on his palms. "In case you didn't already know Jacky, I'm pretty much a celebrity within our town. Everybody screams my name as I walk through the market, either wanting my autograph or to see me naked-"

"Emmett!" Kaylen shouts and shoves him, knocking him off balance, and he crashes into a tree, bracing his arms against the bark. I struggle to not laugh in his face, and I can tell the smile that gives way onto Kaylen and Emmett's faces is about to burst into full-blown laughter.

Kaylen breaks first, and me and Emmett follow along. Our cacophony of laughter drowns out the birds chirping, the trees swaying, and any other outside noise that could disrupt our joyful giggles.

Emmett braces a hand against the tree he fell on, and when tears form in my eyes and my stomach burns, I try to take deep, fulfilling breaths that calm me down again.

"Please, for the sake of my ears, never say anything that weird again. If anything, they are all shouting your name to tell you your shirt is on inside out."

"That was one time, Kaylen. One time." Emmetts says through clenched teeth, raising his pointer finger in the air, and I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing once again, my stomach sore from last time.

"And I'm still not letting it go that easily. You're seventeen, and you still struggle to clothe yourself." Emmett doesn't respond with any words, but the roll of his eyes seems to say: You're going to pay for that.

The rest of the walk home is spent with comfortable silence, occasionally interrupted by Emmett's sarcastic personality, which led to me or Kaylen either reprimanding him about his inappropriate comments, or just laughing from the ridiculousness of it, or both.

By the time we make it back to our cabin, the smell of breakfast is wafting through the air, and I make a mental note to thank Mom for the food.

"Dad," I shout through the house. The rooms are small, and the cabin is made of large logs, some different in color and some larger. The floor is made of wood as well, but dark red carpets are scattered throughout the living space. I walk to my room, ready to unlace my boots and relax before I have to start on tedious tasks.

"Here." His response is mumbled by the walls between us, but I kick off my boots and walk to his room. He sits at his desk, filing some paperwork for his and Mom's business.

"Yes, Jacky?" he asks, and I sit down on the edge of his bed as I watch his hands swivel across the paper, signing and flipping the papers across the desk. The walls are painted a deep maroon, and drawings from me, Kaylen, and Emmett cling to the walls, drawn from when we were young.

"I was thinking," I say, swallowing down any objections I might have to the idea as I say, "I was thinking that maybe since I'm old enough to get any job here in town, I should get out more. Maybe find something else to do besides help carry the business and read."

This makes him look away from the papers, and some unreadable emotion flickers across his face before he asks, "Would any of your siblings like to join you?"

"Yeah. Actually, Emmett and Kaylen are the ones who proposed the idea of me getting out and participating in things. They said they would promise to join me. Maybe we can all get a job somewhere together." He listens to me, which gives me the courage to keep talking. "That is if you and Mom can handle the business on your own."

"I don't see why we couldn't," is all he says, going back to the paperwork. His reading glasses slip down his nose before he repositions them, and the wrinkles under his eyes seem heavy as he reads the paper.

"How are things going?" I ask him, the bed groaning as I stand and walk towards him, scanning the paper before looking at him, gray hair surrounding his head and forming a small beard down his jaw and chin.

"Things are going," He grumbles, signing his signature once again, flipping the page to be met with another passage for him to go through.

"Listen, me and the others can stay here while you and Mom go do something together. I can tell you are tired and I have a feeling Mom feels the same way." I say, waiting for his reaction before continuing, "It is a gift from me, Emmett, and Kaylen."

His hand pauses, and he looks up at me from his paper. "Sounds tempting, although I have a feeling Emmett will burn the house down if me and your mother aren't here."

"I'm nineteen, Dad. I am capable of watching over things. Now go enjoy yourselves." My grin is so wide, that my cheeks start to hurt.

"Fine," he grumbles, although I can see the glimmer in his emerald-green eyes.

"Awesome. Make sure to tell Mom as well," I say, patting his shoulder before approaching the doorframe.

