Who: Kyrie and Ezra What: Reacting to Hannah’s Death When: Mid-late afternoon, September 1, 2019 [backdated] Where: Kyrie and Fitz’s house Rating: Medium Status: Complete!
News seemed to travel fast. Ezra had finished taking a nap in his government-assigned apartment and was now walking as he heard the news of a resident being found dead - beaten and possible a subject of experimentation. Moving swiftly as he could, he texted his sister ‘Are you at home?’ and headed to her house.
Kyrie was hiding.
Her door was closed to the room she slept in. It smelled oddly comforting; Ezra still loomed in the sheets, the floor, the walls. She took refuge there like a child would a fort made of cushions from the couch with a blanket thrown over. Back would be pressed against the door. Arms wound around drawn up knees, head down against the back of her hand. She was afraid to leave. The news of the woman had spread like a wildfire. When would it stop? When would she ever stop being afraid to leave her house?
At first she had missed the soft twittering sound the device made, too lost in herself to try to acknowledge anything. The house itself was silent as usual. No footsteps would come until later. Fitz was gone for the day working, helping others in the way he always had. Her shift at the diner had ended abruptly upon hearing the news.
After thirty seconds the sound came again causing Kyrie to lift her head finally. With a frown, she finally made herself move. The phone lay on the bedside table and once she had risen Kyrie went to meet it, plucking it from where it lay with lithe fingers. Her eyes scanned the message and texted back slowly ’Yes. Are you alright?
Concern was a mask she wore often. Her brows would knit together and a sense of urgency began to settle into her bones.
Bare feet would pivot and carry her to the bedroom door, phone still in hand. Obstacle wrenched open, the door would be flung aside as if it were a feather and the sound of it smacking hard against the wall was ignored.
Ezra became anxious when Kyrie didn’t immediately reply. But he wondered if she was at the diner. His pace quickened and his stride lengthened as he worked to walk faster within reason.
Then he blinked as he felt the vibration of his phone and looked at it. Stopping, he texted her back. ‘I’m okay. Coming to the house.’ Then he began his brisk walking once again to get to the house. Soon enough he was there and knocked on the door in case Kyrie had locked it.
In a matter of seconds, steps, she would reach the door. Her phone was set aside - she didn’t even bother to look at the message regardless as to whether or not it could be dire. There was no consideration for emergency, she couldn’t bear more bad news and so the result would find her.
He was correct, she had locked the door. A palm would fall to the knob and like a statue she would still, wait. As the knock came she unlatched the door, twisted the knob and eased the door open.
Waving her brother inside the door was held open enough for him to slip in before she closed it again, locking it up behind Ezra.
Hearing the unlatching, Ezra was anxious to get inside to see his sister. Was she okay? How could anyone be okay with what had happened.
He hurried inside, looking over his shoulder in case anyone had followed, but there was no one. Once Kyrie closed and locked the door behind him, he turned and wrapped his arms around her. Ezra pulled her close. “I’m glad you’re here and you’re safe.”
Safe. She was safe in his arms and her own would lift and wind around him. Kyrie held on to him, clung to him. So badly she wanted him to stay but she knew he couldn’t. Keeping Fitz safe, keeping him safe would not allow her selfishness to take precedence.
“For how long?” She uttered, nearly choking on the question. “I’ve been in their prison, I’ve seen what they can do to innocent people.” A sparrows breath coated those words. “How long until they come for me, too? Or you? Or anyone?”
A hand reached up to gently smooth Kyrie’s hair. He knew he couldn’t stay. A part of him deep down felt like he was still a ghost and also an obstacle for his sister and Fitz. There was that pain. Would they be able to escape this island and heal?
Ezra’s arm around Kyrie tightened, a pang of upset in his chest rose at her telling of being in the government’s prison. “I will protect you and Fitz. There has to be a way to defend ourselves.”
“You can’t be here forever,” she replied, tone flat and without emotion but she didn’t let him go. “You can’t, Fitz can’t, Jake can’t.” She was going to have to learn to fight for herself. Defend herself. “Can you teach me to fight?”
Lifting her head she looked up at her brother. Her fists could demolish a building, cause the island to split. But she was afraid of everything. “Teach me to protect myself.”
“Neither can you.” Ezra breathed. He would cause a tornado to sweep those who would hurt them, a thunderstorm with lightning to strike anyone. He bit his lip at her question, not wanting his sister to get hurt.
