Sparks and Flames (10 page)

“I did all that for you?”
 

“Yeah, you did. I don’t hate people as much as I used to,” he said.

“You’ll be extremely happy to know that I found marzipan candy for you,” she said, holding out a bag of it. “I also put some butterscotch candies as well.”

“Wow, thanks!” He exclaimed, looking into the bag. “You remembered what I liked!”

“How could I forget the look on your face when you said you haven’t had marzipan in ages?” She asked. “I felt so bad for you so the next morning, I went to the candy store and managed to find some marzipan! I got enough to last you the next few months.”

He was touched by this. “You didn’t have to do a thing for me.”

“I know, but I feel for the people in the Velt. It’s not easy for you guys to come across luxuries like most others do,” she said. “I know you don’t want my money so I’ll try to give you want you do want instead.”

“You really don’t have to do that,” he insisted. “I’ll be fine without luxuries! Honest!”

“Maybe so, but it’s not fair to you. You’ve done nothing to deserve being left in the Velt and needing to fight for yourself,” she said. “How does your family handle it?”

“They do the best they can. I suppose I’m lucky that they’ve given me everything that I ever needed,” he said. “I was taught at an early age just what the Velt truly was. It’s not a horrible place where the bad people go. It’s where the poor go. It’s where people who have no future go.” He lowered his gaze. “That’s part of the reason why I became a hunter. I wanted my life to be more meaningful than it is.”

“Your life is meaningful though. You don’t have to be anything big to have a meaningful life.”

“I know but no one cares about people from the Velt. Yes, I know we get help now and then, but no one really helps. They throw in money but they don’t help build our houses or bridges. They don’t feed or clothe anyone. They just do the bare minimum and expect us to pick up our own pieces.” He frowned as he thought about the government sitting in their fancy houses while the people in the Velt dwelled below. “It just doesn’t feel fair to me.”

“I’ve heard about the situation in the Velt and I do think the government could help you out a lot more than they do. Going down once in a while isn’t helping anyone.”

“You don’t need to tell me twice,” Kian sighed. “I swear, they only come down here when they see it as a photo opportunity. I wish at times that we had someone in the government that came from the Velt. They would know how we all felt then.”

“Unfortunately, no one ever wants to hear from the poor. I just don’t understand it,” she shook her head. “You think they would try to help the people in the Velt instead of letting them suffer. I swear, the day I leave this house, I am going down there and helping you build a better life. You deserve it.”

“Rukia, I’ve been through this with you already,” he told her. “I don’t need you to do anything for me. I have plans to take my family out of the Velt. We’re going to get a big house like this one and sell the family business.”

“You have a family business?”

“It’s a run-down motel. It’s not much, but it’s our biggest source of income,” he said. “During my free times, I help my father run it. I’m usually working that front desk and throwing out the people that are staying past check out or causing trouble.”

“Ah, so you do work!”

“Only part time. It’s not like I applied for the job and got it. It’s something that comes with being in the family,” he explained. “It’s not like they pay me for it either. All the money I get, I earn from hunting Elementals.”

“Does that pay well?”

“It all depends on the job. Sometimes, I’ll make a lot that’s going to last us the whole month. Sometimes, I make enough to just get us the groceries for the weekend,” he looked away from her. “I wish I could do more for my family though. I want to do more for them.”

“You’re already helpful enough. I’m sure they appreciate the little bit of help that you do provide,” she told him. “I would be lucky to have someone like you in my corner.”

“I’m just doing it because they are my family. There’s no other reason,” he shrugged. “My family is everything right now. Well, almost everything.”

She looked up at him. “Almost everything?”

“Strange as it sounds, there’s one other thing that’s my world to me now,” he said. “Call me crazy, say that I have lost my mind, but I have someone else I care about. She’s someone very special.”

He lowered his eyes. “And she’s sitting right beside me.”

Chapter 12

The time had finally come for Kian to meet the rest of the family. Mayuri was not going to be there as she was still at school. Everyone else was going to be there and he wanted to make a good impression. He only got one chance to do that so he hoped that he wouldn’t stumble over any words tonight. He was taking deep breaths as Rukia let him into the gates of her house.

“Stop breathing so hard. I can hear you,” she told him.

“I’m sorry, Rukia. I’m very nervous. I’ve never met anyone’s parents before. What if I end up saying the wrong thing? What if I do the wrong thing? Those are the things that are swirling around in my mind,” he said. “I’ll try to slow down my breathing, but you cannot blame me for being nervous right now.”

“My parents aren’t ogres, Kian. They’re not going to eat you alive if you happen to stutter or use the wrong fork or something like that,” she told him.

“It’s not your parents I’m worried about. It’s your sister. She scares me.”

“Who, Midori?” Rukia laughed at that. “Okay, now I understand why you’re so nervous. Midori can be a little frightening, but she’s also not a monster. She’s just very tough, but once you get to know her, she can be very soft and sweet.”

“Hopefully, I will be able to see that soft and sweet side soon.”

Rukia took Kian’s hand and walked across the front lawn where Midori was practicing a few swings. “Be careful. She is lethal with that bat.”

“You think I don’t know that?” He joked. “Can you see why I’m nervous? What if she decides to use it on me?”

“She won’t. She will like you.”

“I had a feeling you had a friend over,” Midori said, putting her bat down. Kian began to breathe normally again. As long as that thing wasn’t in her arms, he was safe. “You were so giggly and giddy over it.”

Kian turned to her. “Is that true? You’re giddy over seeing me?”

Rukia blushed. “No! I mean… I don’t giggle!”

“Oh, please. You should have heard her this morning,” Midori said. “I couldn’t get any sleep because she was going on and on about you.”

“Midori!”

