LAST
"I would normally say hello as well,
but I must deeply apologize."

LAST
ONE

Kennedy Malone tested her left contact, blinking rapidly to make sure the contact was secure. After the quick assessment, she stared across the room. A silent flock of darkness twisted and turned in a single converging mob. Keeping her back against the wall, she eyed the activity critically. Mindful all the morbid fascination about the ever stirring flock, she slipped away from view and around to the back door.

Warm humid air greeted the girl and she let out an unheard sigh amidst the overbearing sound of crickets. The air was still, adding to the heat. Kennedy took a momentary look to the evening sky.

"Hope it's a big one," she spoke out loud.

A big storm would be a relief, rain crying hard and the thunder stomping up a huge fuss. The damage left from a storm's rampage would help her secretive childish indulgence. Of course, as her mind would remind her, indulging herself to such would not be beneficial. She had to take full care of them now. Her rationale of years took hold greatly now.

They trusted her as the eldest; Kennedy could not possibly let her younger siblings be worried about her. They were grieving, scared, frantic, worried, in shock, clingy, and a sparking hope of denial. But she knew as she always knew. Their parents had passed on. Everyone must die someday, but this stark well-known fact did not calm emotional beings. She herself had not been an in action emotional being, but carried this emotional being deep inside herself.

Her mother, Donna, had a love-hate relationship with her eldest daughter, Kennedy. She was the only one of all the children not to cry at sight of Santa or the Easter Bunny. Her mother loved her not making a fuss, hated her for not making a fuss like other children. She was the only one not to bellyache about getting candy. She often gave her piece to her siblings. She was perfectly fine just staring out the car window lost in thought. Her mother hated she wasn't paying attention. She was also one not to care about the small stuff, others could go first in line and others could make cliques if they so pleased. Her mother loved that she didn't get sucked inside the drama. She was prone to wander, trusting everyone around her. She knew full well everyone was unique and different, she enjoyed the fact. Her mother hated her trust.

Still, Kennedy's mother meant well. The others were the favored. They made mistakes and had accidents while Kennedy made them all on purpose. At least, according to her mother. Still, Kennedy wished she could hear her mother rant at her once more. She knew she was the output for her mother's emotions in those; they didn't really fall under yelled lectures. She was the only child who listened to all of her mother's stress pour out. The others did not quite understand the rants as stress relievers and yelled back against it the few times it occurred to them.

Her father, Dave, had been much like her. Most of his side of the family was like her. They were close but when there was a conflict, hiding away was often involved. Her father would often take a drive to the Boat, gambling for a few hours before coming back home. The next stewing day after Donna ranted at her husband, he would nail down one single point that killed her whole rant. She would sulk and fight against the point, but in the end things went back to normal. Dave was the silent type for the most part. Strong silent father figure Kennedy loved for his constant presence.

Kennedy became aware of the constant chirps surrounding her. She should go back inside to the silent flock of darkness and the cool air condition. The humidly pressed down on her skin.

She turned about quite suddenly, back pedaling. The strangeness of the young man startled her and she knew from past experience this was bad. Her eyes flickered back to the building. She really should have gone back inside, morbid people or not, that sudden thought had occurred for a reason. Kennedy's eyes flickered back to settle on the young man before her.

Emerald eyes stared right back at her, looking very unusual on his surprised Asian face. His bangs framed his face well, despite the fact it was a notoriously unnatural color. A tailored button down shirt, hung crispy onto his lean frame, the pastel green giving prominence to his inaccurate eye color. Clean white pants were belted high with unspoiled black flip flops on his untanned feet.

"I'd normally say hello, but I fear it isn't something I should be saying right now," she stated.

"I would normally say hello as well, but I must deeply apologize." He stood firm but the pause was stifling in the humid heat of the summer evening. "I am here for the last of the hidden people."

Kennedy turned this odd statement over in her head. "As in Faeries from folklore?"

He frowned slightly, hand gripping his upper thigh and rubbing off the sweat from his palm. "Actually, elementals are the closest word folklore has to properly call them. But yes, faeries. It has misshapen to me to protect the last of the hidden people."

"Misshapen to you?"

"Yes," he answered simply. He took her new silence to rub off the sweat from his other palm. "You are taking this rather well. I could be labeled as crazy by some."

"You're too out of place to be crazy," Kennedy replied. She was far too trusting, but his unique appeal called to her. "Do you need some help in finding the last of the hidden people?"

He blinked at her offer and glanced over to the evening sunset, crickets chirping louder in the background. "I only need to find three more now." The rays of the sun colored the sky with rich colors of the incoming night sky. He kept sight on the setting for a while longer and finally glanced over to the girl as he spoke again.

"Your younger siblings."

To be continued...