"Also," I say, turning around to face him once again, my back leaning against the wooden frame. "Vik came over yesterday when you and Mom were away. Said she had some puppies for sale if we were interested." Vik- who grew up with Dad- runs a portion of the massive market in town, and from the looks of it, seems to be doing quite well if her house and clothes are any indication.

"Well, if she says that again, tell her we aren't interested. We have enough problems at the moment," he grumbles, rubbing his temples before getting back to his paperwork, and my heart aches. The last time I saw him this disheveled was when we first moved here; the house bills were quite difficult to keep up with, and since I was nine, I couldn't do much to help. But now I can, and if it's the last thing I do, I'll make sure things are easier for them.

"Love you, Dad," I say, shutting the door behind me.

"Love you too, Jacky," he says, and the door clicks into place, leaving me in the dark, empty hallway.

~~~

"I don't like this game," Emmett says later that evening when my chess piece removes his king from the board, and he slouches back in his chair, disappointment flooding any other signs of happiness or pride.

"You're just a sore loser." I clear the chess board, placing the pieces in their respective places in the box, and when I fit the chess board in, I lay the lid on top.

"I'd say my skills lie elsewhere. I might not have the brains, but I sure do have the brawns." His smile is laced with arrogance as I bring the box over to a storage cabinet in the living room. The soft rug beneath me is smooth against my bare feet, and in one quick motion, the box is put inside the cabinet.

"I think you should have thought about that before we all volunteered to help manage the market with Vik. That takes some smarts," I say, gliding into the chair I just sat in, the wood still warm.

This morning, after we ate breakfast, we all headed out to town, looking for some jobs we could apply for. Kaylen was the one who stopped Vik as she was pacing through the stands, and she asked if she knew of any jobs available in the area. Luckily, Vik said some vendors selling items needed a worker, someone who would be at the stand when they were gone. It was an easy yes for me, although it won't likely pay much, it's better than being cooped up in this house all day.

Kaylen- being the youngest out of Emmett and me- was surprisingly excited about the new opportunity. She's always been someone who is constantly wanting to use her brain, which is why the chessboard is hers.

"We'll see about that," is all he says in response, his grin gone.

"I'm gonna go check on Kaylen." After a moment of silence, I stand from my chair once again, the wood groaning beneath me.

"I'll be in here," he says as I walk past, "Staring at the table."

"I'm sure you can find something better to do with your time," I say over my shoulder, walking into the hallway that leads to me and Kaylen's bedroom. Emmett has own his room, and Mom and Dad share one as well. Me and Kaylen never really had a problem with the small space, and I'm used to it now; so is Kaylen.

I knock on the door before opening it, but she stands at the door, likely about to open it.

"Oh. I was just about to head out." Kaylen blurts, and I back away from the door to let her walk out.

She does so, and I follow her from behind as I ask, "Where are you going?"

"Just to take a stroll around the town. Maybe I'll come across Dad and Mom on my way," she says, the light from the living room reaching her, illuminating her figure.

"Well, you can't go by yourself, Kaylen. If anything, at least I should go with you." I march towards her, and she grips the leather straps of her satchel until her knuckles are white.

I note the anger that now seems to radiate from her, something I didn't see when she appeared from her room.

"Why is your satchel filled with so much stuff if you're just going for a stroll?" Emmett joins in on the conversation, looking back from his chair.

"What if I get hungry?" She snaps at Emmett, and he raises his arms in defeat.

"And what if you get kidnapped? I have a feeling Mom or Dad wouldn't be pleased if you got hurt," I say, reaching her side. I gently put a hand on her shoulder, and she jerks away from my touch.

"Kaylen." She doesn't stop.

"Kaylen!" This time, she pauses her movement forward, and her anger fuels mine.

"Listen to me, please. I want to keep you safe, and walking around the town at night is not a safe idea. I know you are aware of that, so just let me or Emmett go with you," I plead, and I hope she knows I care. I hope she sees that in my face, my voice, my stance.

