Amongst The Water-Fresh Waters

Chapter 24: Loose Ends! Part 2

   First Uploaded: March 2014 Dates updated: January or February 2018; November 1, 2019; June 8, 2020, 1:45PM)               

                   After Kylie remembers what happened at Evie's yesterday; she slams her binder shut. Finished with the failed attempt at running her lines. She rolls over on her bed and rubs her eyes exhausted. She shakes her head and sighs. Out of all the mermaid madness, the creepy experiences she's had on Moanie, her new powers, a new spike in emotions and hormones, and newer and creepier experiences in the cave that included a voice and the walls literally shocking her; family secrets was the last thing she'd thought she'd have to deal with.

               "Why can't I have a normal life. Like when I was in West Virginia. Since when did becoming an Australian require having a very extra complicated life!" She yells. She wipes the tears off her face. She rolls her eyes remembering too well that she still doesn't have all of her things with her. Some of their things are in a storage unit while her dad's other two boats are being watched by his friend. Her dad reminds her and Nick often, that they can visit West Virginia as soon as they can to say one last goodbye to their childhood home because Kevin hasn't sold it yet. He's had offers, but not good enough that matches the many many renovations he and Karon put into the house. Including the two sheds in the backyard for Karon and Kylie's music studio. And the other one for Kevin and Nicholas' gaming room. Kylie wipes more tears from her face remembering the one and potentially the only thing she and her mother bonded over. Karon is the one who taught her how to sing. She always sang to her as a baby. But the older she got, Karon stopped singing to Kylie. She sang Nick to sleep until she passed and she stopped singing to Kylie when she was about 6. Kylie never knew why. But Karon was glad to teach Kylie to sing and was more motivated to stay sober when Kevin built them the "She Shed" in the back yard when Kylie was 10. He intended it to be Karon's so she could finally get back to doing something she dreamed of doing. But after Karon went back to the drugs and her toxic friends; she lost all interest in wanting to coach Kylie into singing. 

                    "Why couldn't you have listened to us mom? You'd still be with us right now and maybe we wouldn't be in a different country where we don't belong. Where I don't belong." She cries wiping her eyes. It's all true if her mom was still alive; they'd all probably still be in West Virginia and she certainly wouldn't be a mermaid and wouldn't have to leave her best friend Lexie. She shakes her head. But she also wouldn't have had the courage to break up with Jacob and also wouldn't have met her friends and been able to start a good and healthy new relationship with Finn. She sighs. "I also wouldn't have been blessed to have met Brianna." The mother she wishes she had growing up. She loves her mom Karon and always will, but Brianna embraced her like her own as soon as Kevin introduced them. "CRAP!" Kylie exclaims remembering all the subtle and sometimes not so subtle hints that Brianna made in the past. About Kaylee and Kylie bickering like sisters. And like: Kylie and Kaylee having the same blood type. She remembers that one the most because Kylie immediately thought that she could be a blood donor if Kaylee needed it if her test came back positive.

                    Kylie wipes her eyes AGAIN. Her soon to be step-sister may possibly have cancer. And Kylie wishes she never found out because that's all she can think about, well besides her recent family issues. It's been almost a week since Kaylee had the blood test and Bone Marrow test. Kylie has been trying to treat Kaylee like she normally would; bickering with her and pretending she may not have Leukemia. Especially at school, because that's what Kaylee wishes. She doesn't want people to take pity on her. She also reminded Kylie that she may not even have cancer. Unfortunately, the odds of the test coming back negative are low considering Kaylee has been getting a lot of colds and headaches lately and can't keep up with them when the family goes on walks. Kylie even remembers seeing Kaylee getting extremely winded and week one day when she was outside dancing. 

                     Frustrated by all the confusion and emotions swirling through her head, Kylie gets up off her bed and heads two rooms down and at the end of the house, to her dad's study. Knowing the only way to figure this out is to find her Birth Certificate. Hopefully, it'll tell her more information. Her chest tightens as soon as she steps into the room. She's never been n her dad's study without asking. It' not that it's off-limits, it's just that she and Nicholas know their dad has very important documents on his computer and in his desk. They never enter without asking because they respect their dad's work and privacy. He encourages them to do their homework and study in there because he has just about all the materials they would need. Especially for Kylie's Marine Biology class. She looks at the enormous bookshelf remembering how many times she's wanted to spend hours here to read through her dad's Marine Biology, Oceanography, and Earth Science books. But she came to find her Birth Certificate.