Pulling back just a little, he looked down at her. He didn’t know what she could do. “I will….to protect yourself, but not to go out picking the fights, okay?” She didn’t need to be afraid. That was his job.
At his rebuttal Kyrie nodded. He was right, she couldn’t argue with that. But she wouldn’t go down without a fight, that much she could guarantee. A breath would be taken and she exhaled it slowly.
She nodded. “No, I wouldn’t do that.” That wasn’t like her, she wasn’t the one trying to draw attention to herself. That was dangerous for the people she loved, including Jake. “I want to learn to protect myself.” She didn’t know that Ezra had no idea what she could do.
He wouldn’t want her to not go down without a fight. He wasn’t going to. Ezra himself wasn’t quite sure just how powerful he was though he had been told he had influenced a hurricane-like storm.
“Good.” He was trying to learn as much as he could about the place. But he had his own obstacles. “I will teach you what I know, what I remember…” This was something he wished he could have taught her before he ‘died’.
Kyrie hugged her brother.
She held him, closing her eyes. “I’ve missed you so much, my brother, my best friend.” The last part was said in French, their native tongue. He had missed so much and she wanted him to know everything. To fill in the gaps.
“I want you to meet Jakob,” she breathed, pulling backward to look up at Ezra. “My boyfriend. He’s so sweet, so caring. You would like him.”
“Me too, my sister.” He bowed his head to press a kiss to the top of her head. Ezra had many instances where he felt unsteady not remembering what he wanted and being back with his sister and best friend moving on, finding love. Like he would have wanted. Yet there was that pang of emptiness.
“Okay,” he breathed and looked down at her. “I’m glad you found someone. I want to meet him.”
Finally her smile began to grow. Color would come to her cheeks and face at mention of Jakob. “Fitz, Ben, they’ve met him. They were like brothers, concerned.” They’d threatened him, her Jake, but she knew Jakob wouldn’t hurt her. She loved him.
“You will. I’ll talk to him about it.” She would and she would talk about her cousin, Levi, who wanted to meet him. That thought made he frown but only for a moment.
That emptiness, that loneliness Ezra felt pained a little more at the mention of Fitz...and Ben. If only he could remember more of who he was and the friendship he had with his best friend.
“Okay, good.” He nodded.
She was excited about him meeting Jake. That didn’t take away from the gravity of the moment at hand. “Can you stay, please? For now? Fitz will be home soon but I don’t want to be alone.”
Alone. Such a solitary word. A hopeless word. She had been alone her whole life. Her mother, her father, nobody had loved her the way Ezra had. “Please?”
Ezra began to smile, but a frown began to tug at the corners of his mouth. “I will.” A good brother, a good ghost.
Alone - he had felt that way ever since he reunited with his sister. It wasn’t her fault. It was his, his for not fighting to remember who he was before the I.E.D. And yes, he loved his sister. He felt guilty for not being there when she needed him. “Yes, I will stay.”
“You’re not a ghost.” She shook her head at him, “You're never a ghost to me.” He was her brother and she would not push him aside.
She was glad he agreed to stay. Relieved. Kyrie would pull backward and drew his hands into hers. “You’re my brother.”
“I feel like one.” He replied in French. His bearings were still not on even keel 100% of the time. Ezra could distract himself and he had. But there were times his thoughts returned to what he had lost, what he was missing out on.
“Thank you,” Ezra nodded and gently curled his fingers around her hands. “I am here now.”
Non, she breathed, shaking her head. “You are no ghost. You are a man. You are my brother and you are everything.” Everything she had ever wanted, ever wished for, was here. Maybe it was selfish. But he was family. And without him she was less.
He’s smile was genuine. Bright. “Oui. So start acting like it.”
“Everything,” he echoed softly and nodded. Ezra wanted to remember, to feel whole once more. Kyrie was his stability now.
“Okay.” Ezra whispered and pulled his sister close for another hug.
Arms would wind around her brother and she held him. Her eyes squeezed shut; hugs were one thing she had learned to love mostly because before she came to the island she never got them. Ezra’s hugs were the best.
Opening her eyes she pulled away. “Can I make you something to eat?”
Protecting his sister was what he could do. He’d teach her to defend herself. Thankfully he did remember some things in that respect. Ezra sighed as he let the silence move in the moment.
Gently, he loosened his hold on his sister. “Yes, please...as long as you make something for yourself as well.”