Something flickers in her auburn eyes, but she doesn't hesitate to say, "I'm sixteen, Jacky. I'm not a toddler who needs caring for."

Her words sting, but they remind me a lot of what I said to Dad earlier in his room.

"Fine," I say, swallowing down any fear for her I might have as I say, "You are capable of taking care of yourself, and I shouldn't interfere with that."

She stares at me for a moment, shock lacing her features as she says, "You let that go a lot quicker than I thought you would." Her small grin eases the worry flowing through me, and she continues walking to the door, her brown hair moving with the motion.

"Thanks, Jacky," she mumbles over her shoulder, her frustration also seeming to ebb away.

Once she makes it to the door, she turns around, waving at both of us.

"Take it easy, Killer," I say, a smile forming on my lips as I wave back.

"Will do, Captain," is all she says as she shuts the door, walking onto the small porch and into the starry night.

As soon as she shuts the door, Emmett jerks his attention away from Kaylen and straight to me, confusion written all over his face.

"I shouldn't have done it," I mumble quickly, already pacing to the door before I can think better of it. Butterflies spasm in my stomach as I think of all the possibilities that could happen.

"Jacky," he says as my hand grasps the handle, and I pause.

"Relax. She has done this before." His words don't calm the tide within me, and I grip the knob tightly.

"Yeah, but she never left at night. At least if something happened to her, it was likely someone would see or hear her," I say, watching as he stands from his chair and walks towards me.

"Look," he says, approaching the window and moving the curtain out of the way. "She is headed towards the town. I'm sure she'll be fine." I watch as she takes a left, leaving the cabin and walking towards civilization.

"Okay," I breathe, stepping away from the window. "You're right. She'll be fine"

"Kaylen will appreciate it," is all he says as I walk towards the wooden chair at the table- the one placed right in front of more windows.

I sit on the chair backwards, my arms and head resting on the back of the wood. Minutes pass and I sit there, waiting for her return, along with Mom and Dad. The clock that hangs in the living room ticks, the only noise to be heard in the room except for Emmett's occasional attempts at making a joke. Minutes turn into hours, and my eyes are drowsy and tired when I hear footsteps on the porch, the noise jerking me awake.

I jump from my seat and as the door opens, two heads pop into view. Mom and Dad.

"How were things?" I ask as they appear through the door, and Dad removes his jacket, hanging it on the coat hanger that sits next to the door as Mom walks over to the counter, leaning her back against it.

"It went well, although we didn't do much. Just went to the bar and talked for a few hours, drinking here and there." Dad's voice is groggy, and he grunts as he sits at the table, taking the chair I once sat at.

"Kaylen said she wanted to go on a 'stroll,'" he says, lifting his hands to put the word 'stroll' in quotation marks. "So we let her. She should be back any moment now."

Mom's face immediately goes to me, concern crossing her features. Her gray hair is dark compared to the white hair that frames the front of her face; a gene malformation that was passed onto me. Flecks of pale skin cover her hands, the pigment there gone.

"I figured she was old enough to handle it, and her satchel seemed loaded with stuff just in case," I stammer, trying to sound calm but it came out too quickly, and my fidgeting hands are likely to give me away.

"Loaded. I mean you could survive days with all that stuff. Like what-" Emmett explains to them, his dirty blonde hair ruffled atop his head.

"I get it, Emmett," Mom cuts him off, giving him a warning glare that seems to say cut it off. He just raises his hands, taking up the form of pure innocence.

"If you can, just wake us up when she gets back home," is all Dad says to me and Emmett, sleep overwhelming his features, and I assume if he can be calm, then so can I.

"Okay," I say, walking back over to my post on the chair, facing the door.

"Goodnight," I mutter, waving at them as they disappear through the hallway.

"Goodnight," Emmett says as Mom and Dad mutter their goodbyes, walking towards the hallway, and I look over at him, my eyebrows scrunching together.

"You're not going to stay and wait for Kaylen?" I ask, and he just shakes his head.

"Are you joking?"

"Yeah," he says, a smile forming on his mouth as he takes up a seat on the floor, the wood groaning as he sits next to me, his legs crossed.

