SpaceShifter

Demons walked the realm of the living, disguised with heavenly features and a smile that’ll make angels damn themselves, just to get a closer look.

-

“Kirana-”

“No.”

“But-”

“No.”

“Alright then,” the young prince sighed, “but-”

“Here we go again.”

“-I’m going with you, Keith and Kelan too, you’re not doing this alone.”

She paused, “fine, but don’t be holding me back.”

He smiled, a rare gesture only a special few had seen, “Never planned too, milady.”

-

Adeline was cutting vegetables when the doorbell rang, she wasn’t expecting delivery, nor a guest, her son, Kastor, who was twelve at the time, got up from the living room where her youngest, Kiera, was and opened the door, she walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands and froze when she saw four figures in front of the door. One girl and three boys.

The girls’ chocolate hair was in the sunlight, turning it a copper color, her eyes were a combination of her fathers’ and mothers’, purple on the left, golden on the right, her skin was golden just like the sunrise.

One of the boys looked exactly like the girl, he also had his fathers’ cheekbones, Adeline remembered them to the very last detail, she sharp, it looked like it could cut glass.

The taller one, looked at her with a sense of familiarity, he looked exactly like his father, chocolate hair, almond eyes, both the color of molten gold like the other two, gentle features hidden behind a cold, brooding expression, and yet she recognized all three of them.

But she didn’t recognize the fourth one, he did not look like the others, dirty blonde hair, messy, probably because of him combing his hands up it too often, but his eyes, which shone emerald green, this, she recognized, for it was the color of her best friends eyes, and then she remembered.

But first three, she knew them, she was there when all thos three were born, it was she who gave birth too them, who took care of them before their family needed to be separated for the younger two’s safety, so they fled to earth.

“Kelan,” she let the name slip through her tounge, Kae-lun, she hasn’t said that name for so long, too long, “Kirana, Keith, and Nathaniel, pleasure to see you again, how you have grown.”

Kirana, her first daugther, her little baby girl, who was only seven when she last saw her, who was now fifteen, all grown up, a perfect mix of the Eastern and Northern features, and so was her twin, Keith.

“Mum,” her voice was hoarse, it looked like she was choking back tears, “you-you should know why we’re here right?”

She was fiddling with her finger nail, a habit of hers’ ever since she was young.

“Woah, okay, back up a second,” Kastor said, backing away from the four teens in front of him, “first of, no that’s my mom, you can’t just turn up here-you-you’re probably at the wrong house, please kindly leave-”

“It seems,” Kelan says, smiling at Kastor, “that you have forgotten about us, little brother.”

“What. The. Frick.”

“Mom?” Kiera peered her head out of the living room, her eyes were half-opened, and her brain probably half-awake. “Who are these people?”

“Kiera, Kastor, remember I told you I had three dead children before you?”

“Yes,” Kastor said, then he paused, his mind processing this information, “wait-”

“Well, I was half lying, you have three elder siblings, but they’re not dead.”

Kiera, bless her soul, was not as complicated as her brother, instead, she turned to her newly discovered older sister and wrapped her nine-year-old arms around her waist. She looked up, to see a single tear roll down her sister’s face and frowned.

“Are you okay? Kastor, come hug her, she’s sad-”

“No,” Kirana’s voice was bearly audible, “I’m not sad, I’m happy, see, these are tears of joy.”

She patted her sisters’ head and smiled, she turned to the blonde boy next to her with a teasing smile, “See? I’m safe, I totally could’ve made it on my own.”

“Don’t say that you’ll jinx us,” he muttered, feeling like he intruded a very touching family reunion.

“I’ll kill you back at Etherial, right now let me talk to my mum.”

“Okay, wait, what?” Kastor frowned.

“I’ll explain later,” Adeline said, she turned to her older kids. “Kids, tell me, what is it.”

“You have to come back,” Kelan says, looking at his two sisters with concern, probably for the younger one, “it isn’t safe here anymore, mum, he knows about Kastor and Kiera, he’s going to put the curse on them, please come back, it’s safer at the estate.”

Keith, looked at his wristwatch, “Mum, we have to leave, it’s five right now, we have to leave before sundown, it’ll be easier for them to track us when it’s dark.”

Adeline nodded, “Kastor, Kiera, go upstairs, each of you take only one bag, one that will be easy to carry, pack whatever you want, but just one bag, no more.”

“Hey,” Kiera looked at her older sister, “can you help me?”

Kirana smiled, “sure.”

-

“Mum, can you drive, Kelan isn’t exactly the best driver,” Keith said, as he got onto the back of the van.

“Excuse you I drive just fine.”

“Now’s not the time boys,” their mother said, climbing into the driver’s seat.

Kirana opened the back of the van and threw in the three bags. She jumped in and pushed a bottom, making it automatically close itself.

“Everyone on?” Adeline said, looking into the back of the van, he counted five kids in total, and Kelan, who was in the passenger seat next to her, making it six. She started the car and drove out of the driveway.

“Nathaniel,” Kirana said, looking at the blonde boy, “give them the knives, they should have something to use in case it finds us.”

Nathaniel nodded, pulling out two hunting daggers, handing them to Kastor and Kiera, he pulled out another item, a small cube with a little button on top and handed it to Adeline, “Here, Lady Adeline, it’s your spear, just in case, you know.”

“You know what?” Asked Kastor, looking at his mom, he held the knife, his hands shaking.

Keith handed him and Kiera a leather pouch, “Put the knife in there, you won’t cut yourself that way.”

The car halted, “we’re here,” Kelan said, “get out, quick, we don’t have that much time.”

Keith looked at his wristwatch again, “43 minutes, we can make it.”

“Come on,” Kirana said, helping Kastor and Kiera down, “stay with one of us, preferably me or Keith since, we have some control over those things.”

She said the word with so much venom, Kastor thought, whatever the thing is, it must be bad news.

Adeline was the first to step into the forest in front of them, “Quick.”

Kelan followed, he flicked his hands and a spear appeared in his hands, Kastor was going to ask how he did it, but right now, the tension was so thick he could feel his lungs suffocating from it. Kirana, Keith, and Nathaniel did the same thing and weapons appeared in their hands too, a scythe, a double-bladed sword, and bow and arrows.

“I’ll take the back,” Nathaniel said, “Kira, wanna help?”

“Yeah, you guys, go,” you gently pished Kiera and Kastor forward. “We don’t have time, get going.”

Kastor quickly walked, one hand holding Kiera and the other holding his bags, the forest was eerily quiet, the gush of wind came by, causing his hair to raise and a shiver to go through his spine. The tingling feeling was in his stomach was getting more and more out of control, his lungs felt heavier, his head hurts, his vision is blurring-breathe. His took a deep breath and sighed, he needed to calm himself down, he can have a mental breakdown later, just not now.

They continued to walk, deeper and deeper into the forest.

“Stop, we’re here,” Kelan took a deep breath and swung his spear, slicing the air, a gust of wind erupted from the tear, and all Kastor could see was a blinding light, Adeline quickly pushed Kiera in, and then Kastor, and then all he could see was darkness.