Now it was his turn to laugh. “It’s okay. I admit that I was a little happy to come over here. My parents were wondering about me. They said I’ve never smiled so much in my life. They thought I had been taken over by some alien or something.”

She nodded towards Midori. “You remember my sister, don’t you? She’s the one who chased the creep out with her cricket bat.”

Midori spat on the ground and rubbed her knuckles against her chest. “He was nothing. The moment you wield a weapon, he basically falls to his knees and begs for forgiveness. Give him a whack and he is putty.”

“I owe you one,” Kian said. “It was such an embarrassing situation. I don’t know how I would have gotten out of it without you.”

“Save your thanks for another time. I would have helped anyone out,” she said, stretching out on the grass. “Say, do you play cricket?”

“I’m afraid I don’t.”

“Too bad. I was hoping we could have a friendly game,” she said. “Oh well, it’s not like you would have been able to beat me.”

“No one can beat you, Midori,” Rukia said, taking Kian by the arm and leading him away. “Come on, let me introduce you to the rest of my family. I promise they aren’t going to challenge you to any cricket matches.”

“Kian, this is my mother and father,” she pointed to them. “I want you all to meet Kian. He’s the boy I told you about, remember?”

“Yes, I do!” Her father shook Kian’s hand. Kian noted that he had a very strong grip. “How are you doing? Rukia has done nothing but talk about you.”

“Really? I hope it’s all good things,” Kian said, hoping that his words came out like a joke.

“Of course! My daughter can’t stop talking about you. She thinks you’re a wonderful guy.”

“Come on, it’s time for dinner,” Midori said. “I hope you like what we’ve prepared.”

Mrs. Benton had made a lot of delicious food including some noodles that he loved called Haka noodles. They were Indo-Chinese noodles that were very thin and cooked with various vegetables. She had also made some Tandoori chicken and some pulao to eat. He felt guilty that they had gone through this trouble to make him some of his favorite dishes. He couldn’t remember the last time that he had eaten Tandoor chicken, but it had been a while.

“I had to look up all the recipes,” Mrs. Benton told him. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” he admitted. “You’ve done a wonderful job.”

“We got you some marzipan candy as well as some Indian sweets from a local market,” Midori added. “I didn’t know what kind of sweets you liked so we got one of everything.”

He laughed. “You guys shouldn’t have!”

“Well, we rarely get guests in this house and we wanted you to feel like you were at home,” Mr. Benton said. “Rukia said that you love Indian food so we brought you Indian food.”

“You are very kind. No one’s ever treated me like this,” he admitted. “I tell my parents that I wish I could have known more about India. My father comes from there yet I know very little. I just know a little bit about the history and culture before it split up and became new lands. The same thing goes for Puerto Rico. It’s just an archipelago now. If only I got a chance to see it while it was an island…” He trailed off, looking down at his food. It hurt his heart to see that he came from worlds that didn’t exist anymore.

“See if it’s anything like the food you’re used to,” Mrs. Benton broke up the tension in the room. “If I’ve done something wrong, let me know.”

He took a bite of the noodles and found them to be well-cooked. They weren’t clumpy like pasta could be. “You’ve done a fantastic job, Mrs. Benton. I’m amazed that you took the time to pull recipes and make this for me.”

“The girls are also very fond of Indian food too, but I’ve never had a chance to make them until now. I’m glad to see that it’s got your seal of approval.”

“You’ve made the chicken so moist instead of dry like most people do,” he took another bite and then went to the pulao. That also tasted fantastic. “Well done, Mrs. Benton. If my father was here, I know he would approve of this too.”

“It’s settled! I can make Indian food!” Mrs. Benton waved her hands around in show of victory. “Sadly, I didn’t make the desserts. I was looking for a good curry recipe as well but I couldn’t find one. I just did what I could with what I could find.”

“It’s okay. You’ve done more than enough,” he said. “Rukia must have told you that I love curry, huh?”

“Well, she hasn’t told us a lot about you but it’s enough to know to what you like.” Mr. Benton said. “Next time, we’ll have some curry for you.”

“That sounds good. I love curry with naan bread as well,” he said. “Garlic naan bread is my favorite thing to eat curry with.”

“Duly noted for the next time,” Mrs. Benton said. “So Kian, tell us a little bit about yourself.”

“About myself?” Kian took a bite of his food before continuing. “Well, I’m half-Indian and half-Puerto Rican as you can see. I’ve never been to those countries before they were split up, but I’ve heard lots about them. I’m the only child. I come from Dardrel, which is just outside of the Velt.” He had to lie about his hometown because he didn’t know how the Benton’s would take this. They wouldn’t mind someone living outside of the Velt but within it was another story. “I have finished school and I help my father out with his business.”

“Oh, what kind of business does he have?”

“He runs a hotel. It’s a medium-sized hotel and we get quite a few visitors.”

This much was partially true as Mr. Shah did have his own business, but it wasn’t a hotel. Kian didn’t want to admit that their business was really a 32 room motel that was on the outskirts of the Velt. It brought them a nice amount of money, but it wasn’t the best job they could have. His mother helped clean the rooms sometime with all the housekeepers. Kian himself would often work the front desk when no one else was available. He knew plenty about the motel business. However, he never wanted to go into it. He had seen all kinds of people come in and stay at the motel. A good chunk of them were usually drunk or high. At times, he had to be the one to throw them out if they caused too much trouble.

“How about your mother? Does she work?”

“She helps my father run the hotel.”

“You must be rolling in money then,” Midori said.

Kian smiled so tightly that it was making his face hurt. “We do fine on our own.”

“Guys, stop grilling him. I think he answered as much as he needs to. He’s a good person,” Rukia said. “What else do you want from him, a blood test?”

“That’s not a bad idea,” Midori joked. “Does anyone have a needle?”

“Midori!”