"Fool," I mutter in his direction, but his humor distracts me from the guilt gnawing its way through me.

"Fool I may be, but at least I offered to stay up with you. I need my beauty sleep to keep this." He motions to his face and body, his green eyes shimmering. "You never know; I could apply to be a model with these looks."

"Arrogant fool," I say as I stand from my chair, and walk over to the hallway.

"Where are you going?" Emmett asks from his place on the floor.

"To get blankets and pillows," I say without looking over my shoulder, and I grab some pillows and blankets off of my bed, leaving most of the mattress bare except for the sheets. I return to where Emmett sits and drop a blanket and pillow at his feet.

"Thank you," he says, placing the pillow under his head as he lays on his back, shifting to find a comfortable spot on the wood floor. I smile as I watch him struggle, not because he looks funny, but because he is offering to watch for Kaylen with me, not bothering to go to sleep and wait to see her in the morning.

"Thanks, Emmett."

"For what?" He looks at me, covering himself with the blanket.

"For helping watch for Kaylen. You could just go and sleep in the armchair while I watch," I offer, but he shakes his head as he says, "Then I wouldn't be able to see Kaylen when she comes back. There are no windows over there, and besides."

I wait a moment, covering myself with the blanket and curling over the pillow. When he doesn't finish, I look over at him.

"Besides what?"

"I have to give the other men a chance at getting some ladies. If I slept every night, I would be flooded with girls, and all the men would be sad little souls, waiting for me to go somewhere else. And even then, the ladies would follow me to-"

"Okay, okay. That's great for you, Emmett. Honestly, I'm glad you seem to think so highly of yourself because if you saw what I see, you would be gagging-"

He raises his foot and kicks my leg, the motion too quick for me to prepare for, and my leg hits the leg of the chair, making me wince.

"Thanks a lot," I mutter, massaging my leg as the pain eases away, the throbbing ebbing into a soft ache.

"No problem," he says, placing his hands behind his head as he lays down again, and he is silent for a while. Time slips by, and we sit in comfortable silence, the clock ticking as the only noise in the room.

My heart beats more like the beat of a drum, Kaylen's absence making it worse, and soon, sleep is my last priority as I wait for my sister. Emmett's shallow breathing tells me he is close to sleep, but I don't bother to wake him.

I stand from my chair, my nerves awakening every part of my body, and I start pacing at Emmett's feet, rubbing my temples with my fingers. The damp light from the lamp illuminates my path, my footsteps quiet like a cat as I pace. I don't know how long I do it, maybe minutes, or hours, but when I see the pink and yellow from the sun rising, I stop at Emmett's feet.

I approach his shoulder and nudge it as I say, "Wake up."

He opens one eye before stretching, sitting up on his elbows as he watches me, and then he looks out the window to see the sun rising.

"Is Kaylen back?" he asks, and my silence is answer enough.

"We're going to go look for her then. If we can't find her..." he trails off, but I know what he means as he stands, not bothering to pick up his blanket and pillow.

"I'll let Mom and Dad know we're leaving," I say as I stand, briskly walking towards their room.

When I make it to their room, I sit on the edge of the bed where their feet lie, and Mom wakes up to the motion.

"Yeah?" she says groggily, and her eyes slightly peel open.

"Kaylen still isn't back." This gets her attention, and she sits up on her elbows, the blankets rustling with the movement.

"Me and Emmett were going to go look for her. If we can't find her then, I think we might need to ask some people around if they can help volunteer to look for her. Maybe we can gather a group of people, split up, and cover more space. I hope that isn't what it'll come down to, but..." My words stumble as she quickly gets out of bed, wearing shorts and a shirt. The pale flecks of her skin travel up her right arm and stop at her elbow, and her white hair is as bright as the sun against her gray hair. Her hazel eyes shine with worry as she wakes Dad, and he quickly gets ready.

In a few minutes, we're all ready to head out, and when we make it to the front door, Emmett is already waiting there.

My brother asks, "You're coming too?"

Mom cuts him a glare as she says, "Of course we are. Kaylen is my daughter and she could be in danger."

I grab the door handle, pull it open, and take the route me and Emmett watched Kaylen take last night.